- Originally published by BBC Worldwide Monitoring, February 24, 2005
Copyright 2005 British Broadcasting Corporation
SWAPO ruling South West Africa People's
Organization Party Youth League (SPYL) Secretary Paulus Kapia urged
Namibians to boycott buying The Namibian, Republikein, and Windhoek
Observer newspapers as they are regarded as enemies of the people.
Kapia said: "The limits of freedom of expression have been punctured,
the white newspapers must as from today be regarded as enemies and
anyone wasting money on purchasing them is directly supporting their
insults on the black majority."
Kapia,
speaking at a media conference on Thursday 24 February , was reacting
to letters published in those newspapers recently insulting President
Sam Nujoma. Last year, the Windhoek Observer published a letter stating
that he would like President Nujoma to die, so that the writer would
urinate on his grave while last week the Republekein paper published a
letter written by a certain Walya Shakadila, stating that Nujoma is
enemy to the Namibian people and The Namibian newspaper, Kapia said is
becoming a mouth piece of CoD opposition Congress of Democrats party.
"These newspapers are enemies of peace, security and stability in the
country," Kapia fumed, adding: "We will forge ahead to make sure that
if you are buying these newspapers, you are a supporter of those who
are insulting our president." From today on, 'we' condemned the three
newspapers through boycotting of buying them, he said.
He said newspapers in the country supposed to educate and inform the
people, but contrary they are misinforming and trying to destabilize
the peace in the country. He said it is customary that the profession
of journalism adheres to codes of ethics in so far as it concerns the
aspiration for an informed concern for truth, accuracy, fairness and
respect. For most countries particularly in the West, mainstream media
ownership is exclusive the domain of whites who also are the indigenous
and natural rulers of their people, he said, adding that their media is
reflection of the society and government of their respective countries.
In Namibia, he said, on account of the abnormal legacy of racist
apartheid past, mainstream media are dominated and owned by arrogant
remnants of white settlers. "Ironically, the derive their profits from
black majority yet such whites thrive on insulting and demonizing
Africa leaders in whom the black majority have entrusted electoral
mandate," Kapia noted.
He said the whites
in America, Holland or England do not buy black papers en masse, why
should 'we' Kapia said, adding: "From hereon now solidarity of Africans
must begin, never again shall the white papers be treated with kid
gloves from today our conscience shall dictate to us to respect and
promote African newspapers and consider those who hold contrary view
not as free marketers but as self-imprisonment sellouts and puppets."
Kapia said there are some people who view him as he speaks as Kapia as
an individual opinion, but he is speaking on behalf of the SPYL.