JEDDAH: Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, has said he is to hold a “wide-ranging” meeting after Ramadan with figures from the country's various cultural fields to review topics of concern. Speaking in an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Khoja gave his views on a range of issues, notably the recent amendments to the Press and Publications Law, which have resulted in a degree of anxiety among journalists and writers given that the changes and additions were announced within a wider context of a discourse calling for greater freedom and transparency. The minister said he was “surprised at some persons' interpretations and fear of the amendments”. “A discerning read of the amendments shows that they in fact give greater room for freedom and transparency and constructive criticism,” Khoja said. “They don't give anyone immunity, and if there are some restraints and reservations that is only to be expected as it is normal the world over.” He said the amendments forbid “injurious or misrepresentative attacks on anyone”. “Such things are unacceptable morally, religiously and socially, and this protects the honor of everyone equally, as there is no difference between the ordinary citizen and officials, as everyone requires protection against insinuation and misrepresentation. I don't believe that anyone can object to that as it's a principle we all believe in and all want to adhere to.” When asked if the fine of half a million riyals would not constitute a source of fear for many writers and journalists, Khoja said that the ministry was in the process of issuing an “executive or explanatory by-law” on the issue. “The by-law will make it entirely clear and everyone will read it and it will remove any uncertainty on the issue. A number of official bodies are working on writing up the by-law. I have met with newspaper editors-in-chief and heard their views, and their considerations will be taken into account when the executive by-law is formulated.” On the bodies established in the amendments to the Press and Publications Law to handle any offenses, the minister said that three specialized primary committees are being formed to look at cases involving all forms of media, as is an appeals committee. The names of the various committee members, he said, will be submitted to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, who will take the final decision. The money obtained from any fines imposed, he added, currently stands to go to the Ministry of Finance. “The idea of the money going to a fund to support persons working in the media is a good one, however, and it has been suggested before by the Journalists' Commission which proposed that the money go to its fund to help journalists in need,” he said. Many parties have complained at the slow process involved in obtaining licenses to open newspapers and pointed out the contrast in the speed with which Internet news sites are licensed. Minister Khoja attributed the discrepancy to a fall in newspapers' economic viability. “The electronic media is going to sweep everything away before it, and the only newspapers left will be the ones that deserve to survive,” he said. “Many newspapers have suffered considerable losses as a result of falling readerships, and these losses could be what has made the state regard any license issued as a potential new loss-maker. All the same, we have to give newspapers the chance to try and establish themselves, particularly in regions where there aren't any newspapers, such as in areas of the north. I will personally work to see that those newspapers get licenses.”
