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The Post has demonstrated that it is an institution, says Dr Mutesa

The Post has demonstrated that it is an institution, says Dr Mutesa
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 22 June 2010, 09:30 CAT

The Post has demonstrated that it is an institution, Zambians for Empowerment, Democracy and Development (ZED) president Dr Fred Mutesa observed yesterday. And Post managing editor Amos Malupenga said there are very few people who understand that The Post is an institution.

In a solidarity message when he visited Post editor-in-chief Fred M'membe who was recently incarcerated for contempt of court, Dr Mutesa - a former UNZA lecturer - said the newspaper had always provided a voice that society needed most.

Dr Mutesa - who was accompanied by his vice-president Kapembwa Lamba and secretary general Sthembiso Daka - also donated two books to The Post library.

He, however, could only meet Malupenga, as M'membe was not at the office at the time of the visit.

We came to pay courtesy, to express our solidarity with the work of The Post and show our appreciation with the role The Post has played in advancing democracy, justice and press freedom. We believe that in a society like ours, a voice like that of The Post is indispensable to hold the leaders accountable, Dr Mutesa said. We also want to put it on record that this is an institution.

We want to salute the men and women at The Post, particularly Mr Fred M'membe who has shown courage in spearheading the work of this institution. The Post is an institution with shared values and beliefs. We saw this during the unfortunate incarceration of Mr M'membe. The Post continued to work without fear. We hope that other institutions can also mature to that level.

And Dr Mutesa described M'membe as a steadfast individual who believes in what he does.

On a personal note, I must say that it's now 32 years since I first met Fred at the University of Zambia. We were both students and we did some courses together. And one thing I can say is that Fred has the quality of being steadfast in what he believes and does. Many people who leave UNZA don't look at social issues affecting society. They would rather concentrate on their professional lives, Dr Mutesa said. But Fred has distinguished himself as one person who recognises challenges in society and fights these social injustices. Please convey this message to him that there are many of us who admire him for that.

And Malupenga said very few people know and appreciate how much time and resources M'membe had invested in developing a team at The Post.

I would like to thank you on your visit to encourage us. Visits such as this one always give us the impetus to continue working hard. Sometimes our work can be very lonely, especially that some people always want to bring us down, Malupenga. But your visit encourages us to go forward in our work. On behalf of Mr M'membe who particularly suffered that unfortunate incarceration, I thank you most sincerely. I know Mr M'membe would have been happy to receive you had been in the office.

I would also like to appreciate your observation about The Post's maturity. This is proof that those searching to isolate the controlling mind behind The Post have got it all wrong and would achieve nothing. Over the years, Fred has invested a lot in developing a good team at The Post, and I think he has succeeded. But this does not seem to settle in the minds of some people. They still believe that The Post is Fred M'membe and once they get rid of Fred M'membe then The Post is killed.

Malupenga said that was why those in authoritiesycheming against M'membe.
The Post is now an institution, said Malupenga. We always give credit to Fred for this because it has not been easy for him to develop such a team. He has spent a lot of time, energy and resources developing The Post into a viable institution that it is today.

Labels: AMOS MALUPENGA, FRED M'MEMBE, FRED MUTESA, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 3:05 PM