Windhoek
The DTA of Namibia says the right to information and freedom of expression is critical as it enables ordinary people to exercise their democratic rights and voice their concerns.
In a press statement issued by the DTA’s acting secretary general Elma Dienda, she said without information citizens would find it very difficult – if not impossible – to effectively exercise any of their constitutional rights.
She said social media has the additional advantage of being able to disseminate information immediately and without delay, as opposed to the weekly and daily newspapers that have to go to press at a certain time.
She said the information ministry would be tabling a bill in parliament in due course that, among others, aims to regulate and control social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook.
Dienda’s remarks follow the recent announcement by the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology Stanley Simataa that Cabinet has approved plans to draft laws that will regulate the use of the internet.
“The argument that some people use social media to make defamatory remarks about others, especially politicians, is true. However, given that there are already laws which guard against this type of behaviour and one still has the option to institute legal proceedings where defamatory remarks have been made against you, one questions why additional provisions need to be included in the Electronic Communication and Cyber Crimes Bill that also deal with this specific issue,” Dienda reasoned.
She indicated that within most social media platforms there already exist built-in mechanisms that allow users to report anyone who is victimising, or making defamatory remarks about others, as one can request to have these remarks removed.
She said while regulation is an essential part of good governance and the maintenance of law and order in any given society, what the DTA finds alarming is that it appears the primary justification for introducing the Bill is that politicians and senior-ranking government officials wish to prevent ordinary citizen from exercising their democratic rights and to prevent people from criticising institutions with poor service-delivery track records. The DTA believes government institutions should use social media as a platform to directly engage the public in a consultative and open manner that will enable them to identify and sort out problems that prevent them from rendering an efficient and effective service to the public.
“We have already seen President Hage Geingob effectively utilising social media and we hope and expect this from the rest of Cabinet,” she wrote.