SECTOR 1 television discussions – also show a trend by media houses towards conscious engagement of citizens through various discussion channels. On the other hand, access to alternative platforms to express oneself remains a predominantly urban privilege: As a member of the panel observed, “We do not hear rural voices”. Furthermore, it needs to be taken into account that on these platforms, comments and opinions cannot always be traced back to the source. So a critical question as posed by one of the panellists: “Are people really free to express themselves or are they only free when they go anonymous?” A panellist remarked that while there might not be overt repercussions for expressing oneself, “citizens and journalists oftentimes do not express themselves freely”, especially on contentious issues. Citizens assume negative repercussions socially and otherwise and censor themselves when they speak publicly for several reasons. For one, Namibia is about 90% Christian and people tow a strong moral line that they try not to cross by discussing issues seen as too critical, such as abortion or homosexuality. At the same time, Namibia is a country with a relatively small population of just over 2 million, and in which the influential ruling party is often seen as synonymous with the government. As a consequence, people try to stay clear of contentious issues that might offend the ruling elite. “When it comes to issues that determine election outcomes, that is when there is fear” was one of the comments. The fact that known personalities, too, do not speak up further discourages the general population. It was noted that, “A lot of people who should be commenting on national issues (current affairs etc.) are not doing that”. The verbal and physical attacks on a female senior radio producer at the studios of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) by ruling party (SWAPO) Councillor Ambrosius Kandjii, on 13 August 2014 for example, remained without real consequence or an official position by the Party or the NBC. In this instance, the Councillor questioned the radio producer about coverage for a public meeting to be addressed by (then) Prime Minister Hage Geingob on the Third Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was criticized by civil society and media for having been drafted, tabled and finally passed in a rushed manner without meaningful public consultation. Although, as one panellist assessed, “overall media remain free and stable” and direct or open attempts by the government to stifle the media are rare, criticism in the media is often misconstrued by politicians as being inciting or anti-patriotic. If a journalist for instance tries to uncover side dealings or abuse of power for 14 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2015