A demonstration of true solidarity

A demonstration of true solidarity
By Editor
Tue 12 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation.
If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation.

Poverty is often produced by man’s basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a stranger in a random universe.

Man is alienated when he is alone, when he is detached from reality, when he stops thinking and believing in a foundation. Today, humanity appears much more interactive than in the past: this shared sense of being close to one another must be transformed into true communion. The development of peoples depends, above all, on a recognition that the human race is a single family working together in true communion, not simply a group of subjects who happen to live side by side.

Pope Paul VI once noted that “the world is in trouble because of the lack of thinking”. He was making an observation, but also expressing a wish: a new trajectory of thinking is needed in order to arrive at a better understanding of the implications of our being one family; interaction among us calls us to embark upon this new trajectory, so that interaction can signify solidarity rather than marginalisation.

Thinking of this kind requires a deeply critical evaluation of the category of relation.

Solidarity is a basic fact of human existence. No person is an island, cut off from others and self-sufficient. Remember the proverb: “I am because we are, we are because I am.”

It is not hatred alone which is contrary to the laws of charity but also indifference to the welfare of our neighbour. When people think only of themselves and their own particular group, then there is division and frustration.

What a single ant brings to the anthill is very little; but what a great anthill is built when each one does their proper share of the work!

This is the way we see the relationship between the Press Association of Zambia and the Press Freedom Committee of The Post. This is also the way we see the solidarity that is from time to time demonstrated between the journalists and other workers working for the state owned media on the one hand, and those working for The Post on the other.

There is no secret deal between the Press Association of Zambia and the Press Freedom Committee of The Post because the agreement – the Carnival Agreement – that guides and informs the interaction between them is in the public domain and has been highly publicised. And it reads: “After exhaustive consultative meetings to explore and consolidate working relations between the Press Association of Zambia and the Press Freedom Committee of the Post, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is hereby entered into between the two parties (Press Freedom Committee of the Post and the Press Association of Zambia)

On this day of 13th August 2006 at the Carnival Resort in Lusaka, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which hereafter shall be referred to as the ‘Carnival Agreement’ has taken effect and shall be governed by the common principles listed below:
To strengthen human resource capacities within the two media organizations such as diversity of intellect capacities cardinal to the advancement of media freedoms in the country;

To undertake joint advocacy, lobbying and other campaign activities aimed at creating a favourable environment for the media within the country and beyond;

To facilitate and strengthen legal representation within the media organizations and their individual membership with regards to press freedom issues;

To forge solidarity on issues that threaten press freedom and free expression;
To support each other financially in various areas of co-operation and mutual understanding. However, such financial support shall not influence or compromise either organisation’s autonomy and independence; To jointly, with other media organisations and interest groups, advocate for better media laws in the country and the region;

To create and institute awareness campaigns to broaden information dissemination through acceptable means as well as enhance readership, viewership and listernership. Increased readership, viewership and listernership will eventually increase economic sustainability of the media industry;

To strengthen campaigns for better media laws through engagement with government and/or any other legislative or policy organs so as to make the working environment of the members more conducive;

To develop a media that is more representative and responsive to the aspirations of the public;
To build and strengthen capacity among members of both associations through local and international training programmes;

To explore and develop further the standing of both associations with other stakeholders on issues of policy affecting the media;

To campaign for an economic regime and policies that favour the growth and sustainablity of the media;
To collaborate on any other issue (s) that the two associations shall deem to be in the interest of their members.

Arising from the above, the secretariats of the two associations shall coordinate and implement the agreement and activities born out of it.”

What can be said to be wrong with any of the elements of this agreement? As for the K10 million the Press Freedom Committee of The Post is supposed to be assisting the Press Association of Zambia with every month, there is nothing secretive about it. It is a matter that all the members of both institutions are aware of. At the time this help was extended, the Press Association of Zambia had serious challenges with regard to donor funding. The agreement with their donors had come to an end and they had difficulties finding resources to finance the basic things required in running an office.

