Letters to the Editor

Role Model

October 4, 2005

It is laudable that the Jordanian government exerts efforts to establish a truly independent media and ensure more freedom of expression, as the “Global Forum for Media Development” proves.

With 600 media professionals from 104 countries, one can only hope that Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher's words, who said that “we need to evolve towards a culture where diversity is seen as a source of strength rather than weakness, and where criticism is tolerated by the government and by the society in general”, will reach the ears of leaders around the world, particularly in authoritarian and emerging democracies.

Under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, the government seeks to establish a free, democratic, responsible, diversified and comprehensive media. One step towards this goal was the disbandment of the Information Ministry and restructuring the government's news agency.

To dismantle the Ministry of Information might be a very hard decision to take for many countries, including Cambodia, where I come from. But at least different governments around the globe can give “genuine” freedom to their peoples to operate their newspapers and establish private media free from intimidation, threats and government interference.

Freedom of expression and freedom of the press should be seen by governments all over the world as rights of their citizens, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

One should be reminded of Indian Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru's warning in 1937: “Long experience has taught us that it is dangerous to suppress ideas and opinions. It has further taught us that it is foolish to imagine that we can do so.”

Moeun, Chhean Nariddh,
Independent Media Trainer,
Participant in GFMD Conference,
Amman, Jordan