South Sudan minsiter going too far
By Mading de Ngor Akec de Kuai*
“When you read the Internet these days and you read the attacks on government, on individual politicians in southern Sudan I feel very sorry. Sorry in the sense that somebody sits on his computer in New York doing nothing, he has not even seen southern Sudan and he becomes an expert of analysis of the situation in southern Sudan” – Education minister for Central Equatoria state, Dr. Lokulenge Lole, Sudan Tribune, August 16/2006
Aug 17, 2006 — The critical response of the Minister of Central Equatoria, Dr. Lokulenge Lole in his recent address to the South Sudanese students in Nairobi, urging them to stop perusing the Internet for news on South Sudan as most information published is opinion and “lacks objectivity” speaks volumes about the primordial state of the media both in South Sudan and the Diaspora.
Subdued by the advancing subjectivity on the Internet, the Hon. Minister of Education Dr. Lokulenge is going too far by suggesting a “stoppage” to the Internet news, which is by far the most prominent outlet at the disposal of the Sudanese in the Diaspora. And if plucked and uprooted? Hollowness, inactivity and indifference will take hold.
The minister should have also commended the Sudanese in the Diaspora for being “too concerned” about their home country, albeit critical at times, because of all the African Diasporas, Sudanese are amongst the most passionate about their countries. However, there is a general consensus that the media’s approach should be progressive and constructive to achieve the much anticipated developmental journalism.
Instead of being attack dogs or lapdogs, the media should be guide dogs.
Both critics and supporters of the GoSS are South Sudanese. No one of the aforementioned group should be tongued or deserve the labeling as the “enemy of peace”, not the least to utter there are none, just because they are non-compliance with the status quo. Moreover, posterity and positivity and altruism and objectivity are some of the most basic journalistic ideals and must be upheld should one decide to be a guide dog.
Overall, one is hopeful that our government will realize the immediacy of media development and most importantly as a vital step to freedom we all crave for.
No one is a slave who uses his brain, so if an individual chooses to read from the Internet source, he/she ought to distinguish between editorial bias, individual bias and news.
* Mading Ngor Akec Kuai, is the Editor of www.newsudanvision.com, he can be reached at [email protected]