The former Chairperson of Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) stirred reflection on the evolving relationship between media and security forces, and erosion of public accountability.
Speaking to different stakeholders, Mary Ajith Goch emphasized the shared terrain between journalists and security personnel: the field.
She said, “Whenever you talk about media and security, you just talk about two factors; journalists going to the field to collect information to inform the public, and security forces going to the same field to conduct their constitutional duty of protection and keeping law and order.”
Mary argued that this intersection must become a space of mutual respect and collaboration, where Freedom of Expression is not only protected but embraced as a cornerstone of peace, democracy, and informed citizenship.
“When we meet in this area, we need to ensure Freedom of Expression comes as a factor for us to create a peaceful, informed, and democratic society,” Goch argued.
Mary did not shy away from critiquing the misuse of sovereignty as a shield for corruption. “The sovereignty that many people are abusing today, that we are a sovereign country when they also defend corruption… That’s not the country I knew,” she said.
She recalls her coverage of the 2010 corruption scandal that revealed a list of 76 government officials implicated in financial misconduct.
According to Mary, Sovereignty must be rooted in integrity, not used as a rhetorical device to deflect accountability. “When you defend corrupt cases and still stand proudly saying we are a sovereign nation, you betray the very principles our country was built on,” she warned.
Goch also invoked the memory of South Sudan’s liberation struggle, urging the nation not to forget its hard-won journey. “I know our liberators talk about the liberation struggle, but don’t forget that any South Sudanese child born before 2011 is a liberation child,” she stressed.
Mary Ajith made the Remarks during the Media Stakeholders organized by the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) with support from the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).