Thread: NBC scraps chat shows - unbelievable!!!

I read with profound disappointment, along with a sense of foreboding, that the NBC has scrapped the National Chat Show programmes hosted in the mornings. And this apparently after the SWAPO Elders Council and the National Council called for the chat sohws to be "reviewed".

I'm sure the radio shows were not beyond reproach - nothing is. Everything can be improved. But the shows offered an opportunity for Namibians to assert their right to free speech in a fundemantal and direct way, using a powerful medium. The chat shows are an institution, and they were rightly used to argue that Namibia was maturing as a democracy .

Suspending the shows is not only contracry to the letter and spirit of our Constitution, it is also counter-productive. I think this is regrettable, to say the least, and it reflects badly on the SWAPO Elders Council and the National Council. This is clearly a highly partisan move, and not at all in the public or the national inrterest. The thing is: To deny people the right to speak freely ultimately cause smore damage than when they assert it, even if what they say is "challenging".

One thing is clear: Try as it may, the people will speak up, and they shall speak out. Now they willl seek alternative avenues, and the NBC will be a poorer public broadcaster as a result. It is clear that the agenda of the NBC is dominated by party-political partisan interests. What a shame! I agree entirely with MISA's take on the matte:

MISA Namibia is surprised by a statement issued by the Acting Director of the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Andrew Kanime, where he announced that the National Chat Show programmes hosted in the mornings shall cease.

This statement comes after the Swapo Elders Council and the National Council called for the chat shows to be reviewed.

MISA Namibia strongly opposes any scrapping, controlling or censoring of information in the public domain.

While we agree that there is a need for the programme to be professionalized, it is important to recognize that the chat shows were established to provide the citizens of the country with an avenue to express their concerns.

It is regrettable that the cancellation of the morning chat shows comes at a time when MISA had successful engaged the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on the need to facilitate the training of moderators for chat shows, as well as the transformation of the NBC.

MISA Namibia Chairperson, Ms Sandra Williams, during the meeting advised that the programme not be removed but that it should be professionalized.

With the upcoming elections, there is need for citizens to speak out and raise concerns; this is a sign of a matured democracy. Although people do not agree, they can agree to disagree, and NBC must put mechanisms in place which include competent, professional moderators and clear guidelines for the programme.

Closing down the programnme should not be an option; NBC management should look at other avenues to address the concerns highlighted. Taking away the chat shows is like taking away the landmark of freedom of expression in a 19-year-old democracy, and raises the questions about Namibia’s commitment to freedom of expression.

While the media should adhere strictly to the ethics of journalism and ensure that these are kept to the highest standards, MISA Namibia would like to repeat the call we made early last year, that the citizen should show restraint in using the NBC platforms rather than NBC suppressing the programmes.

Mathew Haikali
National Director
MISA Namibia