(MISA/IFEX) – Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting Tuliameni Kalomoh called on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) not to become solely a mouthpiece of the government, but to serve the nation as a whole, reports the “Namibian” newspaper. Kalomoh was speaking at a press conference to mark the introduction of members of the […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting Tuliameni Kalomoh called on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) not to become solely a mouthpiece of the government, but to serve the nation as a whole, reports the “Namibian” newspaper.
Kalomoh was speaking at a press conference to mark the introduction of members of the new NBC board to the broadcaster’s management.
He said the NBC should continue its good work in serving the government and its people. “However, I don’t want you merely to become a mouthpiece of the government, but I ask for objectivity.”
“You should feel free to criticise the government when something is not well, but you should also not forget your priorities, which are to promote the operations of the government,” Kalomoh said.
Uazuva Kaumbi, the new chairperson of the NBC’s board of directors, vowed to uphold the principles of the corporation. “Our common objective is to promote the NBC into a dynamic organisation and to make it the true champion of freedom of expression. But we can only achieve this with the full support of everybody attached to this institution,” he said.
At the same news conference, Kalomoh’s deputy, Gabes Shihepo, expressed similar sentiments as the acting minister. “The NBC is only halfway to becoming a public broadcaster in the real sense of the word. I perceive a real public broadcaster as one that does not pander to vested interests, be they government or the private sector,” he said.
