Hansungule doubts govt’s sincerity on media regulation

Hansungule doubts govt’s sincerity on media regulation
By Ernest Chanda
Sun 17 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MICHELO Hansungule has doubted the government's genuineness on their resolve to allow the media to regulate themselves.

In an interview, Hansungule, a Professor of Human Rights Law at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, said it was difficult to trust the MMD government looking at some controversial laws they had passed in the past.

"You asked whether this is genuine? Get the answer from the NGO Bill. Long time ago, former president Frederick Chiluba said he would not bring the Land Bill back to the House till after consulting the country, in particular Chiefs. What happened? It is the same government, just different administrations," Prof Hansungule said.

"In this new year I think they government are going to go ahead and regulate the media, I have no doubt reading from the sentiments and also looking at their experiences in the past. I have no doubt they are going ahead to legislate. Vice-President George Kunda has said the door is open, I believe he is talking about the door he has opened which means the door he can close. So, I'm not very hopeful about the door opening because it comes from the owner of the house who can at any time when they feel that things are not going their way, they can close it,"

He said no government could be entrusted with people's rights, including the right to information.

"...And that means they can go ahead with the way they did on the NGO Non-Governmental Organisation Bill, there's that experience on the ground. And that they might probably listen to one or two things but essentially leave the reform as originally conceived and pass a new law which will be a great pity to Zambia; because the area of media freedom is one area in the world where democracies have advanced by far," Prof Hansungule said

"...What is the lesson(s)? Never leave your rights to the care of government - never! The most seemingly caring government cannot be trusted with your rights. They are too precious to leave to the animal called government even if it is run by angels from heaven."

Prof Hansungule said although the government was dragging their feet on the issue, they had no option but to follow the dictates of the UN convention on human rights.

"It is not a matter of government letting the media go ahead and regulating themselves. They have no choice in the matter. Convention dictates that, that is how it is done universally. You regulate the media to allow it greater freedom, not to deprive it of the little it has. There is no change of heart, they have no option.”