In light of revelations regarding media organisation ownership in the draft Media Industry Development Decree released yesterday, the Fiji Times said the document raised some critical commercial issues for them that need very careful consideration.

The draft Decree states that media organisations in the country must be 90% locally owned and 10% foreign owned.

The Fiji Times is 100% foreign owned.  

On options for the Fiji Times regarding the ownership clause in the Draft Media Decree, Managing Director Anne Fussel said it would be premature to make any comment on what action Fiji Times Limited will be taking in response to the proposals in the Draft Decree, particularly as they have been informed that all the points raised at the meeting by the various people and organisations who attended, will now be taken into consideration.

Fussell said at discussions yesterday, they made representations on some of those issues and offered alternatives adding they hope those proposed changes will be adopted.

She added the Fiji Times have had a very long association with Fiji and they remain 100% behind the country and its people.

Following the consultations, Sayed-Khaiyum told Fijivillage that the government wants all media organisations in Fiji to be 90% locally owned.

He said it is clear that in the last 3 years the Fiji Times has been anti-government, and this is due to the fact that it is totally foreign owned, and is not loyal to Fiji.