Second radii

station on Kiribati closed

Politics on Kiribati are small and very bitter. Founding president and former Forum secretary general leremia Tabai is finding that out to his cost nowadays.

A backbench MP with a garage to run he last year founded the country’s first FM radio - New 101 FM.

It had barely finished running its test signals when the government of President Teburoro Tito not only closed him down but put the police onto him.

Tabai sees it as a direct assault on media freedom - and a bid to close political dis sent in Kiribati.

The only broadcaster in Kiribati is the government AM station, carefully con trolled by the president’s office.

Just before last year’s general election Tabai and partners built New 101 FM after getting legal advise - from the government funded People’s Lawyer - that they did not need a license. The station began test broadcasting its mainly music programme when they got word that they had to close, immediately.

They have not re-opened since and the government is still dallying on regulations and the kind of control it wants to impose on private broadcasters.

Tabai is still awaiting the police inves tigation into allegations he broadcast with out a license and erected a radio antennae

without permission.

“They are messing me around, defi nitely,” he said. “If you want to complain about the government you have to go through the government,” he said at the purpose built radio station. “I’m in politics and we need to make money on this oper ation, but what is important is that this place is another voice.” The station would broadcast news and debate. “We will be more creative in our news items, and we will have a better and more interesting news.” The president’s government felt threatened, he said. ■