World Bank partly to blame for bodies taxing private sector - Scott
By Moses Kuwema
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 13:10 CAT
VICE-President Dr Guy Scott says
the World Bank is partly to blame for the many quasi-government institutions that depend on taxing the private sector for their income. And Vice-President Scott says Zambia has a disjointed situation as far as interest rates are concerned.
During a meeting with visiting World Bank directors at his office and in response to a question from one of the directors Piero Cipollone, who wanted to know if the government trusts the indicators of doing business in the country and what they thought of them, Vice-President Scott said the cost of doing business in the country was vexed.
"If you are running a supermarket, you are likely to get inspections from four or five organisations coming to make sure that you are not selling stuff past its sell-by date, ZABS, the council. There is enormous explosion of quahogs of quasi or autonomous organisations type of things and depend on their income upon taxing the private sector and claiming that you are an environmental danger, health danger, and that you are over-charging or under-charging, you are violating the competition Act." There is a big issue in restructuring and you guys are partly to blame.
I mean over the years, it is you who have been saying 'let us have a project', we need a new institution to do the project, we don't want to work with these corrupt fellows here in this ministry department. We want a new whatever and then after three years the project closes and it becomes a predator on the system. I think that needs a careful survey," Vice President Scott said.
Vice President Scott said in Zambia, about 70 licences were required technically to do business.
"To actually be legal in Lusaka, you take about two years to set up your business because of all the people that are demanding licences off you, wanting to do inspections off you and I think that needs to be cut. I think it needs to be a bonfire of quahogs. We are part of the way there. It is interesting, you set up an institution to facilitate business and the first thing it will do is take the money that you give it…taxpayers' money and start building real estate for its offices and then for rent. And then you set up a real estate company, you have not set up anything else," Vice-President Scott said.
And Vice-President Scott said Zambia had one of the highest interest rates in the world.
He said most Zambians ought to have their own houses through mortgages but that this was not the case because of the short period of repaying.
"The only mortgage you can get is a 10 year one at 18 per cent or something like that, which you cannot afford. We have this bizarre structure which could be as a result of lack of competition. You would have thought that the current trade would have brought it down, through people coming in and having their money banked here, that would generate some competition and bring the rates down, but we are not seeing this," he said.
And in response to another World Bank director Rudolf Treffers who wanted to know how the Zambian government could use agriculture to reduce rural poverty, Vice-President Scott said the realistic opportunities for agriculture were there but could not be determined from the boardrooms.
He said there was need to be practical and also have practical entrepreneurs or innovators to support the government programmes.
Meanwhile, Treffers said it was important for his organisation to have a physical feel of how the situation was in this country.
Labels: GUY SCOTT, REGULATION, World Bank
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3 regulatory bodies sign MoU
By Ndinawe Simpelwe
Thu 20 Oct. 2011, 07:50 CAT
THREE regulators have signed a memorandum of understanding to harmonise standard developments and competition in the country. The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority
(ZICTA), Consumer and Competition Protection Commission
(CCPC) and the Zambia Bureau of Standards
(ZABS) signed the MoU in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, ZICTA director general Margaret Chalwe said the MoUs would coordinate and harmonise matters relating to competition in different sectors of the economy.
Chalwe said the MoU between ZICTA and the CCPC would pave way for the creation of a joint working committee that would be acting on the referral of complaints in relation to ICT products and services as well as investigating matters relating to competition enforcement.
"The two regulatory bodies have seen it fit to have in place an
established manner in which they can interact in respect of
investigations on restrictive business practices, abuse of dominant
position of market power and due diligence on mergers and acquisition
transactions taking place in the ICT sector," Chalwe said.
On the MoU with ZABS, Chalwe said it would ensure that the two
institutions avoid regulatory overlaps and duplication of effort.
She said ZICTA would use gazetted mandatory standards to approve
products to be placed on the Zambian market.
"The standards developed should not introduce technical barriers to
trade but must take into account Zambia's trade commitments to
regional and international trade organisations such as SADC, COMESA
and WTO," said Chalwe.
ZABS standards development manager Margaret Lungu said the MoUs would
strengthen the relationships of the three organisations and clarify
the roles of their standards developments.
Lungu said all the products that would be sold on the market would
have to conform to the standards that would be set.
And CCPC executive director Chilufya Sampa said the institutions were
signing the MoU anchored on three key reasons.
Sampa said the MoU would coordinate regulation without frustrating
business through duplication of enforcement, ensure competence and
success and to share resources and expertise.
"The growth of the telecommunications sector has indeed contributed
significantly to the economic growth of the country through the
various investments undertaken and also led to more consumer choice
for mobile products. However, the growth has also led to competition
which may at times lead to conduct that requires regulating," said
Sampa.
Labels: REGULATION, ZABS, ZICTA
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Heinonen blames poor export markets on EU trade requirements
By Joan Chirwa-Ngoma in Helsinki, Finland
Wed 28 Sep. 2011, 13:20 CAT
RIDICULOUS European Union trade requirements are a serious barrier to enhanced trade between Africa and Europe, says Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Communications Veera Heinonen.
And Finnish Ambassador of the Department for Development Policy Kirsti Aarnio says economic growth is one of the key elements for development.
During a meeting with journalists from selected African countries, New York and London on Monday, Heinonen said most African countries are having difficulties to export goods to the European Union (EU) because of the requirements on exports that were prohibitive.
"Ridiculous EU rules are a problem; they are a barrier for African countries to have a healthy export market in the EU," she said. Heinonen said the rules put up on African exports to the EU needed to be reviewed.
"This is a debate that has to be brought up. EU will be debating this in the next few years," said Heinonen.
The EU was the world's biggest market for imports of agricultural products. For example, all agricultural products sold in the EU, either imported or locally produced, must comply with the EU requirements in terms of food safety.
This involves an integrated approach (from farm to fork) covering food and feed safety, animal health and welfare, as well as plant health. For such reasons, in the case of food products of animal origin, only establishments that comply with these requirements are approved for exporting to the EU.
