'Outsiders fuelling trouble in PF'
By Francis Lungu and Stuart Lisulo
Mon 07 Oct. 2013, 14:01 CAT
INFORMATION and broadcasting services minister Mwansa Kapeya says the confusion and infighting in the PF is being fuelled by enemies of the party. And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Lee Habasonda says there is need for discipline in PF.
Kapeya said on Saturday that the PF was under siege from the enemies of the party but that the political misunderstandings would soon end.
He said the continued confusion in the ruling party was not sensible and that it had the capacity to derail the government's development agenda because it was very difficult to progress in the absence of peace.
"Our competitors and enemies are the ones fuelling this confusion. Outside forces are at play. Mind you, without peace, there is total destruction. Peace and unity are key to meaningful development. It is important for sensible people to live in harmony. What is happening in the PF is so unfortunate, but we will soon come out of this," said Kapeya, who did not categorically name the enemies of the party and the outside forces.
Kapeya said the tribal sentiments being attributed to some top political leaders in both opposition and the ruling party should be condemned because tribalism was the enemy of peace and unity.
"I condemn the agitation for tribalism. No political leader can rule this country on tribal lines. One must command support from all the 10 provinces. Without our togetherness as a country, we cannot do much," he said.
However, Kapeya said there was no single political grouping in Zambia that had no problems, citing opposition MMD and UPND as parties that had their own share of leadership problems.
He said the most important thing was knowing how to resolve conflicts.
"Mind you, even in a home, there are misunderstandings but people should learn to come to terms and move on," said Kapeya.
And Habasonda He said it was strange to see junior officers attacking senior people.
"It is quite strange that you find a senior minister being answered by a junior officer, and I think Mr Sata owes it to the Zambian people to ensure there is the necessary discipline within the party, whereby seniority matters,'' said.
"We don't want PF as our ruling party to be remembered for infighting. We think that if you have to follow principles of democratic governance, transparency and accountability, they could handle the internal conflict within their structures, rather than what we see whereby junior officials in the party are able to argue and respond to senior officials in the party."
Habasonda appealed to President Michael Sata to ensure he creates order in the PF and ensure that the internal wrangles were contained and did not spill to the larger population.
After two years, Zambians did not expect the high mark of the PF to be internal wrangles. Clearly, we think that the President must bring to a stop the internal wrangles that are going on in the country because they make the work of everybody very difficult in the sense that with the suspicions going on in the PF among themselves, you don't expect any transparency, you don't expect proper channels of accountability and, therefore, you don't expect a party that is riddled with conflicts within itself to serve the public that are so expectant, he said.
Recently, some junior party officials have been calling for the removal of secretary general Wynter Kabimba.
And Kabimba said information and broadcasting services permanent secretary Emmanuel Mwamba was prepared to destroy the public media in order to please his paymasters and their cronies.
But Mwamba said Kabimba should have written to his superiors and that he had officially complained of harassment.
In his letter to Mwamba obtained by The Post dated October 3, Kabimba, who is PF secretary general and justice minister, said he would not sit back and allow the destruction of the public media to continue unabated to the detriment of national development.
"I have a duty to protect the majority interest in this country against turncoats whose objective is to serve narrow personal interests of their paymasters. Your insidious activities since you assumed your new position come against the background when members of the public were beginning to show some confidence in the renewed professionalism of the public media under the PF government. This trend is now gradually going in reverse again," read Kabimba's letter to Mwamba.
Kabimba explained that about two weeks ago, he phoned Mwamba to express his concern about one of his pronouncements as was reported in the print media, regarding what Mwamba referred to as the practice by some ministers being accompanied by preferred reporters while on government duty outside Lusaka.
He explained that he advised Mwamba to remain professional in his execution of responsibilities as information permanent secretary.
But Mwamba said Kabimba had been threatening media heads including himself with unspecified action.
And commenting on government's fight against corruption after two years in office, Habasonda said it had been a 'chequered' fight.
