The Fiji Government has withdrawn a circular requiring government ministries and departments to obtain the Prime Minister’s approval before issuing media statements.
In a brief statement issued today, the Government said the circular, which was publicly shared by the Permanent Secretary for Civil Service, had not been approved.
“Please be advised that the circular below being publicly shared from the PS for Civil Service regarding the coordination of media releases within government ministries and departments has been withdrawn as it was not approved,” the statement said.
“The Fiji Government apologises for any inconvenience caused.”
The withdrawal follows the circulation of the directive, which proposed making the Prime Minister’s approval mandatory for government media statements.
The proposed arrangement had raised questions about media communication procedures, the independence of government ministries in issuing public information and the centralisation of communications under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Government has not provided further details on how the circular came to be issued without approval.