And Ambassador Aarnio said African countries could get rid of poverty through the provision of development cooperation by developed countries.
"Finland is a small country and has limited resources. We cannot help all the countries…that is why we are supporting opportunities for Aid for Trade," said Ambassador Aarnio.
Labels: EU, REGULATION
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Scrap metal export is killing local industry, says Mutati
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Wed 20 July 2011, 14:00 CAT
FELIX Mutati says the continued exportation of scrap metal is killing local manufacturing industries, resulting in factories being turned into warehouses. Justifying the imposition of the ban on scrap metal exports, Mutati, who is Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, said the government has introduced measures aimed at developing the steel and iron industry in Zambia.
“The ban of scrap metal exports is expected to help mobilise reserves for the production of steel and iron products by the existing and upcoming plants. Mind you Zambia is the only country in the region which is exporting scrap metal, so what will happen is that the industry we are creating will suffocate and it will not matter what other measures we put in place if scrap is being exported,” Mutati said.
“The only way to survive is doing what is sensible like what other countries have done; are we made of different material that we can’t see that we are exporting jobs and killing our industries. then people will complain that what is this government doing? So, as government we have moved and we are going to implement and we are serious because we think if we put these measures, we are creating opportunities in steel sector.”
He explained that it was not easy to arrive at measures aimed at developing the steel and iron industry.
“How do you deal with a reduction of jobs on one hand and creation of jobs within the same industry…so we are dealing with different perspectives of the same people in the same industry. Others are saying minister, if you do this we shall attract this kind of investments. So far US $ 400 million has been invested in the steel sector due to business reforms being implemented,” said Mutati.
“On the other side of the equation, the sun never rises with investments being low, they are booming negatively and saying government must bring solutions through participation but government will not take over the role of business. Of course we don’t have total cure but we shall create level-playing field through application of good policies and regulations.”
Labels: FELIX MUTATI, METALS, NEOLIBERALISM, REGULATION
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Let’s emulate Rwanda on media regulation
By The Post
Wed 06 Apr. 2011, 04:00 CAT
Statutory regulation of the media is a recipe for tyranny. The unregulated voice isn’t as dangerous to the public as is the voice regulated by the government.
The decision by the Rwandan government to abandon statutory regulation of the media and embrace self-regulation is in line with what is happening or what is expected to broaden and not restrict democracy. This is the way every progressive government is moving. And it is difficult to understand why George Kunda and his boss thought they could push the country towards statutory regulation of the media.
Are they so convinced that they are the few chosen ones who should be going where others are coming from to fulfil God’s secret plan to serve us? The fact is, statutory regulation of the media is always linked with tyranny and dictatorship. Any honestly genuine person who still thinks clearly can see that there is a serious problem with George’s attempt to impose statutory regulation of the media on our people.
There is need for all of us to realise that freedom of the press is not just important to our democracy, it is democracy itself.
We hope George and his boss will learn something from the Rwandan experience and totally abandon their ill-conceived idea of introducing statutory regulation of the media in this country. Of course, we know that for now, they have retreated on this issue. But as George himself put it, they have not abandoned the idea, they are ready to come back to it should need be – to put it in George’s words, should the media start insulting them again. But as we have said before, the weaknesses of our media can never be the basis or justification for introducing statutory regulation. George insults others more than the combined media of this country does; George tells more lies than the sum total of the lies told by the Zambian media. In fact, most of the lies that the Zambian media carries are his own lies. George defames more people every day than our media does. And he does this with impunity, sometimes abusing the parliamentary privileges he enjoys to malign and defame others. If it was a question of irresponsibility, George wouldn’t be the Vice-President of our Republic today, he wouldn’t even qualify to be a member of parliament. George has been very irresponsible when it comes to respecting the dignity of others, especially those he considers to be his enemies. George has insulted us; he has told many lies about us. And he knows this very well but he doesn’t care because he considers it politically beneficial to him to insult us and defame us.
As we have stated before, we will never claim that the media in this country always carries out its functions responsibly. And right now, the most irresponsible media in this country is the state- owned and government-controlled media. And this can be seen from the number of successful libel cases against them. The state-owned media in this country is highly regulated and controlled by those in power. But look at the way it conducts its affairs! Is this the route the rest of the Zambian media should take? Should The Post and other media become like the Daily Mail and Times of Zambia which the government controls and directs on a daily basis? The effect of the statutory controls that George and his boss had been trying to impose on the Zambian media would be devastating for good governance and democracy in this country.
But what should the government do in cases where the news media abuse press freedom by publishing stories that in the opinion of those in government and others, are false, insulting, repugnant, irresponsible or simply in bad taste? The answer, by and large, is simple: nothing. It is simply not the business of government to judge such matters. In general, the cure for abused press freedom is more press freedom. It may seem a paradox, but in the name of press freedom, a democracy must sometimes defend the rights of the news media with irresponsible practices. Citizens in a democratic society defend this right out of the conviction that, in the end, open debate will lead to greater truth and wiser public actions than if speech, dissent and press freedom are stifled.
Furthermore, the suppression of the media we find offensive today will be used as an authority to suppress other liberties or freedoms tomorrow – which we or someone else might find offensive. All people are harmed when the news media is regulated by the government. If the media being suppressed through statutory regulation is right in what it is doing, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth. On the other hand, if it is wrong, they lose the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth produced by its collision with error.
And as we have stated before, press freedom is a right or liberty that cannot be earned by conduct. As such, it is difficult for us to understand George’s reasoning when he says that they have for now backed off from statutory regulation because the media has stopped insulting and they will introduce statutory regulation if it starts insulting. This is tantamount to saying the news media will enjoy press freedom and self-regulation when it is worth of it; when it is more “responsible”. Press freedom is a right that does not need to be earned. If the conduct that accompanies it is unacceptable and wanting at law or otherwise, those responsible should be liable to the extent of their abuses of that right. A mere fact that press freedom is accompanied by conduct should not mean that it should be suppressed under the guise of prohibiting the conduct. And at the risk of being boring and monotonous to our readers, we conclude with a quote from Nelson Mandela on this score: “None of our irritations with the perceived inadequacies of the media should ever allow us to even suggest faintly that the independence of the press could be compromised or coerced.”
Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, PRESS FREEDOM, REGULATION
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IPI urges all-inclusive media regulation talks
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 14 Feb. 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE Vienna-based International Press Institute says the sticking point in the issue of media self-regulation in Zambia seems to be with the government.
Institute acting director Alison Bethel McKenzie said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that it was not impossible for the Zambian media to overcome the hurdles in the regulation framework process.
But McKenzie said there was need for the country’s entire media fraternity to seriously get on board the advocacy for self-regulation of the media.
“There has to be an agreement so solid,” McKenzie said.
“The sticking point seems to be with the government side anyway…regarding the issue of enforcement.”
McKenzie noted that the government was the biggest stakeholder in the media fraternity and it would therefore be bad business if it kept the state media away from the media regulation discussions.
“There has to be an agreement across the board, among the media groups,” McKenzie said. “You can’t do it without the state media because without the state media, it pits the state media against the privately-owned media.
McKenzie said all over the world the media industry was shrinking and there were fewer places to work and it was therefore senseless to pit one media colleague against the other.
McKenzie said if the government refuses to allow the state media to participate in the media regulation process, it would be an indication that they would not be willing to abide by the standards set by the rest of the industry.
“Everyone has to agree with the rules no matter how unpleasant,” she said.
“That is what the government is concerned about.”
McKenzie said international media bodies did not believe that journalists should be sent to jail or fined for doing their work.
However, McKenzie noted that the media fraternity in Zambia needed to realise that they were behind over the issue of media regulation in that they waited for the government to make a move before they discussed the issue of self-regulation.
“It is reactionary than being proactive,” she said. “I hope the media will realise that they are little behind the ball.”
McKenzie said she was in the country to help out in the media regulation process.
Labels: MEDIA, REGULATION
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Statutory regulation is a mockery to journalism Kabwela
By Moses Kuwema
Sat 22 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
STATUTORY regulation of the media is a mockery to the journalism profession, says Press Freedom Committee of The Post chairperson Chansa Kabwela.
Featuring on Radio Phoenix’s Let The People Talk programme yesterday dubbed Media Freedom, Kabwela said there was need to give greater freedom to journalists in their operation in order for the country’s democracy to grow.
“Media freedom is key, especially when you bring in democracy. It is important because democracy cannot thrive without a free press.
The media regulates itself on a daily basis and we operate within the law,” Kabwela said.
She said the self-regulatory mechanism was meant to allow journalists to operate in a better environment and enhance professionalism.
Kabwela said statutory regulation had never worked to the benefit of the media and ordinary people wherever it was introduced.
However, Kabwela said the media was optimistic that something good would come out of the negotiations on issues of regulation between the government and the Media Liaison Committee.
And Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia chapter chairman Daniel Sikazwe said free flow of information allowed for democracy to be strengthened.
Sikazwe said when people had access to information, they could express themselves freely.
“But when there is no free flow of information, you can't have a good democracy. A free press and democracy are fundamental in a country like Zambia… selfregulation of the media is in line with today’s human civilisation,” he said.
He said democracies in the world that did not over-regulate their institutions were moving forward.
Sikazwe said press freedom was a must because it helped people to discover the truth and was important not only for the media but for the people as well.
Meanwhile, Society for Senior Journalists chairman Ridgeway Liwena said a free press promoted democracy and acted as a watchdog on abuse of power by those in authority.
Liwena said there was need to promote dialogue between the government and media bodies, adding that failure to do so would promote mistrust and in the end, society would suffer.
Liwena also called on journalists to consider delving into specialisation to ensure that people received adequate and well-researched information.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, MEDIA, REGULATION
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‘It’s shameful to control media for political survival’
By Ernest Chanda in Copenhagen, Denmark
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
A DANISH legislator has observed that it is shameful for any government to control the media for political survival.
Addressing foreign journalists who visited him at the Danish parliament on Thursday, opposition Social Liberal Party parliamentarian Jorgen Poulsen who had also practiced journalism for over 30 years said he is happy that such a situation does not exist in Denmark. Poulsen said there should be no public document hidden from the media.
"It's a dream of any dictatorship to rule the press. It's a shameful thing and I have seen it in many African countries. You can't just keep out the press because they are the link between politicians and society," said Poulsen. "Our system in Denmark is that there shouldn't exist any kind of document between an MP and minister, between ministries and heads of departments without public knowledge. That doesn't simply happen. And you can ask for it document and you will get it. Every authority understands that journalists are here on behalf of the people."
And presenting a paper on The Role of the Media in a Democratic Process at the Danida Fellowship Centre earlier, Danish parliamentary specialist Jens Adser said access to information alone was not enough.
Adser advocated quality information that the public could use and appreciate.
"The information released to the public should be appropriate and correct. It should also be relevant, usable, sufficient and timely," said Adser.
Labels: JORGEN POULSEN, REGULATION
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Norwegian professor advises govt against statutory media regulation
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 13 Oct. 2010, 14:30 CAT
Norwegian professor advises govt against statutory media regulation By Chibaula Silwamba THE Zambian government’s delay to enact the freedom of information law and manoeuvres to regulate the media through statutes shows that leaders have something to hide, Norwegian media professor Helge Ronning has observed.
In an interview in Lusaka, Ronning, who is professor at University of Oslo’s department of Media and Communication, said only a government that had something to hide was afraid of the media.
“In most countries that are democratic, they have a free access to information bill which is important because it gives not only the press but the citizens the right to access information, which pertains to their lives and their future,” Prof Ronning said.
“When it comes to the government dragging their feet in order to pass this FoI law, this obviously has to do with the leader having something to hide and do not want to let that come to the open. Governments that do not have anything to hide are not afraid of the media.”
Prof Ronning urged the Zambian government to speed up the enactment of the freedom of information law.
