Windhoek
When media houses received an invite to State House for a consultative meeting with President Hage Geingob yesterday, editors rang each other up to find out what the first citizen had up his sleeve.
“Are we in trouble?” one of them curiously asked yesterday morning. The author of this report too had no clue what the meeting, whose invite was only sent out on Friday, would be about.
One by one, editors arrived at State House quite early yesterday, perhaps an indication of just how much everybody wanted to, once and for all, have the air cleared as to why President Geingob wanted to see them.
Clad in suits and with sweaty faces, they continued to whisper and speculate amongst each other about the president’s intentions in calling them to State House.
As everyone sat quietly and in anticipation Wensel Mavara, an assistant to Geingob, shouted: “All rise!” This was to signal the president’s arrival in the room and the protocol that accompanies such moments.
Trailing behind him were Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, First Lady Monica Geingos and ministers Tjekero Tweya (information), Calle Schlettwein (finance) and Frans Kapofi (presidential affairs). Press secretary Albertus Aochamub ushered other advisors in the presidency to their seats.
By that time the curiosity spectrum was at its highest. The hall was full of editors anxious to hear what Geingob and his army of ministers and advisors were going to say and – in the few seconds before he started – it was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
“I’ve been, as part of my consultative strategy, meeting the youth, the unions, the armed forces and now you – the media – so that we talk about matters of our country,” Geingob said. With this pronouncement, the tension in the room dissipated and a wave of relief washed over the room.
Geingob started off by outlining the importance of a free press in any democracy and reminded everyone that he and other comrades in Swapo had fought for freedom – including that of the press.
Unequivocally, he recognised the role played by The Namibian’s Gwen Lister and the late Hannes Smith, founder of the Windhoek Observer, in the country’s quest for free press.
“We all only have Namibia to call home. We all have to live here, so each one of us has a responsibility towards the well-being of our country,” he added.
At this juncture each editor – or at least the majority – started reaching for their notebooks to pen down the remarks of the president.
President Geingob was in a fairly jovial mood, which helped ease the otherwise tense atmosphere. “Why are we fighting?,” he asked, in reference to what he perceives as the sometimes carefree reporting by sections of the media about the country’s affairs and how that could affect Namibia’s image at home and abroad.
He also underscored the might of the proverbial journalistic pen. It can make or break society, depending on how it is used, he hinted. “There seems to be some who are saying apparently: ‘Peace is boring’. Our writing must be meant to build our country, not destroy it. Please don’t manufacture stories.”
In truth, Geingob has been at the receiving end of some not-so-kind media coverage of late.
The proposal by the Public Office Bearers Remuneration and Benefit Commission (POBC) to increase his salary by 15 percent also evoked questions from the media.
Yesterday he did not refer to any specific news report as he conversed with editors, but noted that he was not happy with the way the seats were arranged, because by sitting in front he looked like a teacher and the editors his learners.
Having outlined the purpose of the meeting – which was to hammer home the message that the media as a fourth estate ought to desist from irresponsible and sensationalist reporting and should assist government in building a stronger society.
Geingob asked Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to also have a say, before opening the floor to the pen-pushers.
“This is part of our continuous engagement between government and civil society,” the PM further elaborated on the purpose of the meeting.
“We could differ, but our common aim must be to build Namibia. When we went to market our Eurobond, international institutions were astounded by the difference between what is reported about Namibia and the actual situation on the ground,” she said, adding that irresponsible reporting could affect the country’s credit rating internationally.
Editors, now clear on the direction of the agenda, commended President Geingob for providing a platform for engagement, and posed questions, including concerns that some ministers’ reluctance to speak to the media only helps cement suspicion about government and its activities.
“If ministers are not responding to your queries, report them,” Geingob replied. “Transparency is the cornerstone of this administration. This is not about my personal legacy but the legacy of Namibia. We would like to be open. We want a media-friendly government and we mean that.”
The conversation with President Geingob continued casually after the official programme, something that his guests felt showed his willingness to embrace everyone in the proverbial Namibian house.
“Did I greet you today?” he apologetically asked this author as he mingled with the editors afterwards.
In the final analysis, Geingob was commended for his bold initiative to meet with the editors and discuss the need for sincere, but frank, relations between the media and his administration.
The renewed sense of trust was evidenced by the fact that media managers were almost falling over each other for a group photo with the president.