Media freedom: Unfulfilled promises
As the world commemorates World Press Day on May 3, we look back at the promises of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s-led government to repeal the Media Practitioners Act, before coming up with a piece of legislation that is inclusive and representative of the interests of media industry players. There are worries in some quarters that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government could have reneged on its 2019 general election promises.
After wider consultations with stakeholders and promising to bring to Parliament a new piece of legislation regulating media workers, there have been delays on the side of government to deliver on its promises.
Before the last session of Parliament, Minister for State President, Kabo Morwaeng rounded up media houses and other stakeholders promising to deliver on the government promises. Looking at the clock, it has been four full years with Masisi at the helm and it does not seem the promised delivery will be made anytime soon.
During his visit to the Dikgang Publishing Company (DPC), publishers of Mmegi and The Monitor newspapers, Morwaeng had promised: “The new media law will be presented to Parliament in the next sitting, which commences next week. Before the law is gazetted, it will be brought to you as stakeholders. We are going to repeal the current media law. Others were thinking that we should just repeal.”
Even this week, Morwaeng reiterated the earlier position of government. “I confirm that the new Media Practitioners Bill, which I will bring to Parliament, is based on your contributions as stakeholders as the older one was faulted for not taking the wishes of stakeholders on board,” he said.
Morwaeng added it is in his best interest to take the new Media Bill to Parliament and his government is committed to seeing this change done. He indicated that after previous lessons, his government could not rush the Bill when it had so many red flags from some stakeholders.
The minister’s promise is that at the end of the day, all the stakeholders will be winners.
Quizzed about the apparent delay of the government to deliver on its promises, Spencer Mogapi, Botswana Editors Forum chairperson and deputy editor at a weekend broadsheet, Sunday Standard newspaper had this to say: “The truth of the matter is that there have been inordinate delays.”
He strongly feels there is no excuse for that. Mogapi indicated that on a brighter side, throughout the government, through Minister Morwaeng has remained in touch with the media practitioners.
“One thing that caused delay most has been the drafting process. You will recall there was a raft of Bills that went through Parliament especially last year and for those in power this media law was not a priority. Thus it could always be relegated to the back of the queue,” said Mogapi. “The other thing that caused further delay is us, in the media. We simply did not make our inputs when called to do so. Which for me has been the biggest disappointment,” he added.
Nevertheless, Mogapi thinks the practitioners are now doing the final lap of consultations.
“MISA Botswana chapter director is busy distributing the copy of the Act for the last input from the media. At the last meeting, journalists queried the fact that there are too many committees that might in the end cause confusion. And I agree,” highlighted Mogapi.
He was especially eager to see input from editors because this law will affect them most as guardians of the newsrooms.
“I cannot emphasise strong enough the level of openness Minister Morwaeng has shown all along, which is very rare amongst politicians,” he further said.
He sees no reason why the new Bill should not be placed before the next sitting of Parliament. Investigative journalist and co-founder of INK Centre for Investigative Journalism, Joel Konopo blamed bureaucratic red tape for the delays. “I think it is tied up in bureaucracy and red tape. But, that isn’t the main reason why there is a delay,” he said in response to a question on what he thinks could be the source of the BDP-led government’s failure to deliver on its media freedom promises.
“BDP has never committed to extending press freedom and unlike in the past, they put themselves under pressure as part of Masisi policies to appear as if he is doing something different,” Konopo said this week. When it comes to implementation and upon winning elections, Konopo feels the objective falls off the radar of priorities and added that they may fast-track the process ahead of election next year. “Just to add, I think most of Masisi’s decisions are hype-driven enthusiasm to garner either votes or sympathy rather than achieve a genuine cause,” noted Konopo. Media freedom has been in existence since the dawn of political independence in Botswana. There have been trials and tribulations depending on the political environment.
This is a political evaluation of a broad subject comprising many factors including economic, social, political and others.
Speaking from a public policy perspective, University of Botswana (UB) lecturer in politics and administrative studies, Adam Mfundisi could not with certainty affirm whether press freedom has improved since Masisi assumed the highest political office.
“The improvement, if any, may not be substantive but modest,” he posited and added that there has not been any drastic change in the media landscape in Botswana.
Former president Ian Khama and the helmsman Masisi, he said, were at some stage president and vice president respectively jointly governing this country.
Khama had had bad relations with the private media to the extent of ‘starving’ it of resources through withdrawal of advertisements by government.
The State is the largest sponsor of advertisements in Botswana and the Masisi regime exploited that avenue to ‘capture’ some media houses and use them to propagate his political messages in the 2019 general election. And at the same time wage a concerted attack on the opposition parties and Khama.
“The private media became a proxy in the campaigns of the President and the BDP. Journalists were delighted for invitation to the State House and other government functions and became willing or unwilling cheerleaders of Masisi and his government,” opined Mfundisi.
To the UB academic, obstacles to freedom of the press, both government and private have not been removed. The draconian 2008 Media Practitioner’s Act has not been repealed and the BDP controlled Parliament rejected a motion to that effect.
“Masisi is the political handler of these MPs (Members of Parliament) through his Vice President Slumber Tsogwane who is the undisputed controller of BDP legislators. The behaviour of BDP MPs reflect the interests, needs, priorities and aspirations of the President. They have abdicated their representative responsibilities to the electorates,” the UB don queried.
He is worried that the BDP and its political leadership including Masisi have promised time and again to bring before Parliament legislation on Freedom of Information legislation.
It seems there is no political will and commitment to enact legislation to promote freedom of information and the press, he observed.
Mfundisi is of the view that the President and the BDP are content with the private media if it does not threaten its political hegemony.
There is lack of investigative journalism in the country, which Mfundisi says undermines effective checks and balances on the State. He holds a strong position that the private media does not differ substantially from the government-controlled media.
To him, both lack editorial independence because they are owned and controlled by the ruling political elite mostly associated with the BDP.
He cited that both are deficient in fair, objective and well sourced reporting, which has led to mushrooming and proliferation of the social media to fill the gaps.
He pointed out that local journalists lack legal and social norms to fearlessly report on unethical behaviour in government including rampant corruption and maladministration. The rule of law has become a mantra devoid of substance and effect.
Anything that would empower the press and the people, Mfundisi is adamant that it undermines the government and the party. To the BDP, he says they do not want an informed citizenry and genuine freedom of the press as he adds this would threaten their political fortunes.
“Government is also adverse to community radio stations, which would promote plurality and diversity of the media. The government is content with the government media and part of the private media that it controls directly and indirectly to perpetuate its policies. The ultimate job of a leader is not to acquire more power, but to empower others to develop future leaders,” he said in summation.