“It’s very important. It’s a safety valve for democratic governance. The issue of Freedom of Information is an issue that does not only exist in Africa. It exists in many parts of the world,” he said.
“Obviously in all parts of access to freedom there have to be some limit. There are certain issues which are limited because of the safety of the country, because of public safety and you know there is terrorism etcetera, but most of the information that are within government should be opened to access for the citizens to be able to control those who rule them.”
Prof Ronning advised the Zambian government not to implement statutory regulation of the media. He said regulating the media through statutes would be going against democratic principles.
“Regulation of the media should be left to the media when it comes to ethical issues,” he said.
Prof Ronning expressed sadness at the South African and other African governments' plans to enact laws that were against press freedom and freedom of expression.
“I think this is very dangerous development because it means that the most important critical voice for those in power is going to be silenced. Maybe not so much true that they journalists will be brought to trial, but it is going to instill a sense of fear that will lead to self censorship,” said Prof Ronning.
“If the government says, ‘we blame you the media for the bad things you write’, we can also put it the other way that, ‘we the media blame you the government for not giving us the opportunity to see what you are doing. You are the one to blame, it’s not us the media’.”
Labels: CENSORSHIP, HELGE RONNING, MEDIA, REGULATION
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IPI delegation in for discussions on media regulation
By Salim Dawood
Tue 12 Oct. 2010, 10:00 CAT
A Five-member International Press Institute (IPI) delegation has arrived in Zambia for a series of meetings with media bodies and is also expected to hold discussions with government on media regulation in the country.
The delegation headed by IPI acting director Alison Bethel McKenzie arrived in the country on Monday, October 11 and is expected to leave next Sunday.
IPI Press Freedom Advisor Naomi Hunt who is part of the delegation said the delegation was in the country to, among other activities, meet with information and broadcasting services minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha to find a common ground on media regulation in the country.
Hunt said the delegation was also looking forward to learning lessons about media environment in Zambia and to find journalists that would set up a national committee for the IPI.
She said another objective of the delegations’ visit was to raise awareness about press freedom issues and to meet with journalists to discuss the media environment.
Hunt said the delegation believed that self regulation was the best and most effective way and only acceptable form of media regulation.
“I believe that self regulation is the best and most effective way for the media to be regulated and really it’s the only acceptable way. We are hoping to have a meeting with the information minister which is yet to be determined in time, we are hoping that we really have a productive meeting with the minister to find some common ground on the regulation issue,” Hunt said.
The delegation is expected to meet with the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), The Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers (PFC), and the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) among others during its week-long visit.
Hunt said the arrangements for a meeting with Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha were yet to be finalised but indicated the meeting would most likely take place this Wednesday.
Two weeks ago Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said government would not change its position over its resolve to impose statutory media regulation for the Zambian media and would not listen to the IPI advice for the media to regulate itself.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the IPI should be neutral and should not dictate to government on what should be done concerning the regulation of the media.
But PFC secretary general, Sheik Chifuwe said the IPI visit to Zambia was a welcome solidarity visit that would add value to the campaign for self-media regulation and other media freedoms.
“The IPI is worldwide organisations whose voice shall definitely add value to the campaign for self media-regulation,” he said.
On Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha’s statement that government was not willing to change its position regarding the regulation of the media, Chifuwe said he believed that the minister has had enough time to reflect on the matter between the time he made the statement and now.
“Because I don’t think he (Lt.Gen. Shikapwasha) should continue to be an enemy of the media - it doesn’t make him a champion at all,” said Chifuwe.
Last year government gave media bodies a six-month ultimatum to come up with a self-regulatory mechanism or face statutory media regulation.
The media bodies came up with the Zambia Media Ethics Council (ZAMEC) through the MLC but government has u-turned and insisted on statutory media regulation.
Labels: ALISON BETHEL MCKENZIE, IPI, MEDIA, REGULATION
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IPI delegation in for discussions on media regulation
By Salim Dawood
Mon 11 Oct. 2010, 14:04 CAT
A Five-member International Press Institute (IPI) delegation has arrived in Zambia for a series of meetings with media bodies and is also expected to hold discussions with government on media regulation in the country. The delegation headed by IPI acting director Alison Bethel McKenzie arrived in the country on Monday, October 11 and is expected to leave next Sunday.
IPI Press Freedom Advisor Naomi Hunt who is part of the delegation said the delegation was in the country to, among other activities, meet with information and broadcasting services minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha to find a common ground on media regulation in the country.
Hunt said the delegation was also looking forward to learning lessons about media environment in Zambia and to find journalists that would set up a national committee for the IPI.
She said another objective of the delegations’ visit was to raise awareness about press freedom issues and to meet with journalists to discuss the media environment.
Hunt said the delegation believed that self regulation was the best and most effective way and only acceptable form of media regulation.
“I believe that self regulation is the best and most effective way for the media to be regulated and really it’s the only acceptable way. We are hoping to have a meeting with the information minister which is yet to be determined in time, we are hoping that we really have a productive meeting with the minister to find some common ground on the regulation issue,” Hunt said.
The delegation is expected to meet with the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), The Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspapers (PFC), and the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) among others during its week-long visit.
Hunt said the arrangements for a meeting with Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha were yet to be finalised but indicated the meeting would most likely take place this Wednesday.
Two weeks ago Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said government would not change its position over its resolve to impose statutory media regulation for the Zambian media and would not listen to the IPI advice for the media to regulate itself.
Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha said the IPI should be neutral and should not dictate to government on what should be done concerning the regulation of the media.
But PFC secretary general, Sheik Chifuwe said the IPI visit to Zambia was a welcome solidarity visit that would add value to the campaign for self-media regulation and other media freedoms.
“The IPI is worldwide organisations whose voice shall definitely add value to the campaign for self media-regulation,” he said.
On Lt. Gen. Shikapwasha’s statement that government was not willing to change its position regarding the regulation of the media, Chifuwe said he believed that the minister has had enough time to reflect on the matter between the time he made the statement and now.
