Propaganda and Looting Bedfellows

If not for propaganda and looting, why must taxpayers fork out nearly N$70m more compared to last year for the NBC, Nampa and New Era?

This year, the three institutions have been given N$365 million to spend, compared to just under N$300m in the 2023/24 financial year that ended in February.

Moreover, the increases are planned for the next couple of years despite the government claiming it decided to merge Nampa and New Era to cut costs amid pressure in the changing media landscape.

Nampa and New Era (both entities that depend on perennial bailouts) were showered with combined subsidies of N$30 million last year.

The bailouts have nearly doubled to N$55 million this year and are budgeted to continue at the same level for the next two years.

The diversion of more public funds to these semi-autonomous news outlets will only fuel criticism that the government is intent on tightening its grip on the flow of information in its second attempt to set up a Zimbabwe-style propaganda news machinery that is often used to promote the ruling party.

The budgeted amounts dwarf the accusation by New Era managing editor Johnathan Beukes, who recently parted ways with the newspaper, that the proposed merger of Nampa and New Era was a “hare-brained” plot by the information ministry to “muzzle New Era’s principled voice”.

With all due respect to Beukes and his journalism charges who keep trying to work as professionals guided by media ethical standards, New Era never had a principled voice or editorial independence.

Since their inception, government leaders have kept New Era, Nampa and the NBC on a tight leash, often appointing apparatchiks in crucial management and board of director roles.

We also beg to differ with Beukes, who seems to suggest president Hage Geingob (may his soul rest in peace) was committed to press freedom and that “decisions made by the government immediately after … Geingob’s death leaves a lot to be desired”.

To be fair, Geingob tended to use rhetoric that resonated well with free speech and press freedom.

More so, he ensured that the access to information law was passed; he signed it and it was gazetted – albeit towards the end of his term.

The law has yet to be implemented.

More often than not, actions toward the media under Geingob were hostile, as they were under president Sam Nujoma who banned The Namibian from receiving government advertising and the newspaper from being bought by state institutions for 10 years until president Pohamba’s era.

In fact, a bias towards government-run media was reintroduced under Geingob’s rule by the Cabinet through information minister Tjekero Tweya whereby the NBC, Nampa, and New Era were given preference on state advertising and the release of information.

It is worth highlighting that the anti-press freedom crusade has been ongoing for a long time.

Thus, we agree with Beukes and the criticism that the so-called merger of Nampa and New Era seems more like a set-up for a Zim-style (Soviet-era) propaganda machinery that has no place in a democracy.

A report has indicated that the information ministry, administratively led by executive director Audrin Mathe, plans to create a media holding company that will have highly paid executives and board members in the same categories as NamPower, NamWater and Telecom.
Worse perhaps is that the N$55 million budget for Nampa and New Era is more likely to be looted in typical parastatal legalised mismanagement and misappropriation to fund luxury lifestyles and buy expensive vehicles using taxpayers money.

Despite failing to provide clean audited financial reports year-in, year-out, New Era, NBC and Nampa continued to get bailouts.

They failed to pay taxes deducted from employees and VAT; they have failed to pay workers’ benefits; they have been paid salaries and perks their counterparts in the private media would not dare try while running institutions into the ground.

If anything, management failure has consistently been rewarded with bonuses and promotion.

The latest development at New Era and Nampa should worry the Namibian population, because more money is being given to push propaganda and personal interests while the access to information law is dormant.

We urge the government to move swiftly in setting up the access to information process so that members of the public have an easier way to know what is happening with their public resources.

Better that than forming more parastatals that enrich a few while leaving the masses at a disadvantage.