rather than public information”. In the mid-1990s, the Law Reform Commission drafted the Access and Receipt of Information Bill, but successive governments have refused to table this in parliament, as they believe it to be “a waste of time”. In the absence of legislation specifically regulating print and broadcast media, the Government falls back on archaic or restrictive laws to keep media in check - specifically the Internal Security (General) Act of 1984, under which numerous journalists have been arrested for sedition. Other acts that impact negatively on the media include the Printing and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act (1967), the Public Service Act (2005), the Emergency Powers Order of 1988, the Obscene Publications Proclamation of 1912, the High Court Act of 1978 and the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority Act of 2000. There have been a number of attempts to formulate media policy since the mid1990s. During a consultative conference in 1997, media stakeholders adopted a policy that MISA had drafted beforehand. The Prime Minister and Information Minister who had backed the policy were later replaced, and their successors did not take the policy forward. Instead, government drafted a new policy some years later which was subsequently merged with the MISA draft policy. It is believed that the policy is somewhere between the Ministry and the Cabinet. In the meantime, government adopted a Communications Policy in 2008, which deals with the regulation of the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal sectors. Again, government held consultations, and civil society participated, but few of their views were incorporated into the policy. The policy paves the way for a Communications Act, which will have major implications for the broadcasting sector. The Act is yet to be passed. There is a glaring absence of substantive and adequate broadcasting legislation meant to regulate the broadcasting industry. The Lesotho Communications Act of 2000 provided for the establishment of the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), which is supposed to be an independent and transparent body responsible for crafting rules and regulations for licensing of broadcasters. However, no such regulations have been set in place. Moreover, the board of the LCA works on a patronage system with appointees chosen for their close connection to government officials. The licensing of broadcasters is an ad hoc process, in which the Minister has the final say. The new Public Meetings and Processions Act, which is about to be signed into law, requires members of the public to notify the police of a meeting or public gathering two weeks in advance. The meeting may only go ahead if police approval is given in the form of a license. Prior to the 2007 general elections, citizens and the media discussed issues fairly openly, but now the majority of people have become subdued and are not as vocal as they used to be. When citizens choose to speak out on issues, it is via phone-in 6 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2010