“Because I don’t think he (Lt.Gen. Shikapwasha) should continue to be an enemy of the media - it doesn’t make him a champion at all,” said Chifuwe.
Last year government gave media bodies a six-month ultimatum to come up with a self-regulatory mechanism or face statutory media regulation.
The media bodies came up with the Zambia Media Ethics Council (ZAMEC) through the MLC but government has u-turned and insisted on statutory media regulation.
Labels: ALISON BETHEL MCKENZIE, IPI, NAOMI HUNT, REGULATION, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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IPI General Assembly urges govt to accept ZAMEC
By Chansa Kabwela in Vienna, Austria
Fri 17 Sep. 2010, 04:01 CAT
THE International Press Institute (IPI) has asked the government to accept the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) and refrain from pushing for statutory regulation of the media.
According to resolutions following the IPI’s general assembly on Monday, efforts by the media in Zambia to create a voluntary, self-regulatory mechanism had stalled with the government’s refusal to recognise ZAMEC.
“IPI members resolved that it is important that any media self-regulation be voluntary, and as the African Commission of Human and Peoples‘ Rights has found, the best and only acceptable method of media regulation is through independent, voluntary, self-regulatory bodies that are free of parliamentary oversight,” IPI resolved.
“IPI members call on Zambian authorities to accept the Zambia Media Ethics Council and refrain from statutory regulation of the media.”
IPI appealed to the Zambian government to relinquish its control of the media.
It noted that developments in Zambia indicated that the government was reluctant to accept the consequences of a free press, which included criticism, despite its proclaimed commitment to press freedom.
“The use of judicial sanctions against independent newspaper The Post continued over the past year, with criminal prosecutions against news editor Chansa Kabwela and against editor Fred M’membe, who is appealing the imposition of a punitive four months jail sentence for contempt of court,” IPI observed.
“ The state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, continues to be accountable to Parliament and therefore lacks independence. IPI members further call on the Zambian authorities to ensure that the public broadcaster is independent of government influence. IPI members call on the government to cease immediately its harassment of daily newspaper The Post.”
IPI expressed shock that the South African government appeared to be embarking on conduct, which could result in the destruction of that country’s democracy, after 16 years of attaining it.
It noted that US-based Freedom House, an institution that monitors freedom in countries of the world by measuring the state of the media and general freedom of expression, had downgraded South Africa from a free country to a party free nation.
“Since that rating change in April this year, South Africa has introduced in Parliament a Protection of Information Bill that lays out how official secrets should be graded. It has also begun steps to introduce into law a proposal by the ruling African National Congress that a statutory media appeals tribunal should be set up for action against print media found transgressing ethical and professional standards, so far not defined,” IPI stated.
“ANC spokesmen have referred to such punishments as imprisoning journalists and heavily fining newspapers. IPI has expressed its disquiet to President Jacob Zuma over the bill that is framed in language that allows virtually any issue to be declared secret, allows a cabinet minister to declare material classified and also provides for the very existence of a classified document to remain a secret. It would be possible for someone coming into possession of a document not to know that it is classified. Penalties under this Bill range up to 25 years' jail for possessing or disclosing the contents of classified documents.”
IPI also raised concern about the proposed media appeals tribunal in South Africa which it believes would provide a means to censor information and punish journalists.
It observed that the Bar Council, Law Society and civil society organisations and business people as well as the World Association of Newspapers, international news agencies and the US ambassador had all voiced concern over the legislation.
IPI called on the President Zuma’s government to reconsider the legislation and the potential damage to could do to the country and its standing in the world since the defeat of apartheid.
It suggested that the bill be replaced by one that severely restricts the types of information that could be classified to the absolute minimum so as not to encroach on the media’s constitutional freedom.
IPI also called on the Rwandan government to prosecute and punish those responsible for Umuvugizi deputy editor Jean-Leonard Rugambage’s murder.
It asked President Paul Kagame to end his suppression of the media by shutting down media houses and condemned the repression that surrounded his re-election.
“The government of Paul Kagame suspended critical publications “Umuseso” and “Umuvugizi”, shut down radio stations, arrested journalists and brought spurious lawsuits against them. After “Umuvugizi” defied its suspension by the government-controlled Media High Council, deputy editor Jean-Leonard Rugambage was shot and killed on 24 June,” IPI noted.
IPI also asked the Sri Lankan government to restore press freedom in that country and ensure that those who killed, attacked, imprisoned or otherwise violated the journalists’ rights during the civil war were punished.
It observed that recent constitutional amendments in that country would impact negatively on the media’s ability to act in a free and fair manner.
IPI noted the unprecedented power introduced through amendment on the Executive and the additional powers to seek election to office for unlimited time outside the two-term period that was in force would greatly affect the media’s operations.
IPI stated that the government’s hostility to dissent and intimidation of the media had led to self-censorship.
“The recent spate of court actions and the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to incarcerate journalists is condemned. The IPI is also dismayed by attacks and killing of journalists in Sri Lanka. None of these criminal acts have been successfully investigated. The murder of IPI World Press Freedom Hero Lasantha Wickrematunge, and many others, is yet to be solved, although the government has pledged to do so,” IPI stated.
It stated that the plethora of court actions against journalists and media groups in Sri Lanka was viewed with alarm, adding that the senior officials’ intimidation of free media through the public media negatively affected the journalists’ ability to inform the public.
IPI asked the Iranian government to release all journalists currently in detention.
IPI observed that since the re-election of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in June last year, dozens of journalists, political reformers and human rights activists among others were imprisoned without fair trial because of their participation in or coverage of protests of election results.
“While many journalists have been released, others have been detained, subjected to cruel conditions and in some cases psychological and physical torture.The IPI members resolved that the imprisonment of journalists for their work or opinions is contrary to basic human rights, including the right of free expression and a free press,” IPI stated. “The IPI members calls on the government of Iran to release immediately all journalists in its custody, and allow them to practice their profession without fear of imprisonment.”
IPI appealed to Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovych and his officials to end attacks on journalists and ensure that the media in that country was free to operate without interference.
