S. Sudanese official warns over state-TV blackout
June 8, 2016 (JUBA) – The management of South Sudan’s state television (SSBC) has cautioned media against disseminating news on the station, which went off air Monday.
“The South Sudan Broadcasting Corperation – SSBC Management and Leadership of the Ministry of Information, Communication, Technology and Postal Services under the leadership of Honorable Minister Michael Makuei Lueth is hereby informing the people of South Sudan and public that the SSBC Television (formerly known as SSTV) is off air for technical fault,” partly reads a statement the state-owned broadcaster issued on Tuesday.
“This technical failure occurred yesterday on Monday 6th June 2016 at 1pm within normal broadcasting hours,” it adds.
Adel Faris, a director at SSBC told a local daily on Monday that there was damage to some devices, which could not be purchased due to lack of foreign currency.
Up to $200,000, he said, was needed to rectify ongoing technical fault at the station.
But SSBC’s refuted what was published in the Arabic newspaper interview on Monday.
“The SSBC would like to dispute any allegation published by Al Mougif Arabic newspaper misinforming the public that TV is off air due to lack of dollars. This is [a] lie and baseless,” said Chilim.
“SSBC is hereby warning any media house or individual journalist reporting wrong story against SSBC without verification. In case of any inquiry please contact the Managing Director of SSBC,” he further stressed.
What occurred at SSBC TV, he said, could happen anywhere and “it has nothing to do with dollar or money.”
“We regret the inconvenient cause by this technical faulty and we promise the station will be back on air soon,” he assured, but did not specify when broadcast will resume.
South Sudan’s information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei Lueth said government was doing everything to restore the station, but did not elaborate further.
ACTIVIST SPEAKS OUT
Felix Dara, a human rights activist, said he was disappointed with the interference in SSBC’s usual news broadcast.
“We were prepared to watch our usual 8:00 pm news, but unfortunately we were disappointed not to have viewed anything. This is a big blow to a sovereign nation like South Sudan where a national-owned TV went off air” said Dara.
He said information black out in the country would create a vacuum for rumors and fabricated information which is dangerous for a sovereign country like South Sudan.
According to Dara, it was the right of every South Sudanese to access information as provided for in the constitution.
“We all know that article 32 of our constitution provides for the right to access to information whether inform of an audio or electronic record. So going off air means a violation of the provision of the constitution,” he stressed.
War-ravaged South Sudan is facing an economic crisis with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning of difficult days ahead unless economic reforms were put in place.
(ST)