Editors slam Minister’s attack

THE Editors’ Forum of Namibia (EFN) say they are dismayed and concerned by the racial attacks on the fundamental freedom of expression and the right to publish made by Swapo secretary general Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana against the Editor of The Namibian, Gwen Lister.

Various independent sources reported that Minister Iivula-Ithana delivered the verbal racist attacks on one of the founding members of the Editors’ Forum at a Swapo rally held at Omungwelume in the Ohangwena Region on Saturday.’The Editors’ Forum views these remarks as nothing short of inciting violence against the individual person of the editor and part of a campaign to stifle freedom of expression and the freedom to publish opinions coming from the public,’ EFN chairperson Eberhard Hofmann said yesterday.Hofmann noted that it was not the first time politicians have called for an end to the publication of SMS messages from the public, but Iivula-Ithana took it a step further with the vitriolic racist attack on one of Namibia’s citizens.’SMSes are an important modern form of interaction between the media and the public. The media have a duty to disseminate news and opinions as long as they are within the confines of the law,’ he said.He reminded Ithana that the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia explicitly rejects and outlaws racism.’Therefore, the EFN unanimously condemns racist attacks, hate speech or racial insinuations, whether aimed at any member of the media profession or any other Namibian citizen or visitor to the country,’ he said.The Editors’ Forum said racist attacks contravene the spirit of the Constitution and endanger societal gains made since the abolishment of apartheid after the Independence of Namibia.One of the reasons for the establishment of the Editors’ Forum was to defend the rights of citizens to approach print or electronic news media to offer their opinions on current affairs, matters of state politics and other issues of public debate in the form of letters to the editor, SMS or by direct participation in interactive programmes.

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