Do Not Need Pravda?
By: TSUDAO GURIRAB
RISE citizens of all rank and stations, for we are bearers of good news this morning! No, we are not about to regale you with tales of life hereafter but our mission this morning has to do with the mundane business of good governance.
In this particular case, our attention has been drawn to the annual report of an international NGO, Reporters Without Borders, who came to the solemn conclusion in its 2013 report recently released that, yes, the Land of the Brave has the freest press on the continent. Reporters Without Borders says of itself on its website that “it fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom… it works to improve the safety of journalists, especially those reporting in war zones.”
Given this, it is no insignificant recognition and it comes hot on the heels of Namibia having been recognised at the AU Summit last month as the leading country in Africa for its stewardship of the fight against malaria. The authorities can justifiably be smirking at all the ululation and high fives coming their way in this respect. We say kudos to them as well. The proper application of public funds to save lives, as in the case of malaria, and creating an environment for a thousand flowers to bloom are essential building blocks of good governance and are, therefore, only sure to strengthen the welfare of the citizenry. And as regimes of all stripes have learned by now (or have they?) truth has an uncanny way of rising to the top irrespective of the draconian laws and measures those in power may elect to summon.
True, there remains mutual antipathy between merchants of unofficial or, if you will, independent press on the one hand and the political class of all hues. Granted that those in government have the monopoly to employ the tyranny of the state to proscribe and/or outlaw voices perceived to be inimical to its notion of “truth” and “national interest.” And for this purpose, we have the curse of the ubiquitous ministries of truth (also known as ministries information) which busy themselves with the folly of what the citizens may see, hear and say. To this end, they often produce sanctimonious information employing the template of the erstwhile Pravda in the process promising gratuitous blood and fury to prod the obstinate!
Our own ministry of truth, we mean, information, of course churns out quite an impressive amount of paper to keep us all on the narrow and straight in these matters. This is in addition to the NBC TV and radio which dabbles daily in this onerous business of telling the truth. But it is the two newspapers in the ministry’s portfolio which have recently attracted closer examination. And here we have in mind the New Era and the Southern Times.
Principal to their malaise is that their numbers in running a business simply do not add up. In that sense, and that sense alone, they are a liability and a ward of the long-suffering taxpayer. Worse still, despite there being two shareholders in this dismal enterprise, the Namibian taxpayer appears to pick up the tab disproportionally for the rag that the Southern Times is. And quite frankly, any misplaced solidarity in crime will only reduce the collaboration of the partners in this business to honour similar to that of the Mafia.
Surely, the litmus test must be whether government ownership of the press adds to our welfare or enhances good governance? To cap it all, those working for state media have no incentive to run a profitable business as they believe that they can, at whim, turn to the benevolent taxpayer until kingdom comes. Witness the top-heavy New Era’s inverse relationship between sales and costs. Yet only last week the long-suffering public was presented again with the exorbitant and objectionable fees paid to its directors, way above the minimum threshold of taxpayers. And for what, you may ask?
Considering our media landscape and the view the likes of Reporters Without Borders have taken of the same, the legitimate question to raise is whether or not it is prudent expenditure to prop up the two failing newspapers under the portfolio of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. How do they add to good governance and raise the welfare of our people? What does their continued existence bring about except misplaced nostalgia and hunkering for the nefarious message of Pravda, namely that the state is your uncle and you mess with it at your peril.
Our constitution lays great store on freedom of thought and expression in the Bill of Rights. These values and others define the character of our republic. Both state and non-state actors must, therefore, give practical expression to these in their deeds and actions. Equally, we must all, at all times, be warriors to maintain and work to improve our media landscape of which we must justifiably be proud of and for which we receive commendation from Reporters Without Borders and others. In continuing to improve this environment the inherent contestation between state and non-state actors will and should continue without the threat of employing the muscle of legislation. Remember Churchill’s dictum that jaw-jaw is better than war.