SECTOR 1 The act also gives very broad powers to the minister concerned, under clause 39, stating that: “The Minister may, by statutory instrument, make regulations – (e) … prescribing anything to be prescribed by the Minister under this Act.” Between January and June 2011, there had already been three cases of photographers being arrested by the police while conducting their work. It is known that not all media workers who are harassed by the police, and even arrested, report such incidents, for fear of further victimisation. Certain laws, to be discussed in detail’ under the next indicator, such as the Public Service Act (PSA) of 2008, claw back on this freedom specifically with regards to civil servants, who fear that if they express themselves openly they will be fired, transferred to another position, or fail to get a promotion. “If it was not for private radio stations, we would be in the dark… there is a blackout in the state media of any opinion contrary to government.” There is a sense, however, that the fear felt by many Batswana in 2009, when the previous AMB was conducted, was greater than that felt in 2011. This may be because the MPA, which has a number of provisions that limit media freedom, has not yet been implemented, and thus the fears of concerned members of the media and civil society have not been realised. It may also be because the country was about to hold government elections in 2009, and there was considerable fear and uncertainty in this regard. A public workers strike, which began in late April 2011 and at the time of this AMB had been ongoing for more than seven weeks, is the first such strike of its kind in the history of the country and is relevant with regard to discussions on freedom of expression. The fact that civil servants are striking is an indication that they feel freer to express themselves. The passing of the country’s Labour Act of 1982 and amended in 2010 has given workers the right to unionise and the right to strike for collective bargaining. In addition, a split in the ruling party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), lead to the formation in 2010 of the opposition Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), highlighting infighting within the BDP. As a result, people feel freer to express themselves and the media is also able to take advantage of this. “People can talk, but they are still afraid… You don’t know if you can even think on your own.” 12 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BOTSWANA 2011