A former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea says the current PM is needlessly restricting free speech.
Sir Mekere Morauta says there are increasing threats to the independence of the media and the right to free speech.
Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins
He says the NICTA Act as a tool to clamp down on dissent is a step towards a dictatorship.
Sir Mekere says it's frightening to think of a body that could lay charges and conduct hearings when there has been so-called "negative impacts on society", "lies" and "false information".
He says the Prime Minister's plans, implemented by the Communications Minister Jimmy Miringtoro, are not laws and powers appropriate for a free and independent democracy such as PNG.
He says all social media would be encapsulated by the law changes, which would severely reduce the undoubted benefits of the communications revolution.