New Sbc Board
Fri, 06 May 2011
May 6 2011 -- President James Michel yesterday appointed the Board of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) under the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Act 2011.
The Board members are as follows:
-Â Mr. Patrick Nanty - Chairman
-Â Ms. Anne-Marie Colette
-Â Mr. Michael Benstrong
-Â Ms. Jeanette Larue
-Â Ms. Sylvie Pool
-Â Mrs. Margaret Pillay
-Â Ms. Idith Alexander
The board is constituted of three members nominated by the Constitutional Appointments Authority:
-Â Mr. Patrick Nanty as the Chairman of the Board. Mr. Nanty is also the Chairman of the Seychelles Heritage Foundation. He served as director general for Information during the late 1980s and has knowledge and experience of the management of radio and television in Seychelles.
-Â Ms. Anne-Marie Colette as a member having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of the media. Ms Colette is a freelance TV producer and documentary maker, with 30 years experience in broadcasting in Seychelles.
-Â Mr. Michael Benstrong as a member having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of financial matters. Mr. Benstrong is the CEO of the Seychelles Savings Bank.
The President, as the Minister for Information, appointed one member, Ms. Jeanette Larue, who is the director general for Education and Public Outreach at the Department of Environment. The Attorney General nominated Sylvie Pool, Assistant State Counsel, as a member.
The President also appointed Mrs. Margaret Pillay, leadership development manager at the Seychelles Institute of Management, and Ms. Idith Alexander, the CEO of the Seychelles National Youth Council, as two members of good standing in the community
The President has re-appointed Mr. Antoine Onezime as the Chief Executive Officer of the SBC.
The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Act 2011 was voted by the National Assembly in March this year, to replace the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Act 1992.
The new law provides a mechanism for the Constitutional Appointments Authority to propose the Chairman and two members of the SBC board which are then appointed by the President.Â
The board is expected to operate independently of political parties and other influences of bodies or individuals, to preserve the freedom of the media, to ensure a balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television, and to improve the standard of journalism.
The board will be guided by several objectives, among them:
â— To uphold unity and integrity in the country and the values enshrined in the Constitution;
â— To safeguard the citizen's right to be informed freely, truthfully and objectively on all matters of public interest - national and international - and to present a fair and balanced flow of information including contrasting views;
â— To ensure that programmes broadcast are of a generally high standard and cover a wide range of subjects, appealing to the needs and tastes and serving the best interests of the general public.