Maravi

Ronnie justifies abuse of public resources

Ronnie justifies abuse of public resources
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sun 24 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

Government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha has joined his counterpart education minister Dora Siliya in justifying the abuse of state resources by ministers.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha who is information and broadcasting minister said in an interview that there was no way ministers could cease to be ministers when they attend political rallies campaigns.

“Dora Siliya, for instance, is a minister. She does not take off her ministerial position when she goes anywhere in the country. She does not get demoted for her to hold a rally or tell the people to vote for her party or for her to wear her party regalia. And she enjoys the benefits of being a minister anywhere,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha.

“If you (reporter) for instance, remove your clothes, will you cease to be a lady? You are a lady! So there is no way government and the party can be differentiated. The party forms government. The party makes the manifesto which is then implemented by government. You cannot divorce government from the party,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.

Commenting on the Law Association of Zambia’s (LAZ) considering to institute legal action against the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for breaching the ZNBC Act through unbiased media coverage, Lt Gen Shikapwasha attacked the association for exhibiting double standards.

“Do you think that if you allow The Post Newspaper to do what its been doing for many years, reporting against government, the other organisations cannot do the same? We (government media) can do the same. Mr. Musa Mwenye (who is LAZ president) has not talked about the bias reporting of the Post Newspaper,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who seemed incensed when interjected to remind him that ZNBC was a public institution that was guided by an Act of Parliament.

“No, let me talk. Let me talk. It does not matter whether public or private, it is the same information that must go to the people and it is therefore important that we have a standard for everybody else. Even The Post must have standards that are going to be applied to the public and private media, then we will move media development in Zambia.”

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said it was unfair for those that were opposed to government to continue attacking the state media when a named private media was covering President Rupiah Banda negatively.

“If PF leader Michael Sata and the PF do not want ZNBC to cover them it is not their ZNBC’s fault. President Banda has been able to survive negative coverage from The Post for the past five, six years he has not closed the newspaper. So I am justifying,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha.

He reiterated his attacks on LAZ president Mwenye, saying that he was not being neutral on national matters and accused him of being a PF sympathiser.

Labels: CORRUPTION, DORA SILIYA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA

posted by MrK @ 2:05 AM