It observed that after improvement in that country’s press freedom climate, the situation had deteriorated with a spate of attacks against journalists.
IPI condemned the Turkish government’s imprisonment of dozens of journalists, with some awaiting trial.
“Reportedly more than 40 Turkish journalists are currently in prison, some awaiting trial, because of their reports or columns in Turkey, making Turkey one of the world's worst jailers of journalists. Some journalists have been held without conviction for several years. Over 700 other journalists are currently facing lawsuits, with the threat of imprisonment, under specific articles in the Penal Code, press laws and anti-terror laws,” it stated. “IPI further calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure that no journalist must face the threat of imprisonment because of their professional work.”
IPI condemned the censorship and oppression of the media in Fiji and the new legislation introduced this year which established criminal penalties and other sanctions for journalists whose work is deemed against “the public order or interest.”
IPI also condemned Cuba’s failure to process that country’s blogger and Press Freedom Hero Yoani Sanchez’s exit visa in time for her to attend the congress.
”Sanchez, who was named an IPI World Press Freedom Hero in September 2010 by an independent jury, and was to take her place among IPI’s 60 World Press Freedom Heroes at a ceremony at Vienna’s City Hall, was denied permission to leave the country. Sanchez had referred to the award as a “protective shield” that would help her break the “wall of censorship”,” IPI stated.
On Europe, the IPI members unanimously condemned the deterioration in the press freedom climate, notably a strong trend by some established democracies to backtrack on legal guarantees of media freedom.
IPI cited Italy, Hungary, France and Spain, as countries that were trying to introduce or enforce legislation to control the work of journalists.
“The IPI members urge the authorities throughout Europe to live up to their human rights and media freedom commitments and obligations and to ensure that journalists are free to report without fear of imprisonment, bankruptcy, intimidation or assassination,” stated IPI.
Labels: IPI, MEDIA, REGULATION, ZAMEC
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Govt has insatiable appetite for power - Lubinda
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 29 July 2010, 04:00 CAT
PF spokesperson Given Lubinda has charged that the MMD government has an insatiable appetite for power and wants to control the thinking of people.
Commenting on the government’s proposal to have the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services appoint board members to sit on the new Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) without Parliament’s approval, Lubinda said such a board would not be answerable to the Zambians.
“I can assure you that the IBA board which will be appointed by information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha will not be answerable to the Zambians. It will be answerable to Shikapwasha, who himself is answerable to the adoption committee of MMD,” Lubinda said yesterday.
“In effect the IBA board will be a tool for MMD. So all private radio stations will be faced with closure and you my friends in the private media, I will encourage you to increase the number of legal experts that you have because you should be prepared for long legal battles.”
He said the government wanted to centralize power.
“This is all the question of power and our colleagues in government seem to have a very insatiable appetite for power, they want to control the thinking of society. Pretty soon they will attempt to legislate how people talk but they don’t realize that power is only good when there are checks and balances,” he said.
“Power that has no checks and balances corrupts and our colleagues don’t realize that they are actually trapping themselves.”
Lubinda said the PF was against the idea of depositing so much power in an individual.
“And remember that these positions are temporally, the minister of information today will not be the same in two years, while the one that we have might have good intentions, you never know the intentions of the next and how they will use this power,” he said.
Lubinda urged media institutions around the country to mount a vigorous campaign against the proposed amendments.
“Let people react and say they don’t want their thinking to be controlled by the minister, because in short what this government wants to do is to control the thinking and opinions of people, that is wrong. Society has to take this challenge and protect itself. How many are even aware of the machinations of Shikapwasha over the IBA? Very few,” said Lubinda.
“The timing for this is totally wrong. Obviously if you ask my friends in MMD, they are excited that they are doing this amendment now in time for the 2011 elections next year because they know that people will be dancing to their tunes and they will make sure that most of our radio stations are gagged.
“I’m sad that the Zambian people were denied sufficient votes for the opposition in Parliament by those renegade PF/UPND MPs who decided that for all intent and purposes they will be surrogate MMD, now because of that whatever government tries to push through Parliament goes through without much ado,” said Lubinda.
Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, INDEPENDENT BROADCASTING ACT, MMD, PRESS FREEDOM, REGULATION
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Give media chance to regulate themselves - Kibazo
By Joe Kaunda
Sat 19 June 2010, 04:10 CAT
FORMER communications director at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London Joel Kibazo has urged the government to give the Zambian media chance to regulate themselves before any move to impose statutory media regulation.
And Kibazo, a veteran journalist and chief judge at the CNN MultiChoice media awards, has challenged Zambian journalists to fully participate in the annual prestigious awards if their work is to win continental and international recognition among their peers.
Commenting on the government’s insistence that Zambia’s media self regulatory framework was insufficient, Kibazo stated that the approach by the Zambian government through information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha already appeared very suspicious.
“Let the government hold back and see how it’s going to work. If it does not work then it legitimises the government position. But first let the media police themselves,” Kibazo advised.
He stated that experience around the world had shown that whenever government did intervene in the process of media self regulation the basis was on grounds of blocking the media from reporting on its officials or activities.
However, he cautioned the media against abusing press freedom but insisted on the need for self regulation.
“You need to ask yourself, am I doing this simply to embarrass someone or is it to keep leaders in check and accountable to the society,” Kibazo said.
Earlier in an interview at the recently held 2010 edition of the awards in Uganda’s capital Kampala, Kibazo said despite noticing some good work being done by journalists in Zambia including other countries, there was need for the scribes to actually enter the competition.
He said it would be unfair for the panel of judges to start picking entries when the journalists had not entered their work.
Kibazo said the judging panel had seen tremendous improvements in terms of quality entries and levels of participation in the awards, which he has presided over for the last 13 years.
“I have seen a lot of great articles that deserve to participate but the journalists just don’t put in,” he said. “It is entirely up to the journalists to give us the work, but every year we are seeing the number of entries increasing. Like this year we had over 2,000 entries and had to go through each and every entry.”
