DUSHANBE, July 4, 2008, Asia-Plus — Licensing process should be open for all competent applicants for creation of sound competitive environment that will not only provide Tajik citizens with a broad spectrum of programs but will also make considerable contribution to economic development of Tajikistan, Michael Unland, Media officer at the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, said in an interview with Asia-Plus during the republican conference formally titled “Expansion of Free of Dialogue between Licensing Body and TV and Radio Organization on the Basis of Mutual Understanding” at the Center for Strategic Studies in Dushanbe on July 4.
According to him, licensing is among the most important regulations dedicated to provide representation of Tajik culture, society and policy in media as well as retention of significance of Tajik problems and events for Tajik audience.
“In accordance with principles and values of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the conference is dedicated to make its participants aware that the goal of the licensing procedure is not in controlling media but in allocating deficient or limited resources such as FM and TV frequencies to support goals of pluralism and the better media system,” the media officer stressed.
He added that Tajikistan’s national policy in the sphere of information does not allow media coming out of the government control; however, thereby the government is actually losing any control.
He termed an example of five local TV and radio stations. As a result of government’s refusal to grant broadcasting licenses to them Internews Network had to take away $1 million worth of equipment from them and gave it to Kyrgyzstan, according to him.
“Restricting opportunities of independent TV and radio stations, the relevant bodies are not able to fill information space with its own resources and give up it to foreign media, which are quite attractive,” Mr. Unland said.
“I would say that the national policy in the sphere of media is confronted with the dilemma – on the one hand, there are certain change for the better in development of national media, while on the other hand, there are indications of control over them,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, commenting on the refusal to grant broadcasting licenses to the mentioned TV and radio stations, Barakatullo Abdulfayzov, secretary of the licensing commission within the Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting, said that they had failed to explain the origin of means of their statutory funds. “Therefore, doubt occurred that they could be financed by foreign organization, which is in contrary with the country’s legislation,” Abdulfayzov said.
