Maravi

Kunda's outbursts are hypocritical - Lubinda

Kunda's outbursts are hypocritical - Lubinda
By Bright Mukwasa, Ernest Chanda and Roy Habaalu
Fri 06 Jan. 2012, 13:58 CAT

INFORMATION minister Given Lubinda says outbursts against the public media by former vice-president George Kunda are callous and hypocritical. Lubinda said Kunda's u-turn against the public media which he praised while in government was surprising.

During a briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday, Kunda complained that the public media were operating unprofessionally and praised The Post which he demonised when he was Republican vice-president.

But Lubinda said Kunda was not the right person to raise a finger against either the private or the public media.

"We don't think that George Kunda should even dare criticise any media; not in Zambia or anywhere else. Isn't it a well established fact that George Kunda was at one stage declared the enemy number one of the media in Zambia? Has Mr George Kunda forgotten that in 2010, the Media Liaison Committee on behalf of both private and public media practitioners sponsored an advert which ran for two weeks in The Post newspaper in which the practitioners revealed the fact that George Kunda when he was gabbling as vice-president and minister of justice was the one behind the scheme to present to parliament a draconian media bill which was aimed at regulating the press?" Lubinda asked during a press briefing at his office in Lusaka which was also attended by public media editors.

"Does George Kunda think that we've forgotten that in that advert the Media Liaison Committee indicated that George Kunda's proposed bill was to come with punitive measures to be meted out against the media? Does George Kunda think that we have forgotten the fact that he himself was in the forefront of attacking media practitioners, particularly in The Post Newspapers? Does he think we have forgotten when he declared that all journalists at The Post were quacks and that he was coming up with statutory regulation because he wanted to protect the professionals; the ones he referred to as professional journalists in the public media?"

Lubinda said it was amazing how Kunda had turned to praise The Post he once denounced but admonish the public media institutions which were his darlings when he was in power.

He accused former MMD leaders of having defiled the editorial policies of the state-owned media in the country.

"George Kunda and former information minister Lt Ronnie Shikapwasha and their beneficiary Rupiah Banda praised Chanda Chimba's programmes as very inspiring. It's unbelievable to see how callous some people can be," he said.

Lubinda also denied that the government was witch-hunting in its fight against corruption.

Kunda, whose government had a tight grip on public media to an extent where opposition politicians were vilified, complained that the state media was publishing a lot of lies against opposition MMD leaders.

Kunda, together with his colleagues such as Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha even opposed media self-regulation and supported programmes such as Chanda Chimba's Stand Up for Zambia, which openly attacked political opponents and private media heads with impunity.

Some of the MMD propaganda programmes and articles have landed state media into various libel suits some from President Michael Sata and information minister Given Lubinda.

But briefing the media on the MMD's expectations from the PF government on Tuesday, Kunda complained that the state media was blacking out the opposition.
This was after he was asked how he felt being covered by the public media when his government denied the opposition coverage.

"In the public state media we're covered in the negative and sometimes when you want to correct a defamatory statement, you're either blacked out or covered in the negative. Lies are coming out in the public state media. We can't defend ourselves it's wrong but it's getting worse," said Kunda, once an ardent critic of The Post and a ‘friend' of the state media.

"Look at the Zambia Daily Mail! The Post, I must give you some credit. Sometimes you cover us… but you also covered Mr. (President) Sata throughout and that was unprofessional. We are on the receiving end to The Post."

Kunda complained of negative coverage and being blacked out by state media.
Meanwhile, Chisamba MMD parliamentarian Moses Muteteka said Kunda is paying for his sins.

In an interview, Muteteka, who is also MMD national youth chairman, said only corrupt and individuals that abused their authority were living like slaves.

Reacting to Kunda's complaints that him and former MMD leaders were living like slaves and targeted by the PF government, Muteteka, one of the five presidential candidates for the MMD, said party officials under probe must pay for their iniquities.

"Why have the investigative wings not come to search my house? It's because I am clean and leaving happier than when MMD was ruling. At what time did I start living like a slave? The Bible is very clear that the wages of sin is death," he said.

Muteteka said those crying of being persecuted should explain how they acquired massive wealth within three years of being in government.

He said President Sata proved his innocence when he was accused of stealing a motor vehicle.

"Why are they panicking? Why can't they go through the same? I served in influential positions, even at State House where we received information that President Sata had stolen a vehicle and late president Levy Mwanawasa was convinced and arrested him. He stayed in jail and proved his innocence and the new deal government was embarrassed," he said.

Muteteka said it was the same people that betrayed Mwanawasa that were talking the loudest.

Meanwhile, Muteteka said the PF government had performed better than the MMD in four months.

"…The PF government's day to be judged is coming and if the government performs to the satisfaction of Zambians, all of us will benefit. If it fails, then PF will pay a price by losing the mandate," said Muteteka.

Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, GIVEN LUBINDA, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 8:05 PM