MLC responds to Shikapwasha’s attacks on ZAMEC

MLC responds to Shikapwasha’s attacks on ZAMEC
By Moses Kuwema
Sun 22 Aug. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MEDIA Liaison Committee (MLC) chairperson Joseph Mkandawire has observed that information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha’s description of ZAMEC as a fraud is misplaced. Mkandawire advised Lieutenant General Shikapwasha to look at issues.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha on Thursday said the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) was a fraud and the government would not support any form of media regulation other than statutory regulation.

“We suspect he did not see what we had said. Maybe he thought we were launching the time that he spoke so he may not have seen the context of our statement,” Mkandawire said.

He said the MLC would still proceed to meet Lt Gen Shikapwasha for dialogue despite his statement.

“We have some misgivings about his statement but that’s his stand, we will also put our stand very clearly about self regulation. Let them put their document on the table and we shall challenge them,” Mkandawire said.

“We will put our position very strongly, so can they also put their document on the table. What is their opinion? He keeps on talking about Kenya and that thing has only been there for four years and he cannot call that as a best case, he must know what he is talking about… Politicians just talk without getting into the nit gritty of the mechanism involved. We are talking about issues.”

Last year, the government gave the media a six-months ultimatum to come up with a self-regulatory system, failure to which they would introduce statutory regulation.

The media formulated a self-regulatory framework and were set to launch ZAMEC but the government u-turned and insisted on statutory regulation.

The MLC had earlier announced the launch of ZAMEC, which was slated for August 26 with or without the blessings of the information ministry, but the Society of Senior Zambian Journalists (SSZJ) proposed to facilitate dialogue between the two parties hence the postponement of the launch.