PDAS Pittman in Angola: Elections and the Press

UNCLAS LUANDA 000577 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDAS; AF/S DMOZENA AND JMALONEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPAO PHUM EAID AO SUBJECT: PDAS Pittman in Angola: Elections and the Press ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During meetings with international and Angola NGOs working in democracy building and election support PDAS Pittman heard of the challenges faced in preparing for the upcoming Angolan elections; namely maintaining the momentum and enthusiasm for elections when there is no announced election date; disseminating information into the provinces; building provincial capacity to staff voter registration brigades and need to improve the analysis in media coverage of political events. Representatives of the government-owned and independent media discussed the limits of the new media law, the continuing need for USG support of free media programs and the challenges of maintaining journalistic integrity when working for the government-owned media. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) PDAS Bobby Pittman met on May 20, 2006, with representatives from the international and Angolan NGO community working in democracy building, good governance and election support. Representatives of the National Democratic Institute (NDI),the International Republican Institute (IRI),Search for Common Ground (SFCG),Open Society Institute (ODI) and the Angolan Electoral Platform provided a quick overview of their programs in Angola and discussed their current challenges. PDAS Pittman held a second meeting with Angolan journalists representing the state-owned and independent media for an overview of the working environment and issues confronting journalists in Angola. Elections: Preparations Started But No End Date in Sight -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Regarding elections, the single greatest challenge universally mentioned is the lack of an election calendar. While the government has taken positive steps to begin preparations for elections, including initiating training for voter registration technicians, the lack of an end-date has a dampening effect on maintaining enthusiasm and momentum for elections with the general population. Representatives noted that the opposition parties lacked a strong voice in calling for elections. ¶4. (SBU) The NGO reps also noted that there seemed to be three Angolas: Luanda, the provinces and the municipalities. They said it is relatively easy to get the message out in Luanda; with additional efforts one can reach most of the provincial capitals, but it is very difficult to reach the municipalities. This difficulty was attributed to poor communication by the provincial governments to their municipal leadership and the municipalities' reluctance to participate in programs such as voter education without the direct authorization of the provincial governments. ¶5. (SBU) The NGO reps were slightly pessimistic about the GRA's commitment to elections in 2007. While buoyed by the training which has already occurred, they commented that with each government announcement the end date appears to be pushed back bit by bit. They also mentioned concern that the voter registration and electoral system which will be used is a highly technical system dependent on computer skills and a steady electrical supply to run computers. Most believe the provincial capacity to meet IT and manpower needs is weak. The NGOs commented that when it became apparent that elections weren't going to occur in 2006 parties and provincial groups weren't very worried as they weren't ready for campaigning and training. Now, however, they believe that if elections seem to be slipping into 2007, provincial groups and others will be more apt to express concern. Angolan Civil Society: An Uphill Battle for Legitimacy -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Angolan Electoral Platform is carrying out an ambitious program in all eighteen provinces with the goals of 1) educating the people on the voter registration process; 2) monitoring the election process from beginning to end; 3) advocating on behalf of the people and 4) training the trainers on election monitoring. Its challenges include the lack of human resources such as lawyers and journalists and the lack of financial resources to pay such talent. The Platform rep commented that, in addition to weak capacity and limited resources, Angolan civil society in general suffers from the government's belief that civil society equals opposition. Improving Press Coverage of Election Issues -------------- ¶7. (SBU) NGO reps commented that there had been marked improvements in the press in the last few years in Angola but there was still a lack of sophistication on covering electoral issues. They said that two or three years ago the words, `corruption' and `government' would never have been used together in an article; today this is done. They also said no journalists had been arrested in the last eighteen months. However, they noted that, as a general rule of thumb, for every half-column devoted to opposition parties there were four columns devoted to the MPLA. They believe that uniformly the press lacks investigative technique in presenting articles, commenting that there is rarely any analysis of the event or speech included in the reporting, but rather a verbatim transcription of any announcement/speech. ¶8. (SBU) In a separate meeting (not for attribution) with representatives of the government and independent print and broadcast media, journalists thanked the PDAS for USG assistance in journalism capacity building and lobbied for additional funding to continue press strengthening. In particular, the journalists noted that with the election date pushed back from the previous expected date of fall 2006, independent press would require additional funding for election-related programs. Commenting on the management of the state-owned media, journalists noted the link between the ruling party and the media management, and said that journalists were often promoted to higher positions because of their loyalty to management and not because of their professional capacity. ¶9. (SBU) The journalists also raised the issue of the media law which is awaiting approval by the President. The law allows private ownership of FM radio stations, though it prohibits the use of repeaters, thereby requiring the stations to establish local stations in each province. However, the NGO groups mentioned that direct satellite television and internet cafes in provincial capitals also help in disseminating information. ¶10. (SBU) Comment: While both groups voice criticisms of the state of play on elections and journalism, both groups were equally vocal in noting the positive changes that have occurred since the end of the civil war. Nonetheless, the clear message was that US and international support for and interest in the Angolan election process is welcome and needed. ¶11. (U) PDAS Pittman has cleared on this cable. EFIRD