WINDHOEK – New Information and Communication Technology Minister, Tjekero Tweya, says he looks forward to presiding over a media environment where journalism is geared towards building the country instead of creating disharmony and a sense of hopelessness among the citizenry.
The State-owned media in particular should take the lead in this regard, by keeping the nation informed about development in the country, so that citizens can judge for themselves on whether government is delivering on the promise it has made on issues of service delivery, Tweya said.
The media should also join President Hage Geingob on the war front against poverty, the minister appealed.
“We should help government wage a war on poverty. We do this by providing information and knowledge,” he said.
Tweya made the remarks last Friday while addressing senior managers of institutions falling under his ministry.
Senior staff from the ministry was also present at the breakfast event, at which the minister formally introduced himself. Geingob appointed Tweya as information minister last month, replacing Joel Kaapanda as government’s official communicator. The new minister stopped short of saying he wants patriotic media, citing the BBC of Britain and CNN of the USA as examples of media institutions loyal to their countries.
“One could say CNN and BBC are biased in favour of their own national interest,” said the former deputy minister of trade.
“There are examples of media houses who contribute to the downfall of their own countries, like in Rwanda where the media created a sense of disunity among citizens [in 1994], leading to a bloody civil war,” he stated.
“Stay away from sensational reporting. It’s not your war to fight. If you are driven by profits over ethics, go set up your own institution to do that,” he told managers of government-owned media houses such as New Era, NBC, Nampa and The Southern Times.
“Your reporting should be to encourage Namibians when their mood is down. When they open newspapers, they must feel there’s hope for the future,” Tweya exhorted state media editors.
Turning his attention to ministerial staff, he urged them to speedily implementation of ministerial policies in order to improve efficiency.
“Productivity will be the buzzword,” he said.
Geingob has declared a fierce war on poverty, and his first month in office has been characterised by strong glimpses of how he intends to improve the lives of Namibians, especially those living below the poverty datum line.
His creation of a Ministry of Poverty Eradication, and the recent increase of old-age pension from N$600 to N$1 000 are some of the early poverty interventions of the Geingob administration.
“The nation, 87 percent of it, has given the President a mandate to lead it. That record vote has placed expectations on the President and therefore all of us have to help him deliver on those expectations,” Tweya said.
Apart from New Era, NBC, Nampa and The Southern Times, the event was also attended by representatives from MTC, Nampost, Telecom Namibia and CRAN – who are all under the information ministry.