No public announcements or advertisements will be made in Jonglei State unless approved by authorities, State Minister for Information and Communication has declared.
Mhamad Chuol Peter, the Director General at the ministry, told Radio Tamazuj that the directed followed recent incidents where some institutions made announcements without following the ‘proper procedures and guidelines’.
The circular is addressed to all state government’s departments, civil society organizations, private institutions and individuals. They are henceforth directed to seek approvals from the ministry before making any public announcements on radio stations or microphones.
“We are working to improve communication channels in the state. We don’t want random announcements that are made without approval from the concerned ministry. We want all the information that is passed to the public to first pass through the Ministry of Information and Communication for documentation,” Chuol said.
Adding, “As a government, we are concerned about the kind of information that goes to the public and that is why you have seen us talking to the radio stations to at least make sure that any information that goes to the public is good enough and does not cause any conflict or hatred,” Chuol reaffirmed.
Chuol says, the ministry, as the media regulator in the state, emphasizes that random announcement impedes the rights of the people to access to information.
He said by implementing the directive, the ministry aims to ensure information and radio programs are accessible and relevant to all residents.
Chuol defended the directive, saying it is not intended to restrict or control the media, but rather to ensure that the information disseminated to the public doesn’t cause harm.
“Once there is an announcement, you put down that it is done on this date, and this and the information was aired out on this radio or public announcement by this organization or by this instruction only for future reference. We don’t understand why people are saying it is censorship or something like that, no—there is nothing like that. We in the government we are working for the interest of the people,” Chuol reiterated.
However, some critics have expressed their opposition to the directive, arguing that it violates the freedom of expression and access to information as guaranteed in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan.
Bol Deng Bol, the Chairperson of Jonglei Civil Society Network said the directive is a form of censorship and interference that could undermine the independence and credibility of the media.
“If every announcement has to pass through the ministry to approve or not, if every talk show has to pass through the ministry to approve or not, it is going to target civil society individuals, it is going to target opposition of political actors because the directive is coming from a particular political party. This is how this government is. As civil society we condemn that, we reject it and we are appealing for dialogue,” Bol said.
Daniel Mation Ngang, the Programmes Coordinator for a local Non-Governmental Organization, CHIEF, expressed fears that the directive could be used to suppress dissenting voices and opinions that are critical of the state government.
“I saw that the circular is a bit working differently with the various laws in the country that are guiding the media particularly the Media Act 2023. We think that the ministry should revise it before it’s execution,” Ngang told Radio Tamazuj.
The directive to restrict access to information comes at a time when the state government, led by Governor Denay Jock Chagor, is facing several challenges, such as insecurity, inter-communal violence, flooding, and humanitarian crises.
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