To Ban Or Not To Ban, Let’s Debate The Question

MANY will recall that in 1999, the relationship between The Namibian newspaper and the Government was at an all-time low.

Rightly or wrongly, The Namibian at the time projected itself as an opposition to Swapo and its Government. That was the perception. So from the onset of the year 2000, the Government and Swapo took a series of measures to curb and stop altogether the usage of State and Party funding for advertising in The Namibian and purchase of it. At the time, the Secretary General of Swapo was the current Head of State, H.E. Cde. Hifikepunye Pohamba.The National Youth Council of Namibia was one of the institutions that followed suite and applied the same measures. Measures that it continues to implement to this day. The then Secretary General of the National Youth Council, Cde Pohamba Shifeta was quoted as having instructed all structures and member organisations of the NYC to follow suite. He was famously quoted as having said ‘as an agent of government’ the NYC was ‘bound to honour this decision’.Ironically, and despite the Government directive for the advertising ban on The Namibian, many in public office including those who have oversight in enforcing the said directive, form opinions on the basis of what they read in The Namibian and do so on a daily basis without fail. I fondly recall how our own erudite Secretary of SPYL Dr Elijah Ngurare handed over prizes to the winning teams at The Namibian Cup earlier this year. Many parastatals and even some Ministries including DBN, Air Namibia, NamPower, Telecom, Unam, the National Planning Commission and NHE amongst others, have continued to advertise in The Namibian.Clearly steadfastness in this regard has all but eroded in the minds and actions of many. The recent debate on the advertising ban has been ignited by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) which refused to insert its election materials in The Namibian newspaper. It does not appear that the decision to deny the readers such electoral information is based on any standing government directive but rather, it seems, on an administrative omission.I could be wrong. Be that as it may, the debate for and against the ban should be encouraged in the search for a resolution to the matter.If State House and all Ministries as well as parastatals read and buy The Namibian newspaper and follow even what John Grobler writes in it, a logical question is who is going to enforce the ban and why? If the argument is that it is a reactionary newspaper, how come some people within Swapo Party behave in a more reactionary than Gwen Lister?This is not to say that Lister did not invite such a ban through a deliberately prejudiced editorial line that in my view was blighted by an outlook that was clearly and overly liberal and unsympathetic to the ideals sought by the Government. Specifically, its scathing and personal attacks on the person of H.E. Comrade Dr Sam Nujoma, the leader of the Namibian Revolution and those on Comrade Paulus Kapia (Ongeyama) and SPYL amongst others.The Namibian disdainfully opposed to the third term (of former President Nujoma), the DRC war and Namibia’s military support for the Government of Angola against Unita, all of which now stand testament to Comrade Nujoma’s and our Governments vindication in the eyes of the people. The paper’s almost vitriolic response to these events made it a de facto opposition party against Swapo and its leadership, foregoing even the national interest in doing so. The ban was the first in the world or even in Southern Africa (Tanzania, Swaziland and Botswana followed suit) and it was unprecedented in post independence Namibia, as it was the first and only paper to ever draw such a strong reaction from government.Lately, The Namibian’s association with John Grobler, among others, does not do much to endear it to many. However it is clear that Lister has also done much more to endear herself to many through the most excellent and revered Youth Paper, the exciting Namibian Newspaper Cup, the iconic Weekender and various other social responsibility projects it has undertaken throughout its 24-year history. After all, through this she managed to get the Secretary of SPYL to officiate at The Namibian Newspaper Cup. Therefore, despite intermittent instances of deeply conflicted loyalties, The Namibian newspaper is a national institution of note that cannot be wished away. In response to the advertising and purchasing directive, Lister availed herself to any opportunity to discuss and resolve the issues that had given rise to the directive. I do not know whether any such dialogue ever took place, and if not, one would be curious as to why. Perhaps the SPYL may be able to facilitate this dialogue considering that the bulk of The Namibian newspaper readership and beneficiaries are primarily the youth.I am sure however, that now is as good a time as any to engage in such a dialogue, so that finally this impasse could be put to rest.* The author of this opinion piece, Mandela A Kapere, is the Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Namibia.