Namibia
However only weeks later, Tweya was
said to have stated that he will no longer
make comments on media regulation
and the possibility of punishment of
journalists, the Windhoek Observer reported on 15 September 2016. According to the article, this was in reaction to
a press briefing President Geingob held
during which he “warned his ministers”,
explaining that it is not government policy to control the media.
There was a hope that in 2017 verbal
attacks issued against the media by the
Geingob administration would cease,
but unfortunately they did not. This, despite the fact that the president was keynote speaker at the official 2017 World
Press Freedom Day commemoration,
where he, on behalf of government, recommitted to protecting and supporting
media freedom. At the occasion, President Geingob also launched the Editors’
Forum of Namibia (EFN) revised Code
of Ethics.
During a SWAPO Party star rally in
March, Geingob reportedly directed
criticism towards the media and civil
society, accusing them of making concerted efforts to paint a picture of a government unable to uphold democracy
and freedom in the country, reported
The Namibian on 13 March 2017. The
president further criticised journalists
aged between 40 and 50 for wanting
to be “guardians of freedom” while at
the same time these “kingpins” had not
been involved in the country’s liberation
struggle.
Taking another swipe at civil society
during the rally, Geingob is quoted in
the Namibian Sun to have said that
“they are failed politicians who want to
come [in] from the back door now. Civil
society wants to come in; why do we
have elections then?”

Free expression advocates were in a conundrum in terms of how to address the
current situation where political leaders
used public meetings, attended by ordinary citizens, to attack the media and
civil society. Not only did this contradict
government policy, but it created mistrust of the two sectors that are critical
for the democracy project.

Free expression advocates were in a conundrum in terms of how
to address the current
situation where political leaders used public
meetings, attended by
ordinary citizens, to attack the media and civil
society.
It further entrenched an existing culture
of fear of victimisation among citizens,
in particular those working in the public
sector. If teachers or administrators want
to express themselves on governance,
politics and Namibian society in general, they should be able to do so without
fearing backlash or name-calling from
the president and his team. Rights to
free expression should not exist on pa-

So This is Democracy? 2017

79

Select target paragraph3