A ‘No Go’ in Lakes State: criticising the police
Ayak Dhieu Apar works for Radio Rumbek FM 98.00, a local government owned radio station. She hosts a live call-in-show and on May 14, the police and its service delivery was the show’s topic.
Callers were talking out of their own experiences in the state.”
She was taken into police custody a day after the broadcast, as the police accuses Ayak of defaming and tarnishing the image of the state police services during a public live radio talk show, reaching audiences all over the state.
On May 19, Ayak was released on bail, which was covered by the radio station administration.
Ayak says she did not intend to defame the police. I was hosting the live show in which the public called and criticised the state police’s conduct and competence”, she stresses. I did not tell them (the callers) to criticise the police, callers were talking out of their own experiences in the state.”
Police Chief Inspector of Rumbek Central County, Mangar Makeny Kamic, in his office (16.05.2012/Benjamin Majok Mon).Our image as police has been assassinated and defamed by Ayak”, says Mangar Makeny Kamic, the police Chief Inspector of Rumbek Central County, as she gave space for live-calls to insult the police”.
The people who called described the police as not capable to do the job” and said the police is not well trained”, Kamic adds.
According to Kamic one lady who called during the show hosted by Ayak accused the police for accepting bribery, adding that when she requested the police’s services they demanded her to buy fuel for the car to come.
Ayak failed to invite a police officer to be in the studio to answer some live calls from the public in order to balance the programme,” Kamic criticises and the radio’s administration failed to intervene and take measures against her.
Ayak failed to invite a police officer to be in the studio.” The Acting Director of Radio Rumbek, Deng Mashek Manyuon, says that his station was approached by three police pickups to arrest Ayak. The police asked me to hand over Ayak to them, but I refused demanding an arrest warrant,” he says.
However, he later had to give in to the arrest: I was told that it is impossible because the orders are coming from the higher police authority.”
Manyuon is certain that Ayak did not defame the police. The citizens have expressed their views about the police and that is why the police feels bitter about the journalist, he says.
The Acting Director however admits that he did not authorise the programme and that the radio missed to invite representatives from the police allowing them to directly answer some of the challenging questions.
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A stumbling block to free media: the absence of press lawsThe police pressed charges against Ayak, but a date for the court case has not yet been announced.
Due to the internal shortcomings of the radio station administration Manyuon urged the police to drop the charges against Ayak, allowing the management of the radio to decide on the nature of the problem administratively”.
Many journalists in South Sudan say that they constantly face restrictions and call for greater freedom to provide consistent and comprehensive coverage.
George Garang Deng, the Undersecretary in the GoSS Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says that many journalists still report on the principles of irresponsibility, dishonesty and inaccuracy” and that his government provides a free and fair” media environment.
