Maravi

Shikapwasha is a hypocrite, says Lubinda

Shikapwasha is a hypocrite, says Lubinda
By Patson Chilemba and Masuzyo Chakwe
Wed 21 Apr. 2010, 04:30 CAT

RONNIE Shikapwasha is a hypocrite, Patriotic Front (PF) spokesperson Given Lubinda charged yesterday. And Mission Press director Father Miha Drevensek said the MMD government wants to regulate everything in the country before the 2011 elections.

Meanwhile, Media Liaison Committee (MLC) chairperson Henry Kabwe said there was no basis in Shikapwasha’s assertions that the committee bulldozed the media regulation process.

Commenting on Shikapwasha’s statement on Monday that he could not support a fraud system on media regulation and that the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) was just a reincarnation of the failed Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), Lubinda said Shikapwasha had always back-peddled on the regulation of the media.

“A person who back-pedals on matters like that, a person who comes and tells you ‘please come up with a framework for self-regulation’ then before you even present it to him he refuses to receive it, and instead calls for statutory regulation, obviously that kind of person is referred to as a hypocrite.

Yes that is hypocritical,” Lubinda said. ”It is sad that this whole issue, particularly the issue of media regulation and freedom of information is coming in 2010. And they left it this late because they know they want to use 2011 elections as an excuse, because anyone who is going to speak in favour of self-regulation of the press, anybody who is going to advocate for the enactment of Freedom of Information Act, shall be deemed inimical to the state.”

Lubinda said the MMD government had never been honest on the issue of media regulation.

“When we started talking about media laws, they have been behaving like yoyos going back and forth on every issue. The citizens have not forgotten that the issue of media regulation started in 2002-2003 when six MPs from the opposition started to push for the ZNBC Amendment Act, and we were pushing for the Freedom of Information bill,” Lubinda said.

“And they duped Parliament by saying the opposition withdrew the private members bill because they will sponsor government bills. With time they have tried to gag the press so that as we push for Freedom of Information, they also control the press. So they have not been sincere. They think that they can give the Freedom of Information only if they also take the power to regulate the media.”

Lubinda said Shikapwasha was just trying to hoodwink people when he assured the media that they should come up with a self-regulatory framework.

“You recall that Shikapwasha, he has wanted to be the judge. He cannot be the judge of what is best for media regulation. It is not up to him. He cannot be the judge and the jury on his own. How can he possibly say that ‘if you don’t come up with a framework which compels every journalist, therefore you don’t have media regulation?’” Lubinda asked.

“That is not correct. You can have a framework through which to regulate without that self-regulation being compulsory, because as a matter of fact, if you want to go into self-regulation, you must come up with a framework that attracts everyone voluntarily. Only then can you say [this is self-regulation’. As long as you come up with a law or a framework that compels everybody then it ceases to be self-regulation.”

Lubinda said Shikapwasha’s back-pedaling on the media was not surprising because he had back-pedaled on many things including the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy.

“Obviously he has to see which side of the bread is buttered. For the time being, it is Rupiah Banda who is buttering his bread. And therefore he has to defend Rupiah Banda without thinking about his own integrity,” said Lubinda.

Shikapwasha has maintained that the government would not recognise the ongoing process towards the formation of a self-regulatory mechanism because the Media Liaison Committee had become dishonest.

But the media in the country have rejected Shikapwasha’s position to force statutory regulation on them.

And Fr Miha said Shikapwasha’s statement was unfortunate and the diversion of the truth. He said the government gave the media six months to regulate themselves and the media managed to come up with a document within those months.

Fr Miha said unlike the constitution-making process that had been dragging for eight years, the media managed to come up with something in six months that was not dictatorial or pushy but democratic.
He said the problem with the government was that it wanted to regulate the lives, thoughts and minds of people.

“We are going back to the Kaunda’s days where the government not only wants to regulate peopleí’s actions but also peoples’ expectations. This is very clear that what they want to do is regulate everything before the elections so they can push anybody who express themselves freely and openly. They want all Zambians to express happiness in the way they are ruling the nation and this is what we call a rabbit in the bush,” Fr Miha said.

He said the problem was Shikapwasha’s personality.
“Shikapwasha agreed with the Fringilla Consensus and suddenly when things do not go his way, he wants to change his mind. What kind of leadership is this? He first said yes and when things don’t go his way, he says no. Where is his honesty and integrity?” Fr Miha asked.

He said it seemed that the government was bent on not allowing people to be free and express themselves or choose leaders capable of leading the nation.

Fr Miha said if the MMD with the present leadership had truly served the people’s aspirations, they would be re elected.

“People will choose them, they have nothing to worry about. When they react to everything, it proves that they themselves do not believe that they have achieved. The fear of not facing the truth has become a shadow of which they themselves are afraid of,” he said.

Fr Miha advised Shikapwasha not to become a dictator but rather a free thinker and a true democrat that listens to those that elected him.

“That is my prayer for him and for all those who are not in power but are afraid to become poor commoners as all of us are,” he said.

And Henry Kabwe advised the government to listen to the voices of reason before reacting to the issues being raised by members of the MLC. He said MLC did not have a position before the conference and invited various media organisations.

Kabwe said before the conference, the media organisations were given the documents to go through and later debate and later at the conference adopt them.

He said there were more than 120 participants at the conference and despite inviting people to represent the various media organisations, other people outside the media were allowed to attend.

Kabwe said there was no basis therefore for Shikapwasha to accuse the MLC of bulldozing the process when they invited media institutions from Lusaka and other provinces.

He said as far as the conference was concerned, Shikapwasha should be addressing participants of the conference and not the MLC.

Kabwe said it was the conference that agreed that the media needed non-statutory self regulation.

“We all know that the minister did not attend the whole conference. We invited him to stay on but he decided to leave. Now we are wondering how he got this information or who talked to him. We advise him to first of all hear from our side and be able to categorically state where he got that information from,” Kabwe said. “We got suspicious when the minister judged the conference before even discussing anything. We are not surprised that he is now advocating for the Kenyan model.”

Kabwe said in his opening speech, Shikapwasha showed that he had U-turned on his prior agreement, which was that the government was looking forward to the self-regulation mechanism spear-headed by the MLC.

Kabwe re-emphasised that the MLC could not be paid by any entity for them to speak on issues and that they spoke out of principle.

On January 9, 2010, the government removed the six-month ultimatum it gave media bodies in the country to come up with a self-regulatory mechanism.

MLC spokesperson Amos Chanda disclosed in an interview that following a consultative meeting the committee had with Shikapwasha that afternoon, the minister announced that the government had quashed the ultimatum.

Chanda said the government had done that because they were happy with the progress the media bodies had made in coming up with a self-regulatory mechanism.

On January 10, 2010, Shikapwasha said the government was hopeful that self-regulation of the media would work looking at the steps the MLC had taken in formulating a self-regulatory mechanism.

Shikapwasha said looking at the concept paper submitted to him by the committee, he was hopeful that self-regulation would work.

"Well, I met with officials from the Media Liaison Committee and we discussed. I think you remember that they had earlier on submitted a concept paper, which, to us as government looks good. I think we are happy with that arrangement as government and we hope that they will finally come up with a self-regulatory mechanism," Shikapwasha said.

On January 16, 2010, Shikapwasha said talks between the government and media associations on self-regulation of the media were progressing well and showing signs that the two parties would arrive at a positive conclusion.

Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, HENRY KABWE, MEDIA, MIHA DREVENSEK, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA

posted by MrK @ 3:39 PM