By Musa Mdluli

MBABANE:Welcome Dlamini,the Mbabane East Member of Parliament(MP) and outgoing President of the Eswatini Association of Journalists(SNAJ) says Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini wants all owners of media companies to pay journalists regulated decent salaries.

Addressing journalists at the Happy Valley Hotel on Saturday during the Elective Conference, Dlamini urged journalists not to misinterpret the Prime Minister’s call for the media to be regulated adding that, the PM had the best interests of journalists at heart.

“The Prime Minister was shocked when I told him about the low salaries in the media, in fact he was very angry and stated that something must be done. He even told me that workers who were on Internship while he was the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) at the National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA) were earning more than journalists. The PM loves and supports the work of journalists it’s just that he was misunderstood when he called for the regulation of the media,” said the MP.

Dlamini then urged journalists to be proud of their work and hold those in power accountable, he described journalism as the best job ever.

“This is the best job ever where you hold everyone accountable, even now that I’m in Parliament, while we discuss issues utaveva labanye sebatsi “kodvwa wena uyintsatseli”, he said.

The MP then warned journalists against allowing the Editors Forum to lead the process of media regulation, he said all editors are journalists first before they become editors and therefore, they must affiliate and account to the Association of Journalists.

“It is this organization that must lead the process of media self-regulation not the Editors Forum.Even with lawyers, there’s a Lawyers for Human Rights organization but, it affiliates to the Law Society not the other way round”, he said.

Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, a human rights lawyer was facilitating the election process for the Association of Journalists.