Hundreds of media practitioners and other stakeholders have commemorated World Press Freedom Day in South Sudan with calls for free space for journalists.
The day was celebrated under the theme “Shaping a Freedom of Expression and Other Human Rights in South Sudan.”
Association of Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), Koang Pal Chang has called the government to give space to report on corruption across the country.
Mr. Pal who is also the station manager of Eye Radio says, there is less relationship between media or journalists with the government on issues to do in reporting corruption acts.
“One of the threats to media development in South Sudan is the attack of war between the government/politicians and the media/ journalists,” he said.
“The politicians don’t want media or journalists to report about corruption because there’s too much corruption, they don’t want to be questioned, they don’t want to be held accountable, that is why we have this problem.”
Koang adds that such accts indicate that journalists are not safe and that media freedom will continue suffering at the hands of individual politicians.
He calls for workshops and training that brings security sectors and journalists together so that they can understand more about the work of journalists in the country.
“We need to educate our brothers from the other sector so that they understand why we are doing this.”
AMDISS said South Sudan is undergoing a transitional period that requires an open and transparent conversation over many aspects of the country including having a people’s driven constitution-making and these calls for freedom of expression to be enjoyed as prescribed by law without prejudices.
Ayaa Irene Lokang Chairperson of Female Journalists Network says lack of access to information is one of the major challenges in the country.
Ayaa narrated that journalists are not allowed to speak to the right resources and citizens prevent to express their views freely.
“We all know that freedom of expression is one of the basic human rights, and it’s a human right that we cannot do without.”
“If you are not allowed to speak, you will not be able to express yourself to demand other rights, you must have freedom of expression first to speak for yourself to demand for others. So freedom of expression to us become first,” Ayaa said.
Ms. Ayaa adds that the safety of journalists should the priority to make sure that they get access to all the information which is to be for the public in the country.
“Safety of journalists is another very important aspect, are we safe, and are journalists safe in South Sudan?”
As the media we shall always remain truthful, we shall always remain independent and I think that is what everybody wants, we want an independent media where all of us can be protected “Ayaa states.”
The press secretary at the office of the president Lily Adhieu Manyiel states that she is in a united position to create healthy working relations between the media and the office of the president.
“I’m in a unite position to create healthy working relations between the media and the office of the president, and that is why I made clear on my first day that my door is open to journalists,” she said.
Lily says the government has a role in decision-making on public matters and the role of the media is to hold the government accountable for those decisions by asking questions about the process taken.
“I want to say the government has a role in decision-making on public matters, it also desires to inform or communicate these decisions and policies to the public, your role as the media is to hold the government accountable for all these decisions by asking questions about the process taken to arrive to them.”
She adds that the government and media should take serious relations to succeed.
Lily explains that her office will be working closely with the media authority and union of journalists to accredit journalists to the state house to grant direct access to information. She urges journalists to report accurate information to the public.
In 1993, the UN General Assembly proclaimed May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day. This proclamation marked the beginning of substantial progress towards enabling a free press and freedom of expression around the world.