And MultiChoice Zambia spokesperson Marlon Kananda echoed Kibazo’s call for the participation of the Zambian media in the prestigious annual awards
“Every year we go out to encourage the media practitioners to submit their work. So the question to the media is why are they not entering,” he asked, adding that the awards were meant to reward excellence in journalism in Africa.
Kananda said MultiChoice had provided a platform through which the media could showcase its good works and be rewarded for excellence.
This year’s event saw Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni officiating as guest of honour and saw South Africa’s Samantha Rogers emerging as overall winner for the second time, for a documentary on the hunting and killing of albinos for body parts in Tanzania.
Labels: JOEL KIBAZO, JOURNALISM, MEDIA, REGULATION
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Govt wants to regulate media using ZAMEC documents
By Patson Chilemba
Thu 17 June 2010, 08:00 CAT
THE Media Liaison Committee (MLC) yesterday disclosed that information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha wants to use the amended ZAMEC documents that were given to him in good faith to enact a statutory mechanism to regulate the media.
And the media in the country have labeled Shikapwasha as a public enemy.
Presenting the speech prepared by the MLC at Cresta Golf View yesterday in Lusaka, MLC member Sally Chiwama said the media had been delayed by government from launching the Zambia Media Council 30 days after the World Press Freedom Day.
She said the media wanted to give government, through Shikapwasha's office, an opportunity to review the amended ZAMEC documents and address government concerns, which were presented to the same MLC by government through the same minister.
Chiwama said to the surprise of the media bodies, Shikapwasha had refused to meet them since he returned from New York a month ago.
"His office received two of our letters of request to meet him over government's concerns on ZAMEC. To date, he has maintained his refusal to meet us. It now appears to us that we are at the mercy of the government, when in fact we are not.
We have learnt that the Minister of Information plans to use OUR amended documents to go ahead with statutory media regulation," Chiwama said.
"We gave him these amended documents in good faith knowing fully well that he will give government's review and comments on ZAMEC and subsequently, to assist the media Liaison Committee, address government's concerns over the same. Rev.
Shikapwasha has failed to do so. It is very clear that he wishes to table these documents before Parliament to enact a statutory mechanism for media regulation in Zambia."
Chiwama said the MLC was now wondering whether Shikapwasha, by his actions, was the right person to represent government in discussing its concerns over ZAMEC. She said Shikapwasha was failing in his duties as Minister of Information and government chief spokesperson.
Chiwama said the Ministry of Information was the public relations wing of government.
"In our view, this wing deserves a good person who listens and responds appropriately to the needs and interests of the public. By definition, democracy is a government of the people by the people and for the people.
And for any democratic country to flourish, a free and responsible press is a catalyst to development," Chiwama said. "By his actions, Rev. Shikapwasha has demonstrated clearly that he cannot and will never respond to the public good."
Chiwama said the route Shikapwasha had taken was mainly borne out of selfish desire to suppress press freedom and the kind of information the public accessed, which would eventually derail the small democracy the country had recorded the past decade.
She said at the rate the government was moving, it was clear that the government was suppressing any form of good governance and democracy.
"In the interest of public good, we declare Rev Shikapwasha, as a public enemy. His clear negative actions have qualified him as a person who stifles good governance and democracy.
In view of the prevailing scenario, as the MLC, we remain resolved and focussed to go ahead with our plans to launch ZAMEC," Chiwama said. "We believe that what we are doing is for the good of the public, as opposed to satisfying personal and political interests of a few selected individuals. We will be communicating to our stakeholders and the people who gave us this mandate on the preparations towards the launch of ZAMEC."
Chiwama said the MLC had since commenced the process of registering Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) with or without government's cooperation.
"However, we still maintain our spirit of dialogue and consensus.
To this, our doors will remain ever open for further dialogue. I thank you all for taking time to attend this briefing. Your continued support towards the MLC has not gone un-heard," said Chiwama.
Labels: MEDIA, REGULATION, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, ZAMEC
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Reagan’s Legacy of Deregulation Goes Haywire in the Gulf
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Share Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 8:38am. Guest Commentary
BILL BERKOWITZ FOR BUZZFLASH
The oil spill in the Gulf is the product of decades of conservatives pounding for deregulation, Cheney-era manipulation of federal regulatory agencies, and corporate insatiability.
These days, when watching television news reports – often the extraordinary reporting of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow – about the environmental/economic catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf which took the lives of 11 workers, I can’t help but think of two seemingly disparate things; the administration of Ronald Reagan, and the 1953 coup in Iran.
I’m thinking about our 40th president because the genesis of corporations drilling for oil where-ever and how-ever without being distracted or deterred by common sense rules and regulations, although part of the economic landscape for decades, picked up steam during the Reagan era.
The 1953 coup in Iran, which overthrew the democratically-elected government of Mohammad Mossadegh, came about because the British government, which owned the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company -- more Anglo than Iranian in both ownership and control – helped engineer the coup. And, one year later, the British government renamed the company, the British Petroleum Company.
During the 1980 presidential campaign, the Heritage Foundation burst onto the national scene with the publication of “Mandate for Leadership,” a comprehensive set of policy recommendations which became the intellectual underpinning for the "Reagan Revolution." Heritage’s blueprint included trickle-down economics, a major emphasis on deregulation, and massive cutbacks in social programs.
Although economists – both those supportive of Reagan’s economic initiatives and those opposed – have for years debated how committed the Reagan Administration was to actually advancing deregulation, one thing is clear; under-funded or de-funded government regulatory agencies, government agencies larded with corporate-friendly officials receiving corporate perks and kickbacks, and such mantras as “unleash the creativity of corporations and all will be well” and “drown the government in a bathtub” have dominated conservative policy initiatives over the past three decades.
In a recent interview, Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and currently an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary, told the Real News Network that George W. Bush’s Administration, through the offices of vice president Dick Cheney, did all it could “to destroy about a half-century or more's regulatory work with regard to oversight of fisheries, forestry, oil, gas, minerals in general. You name it,” said Wilkerson.
