Government defends ‘Namibian’ advertising ban

The Namibian government on Monday defended its ban on advertising in the ‘Namibian’, a newspaper with a history of campaigning journalism, claiming that the independent daily had assumed the role of an “opposition party”. Mocks Shivute, permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, information and broadcasting, alleged the newspaper had “twisted” and “distorted” information regarding the government “many times”. Although Shivute told IRIN that there had not been a huge outcry over the move, several civic, political and media organisations condemned the government’s decision. The Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF - Reporters Without Borders) said in a statement that it had written to Foreign Affairs and Information Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, asking him to lift the ban announced last week. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said in a statement that it was unreasonable for a public institution, funded by taxpayers, to withhold advertising from any media institution because government resources came from citizens with diverse political views. The newspaper, it said, played a critical role in providing an alternative analysis of events in the country. Labelling the move as “indirect censorship”, MISA urged the government to review its decision. “It (the ban) is in conflict with provisions in the Africa Charter which upholds media freedom and the free flow of information. Furthermore, as the seat of the Windhoek Declaration signed in Windhoek in 1991 and which, among others, campaigns for the establishment of an independent, pluralistic and free press, the Namibian government is duty-bound to ensure the upholding of these lofty objectives,” MISA said. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) described the ban as “a reflection ... of deep-rooted intolerance towards the ‘Namibian’ in particular and in general the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of information, expression and opinion”. Opposition parties also condemned the move. “Let the SWAPO government be reminded that we are in a democracy and not a dictatorship,” the Congress of Democrats (CoD) said in a statement. The parliamentary coalition of the DTA and UDF were quoted in a joint statement as saying that the move could be seen as “the beginning of the end for democracy and political freedom in Namibia”.