Press freedom on the decline
While Namibia thumps her chest for remaining top of the African press freedom charts, there is a growing sense here at home of a downward spiral in this regard.
Many Namibian journalists have started to question the country's rating in recent years, because in reality, press freedom has deteriorated incrementally.
The fact that other African countries did worse doesn't make Namibia angelic, especially against the backdrop of consistent veiled threats made to silence journalists.
The truth is that even our democracy itself, of which media freedom forms a great part, has been under threat for some time now.
In Namibia, the nauseating trend now is to accuse the media of being anti this or that person, an accusation deliberately crafted to instil fear in the hearts of journalists who scrutinise the work of elected leaders.
When the media reported about the Fishrot scandal, which of course emerged just before last year's general election, state propagandists accused journalists of trying to shape the outcome of that election.
In the feeble minds of these cohorts, the media must look away when the nation's resources are being plundered by the very men who are now behind bars over their unholy deeds.
There is a sense that the media must cover up the incompetency and grand-scale thievery of leaders of government and the political ruling elite, or they'll be accused of driving a wedge against such leaders.
Namibia no longer wants a media that examines, debates and investigates issues as per the advice of French philosopher, art critic and writer Denis Diderot.
Many Namibian journalists have started to question the country's rating in recent years, because in reality, press freedom has deteriorated incrementally.
The fact that other African countries did worse doesn't make Namibia angelic, especially against the backdrop of consistent veiled threats made to silence journalists.
The truth is that even our democracy itself, of which media freedom forms a great part, has been under threat for some time now.
In Namibia, the nauseating trend now is to accuse the media of being anti this or that person, an accusation deliberately crafted to instil fear in the hearts of journalists who scrutinise the work of elected leaders.
When the media reported about the Fishrot scandal, which of course emerged just before last year's general election, state propagandists accused journalists of trying to shape the outcome of that election.
In the feeble minds of these cohorts, the media must look away when the nation's resources are being plundered by the very men who are now behind bars over their unholy deeds.
There is a sense that the media must cover up the incompetency and grand-scale thievery of leaders of government and the political ruling elite, or they'll be accused of driving a wedge against such leaders.
Namibia no longer wants a media that examines, debates and investigates issues as per the advice of French philosopher, art critic and writer Denis Diderot.
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Namibian Sun
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