been opened up and there are several private radio stations to prove it.

In spite of this liberalised situation, there is still a sense in which more progress can still be expected in the broadcasting environment in Lesotho . For one thing there is still no community radio or radios. Some could argue that Catholic Radio (CRFM) is a community radio. However, in Lesotho 's context we must necessarily look to the countryside and assess the needs of rural communities and the extent to which community radio might best serve the needs of such communities. Secondly, there is still no public broadcaster in the sense further elucidated above.

Radio Lesotho is a government radio station established in the mid-sixties following independence. Since its establishment it has existed solely for propagating the government's viewpoint on all matters of national importance. Throughout the sixties, seventies and even the eighties, it has existed only for the simple expedient of being the government's organ virtually to the exclusion of all other shades of political and social opinion. During the nineties, there was an attempt to provide an opportunity to all registered political parties to deliver their manifestos to the voting public through radio. But this concession to minority opinion stops there.

It is an undeniable fact that democracy in Lesotho has taken root. The ruling party has firmly stamped its authority on the political landscape of this country. It is now time to move with the times and catch up with the rest of the enlightened world. We see countries in the region which have made strides in adopting far-reaching media policies based on a fundamental respect for the diversity of their populations, not only from the point of view of differing political views but also from that of language, culture and social class. In Lesotho , this classification is often blurred by our well-known homogeneity. That notwithstanding, there still exist minority groups whose voices are often not heard. This needs to change.


A way Forward
To change this situation, the country needs to redefine our national broadcaster, Radio Lesotho , in relation to its ownership by and accountability to, the public and the commitment to a set of public service principles that set a clear mandate.
To achieve this Lesotho will have to introduce a broadcasting system that serves that local as well as the national needs of her citizens, promoting local democracy and cultural diversity. A three tier system of broadcasting consisting of public, commercial and community broadcasters, is advocated for this reason.


Radio Lesotho should be committed to the decentralisation of programme production and transmission so that its programming can address the problems and concerns of local communities. This can be achieved by the commissioning and broadcast of local programmes. Programmes can initially be broadcast on local time slots on the national channel. In the long term they can be broadcast by channels that are fully decentralised local public broadcasting services in their own right. Back