Government recognises the important role the media plays.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad said this at a news conference yesterday.

“As a government, not only with respect to media organisations, we as a government want to ensure that there is fairness, there is transparency and accountability in how the government deals with not only media organisations, but the private sector businesses, NGOs, every other organisation,” he said.

“That is what government should be able to do in a democracy.

“As a government, we are very pleased that we’ve been able to get rid of the draconian media decree as we had promised.

“I want to also take this opportunity to say that we have had a very difficult media environment. Some of the work that was done in the past of course, was based on what the government at that time, dictated and wanted to do.

“And we understand the journalists, the media organisations and how difficult the environment was for them to operate independently and without any restriction.”

He said the Government was pleased the media was able to experience freedom after so many years.

“I also want to take this opportunity personally, to thank all those media organisations that stood up, despite all the difficulties, despite all the difficult laws that they had to navigate.

“Some of course, went through prosecution, and attempts to persecute them. And these, obviously, was not something that should have ever happened. And we’re very pleased that all that is now passed.”