Maravi

Mooya condemns govt’s scheme to regulate media

Mooya condemns govt’s scheme to regulate media
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Monday, August 31, 2009 3:45:26 PM

MOOMBA UPND member of parliament Vitalis Mooya has said he does not support intentions by the government to impose statutory regulation on the media should it fail to regulate itself.

Mooya said in an interview yesterday that there were some people that had wrong intentions over the suggestions to effect statutory regulation on the media.

"I think we should exercise caution. You see the media is playing a very important role and currently in Zambia there is a lot happening, right and wrong, and without the media, especially the private media we would not know," Mooya said.

"Some people could have wrong intentions. This is the fourth arm of government and it brings a lot of sanity, especially the private media and any muzzling, I am against that."

Mooya said he did not know the reason behind the government's hasty approach over the issue of statutory regulation of the media, but that it was well known that laws targeted against individuals or newspapers could not work.

"You know, it can't work," he said. "The media is playing a very important role. I call for caution. I am happy with the information that we are getting from the private media, especially The Post."

President Rupiah Banda's administration has given the media in the country a six-month ultimatum to come up with a self-regulatory body failure to which the government will impose statutory regulation.

But the country's media bodies have described the government's ultimatum as unreasonable and unacceptable.

And Southern Africa Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) executive director Lee Habasonda said the government was putting the country's security and international relations at risk in view of the careless manner it was handling former president Frederick Chiluba's issue.

"We are amazed with the careless manner the Chiluba case is handled," Habasonda said.

"The question that we raise is: what is it that Chiluba may have on this government that they can risk national security by handling this matter in this manner, as well as Zambia's international relations? We are wondering what the country is going to be looked in terms of other countries."

Habasonda said if a man like Chiluba was given the kind of leeway that SACCORD had observed, there would be some security implications.

"Whether it is the US $8 million, or restoration of immunity, the quashing of the appeal, all these things do not seem to be carefully thought out," said Habasonda.

Labels: MEDIA, PRESS FREEDOM, VITALIS MOOYA

posted by MrK @ 2:47 PM