SUPPORT FREE PRESS TO BUILD TOLERANCE

DEPRIVING someone of the right to speak or express themselves in a society where they are guaranteed this right by the Constitution of the land is wrong, plain and simple. This is how Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini may have felt when circumstances at the TUCOSWA organised Workers Day forced him to leave before he could address a gathering he had been invited to as a guest speaker.

This was embarrassing for both him and the workers. The PM has described the behaviour of workers as hostile and aggressive, which are terms equally used by some of the workers as reasons for their behaviour. They accuse the government of hostility and aggression towards them when raising their challenges at times.

Divided

The incident has left both sides divided over the PM’s invitation and attendance. Workers assert that they received no consultation, whereas some government officials I spoke to say they advised against the PM’s attendance. This issue necessitated a tripartite social dialogue forum to assess the possibility of a government head attending a national workers’ day for the first time in this country’s history.

Ultimately, it was the leaders who had the final say and the outcome has revealed their level of judgement. There are many lessons for the future for all, particularly in dealing with the lack of tolerance and respect among some members of our society. However, what is important to note from this incident and subsequent debate, are the two sides of freedom of expression that were at play. One party, the protesting workers, felt they had a right to express their dissatisfaction over the presence of the PM at their event, while the government felt it had a right to address workers after listening to their submissions, but was deprived of the right to respond by some hostile and aggressive attendees. Among the workers, some complained of being deprived of their right to hear the PM, thus they were denied access to important information that would help them make informed decisions about their lives.

Relate

We, in the media, are all too familiar with this scenario and can relate to the hurt that the PM has felt because we have often been confronted with similar circumstances when it comes to the need to make important things heard. Both sides of the political divide have chastised us for simply doing our jobs and telling a story that is important to those who need access to this information. There is a growing unwelcomed antagonism towards the press, with threats of enforcing statutory measures if it does not ‘toe the line’ or becomes unquestionably patriotic. On the other hand, there have been threats to the lives of press members and destruction of their property.

It becomes important to draw attention to the need for a free press and how it can build a more tolerant society on a day like today, which marks World Press Freedom Day. We have to reflect on the level of tolerance for views that need to be heard, but may not be what people necessarily want to hear.
It is for this reason that the United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of press freedom and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: 1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice. Today also commemorates the Windhoek Declaration, acknowledging the crucial role of a free press in fostering democracy and economic growth and addressing the pervasive persecution of journalists, editors and publishers in African nations.

It calls upon the United Nations to identify press censorship as a violation of human rights. Thankfully, the Kingdom of Eswatini has a Constitution that contains the Bill of Rights, which incorporates Article 19, to guarantee freedom of expression. The ‘protection of freedom of expression’ in this country is found in Section 24. Every right comes with responsibilities, and this section outlines exceptions where the denial of a right does not conflict with or violate a law.

These include situations where a law reasonably requires protection for defence, public safety, order, morality or health; protects reputations; prevents disclosure of confidential information; maintains court authority; regulates communication; or imposes restrictions on public officers, unless it is not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. Let this day serve as a reminder that the best way to foster tolerance in a society is to have free media, in which people can learn to participate, debate and appreciate other points of view.

It is a platform that can reduce antagonism towards one another and eliminate the need for aggression to convey one’s message. To see the media, in any other manner or form is to instill a culture of intolerance and respect, making peaceful coexistence much more difficult to accomplish, not to mention the destruction of our culture of dialogue. Happy Press Freedom day to all.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: