BY KANBAR HOSSEIN-BOR – British High Commissioner to Fiji
This week marked the International Day of Democracy, a day we observe globally, but too often take for granted. Democracy is under serious assault worldwide. According to the Global State of Democracy Report 2025, more than half of all countries have declined in at least one key indicator of democratic performance over the past five years, with freedom of expression, especially media freedom, suffering the steepest decline.
Why is democracy under attack?
THE reasons are complex, many of them local and rooted in frustration. People demand economies that work for them, institutions that deliver, transparency, and fairness. But there is another common thread. Those who attack democracy often believe they know best. They see dissent, choice, and criticism as obstacles, and seek to replace open systems with ordered ones in which disagreement is discouraged, because in their view that preserves control. We see this pattern in authoritarianisms old and new, across many regions.
Fiji, however, is bucking that trend. After 16 years of de facto one-party rule that eroded transparency, accountability, and media freedoms, Fiji is stepping back toward stronger democratic norms. The return of more robust media, a freer civic space, and more resilient institutions are signs that democracy still has champions here, and is capable of renewal.
My conviction in the power of democracy and media freedom comes not only from my professional experience, but also from personal encounters around the world. I remember a trip to Mexico where I saw at first hand the courage of journalists exposing the tragedy of illegal disappearances. One woman spoke to me with anguish about the fear she felt walking home at night, knowing she was being followed, yet her conviction to uncover the truth so families could learn the fate of their loved ones never wavered.
I think too of Pham Doan Trang, the Vietnamese journalist honoured with the Canada–United Kingdom Media Freedom Award in 2022 for her reporting on democracy, human rights and environmental issues. Her courage has come at a high cost. She remains imprisoned in Vietnam even as the world recognises her work.
Then there are the Afghan women journalists I have spoken with in exile. Their only crime was to report, and to do so as women. Even now, facing online harassment and abuse, they continue to tell the stories of Afghan girls denied education, refusing to let the world forget.
These experiences resonate with me personally. I was born in Iran, and it was fear about rights and freedoms that led my family to leave for the United Kingdom as refugees. I know what it means to live under a shroud of fear, and how vital democracy and media freedom are in lifting it so that people can live with dignity, security, and hope.
As someone who has led the UK’s Global Media Freedom Campaign, a coalition of 51 countries, I know the power of media freedom to support democracy. This Coalition has defended media freedom in places like Hong Kong, Mexico and Gaza, while also raising a fund of over 8million pounds ($F24.3m)to support journalists under attack. Members of the coalition realise that media freedom is a keystone right. Without it, citizens cannot be informed, cannot debate their future, and cannot hold leaders to account. Media freedom drives development by exposing corruption and demanding good governance.
It strengthens climate resilience by ensuring people can trust information, challenge falsehoods, and push for sustainable choices. And it fuels prosperity by creating markets built on truth, encouraging innovation, and giving investors confidence that accountability is real.
This brings me to the deep bonds between Fiji and the United Kingdom, bonds reaffirmed at independence and strengthened through shared values.
Ever since Fiji’s independence and the handing over of constitutional instruments on October 10, 1970, these ties have come to symbolise a commitment to democracy, service, and mutual respect. In the words of Fiji’s first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara:
“Above all there is our fixed joint determination to build a strong and united Fiji, rich in diversity and pampered with tolerance, goodwill and understanding.”
In many ways, this captures the essence of democracy. Without tolerance and understanding there can be no real space for people to engage with one another and decide their futures. And without media freedom, societies cannot create the enabling environment for this vision to come true, the open forum where ideas are tested, wrongdoing is exposed, and citizens can make informed choices.
These values continue to resonate and bind us today. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote last year that “journalism is the lifeblood of democracy. Journalists are guardians of democratic values.” And Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, speaking to mark World Press Freedom Day in 2022, said: “Media freedom and democracy are intertwined, you can’t have one without the other.” These words, from London to Suva, remind us that democracy depends on free media to thrive.
I congratulate Fiji on the progress you are making in your democratic journey. The repeal of the Media Industry Development Act in 2023 and the re-establishment of the Fiji Media Council to oversee self-regulation of the industry mark significant milestones.
These reforms strengthen the space for journalists to operate freely and responsibly, and underline Fiji’s determination to build a resilient democracy. I am also proud to say that BBC Media Action is working in Fiji to support this new lease of life given to media freedom through support for journalists. Fiji is setting a positive example at a moment when democratic backsliding is becoming worryingly common globally.
I hope that Fiji will continue to champion media freedom, perhaps by joining or deepening engagement with coalitions like the Media Freedom Coalition, by anchoring media freedom even more deeply within the Pasifika community. Finally, Fiji can continue to support the recently adopted Commonwealth Media Freedom principles as an important member of this family inspired by democratic values.
Of course, media freedom also comes with challenges. It provides a platform that can be misused to peddle falsehoods, hate, and division.
The rise of online violence against women and the spread of misinformation are sadly all too evident. Yet history teaches us that sunlight is the greatest disinfectant. Those who fear the democratic model want nothing more than to limit or ban media freedom. We cannot let them win.
The answer is not less information, but more: more journalism, more accountability, and more engagement. I remember a minister I once worked with acknowledging this truth. He accepted the power of media freedom to hold him to account because, when he was in opposition, it was media freedom that allowed him to challenge those in power. And so the virtuous circle of accountability, truth, and democracy continues.
The very act of me writing these words and you – the reader – choosing to read, reflect, perhaps even disagree, is itself a snapshot of media freedom in action. It may feel trivial, yet it is a privilege denied to billions around the world.
Here in Fiji, the ability to write, to publish, to interpret and to question is a sign of democracy’s health. Let us celebrate it, and in doing so, acknowledge the countless individual acts, large and small, that have breathed new life into democracy in Fiji.
