In reaction to the preparation and release of elections procedure of journalists’ representatives for Media High Council by Ministry of Information and Culture,
Afghanistan Journalists Federation (AJF) conducted a press conference in “Nai” office today morning and considered the procedure incomplete and in contradictory to the law. In AJF declaration which was released in today’s press conference, and its Persian and Pashto versions were read by Mr. Safiullah Zear and Mr. Zia Bomya, members of AJF directory board, the legal defects of the procedure were clearly explained.
Prior to this press conference, AJF had elected two representatives of journalists for Media High Council in 8.6.2013. The method of this elections was copied from the civil society which had elected its representatives before.
The elected representatives were introduced through an official letter to the Media High Council which is being led by Mr. Sayed Makhdum Raheen, Minister of Information and Culture, but the letter was not replied and after two weeks the procedure of selecting journalists representatives for Media High Council was released by Ministry of Information and Culture.
Officials from AJF says that with regard to the illegal actions of the Information and Culture Minister, AJF was always trying to pressurize him in order to enforce the law.
Mr. Faheem Dashty the chief executive of Afghanistan's National Journalists’ Union (ANJU) and member of AJF board of directors said: “it’s clear, if after four years of Mass Media Law’s enactment, now Minister of Information and Culture is ready to provide mentioned procedure, it’s all because of restless efforts of AJF for enforcement of the law. Otherwise, why this procedure was not provided four years before?”
Mr. Khpelwak Sapy, head of Free Association of Afghanistan Journalists and member of AJF board of directors said: “May be the election process through which AJF elected its representatives to Media High Council was not hundred percent complete, but AJF will never participate in a process which has legal problems and being conducted by Minister of Information and Culture in order to raise dissension between journalists. "
The officials from AJF also insisted that if the procedure is revised according to the Mass Media Law, their organizations will be ready to participate in the electoral process of two journalists’ representatives to Media High Council.
Mr. Sidiqullah Tawhidy, head of Media Watch and member of AJF board of directors said: “the purpose of electing journalists’ representatives was to follow the law or to let the representative of the journalists to go to the Media High Council. Now we also obey the law, and Ministry of Information and Culture cannot conduct illegal and fake elections and introduce its own people as representatives of journalists to Media High Council.”
Mr. Tawhidy adds that if the procedure is revised according to Mass Media Law, AJF will participate in fair and legal elections based of that revised procedure.
Since one and half year after establishment of the Media High Council, Mr. Sayed Makhdum Raheen, Minister of Information and Culture, has selected two people as representatives of all journalist community by himself.
