Maravi

Emily urges journalists to fight for new constitution

Emily urges journalists to fight for new constitution
By Brighton Phiri and Nomusa Michelo
Thursday May 03, 2007 [04:01]

WOMEN for Change executive director Emily Sikazwe has asked journalists to take interest in the fight for a new constitution. And World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) organising committee chairperson Amos Chanda has said public accountability cannot exist in an atmosphere of secrecy.

In her solidarity message to the journalists as they commemorate World Press Freedom Day to be commemorated under the theme 'Protection for Journalists and impunity' and the local theme of "Imperatives of Freedom of Information in enhancing Public Accountability" today, Sikazwe asked media practitioners to use the day to reflect on their contribution towards the constitution-making process.

"If the media is serious about press freedom and freedom of information, they must make the issue of the constitution as a first priority," she said.

"We are tired of having our journalists being battered by the police. In solidarity with you, we must ensure that we achieve our desire for a new constitution."

She asked the media to make its stand known over the constitution-making process and begin to question members of parliament in their respective localities to explain their stand over the matter.

"Begin to invite the members of parliament for interviews and ask them to state their positions on this matter," she said.

And giving a presentation at a media conference yesterday titled 'Freedom of Information for Accountable Leadership' at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) yesterday, Chanda justified the need for the enactment of the Freedom of Information (FoI) law.

Chanda said any state that failed to open up to public scrutiny would fail the test of public accountability.

"This is where the case for a freedom of information Act comes to play...Public accountability would not come about in an atmosphere of secrecy," he said. "It will not come in an environment where the bulk of public information is held under a veil of secrecy."

And United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema said the media in the country has called on the government to repeal repugnant laws that stifle media freedom.

"There is need for the government to quickly enact the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill. As argued the FoI Bill will not only enhance the country's governance system but will specifically benefit the fight against corruption," he said.

And Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) executive director Joel Simon has said democracy's foothold in Africa is shallow when it comes to press freedom.

The CPJ has listed Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Gambia as three countries in Africa where press freedom has deteriorated the most over the last five years.

Commenting on the CPJ report to mark World Press Freedom Day, May 3, under the theme 'Safety of Journalists and Impunity' Simon said Ethiopia, the DRC and the Gambia despite their transition to democracy are not moving toward press freedom.

"These three African nations, as diverse as they are, have won praise at times for their transition to democracy - but they are actually moving in reverse on press issues. Journalists in Ethiopia, Gambia, and DRC are being jailed, attacked, and censored, a picture far worse than what we saw only a few years ago," Simon said.

"The behaviour of all of these countries is deeply troubling, but the rapid retreats in nations where the media have thrived demonstrate just how easily the fundamental right to press freedom can be taken away."

And in issuing its report to mark World Press Freedom Day, May 3, CPJ is calling for attention to the long-term erosion in press conditions.

The CPJ said the African nations of the Gambia and the DRC join Russia and Cuba among the world's worst "backsliders" on press freedom.

According to the report, Cuba and Ethiopia have become two of the world's leading jailers of journalists in the past five years.
The report states that Morocco, often cited as a regional model for press freedom, is now tied with Tunisia for the dubious distinction of sentencing the most journalists to prison in the Arab world.
Among the CPJ's "Top 10 Backsliders" are Ethiopia,; Gambia; Russia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Morocco and Thailand.

And the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has called on governments and their agencies to guarantee public availability of officially held data, information and archives accessible under Freedom of Information laws or related legal provisions.

"Stricter security classifications may be called for when it comes to sensitive military and intelligence issues, but there must also be strict reviews to guard against unjustified attempts to limit public scrutiny, particularly that of political decisions," the WAN stated.

WAN has also called on governments to guarantee the right of journalists to protect their confidential sources of information, as a necessary requirement for a free press.

Labels: EMILY SIKAZWE, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MEDIA

posted by MrK @ 4:42 AM