Maravi

Siliya justifies abuse of state-owned media

COMMENT - That's Dora Siliya - common sense, steeped in deep ignorance. There should be a law giving equal time to the frontrunning parties. Without such a law, it is common sense to just do that.

Siliya justifies abuse of state-owned media
By Abigail Chaponda and Kabanda Chulu
Fri 15 July 2011, 14:01 CAT

Dora Siliya has declared that it is now time for the ruling MMD to be exclusively covered on ZNBC television because even when PF leader Michael Sata comes into power, ZNBC will be covering him alone.

And Siliya, who is MMD spokesperson and education minister, has accused Post employees of having potholes in their heads because they are supporting Sata, whose only legacy is that of giving ‘pangas’ to youths who hacked people in Chawama.

Meanwhile, some MMD officials on the Copperbelt have expressed disappointment with the way Siliya conducted her meetings in the area because she seemed to be supporting the adoption of ‘outsiders’ to stand as parliamentary candidates at the expense of genuine members.

Addressing a meeting at Kansenshi Secondary School on Wednesday, attended by civil society, the Church and teachers, Siliya justified the continued biased coverage of the state-owned but government controlled media towards the MMD.

“A lot of people are busy saying the MMD government is abusing ZNBC because ZNBC only covers the MMD government.

Yes, ZNBC has to cover us because it shows government developmental projects,” Siliya said. “Even when Sata comes into power, ZNBC will be covering him alone. This time is our time.

Those who want to be feeling bad about themselves when they wake up every day, they should be buying The Post newspapers because it always talks about negative things, saying things are bad in the country when the economy is doing well. But we all know that Post employees have potholes in their heads because they are supporting Sata.”

Siliya wondered why people on the Copperbelt loved Sata when everyone in the country didn’t want him.

“Everyone is refusing Sata but how come you people are busy supporting him? And I always hear people say ‘Sata is a man of action’. I have never seen this action that you always talk about.

The only action I have seen with Sata, which is also his legacy, is giving pangas to youths in Chawama to butcher people. Is this the action you talk about?” Siliya asked.

And Siliya warned teachers not to be ‘closet’ politicians.
Earlier addressing MMD cadres in Lubuto, Siliya expressed disappointment that many people were benefiting from MMD handouts like chitenge materials but refused to vote for the party during elections.

And MMD sources said confusion has characterised the adoption process because Siliya seemed to be comfortable with aspiring candidates that were rejected by the grassroots.

“Siliya came with her own style of conducting campaigns. No wonder she was being booed because most people who attended her meetings were picked from bars and taverns since there is reluctance among genuine members who feel sidelined by what is happening whereby some people who recently joined MMD and were not interviewed at lower organs are preferred to stand by Lusaka people,” the source said.

In her campaign trail that has been disguised as inspecting government projects, Siliya was seen at meetings with provincial chairman Joseph Chilambwe and recent defectors Ronald Manenga, Divo Katete and Joe Kalusa, who are now aspiring to be adopted despite being rejected by MMD grassroots.

Labels: DORA SILIYA, MEDIA, MICHAEL SATA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 5:42 PM