The Northern Bahr el Ghazal Legislative Assembly has summoned Minister of Information and Broadcasting Wek Kuch Deng to brief the Assembly activities of local radios and media houses.
Wek said that he was instructed by the former caretaker governor Kuel Aguer that parliamentary activities should not be covered by the state media. The governor was then in a dispute with the state parliament, which claimed to have impeached him.
Many members of the cabinet including Wek were vocally supportive of the governor even after his impeachment, claiming him still to be the rightful governor until his removal by presidential decree earlier this month.
“My visit today to the assembly is that I was called to make the clarification between the media and the August House… now right from today there is no problem. The activities of the assembly will go [on air],” Wek said.
The minister committed to disseminating to the public information about the Assembly. However, another member of parliament speaking to press on Monday appeared to question whether the governor or the minister himself should be held responsible for the former coverage policy.
Information Committee Chairman Achak Thiep Thiep said that the minister was summoned by the House to reveal the official letter from the ex caretaker Governor Kuel Aguer Kuel ordering local media not to broadcast activities of the Legislative Assembly.
He said the minister failed to produce this.
“The purpose of summoning him is to show the instruction blocking assembly activities through medias by fomrer caretaker governor as he has tated last time that all the activities of the assembly are blocked by the honorable former caretaker governor. And he was summoned to give a statemnet and doument and he did not give the document,” he said.