Where is the SPLM media?

Editorial, The Khartoum Monitor

Sept 28, 2005 — In any community, state, region and world countries media is a very powerful tool. The media can destroy and build, can inform and misinform, educate, enlighten and entertain.

Until now no one knows the SPLM top priorities. Is media one of those? Southerners need their own powerful media now. It would be regrettable if media is not one of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) top priorities.

I believe the SPLM might have seen during almost one month wrestling over the oil ministry portfolios where the Arabic newspapers particularly the National Congress Party [NCP] mouthpiece dailies which smeared southerners with charcoal and mud dominating the general public media with disinformation about the SPLM position in this regard.

For how long would the SPLM shoulder such misleading information? Don’t we (southerners) have competent journalists who can repulse the Khartoum Arabic hostile media rather than being constantly harassed and humiliated for no cause?

When the liberation movement was founded particularly towards the end of 1980s it was having very powerful radio station to counter the National Islamic Front clandestine radio propaganda and inaccurate reporting of fighting “Jihad” in the southern Sudan.

The SPLA/M radio was vigilant to hit back, a matter that witnessed consecutive falling of several towns in the south Sudan into the SPLA/M hands without any resistant [as published] from the government fleeing forces under the pretext of tactical withdrawal.

This makes one wonder and ask, what has gone wrong with the SPLM powerful radio station? Where is the SPLM chief of information and communications, Dr Samson Kwaje? We are fed up of being victims to the Jalabas’ media propaganda since the Machakos peace negotiations.

I would like to assure you that we the journalists from southern Sudan are ready and capable to manage willingly with the available resources and manpower any media institution to be established in the south today or tomorrow.

For our journalists to be effective and efficient, and operate without concern of NCP media, I suggest that the GOSS should establish its media in Juba, rehabilitate Radio Juba and equip it with advanced digital production studios and establish print media concurrently with Khartoum Monitor newspaper expected to move its headquarters to Juba in the nearest future and start circulating internationally and nationally including Khartoum.

The GOSS should assist these media institutions in starting up this much needed weapon especially at this critical hour of media combat and should also encourage those journalists who are inclined to start printing without any further ado. We need a powerful media now.