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harder for those responsible for them to hide behind a veil of silence and
ignorance. Similarly freedom of expression makes a valuable
contribution to other key areas of concern ? good governance, rule of
law and democracy. The media has a vital role in scrutinising and

evaluating the actions of government, forcing them to manage resources
and set policies in a transparent and equitable way.
Governments have a duty to eliminate barriers to freedom of

expression and information, and to create an environment in which free
speech and free media flourish. Media professionals should be able to
work freely without fear of intimidation, violence and imprisonment.
Sadly there are still many countries around the world in which

governments stifle dissent and criticism or fail to prevent other groups
from targeting the media. The freedom to impart information can come
under attack in a variety of ways and particularly infringe on the

freedom of the media. Pressure on journalists poses a very significant
threat. Such pressure is described as informal censorship referring to a
variety of activities by public officials ? ranging from telephone calls

and threats, to physical attacks ? designed to prevent or punish the
publication of critical material. The right of journalists to protect their
sources is also important in ensuring the free flow of information on

matters of public interest.
The media should be free to report on conflicts and public
scrutiny in such situations is essential to controlling humanitarian
and human rights abuses. Exclusion of the media is a very severe

restriction on freedom of expression and information in this regard and
restrictions should only be placed where there are clear safety concerns.
Elections are other times when the freedom of the press to provide

balanced and impartial information becomes critical and more valuable
to repression by political actors.
Now I would like to refer to the case of Tonga as a case study.
Tonga, a South Pacific island, is the only remaining monarchy in the

Pacific. The 130 year old Constitution provides that the King shall
appoint the cabinet ministers as he so determines necessary. There are
no set boundaries for this provision and practically the cabinet ministers

would perform duty at his Majesty?s mercy. The composition of its
parliament clearly depicts an imbalance of power. It is made up of all 14
cabinet ministers, 9 nobles of the realm elected amongst their 33 peers

and 9 people?s representatives elected by universal suffrage. Criticisms
of ths system stress that it is vulnerable to corruption. And those