Larger Media Role Sought for National Development

Source: Vientiane Times

State top policymakers met in Vientiane on Tuesday to brainstorm ways to make greater use of the media and publicity channels to bolster national development and defense in line with President Kaysone Phomvihane’s ‘Thought’.

Discussions centered on the advice given concerning information affairs given by the president, who spearheaded the revolution that ended in triumph and eventually liberated Laos, with the proclamation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975.

“The essence of Kaysone Phomvihane’s thought on information affairs is the dissemination of guidelines, policies, resolutions, and orders of the Party and state in each era,” adviser to the Party Central Committee’s Theory Council, Somsavad Lengsavat, told seminar participants.

Mr. Somsavad, a former Deputy Prime Minister, added that this thinking also included mobilizing national patriotism and solidarity among the general public and regarded the masses as an important and tremendous source of power in determining the triumph of the revolution as well as national construction and development on the path to socialism. 

The seminar, titled ‘Kaysone Phomvihane’s Thought on Information Affairs’, brought together policymakers from the council and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

Citing President Kaysone Phomvihane’s advice, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Phosy Keomanivong said the media has been an important tool for political and ideological, and information affairs.

He added that the revolutionary leader’s thought “has become an important fundamental theory in information affairs.”

Mr Phosy recalled Kaysone Phomvihane’s thinking on information affairs during the revolutionary period when the media came to the fore and played a huge role in encouraging people to take part in the revolutionary fight to liberate Laos under the leadership of the Party.

During the current period of carrying out two national tasks – national development and defense – information and publication affairs continue to play an important role in efforts to achieve these national tasks.

“President Kaysone regarded the media as an important tool in ideological affairs, which is the most important revolutionary task,” the deputy minister said. 
He added that the president attached great importance to personnel building and upgrading in ideological matters, including media personnel, so they could effectively carry out their assigned tasks. 

Thanks to his far-sighted vision, the former leader underlined the need to employ modern technology and tools in information and media affairs in order to meet the growing needs of the public in each era, the deputy minister said.