Maravi

Zambian media is under siege – Sata

Zambian media is under siege – Sata
By George Chellah
Sun 03 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata yesterday said the Zambian media is under siege and urged media practitioners to be ready for unlawful detentions because President Rupiah Banda is indirectly reintroducing Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s notorious preservation of public security Act (PPSA) under the guise of media regulation.

And Sata warned President Banda and Vice-President George Kunda that they would be the first victims of their draconian pieces of legislation. In an interview, Sata said Dr Kaunda has united with President Banda to enforce the oppression of Zambians. He said the media in the country were under siege.

“Rupiah is indirectly reintroducing the Preservation of Public Security Act that’s why Kaunda is supporting him. No wonder they are introducing this media regulation law because media regulation is the king-pin of the PPSA in many oppressive states. Very soon they will link media regulation with espionage and once they link it with espionage you will have no bail. Whenever you write and they are unhappy they will lock you up and throw away the keys,” Sata said.

“That’s why George Kunda is threatening people with treason whenever the government is criticised. Have you noticed that these days Kunda is busy shouting treason, treason, almost on everything? Very soon there will be rampant unlawful arrests and detentions in this country. Kaunda made the PPSA, all those laws just to enforce oppression. So even journalists when you write a story they will arrest you.”
Sata said people in the MMD, especially Vice-President Kunda should wake up and read the past.

“During Kaunda’s era, the late Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe was the strongest ally to Kaunda and he was in support of the PPSA. But as soon as the Act was there, Kaunda knew that he was equipped so he could fix his perceived allies. We appreciate Rupiah employing Kapwepwe’s daughter but that’s not enough. We are very grateful with the gesture from Rupiah to employ Kapwepwe’s daughter but we will never forget the way they treated the old man Kapwepwe,” Sata said.

“George Kunda as a lawyer should know how Kapwepwe was treated by Kaunda. The same law they are trying to support will turn against them. Kapwepwe was a very strong and brave politician but that law reduced him to nothing, even people like Justin Chimba, Belly Lombe. So Kunda should be careful.”

Sata said Vice-President Kunda would be the first victim of the very media laws he is trying to enact.

“God doesn’t like abnormal laws. If you set a nail that you want somebody to step on it, you will be the first one to step on it. Rupiah must be careful, can’t you see what happened to Chiluba? Have you seen now Rupiah has dumped Chiluba for Kaunda who is much more stronger politically,” Sata said.

And Sata said President Banda was quick in launching projects that personally benefit him and that’s why he hurriedly commissioned the K290 billion Chipata-Mfuwe road project because his farm is on the same road. He said President Banda was more concerned about himself and not the suffering majority in the country.

“Zambians must wake up and see that this man - Rupiah - is only commissioning projects where he has benefits just like on the dubious privatization of Zamtel,” Sata said.

“Even on the commissioning of that 104 kilometre Chipata-Mfuwe road at the cost of K290 billion, he hurriedly commissioned the road because his farm in Chipata is on that road.

“That road is not a priority but it’s a priority for Rupiah Banda because there is commission for him or he has done that because he wants that tar road to go to his house. And the amount they are saying they are going to spend on that road is too much.”

Sata wondered why President Banda had not bothered to work on several roads countrywide that have been in a state of despair since independence.

“For 45 years people have been waiting for the Samfya-Luwingu road, Kawambwa-Luwingu road, Nchelenge-Chienge road, Chienge-Kaputa-Mporokoso-Kasama road, Kasama-Luwingu road,” Sata said.

“Even in Eastern Province itself, people have been crying for the Katete-Chadiza-Vubwi-Chipata road. People have been crying for 45 years for the Lundazi-Chama road and the Chama-Matumbo road. In North-Western Province it’s the same problem… the cry for better road infrastructure has been the same as other provinces. The Mutanda-Chavuma road has been a topic of discussion for some time now.”

Sata said when President Banda was campaigning during the Chitambo by-election, he promised to construct a number of roads.

“So what is this commissioning a road that passes by his farm, is it tribalism or regionalism? As much as we appreciate Rupiah’s road Chipata-Mfuwe, he should extend that road to Mpika through Nabwalya up to Mpika because we are also human beings here in Mpika,” Sata said.

“You just look at the landless corner - Mumbwa road, the Monze-Namwala road, Lukulu-Zambezi road and the Serenje-Kasama road. In fact, that K290 billion they are saying they will spend on that road can do the Serenje-Kasama road.”

Sata said the MMD was also trying to raise campaign funds through the Chipata-Mfuwe road project.

“This is just a conduit for campaign funds. That contractor was given the Petauke-Chipata road and they haven’t done anything. They have spent almost ten years on the Luwingu road and the project hasn’t finished up to todate. Besides, I doubt if that K290 billion is even in the yellow book,” Sata said.

Sata also said President Banda had back-peddled on his own words.

“Some time back when the Zambia Wildlife Authority bill was taken to Parliament, Rupiah was the one who led a walk-out involving some members of parliament,” Sata said. “His argument was that ‘we can’t respect animals more than human beings’. But he is now favouring a road that leads to a game park where animals live. He has swallowed his own words.”

Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, MEDIA, PRESS FREEDOM, SATA

posted by MrK @ 10:40 AM