Maravi

Some leaders deny journalists access to information - Nonde

Some leaders deny journalists access to information - Nonde
By Laura Mushaukwa
Tuesday August 28, 2007 [04:00]

FEDERATION for Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Nonde yesterday observed that some leaders denied journalists access to information because they were mediocre and scared of exposing their ignorance. And Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post chairperson Webster Malido, who echoed Nonde's sentiments, noted that the problem African countries had was that of accepting democracy as a political system but not being ready for an open system.

MISA-Zambia vice president Zarina Geloo described the just-ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit as a disaster in terms of the secrecy that enshrouded accessibility to information.

Featuring on a MISA Zambia programme dubbed 'SADC and freedom of information' on Sunday, Nonde explained that some leaders made it difficult for journalists to access information because they were mediocre and could not competently answer questions on what was happening around the world.

"You need to evaluate the type of leaders we have, some of them are mediocre and cannot compete on a global world," Nonde explained. "When an intelligent journalist asks a question and I am as ignorant as the people I lead, I do not want to expose my ignorance. They see a journalist, they are so scared because they do not know what they will be asked. How many of them understand the ministries they lead? Obviously they do not expect a journalist to ask them what is happening in their ministry."

She attributed the trouble associated with getting information to dictatorial tendencies African leaders exhibited.

"As African leaders we want to show that we are perfect, we want to be super human beings and do not want to come out the way we are so that people can analyse," Nonde said. "To us leadership is dictatorship."

She expressed fear that if such tendencies among leaders went on unabated, the country would not move forward.

"If you have a leader like that, do you expect to get the information that will help you react on issues that affect you?" Nonde asked. "You journalists are always intimidated when you report a fact you are in trouble because you have to report the way I want you to whether I’m lying or not."

She described democracy as a big joke saying the country was not anywhere near it as the archaic laws had not changed.

"We depend on journalists to tell us what is happening but all the information is hidden, how can I participate in globalisation when am ignorant of what is happening next door?" Nonde wondered. "How can I be part of a United States of Africa when I do not know the people am working with?"

She cited the speculation surrounding the dropping of foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana as an epitome of what happens when information is hidden.

"We are now gossiping because others are saying he is not sick, he did something during the SADC summit, can't you tell the truth of what happened?" Nonde mused. "A journalist would want to follow that up but they are not given the information and we continue gossiping."

On the manner in which SADC tackled the Zimbabwe issue, she said she did not expect anything because none of the leaders could challenge Robert Mugabe because they were all guilty in some way.
"I do not expect anyone to challenge Mugabe because he will also say ‘what about you’," said Nonde.

Contributing to the same discussion, Malido said although some countries had access laws, it was difficult for journalists to access information because of the systems that had been put in place.

"Certain systems make it so difficult to access information. For example, at the SADC banquet, we were trying to access information but someone thought we were trying to access food," Malido noted.

He expressed concern at the way journalists were denigrated at the SADC summit in their pursuit for information.

"We were denigrated and on top of that our profession was desecrated. Sometimes we are even insulted by fools and some people have taken advantage, thinking our profession is that of paupers," Malido lamented. "It is an enviable profession with great responsibility on behalf of many people."

Malido said there were even complaints about some news sources who think that female journalists are objects of abuse.

"These are issues we need to confront and people need to change their mindset," he said.
Malido questioned the move by SADC to develop a training manual for journalists on grounds that SADC issues were not well covered when the same people made it difficult for journalists to cover issues due to inaccessibility to information.
"If SADC is genuine about its project to come up with a manual for journalists so that coverage of regional issues is improved, they have to look at the process holistically because they cannot have on one hand restrictive procedures and on the other hand complain about poor coverage," Malido lamented.

He emphasised the need to look at SADC as an organisation while incorporating integration and development.

"We have to look at the broader agenda. Therefore, what should be at the core of our process is both development and integration and we have to look at some of the overriding factors," said Malido. "And the informational needs of the process of development and integration have been emphasised even by SADC itself."

MISA Zambia vice president Zarina Geloo corroborated Malido and Nonde’s sentiments said, expressing sadness at the failure by SADC to adopt the gender protocol.
Geloo said there was a lot of secrecy around the SADC summit because a lot of things had gone unexplained.

Labels: FFTUZ, JOYCE NONDE, MISA, SECRECY

posted by MrK @ 3:21 AM