"There have been some high and low points in the fight against corruption. Some high points in that we have seen some convictions have been done, but also some cases have been lost. But more saddening is that the President's decree that ministers of government under investigations from ACC must first be cleared with him did go a long way to undermine PF's commitment towards corruption,'' Habasonda said.
He, however, said that TIZ was 'happy' with the renewed energy to pump more money in the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
"If one had to look at the record of the PF, it is a mixed record and we believe PF can still do better in the fight against corruption because one of the things that I think has been seen over the last two years is that many people feel that the fight against corruption has been targeted a little more on political opponents rather than those who actually are within the PF,'' Habasonda said.
And Habasonda called for 'holistic' judicial reforms.
"We believe that the piecemeal reforms, the tribunals that are being done, are just components that lead towards a reformed judiciary. TIZ would love to see a holistic overhaul and approach to the reforms in the Judiciary not only involving judges, magistrates and everybody else so that we have a strategy on which there is a reference point to handle these matters rather than where we only have specific instances. In the spirit of transparency, reforms must be based on broad principles rather than based on individuals," Habasonda said.
He said TIZ was worried with developments concerning the legality of acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda's position as Chief Justice.
"Government must not get into a fight with other stakeholders; they need to redress this matter, do the right thing and put the question of the Chief Justice to rest because she is the custodian of our justice in the country. It is high time the Ministry of Justice, in fact, the President needs to sit down and dialogue with all involved stakeholders and ensure that there is a movement forward regarding the Chief Justice," Habasonda said.
Habasonda further said there was need to reach consensus on whether the Chief Justice stays or leaves office in order to protect the integrity of the Judiciary and give confidence to people to believe in the rule of law.
Labels: LEE HABASONDA, MMD, MWANSA KAPEYA, PF, TIZ
Read more...
Kapeya warns fraudsters over kwacha rebasing
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sun 06 Jan. 2013, 14:20 CAT
INFORMATION deputy minister Mwansa Kapeya says the government is aware that some unscrupulous people may want to take advantage of the transition to the rebased currency to cheat members of the public especially those in rural areas.
Kapeya yesterday advised members of the public not to listen to lies from unscrupulous people that the rebased kwacha was of less value than the old currency. He stated that this was misleading and punishable by law.
"Law enforcement agents are therefore urged to remain vigilant against such elements. Government wishes to assure the public that the value of the rebased kwacha vis-à-vis the old currency is the same and that members of the public should go about transacting in both currencies normally until June this year when the old currency will be phased out," he stated.
Kapeya stated that whenever in doubt, members of the public, especially in rural areas are advised to get more information on the rebased currency from district commissioners, council secretaries, banks and other public institutions.
He stated that the government was committed to transforming the country's economy for the wellbeing of all Zambians.
Labels: KWACHA, MWANSA KAPEYA
Read more...
Sata appoints Kapeya deputy information minister
By Staff Reporter
Wed 14 Mar. 2012, 11:59 CAT
PRESIDENT Micheael Sata has appointed Mwansa Kapeya as deputy minister in the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Labour. President Sata said Kapeya's function would be to
spearhead the establishment of television stations in provincial centres countrywide."As a government, we attach great importance to access to information and we do realise that the current state of affairs is not enough to cater for the growing information needs of the general populace," President Sata said.
"It is therefore, our desire to ensure that our people especially those in rural areas receive adequate information through radio and television hence this decision to create television stations in provincial headquarters."
He said the establishment of television stations in provincial centres would enable the people to view local content or productions, thereby enhancing and safeguarding Zambia's cultural heritage.
The appointment is with immediate effect.
Kapeya is PF Mpika Central member of parliament.
Labels: MICHAEL SATA, MINISTERS, MWANSA KAPEYA
Read more...
Kunda must apologise to Sata, says Kapeya
By Roy Habaalu
Thu 20 Oct. 2011, 14:00 CAT
GEORGE Kunda must apologise for insulting President Michael Sata, Mpika Central PF member of parliament Mwansa Kapeya has said. Kapeya made his remarks on Tuesday in Parliament during the debate on the President's speech presented during the official opening of Parliament last week. Kapeya said God was punishing the MMD for its misrule.
"The punishment has just started, friends. With the losing of elections last month and
in a couple of months to come, MMD will be completely dead and buried forever, thank you. God will punish them for having not listened to the wish of the Zambian people," Kapeya said.
At this point, Mumbwa Central MMD member of parliament Dr Brian
Chituwo rose on a point of order, asking whether or not Kapeya was in
order to talk about an issue which happened outside the House.
But Kapeya said the statement that "Sata would never rule Zambia" was
made in Parliament.
"I am mentioning the name of Honourable George Kunda because he said
this in here on the floor of this House that His Excellency Mr Michael
Chilufya Sata would never, ever rule this country, here in this
House," he said.
Kapeya said Kunda repeated the claim during a meeting at Kabala
village in Mpika.
During a campaign rally at Mombo Basic School in Mongu in July last
year when he went to drum up support for Mwangala Maopu, the MMD
candidate in the Luena by-election, Kunda, then vice-president, said
the country's opposition political parties were erratic, as they had
no vision or plan for the country.
"We are going to rule as MMD beyond 2030 whether you like it or not. I
was talking about Vision 2030. What that means is that we are going to
rule as MMD beyond 2030 whether you like it or not. These other
parties, Mr Michael Sata of PF, HH, we have never seen their
manifestos, we have never ever seen. Every day they are changing,
shifting goalposts…they are erratic. They have no plan for the
country," Kunda said.
Earlier, Petauke Central MMD member of parliament Dora Siliya
congratulated President Sata on his election as Republican President.
"I Dora Siliya representing the Nsenga people of Petauke wish to
congratulate the President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata
for showing such tenacity in leading the Patriotic Front from an
opposition party to a party in government within just 10 years. And we
on this side of the House wish Mr Sata God's blessings and guidance as
he leads our country Zambia," Siliya said.
During the run-up to last month's elections, Siliya spread falsehoods
that President Sata supported homosexuality and did not deserve to be
President.
Labels: BRIAN CHITUWO, GEORGE KUNDA, INSULTS, MICHAEL SATA, MWANSA KAPEYA
Read more...
Govt had hidden agenda on media regulation – Kapeya
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 11 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT
PARLIAMENTARY committee on information and broadcasting services chairperson Mwansa Kapeya has said government should now learn that laws targeted at particular institutions and individuals always backfire.
Commenting on government’s decision to bow to self- regulation of the media, Kapeya said it was clear from the beginning that the government had a hidden agenda. He said if the government were really everyone’s parent as they claimed, they should not have segregated among their own children.
“For me as a journalist who had practised for 38 years I have seen the dangers of suppressing institutions, especially the media. The danger is that when you aim a law at a certain organisation or individual, it backfires. If, for example you want to fix Mwansa Kapeya because he talks too much in Parliament you will fail. Mwansa Kapeya is just one individual from among millions of Zambians who contribute to the development of this country in their own ways,” Kapeya said.
“Equally, you cannot target a law at a particular media house just because you do not like what they write about you or any other person, it can’t work. To me this shows that from the beginning government had a hidden agenda. They had a certain media institution that they were targeting. This is a dangerous way of running a government.”
He said there should be no segregation of media houses because all of them contributed to democracy.
“If you have many children, as a parent it is wrong for you to segregate by loving some and hating others. If you do that then what kind of parent are you? It means you are not thinking properly because all of them are your children,” Kapeya said.
He advised the government to learn from all citizens, including those in the media.
He said everyone was a participant in good governance and checking government’s performance was one of the ways of participating.
“You see even in a home, you do not expect a child to be a child forever. One day they will grow and begin to advise their parents; that is exactly the role the media plays. We all know that the media are not there to bring down any government.
They are there to contribute to good governance by providing checks and balances. The best those in government can do is to abide by the rules of good governance, and then they will save their skins from media criticism. For now, I can say I hope our colleagues in government have learnt their lesson well that it does not pay to be petty,” said Kapeya.
In August last year, the government gave the media fraternity a six-month ultimatum in which to device a self-regulatory system or be regulated by a statutory body.
Towards the end of last year, both Lt Gen Shikapwasha and Vice-President George Kunda maintained that the government would go ahead and regulate the media if they failed to formulate a self-regulatory mechanism.
In the last sitting of Parliament, Vice-President Kunda informed the House during the Vice-President's question and answer session that the government had in fact already prepared a bill to regulate the media.
And last month, media bodies unearthed a scheme where Vice-President Kunda had drafted a Media Regulatory Bill whose contents were draconian to the media fraternity.
The media bodies had since declared Vice-President Kunda as the most hostile public official towards the media and vowed to take him head-on.
On Thursday last week, a selected team of MLC members held a consultative meeting with Lt Gen Shikapwasha in response to government’s plea for further dialogue.
It was at this meeting that Lt Gen Shikapwasha told the MLC that government had quashed the ultimatum given to the media fraternity to pave way for self-regulation.
Labels: MEDIA, MWANSA KAPEYA, REGULATION
Read more...
Self-regulation is the best, says Kapeya
By Kabanda Chulu
Sat 07 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
PARLIAMENTARY committee on information and broadcasting services chairperson Mwansa Kapeya has said self-regulation as opposed to external regulation is the best form of regulating the media.
And Kapeya, who is also Mpika Central member of parliament, suggested that the Media Ethics Council of Zambia (MECOZ) must be given an opportunity to gain legitimacy from its stakeholders by ensuring that any type of regulation originates from the media practitioners.
And Bweengwa member of parliament Highvie Hamududu has said the threats of statutory regulation by the MMD government are a sign of inferiority complex and challenged the government to start its own newspaper if they are getting negative coverage.
Moving a motion in Parliament for the adoption of the report of his committee on Thursday, Kapeya said there was need to put in place measures that would enhance the positive contribution of the media to national stability and economic development.
“Mr Speaker, your committee were informed that there already existed a number of laws that restricted the media and these include the radio and telecommunications Act which sets very high fees at US $40,000 for a 3B licence for internet service providers and this undermines the development of non-traditional media (new media, blogs, audio and video streaming), the broadcasting Act, preservation of public security Act, the state security Act and official secrets Act and the Penal Code Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia,” Kapeya said.
“Your committee recommend that the first step in enhancing the positive contribution of the media to national stability and economic development is to review these laws and bring them in tandem with the current political dispensation and worldwide media reforms.”
He proposed that MECOZ should work towards gaining credibility and acceptance among media institutions who must then give it the necessary mandate and means of enforcing professionalism.
“As regards strengthening MECOZ, your committee recommend that since international best practice on media regulation suggests that self regulation, as opposed to external regulation, is the best form of regulating the media,” Kapeya said. “Hence the MECOZ must be given an opportunity to gain legitimacy from its stakeholders by ensuring that any type of regulation originates with the media practitioners themselves.”
He said the media must play its watchdog role by exposing issues of corruption in public institutions and also highlight and expose developmental issues.
“Unfortunately, the media in general (public and private) has not done enough to contribute to the political stability and economic development of the nation due to lack of training and appreciation of the current political and economic landscape as well as undue influence exerted by shareholders on the editorial policy and content,” Kapeya said. “So we recommend that media houses must train their staff and shareholders must place national interests above those of their own and economic expediency.”
Kapeya said the media tended to get caught up in the political web of personal and petty accusations by the political players at the expense of providing in-depth analyses.
He said the perception of the media by the public during election campaigns was two-fold.
