AD's request for TV programmes turned down
The Green Party yesterday complained it has been refused permission to broadcast a television programme on a private station explaining its electoral programme for the forthcoming European Parliamentary elections.
"Democracy is evidently not one of the country's strengths," Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola told party faithful at an activity yesterday.
"All we asked for is the opportunity to have one or two programmes to promote the policies and campaign of our party," he said. "But incredibly and unfairly, the Broadcasting Authority, whose board is made up of people appointed by the Nationalist Party and Labour Party, while letting One TV and Net TV broadcast partisan programmes and political adverts, ruled that AD cannot transmit programmes promoting its issues."
He said it was also unacceptable that the debate on how the country's sixth seat in the EP would be assigned was still undecided, in spite of the approaching elections.
"The governing party is abusing democracy. Fairness and transparency are simply not high on the government's agenda."
In fact, on this point, he also referred to the striking off of over 900 non-Maltese voters from the EP election electoral register because they failed to re-register their name from the last election in 2004.
He said this confirmed that the concept of participation in the democratic process was still perceived as a privilege conceded by some authority or other rather than a right.
4 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Dr. John Zammit
May 4th 2009, 17:09
We of ALLEANZA LIBERALI - http://worldtv/alleanza_liberali_malta - agree with Alternattiva Demokratika and as we are also boycotted by most of the Maltese media and when doing door-to-door the people are telling us that we do not have exposure on the media, we tell them that we are cut off from the news and our media releases are not published. So much for democracy! So we have only the interactive media where we can have some exposure. See our news tv station by clicking as above.
J. Borg
May 4th 2009, 11:39
Why are the main political parties - especially the PN - afraid to have AD (the Greens) communicate their message?
How many times have AD been proven right over issues originally dismissed by the major parties?
Did AD ever take the whole nation for a ride, and twisted facts for political considerations?
Did AD ever accept "donations" by tycoons and businesses - and kept insisting to keep them a closed secret?
Joe Grima
May 4th 2009, 10:51
I am not an Alternattiva voter but can the BA explain on what grounds Alternattiva have been denied their right to inform? Most, if not all private stations are cashing in on the MEP elections with one candidate at least, rumoured to have paid one TV station thousands of Liri to have him regularly interviewed explaining his views on issues being debated as a runup to the June 6 elections. . Apart from the fact that these payments may be illegal since current affairs programmes may not be sponsored and even if I will not vote Alternattiva, where is the level playing field among all the contesting Parties this election and who has the right to decide for me who I want to listen to or not? Whose political interests are the BA protecting?
Ramon Casha
May 4th 2009, 10:21
Malta should strive towards becoming a democratic nation as one of its top priorities.