The former chief news editor of the Catholic Radio Network (CRN) in South Sudan this week left the country voicing sharp criticism of the Minister of Information and Broadcasting for seeking to suppress media freedom.
Fr. Jose Silva Vieira worked with the Catholic Church in South Sudan for seven years. He headed the central news bureau of the church’s radio network, which includes stations in Juba, Wau, Tonj, Rumbek, Torit, Yei, Yambio, and Malakal.
As reported by CRN, Fr. Vieira upon his departure to his native Portugal expressed sadness over “growing dictatorship” in the country at a time when “Information Minister Michael Makuei was battling media houses to suppress their freedom.”
Makuei last November directed all media houses and journalists to register with the Ministry of Information and warned them not to cross red lines, especially on matters concerning the dignity of the president.
The minister said that in the absence of any media laws it was the responsibility of his ministry to regulate journalists. “Anybody who tampers with the reputation and dignity of the president, that will not be tolerated,” the minister said at a press conference on 6 November.
“And if necessity requires, we may behave in the absence of a law until the law comes. If you want that, we will do it,” he added. “If you want us to operate with you in the absence of a law, we will do it. Because all these freedoms, all these rights we gave you, are not yet. And even if they come out, we will be treating you according to the law.”
On the matter of registration, the minister had specifically stated “as of now we will make a proper check on all the credentials of the journalists.” Ministry officials later elaborated that journalists would be required to submit CVs, photos and other documentation to the ministry for their approval before being permitted to work.
According to Fr. Vieira, Minister Makuei was speaking in anger due to a report published the day before by Sudan Tribune on President Kiir’s health. He said Minister Makuei’s action was a sign of dictatorship and it was not his duty to vet journalists.
He said journalists should not register with the government because it was not the government’s task to vet journalists. The former editor questioned why the minister wanted to vet journalists and not other professionals including lawyers, teachers and doctors.
Fr. Vieira’s remarks come after a group of chief editors decided jointly to refuse to register their journalists with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Security Service on the grounds that his directive had no basis in the law and neither had he issued any written circular on the matter.
The editor commented that if the government wanted positive news, it should do good things. He lamented that South Sudan was turning to ‘totalitarianism’ after independence, CRN reported.