“There is this view that government-controlled media is used to portray a working government and to create that the opposition were just a bunch of noise makers who seize every available moment to stifle government operations. The other view is that the private media worked as a tool for unearthing certain unacceptable government activities, furthermore, the private media, had come to be viewed as an ally of the public which is relied upon to keep government in check,” Kapeya said.
“We therefore recommend that in order for the private media not to have an excuse for always reporting negatively about government, the public media should be seen to be balanced in their reporting. They should be willing to criticise and expose government weaknesses instead of leaving this to private media who may overdo it.”
He said from lessons learnt from what had transpired in the region, it was not entirely the media that directly instigated violence that occurred in some countries.
“It was actually the politicians who used the media, useful as it might be, is a dangerous tool if placed in the hands of non-professionals, especially during election time when political tensions are high,” said Kapeya. “Therefore, we recommend that the media, in reflecting events to society as they unfold, should be cognisant of the fact that it is not what they report that matters but how they report it.”
Debating the report, Bangweulu member of parliament Joseph Kasongo said the tendency by those in the private media who think they were above the law must be stopped since they even condemn Parliament and the Judiciary.
“In the eyes of those journalists, everything is rotten, including the Judiciary, Legislature and the Executive, does it mean those journalists are very wise to impose ideas on others? We should not use democracy to insult others and if those journalists cannot restrain themselves then they should be controlled because they should not continue calling others useless especially that we leaders are popularly elected,” Kasongo said. “In other countries, the media enhances peace and stability and not enticing people to rise against government through honking and other activities and when others got arrested, the people at this media institution ran away and hid in embassies of foreign countries.”
However, Mandevu parliamentarian Jean Kapata, wanted to rise on a point of order but Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa ignored her and allowed Kasongo to continue debating.
Kasongo said this private media institution only wrote insults and politics and one could only find something useful in the 'Sangwapo' pages.
“From page one it is politics and insults, when you turn the pages, the Judiciary is rotten, useful things are only found in the 'Sangwapo' pages and you feel the pain when insulted as a human being especially when popularly elected,” said Kasongo. “Those calling for self-regulation should rethink because I will never support such media that incite people to rise against government since I am a great believer in peace.”
But Hamududu argued that media regulation would backfire on the government officials when they leave office.
“The same media they want to bring down they will need when out of power and this is a sign of inferiority complex by the MMD government and if they feel that only negative coverage is painted at them, let them start their own newspaper that can articulate their views and compete on the basis of ideas,” said Hamududu.
And Bahati parliamentarian Besa Chimbaka said some media institutions were just focused on insulting so that anarchy could prevail in the country.
Chongwe MMD member of parliament Sylvia Masebo said she supported self-regulation of the media as opposed to statutory regulation.
Masebo said while the media could sometimes be irritating, especially when they reported wrong information, statutory regulation was not the answer to the many challenges and shortcomings of the media. She said the media was a powerful tool that could build or destroy and urged journalists to practice responsible journalism.
She urged the government not to listen to some opposition members of parliament who were pushing for the statutory regulation of the media just because they had personal battles to wage with the media.
She said free media were important because they keep leaders on their toes.
“When we decide to become public figures, we open ourselves to the public scrutiny so we can't run away from the media. The media helps us to become better leaders because we do not want to attract wrong headlines because we have stolen or we are corrupt,” said Masebo.
Livingstone ULP member of parliament Sakwiba Sikota declared that he was “a blood relative” of the media and his contributions in defence of media freedoms had been consistent.
He said self-regulation was the only way out for the media and urged all media houses to support it.
He said all over the world, the media was regulated, either by self or statute.
Sikota said if some media houses would attempt to frustrate efforts by other media organisations in pushing for self-regulation, the government would have no choice but to impose statutory regulation to ensure that the fish that ran away from the pond was caught.
Sikota said in that case, the government would not be blamed because it will have given the media an opportunity at self-regulation.
Labels: HIGHVIE HAMUDUDU, MECOZ, MWANSA KAPEYA, PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Read more...
