Ministers urged to respond to media questions

Information minister Peya Mushelenga has urged ministers and government spokespersons to ensure their accessibility to the media when queries are made. Mushelenga made these comments during a stakeholder engagement with the Editors Forum of Namibia (EFN).His remarks came in response to criticism regarding the lack of a line minister willing to address a query concerning the status of homeless individuals residing at the Independence Arena as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the government&#039;s plans to resolve the issue."There are public relations officers (PROs) and even ministers who avoid responding to the media, and as a result, journalists are stranded, often coming to the ministry of information for an issue that is within the knowledge of sectorial ministers," Mushelenga said.Media shyPresident Hage Geingob, at the opening of Cabinet in 2019, expressed his frustration at the conduct of media-shy ministers and encouraged them to address media queries."The press is complaining that the ministers never answer media queries. When I challenge, especially the NBC, why they only have one side of the story, I am told ministers refuse to appear on TV," the president said at the time."One minister even admitted it when I challenged him," Geingob added.Geingob, without mentioning names, said: "Ministers refuse to appear on TV to explain their policies. Now you get five people sitting there all just condemning government, and nobody is there to correct [facts]." Be mindfulMeanwhile, Mushelenga said he would expect ministers to respond to queries relating to their ministries and the homeless persons living at the Independence Arena."I would’ve expected line ministers, even those in the committee, to have responded," he said.While requesting cooperation from his Cabinet colleagues, Mushelenga also urged media practitioners to refrain from sending queries to ministers while they are attending Cabinet meetings, as Cabinet ministers convene with the President and Prime Minister every Tuesday on a weekly basis."When you want to ask questions, know the timing of asking; don’t ask a minister in the morning of Tuesday; wait until they are done or ask them before Cabinet; you shouldn’t bother them; you are not the only ones asking questions," he said.

Ministers urged to respond to media questions

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Ministers urged to respond to media questions

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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