At this point, the Press Freedom Committee of The Post which receives monthly funding from Post Newspapers Limited decided to come in and help their comrades. And this is not because the Press Freedom Committee of The Post has a lot of money – they don’t. It is also facing serious budgetary constraints. But at The Post, we believe in sharing the little that we have with others because if we wait until we have a lot, we will never be able to share anything with anyone.

The argument for us goes like this: help others even if nobody helps us. It is simply a moral duty, a revolutionary duty, a matter of principle, of conscience. To contribute to others even if others have done nothing for us. That’s what the solidarity we are talking about means. And we must go on developing this consciousness which has made great progress at our newspaper. We believe there are many examples of solidarity at The Post.

Our very modest assistance to a sister organisation, to our comrades has nothing to do with ego or manipulation. We are not that type of people who go out to hire others, to purchase souls. And they shouldn’t judge us by their own standards, by what they do themselves. We are not for sale; we are not for hire. Of course we know that there are some weak souls that are for sale, for hire, but we will never hire ourselves out, sell ourselves.

And because of this firm conviction, we are not in a position to purchase or hire others. We sincerely believe that manipulators have never had anybody’s respect or been successful anywhere. As we have said before, manipulators are like little sailboats that go with the wind and the waves. Manipulation is synonymous with opportunism. Manipulation does not have substance; it doesn’t have roots. We don’t think the membership and leadership of the Press Association of Zambia would have any respect for those being represented by the Press Freedom Committee of The Post if they thought they were manipulators trying to buy their souls with ten pin.

We don’t think they would have any respect for us if they thought we were manipulators, and by the same token no one would have respect for them or for others like them if they thought they were being manipulated. We think that everything – respect, relationships, serious analysis and understanding – is possible among people who are honest with themselves and with others. This is the truth about our relationship with the membership and leadership of the Press Association of Zambia. We know that some of our people are wedded to lies and forced to live with them; this is why it seems that they are overwhelmed when they hear the truth.

The heavy veil thrown over the possibilities of promoting close ties between those working for the state-owned media and us in the privately-owned media is drawn back by the Carnival Agreement. We don’t tell the membership and leadership of the Press Association of Zambia what to think and what they should do. And equally, they don’t make any such demands on us.

We have never asked them and they have never asked us to cede anything as a precondition for our co-operation. We both understand each other deeply on important topics and the need for us to unite in the struggle for freedom of the press, for a better country and indeed a better world.

This isn’t, however, a unity conceived on the plane of a tactic of struggle. It isn’t a happenstance or a political alliance. It is, of course, by definition, but the tie that is established here on the ethical and moral plane concerning the freedom of the press, in defence of press freedom has the nature of a lasting, permanent, strategic alliance. It is a proposition with a solid moral, political and social basis. And for this reason, those who are trying to smear this alliance, this unity and the solidarity accompanying it with filth will not achieve anything.

They are simply mercenaries hired by the enemies of press freedom like George Kunda and his friends. And who else can George use in his tyrannical schemes other than mercenaries? The enemies of press freedom don’t want the unity that exists between the Press Freedom Committee of The Post and the Press Association of Zambia because it is a stumbling block to their evil desires. But who are they to choose for us and the Press Association of Zambia who we should co-operate with? Do we tell them which mercenary to hire?

To us the joint work being done by the Press Association of Zambia and the Press Freedom Committee of The Post is a demonstration of the true meaning of solidarity, of unity, of working together like beavers, shoulder to shoulder with one’s colleagues, with one’s comrades. It is a demonstration of a sense of justice, dignity, self-respect, respect for others and love for one’s fellow men and women.

It is a growth in the confidence in the power of ordinary people to transform their country, and thus transform themselves. It is a growth in the appreciation of people organising, deciding, creating together. It is a growth of fraternal love.