(MISA/IFEX) – The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called on the Namibian government to enact laws to rein in journalists who, the SPYL alleges, are abusing the freedom of the press. SPYL Secretary for Information Elijah Ngurare said on December 1, 2005 that the abuse of the freedom of the press in Namibia had […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called on the Namibian government to enact laws to rein in journalists who, the SPYL alleges, are abusing the freedom of the press.
SPYL Secretary for Information Elijah Ngurare said on December 1, 2005 that the abuse of the freedom of the press in Namibia had reached intolerable and unacceptable levels.
In particular reference to reporting by a national Afrikaans-language daily, “Die Republikein”, and the weekly “Windhoek Observer” on events surrounding the discovery of war graves in northern Namibia, Ngurare said that such journalism was near to “threatening national security and interest”.
“Our Swapo Government is hereby called upon to urgently and expeditiously institute a credible regulatory framework to regulate the activities of all these cancerous, racist and parasitic media operators in our country, which regulation after all is a standard practice worldwide, particularly after [the] September 11 [terrorist attacks],” said Ngurare.
He maintained that the media were “regurgitating things that don’t exist” and had a “new notion of democracy”.
The SPYL’s remarks come a week after Swapo president Sam Nujoma denied reports that he sparked the fighting that broke out between People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) fighters and South African forces in the north on April 1, 1989 – the commencement date for a United Nations peace plan.
The remains of those found in several graves in the Ohangwena region are believed to be those of soldiers killed in that fighting.
Nujoma placed the blame for the “nine-day war” on former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former South African Foreign Affairs Minister Pik Botha, former UN Special Representative Martti Ahtisaari and the South African Administrator General, Louis Pienaar. Ngurare said the youth league stood behind party president Sam Nujoma on the issue.
“Today the president of Swapo is insulted and demonized by those who shared the affinity with the enemies of our people and country,” said Ngurare. He maintained that the discovery of the graves had been met with “insensitive comments” by some white newspaper editors, who had tried to shift the focus away from the atrocities of the apartheid regime by blaming Nujoma for the attacks.
Ngurare opined that the media were engaged in a covert campaign to unseat Nujoma as party president. “In the past weeks, the country has seen interesting events choreographed to minute details of dubious intentions and racist dimensions,” alleged Ngurare.
The executive editor of “Die Republikein”, Chris Jacobie, declined to comment on allegations that he had told the national broadcaster – Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) News – that some of the information obtained for an article had been sourced from Swapo Politburo members. The SPYL called on its leaders to declare its position on the issue and on what the youth wing termed a “serious violation” of the party constitution.
Ngurare said it was the government’s duty to pass laws to restrain the operations of the media. He maintained that around the world such legislation was in place and that the media in “civilized nations” did not report in the way that Namibian journalists did.
