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For the quality of democracy in Botswana to be enhanced, effective legal and policy frameworksare necessary to enable the media to perform responsibly and adequately. This canonly be achieved when there is an enabling media environment. Some commendable effortshave been made in this regard, with the Information and Technology Bill and the Draft MassMedia Communications Bill.However, certain negative developments threaten the fundamental and constitutional right tofreedom of speech. These include the controversial deportation of Professor Kenneth Goodfrom the University of Botswana and two media workers. A move by government to produceits own newspaper, the Daily News, also threatens to hobble the fledgling private media andprinting industry. Media workers must unite to confront these challenges.Media-government relationshipIn late 2005, the government disclosed its intention to purchase a printer for the production ofits Daily News, an English-Setswana newspaper currently printed by Mmegi. On the one hand,the competition between the Daily News and the private media is unfair as the production anddistribution of this government newspaper are funded by the taxpayer, while on the other handDaily News advertising space is relatively cheap and the newspaper is circulated nationally,free of charge. The independent Mokgosi newspaper, a short-lived private Setswana broadsheet,was forced to close at the end of 2005, primarily due to the hefty competition inflicted bythe Daily News.When the government’s decision to produce the Daily News was discussed in parliament,some MPs lobbied for more support for the infant private media. However, the government isunlikely to be dissuaded from proceeding with this potentially stifling decision. The attitudeamong sectors of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that the private media is hostiletowards their party and that the BDP should consider producing its own newspaper appears tobe linked to this decision. This viewpoint gives the impression that the ruling party is justifiedin producing the Daily News because the private media supports the opposition. Such reasoningis erroneous and malicious, especially since many Batswana may not understand the valuablerole of the private media.Unfortunately, it was noted that statements issued on World Press Freedom Day 2005 by thepresident of the Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower, Iqbal Ibrahim,were viewed as being critical of the media for its “negative attitudes”, which he felt could deterforeign investment. The Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology (MCST) hasbuttressed this criticism and urged the media to highlight Botswana’s positive developments.MISA Botswana also links to such attitudes the expulsion of University of Botswana’s ProfessorKenneth Good, who worked in the country for over 15 years, Ngami Times journalistRodrick Mukumbira and Charles Chirinda, a Maun-based commentator for Botswana Television.Although we acknowledge powers invested in the presidency, the issue of deportation is sensitiveand we are concerned that President Festus Mogae has not yet offered reasons for it.Legislative and policy initiativesA taskforce, comprising representatives of the Press Council of Botswana, MISA, the Editors’Forum and the government, mandated by the Media Advisory Council (MAC), has producedthe principles for the Draft Mass Media Communications Bill. The bill seeks to provide for theregistration of newspapers and periodicals; recognise the Press Council, which will act as aSo This Is Democracy? 2005-38-Media Institute of Southern Africa