FBC News room staff.

Today is the day for restoration, as the Coalition government’s intention is to repeal those laws that were not consulted with the people of Fiji says Attorney General Siromi Turaga.

The 2010 Media Industry Development Act has been repealed with debate taking place this morning, and based on votes cast, 29 supported the motion, 21 voted against and three did not vote.

Turaga says the victory belongs to the people of Fiji, not FijiFirst or the Coalition government.

Following an intense debate of more than an hour, the dark era of media censorship in the country has ended.

“Much has been said complaining, and I am really embarrassed, I am not going to use a term used by my predecessor, I want people to understand what I am saying I am shocked. Au madua.”

Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad, while contributing to the debate, says they were terrorized by the media when they were in opposition for the past eight years.

Prasad says the media had been muzzled by the previous government and created fear in the media fraternity.

He says in some media organizations there was editorial interference in what was being published.

“The MIDA Act was like the noose around the neck of the media industry, journalists, reporters and editors. That will be gone after we repeal the act today. Sometimes I think the opposition cant event understand their own interest today. They are so used to being in government and muzzling the media can’t see that the repealing of the act will be beneficial for them, good for democracy and good for our people in this country.”

Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says no one, including the Coalition government, should ever be given such power over the media and have the right to dictate what’s published.

Kamikamica says the MIDA Act threatened the survival and livelihood of many media businesses, and some media still carry the mental scars from the disturbing period.

“Neither the previous government nor a single member of the public has ever used the MIDA Tribunal to complain about the media. There has been no media development under MIDA. It was useless but dangerous.”

Kamikamica says the draconian legislation now belongs to the dustbin of history.

The now repealed act was thrusted onto the media without consultations and has been a case of concern for the media houses.

Meanwhile, today there was also a mention of those journalists who were terrorized and assaulted or detained and also the late Sitiveni Moce was remembered.

Moce, a veteran photographer lost his life after failing to recover from the beatings he received during the 2006 coup at the hands of the military officer.

This was during him taking pictures for the Fiji Times.