“If it was supervised, if it was overseen, if it was regulated by the federal government, Cheney with his marvelous bureaucratic talent moved in and essentially replaced the people who were in the positions that were central to this regulation, this oversight, with people who were either lobbyists for the industry being regulated or executives from that industry.”
Wilkerson went on to point out that one of the key ways Cheney was able to leave his mark was by consciously converting some “1,600-plus people in the administration” from “being political” appointees to “civil service” status. Civil service positions are not subject to immediate change when a new administration takes over.
Colin Powell’s former chief of staff added that Republicans “have been spouting this deregulation, spouting this ‘the market is the best guide,’ spouting this business about let private industry do everything and all things will be wonderful, and don't have any government interference at all. And what we've done is stripped government regulation and oversight from so many things across this country, we're going to be paying for it for years to come. We're going to be paying dearly for it.
“There are going to be more oil spills, there are going to be more bridges collapsing, there are going to be more hurricanes that surprise us in their devastation and so forth, because we Republicans have stripped government of its ability, of its capacity to do the kinds of things that it should do that no one else can do, certainly not someone with a profit motive can do,” Wilkerson pointed out.
The history of British Petroleum is marked by amazing ingenuity and resourcefulness, outrageous oppression of workers, grossly unfair contractual agreements, a series of destructive incidents, an abysmal environmental record, and the extraordinary hubris of its lead officials. The results of BP’s ingenuity and hubris are currently fouling the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and washing up on its wetlands.
The company was founded in 1901 as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and it was the first company to use oil reserves of the Middle East. It changed its name to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1936, and after the 1953 coup it changed its name to the British Petroleum Company. In “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq,” journalist Stephen Kinzer writes that the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, “principally owned by the British government, had held a monopoly on the extraction, refining, and sale of Iranian oil. Anglo-Iranian’s grossly unequal contract, negotiated with a corrupt monarch, required it to pay Iran just 16 percent of the money it earned from selling the country’s oil. It probably paid even less than that, but the truth was never known, since no outsider was permitted to audit its books.”
In an earlier book, “All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Terror in the Middle East” -- which completely detailed how U.S. and British intelligence developed and executed Operation Ajax, which overthrew the Mossadegh government -- Kinzer quotes the director of Iran's Petroleum Institute, who described the conditions oil workers and their families were subjected to:
“Wages were 50 cents a day. There was no vacation pay, no sick leave, no disability compensation. The workers lived in a shanty town called Kaghazabad, or Paper City, without running water or electricity, ... In winter the earth flooded and became a flat, perspiring lake. The mud in town was knee-deep, and ... when the rains subsided, clouds of nipping, small-winged flies rose from the stagnant water to fill the nostrils .... Summer was worse. ... The heat was torrid ... sticky and unrelenting - while the wind and sandstorms shipped off the desert hot as a blower. The dwellings of Kaghazabad, cobbled from rusted oil drums hammered flat, turned into sweltering ovens. ... In every crevice hung the foul, sulfurous stench of burning oil .... in Kaghazad there was nothing - not a tea shop, not a bath, not a single tree. The tiled reflecting pool and shaded central square that were part of every Iranian town, ... were missing here. The unpaved alleyways were emporiums for rats.”
Ironically, as Kinzer writes in “Overthrow,” under a new post-coup arrangement, “British Petroleum ended up with 40 percent of the shares in the new National Iranian Oil Company, American companies received 40 percent, and the remainder was divided among European companies. This consortium agreed to share its profits with Iran on a fifty-fifty basis. In the end, then, the British wound up with considerably less than they would have had if they accepted Iran’s demand for an equal share of oil profits in the late 1940’s.”
Kinzer points out that “The main results of the 1953 coup were the end of democracy in Iran and the emergence, in its place, of a royal dictatorship that, a quarter of a century later, set off a bitterly anti-American revolution.”
Things changed for dramatically during the Thatcher era in Britain. According to an essay titled “Privatization,” written by Robert W. Poole, Jr., and published in The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics, “the largest and best-known effort [at privatization] was that of Margaret Thatcher’s government in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. Thatcher succeeded in making privatization politically popular while selling off the commanding heights of the British economy: British Airways, British Airports Authority, British Petroleum, British Telecom, and several million units of public housing, to name only a few examples.”
After a series of buyouts and mergers, including deals with Amoco (formerly Standard Oil of Indiana) and Arco (Atlantic Richfield Co.), in 2001 the company formally renamed itself as BP plc, and adopted the tagline "Beyond Petroleum," which remains in use today.
BP is the third largest energy company, and the fourth largest company in the world. Being one of the industry’s top dogs isn’t easy. It means that BP has to “drill baby drill” in as many places as possible. And it must “drill baby drill” in deeper and deeper waters. Its scientists/technicians have been brilliant at designing equipment capable of doing so. While BP was becoming a pioneer at deep water drilling, it was assuring government agencies (those that were still paying attention), that what it was doing was safe.
It is more likely than not BP knew all along that what it was doing was extremely risky. The company appears to operate under the assumptions that: a) it doesn’t make mistakes – although its safety and environmental record belies that notion; b) if it does have an accident, it is confident it can bury it, spin it, reframe it, or in some other way deal with it effectively; and, c) even if things go mega-badly, it believes that it can successfully limit its legal liability.
As investigative reporters have pointed out, and re-affirmed by scientists and environmentalists, an event like the one we’re seeing in the Gulf was bound to happen. And, BP has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is not possible to clean up a twenty-first century meltdown with twentieth-century equipment and procedures.
In 1953, a few years after failing to convince the Truman Administration to get rid of Mohammad Mossadegh, the British government found a willing partner in the Eisenhower Administration. The coup in Iran was an example of a desperate imperial Britain attempting to flex its international muscle. It also was a major cause of the unhinging of the Middle East.
The oil spill in the Gulf is corporate imperialism, British Petroleum style. Unfortunately, the sun will not be setting on this imperial venture anytime in the near future.
Labels: DEREGULATION, DICK CHENEY, LARRY WILKERSON, NEOCOLONIALISM, NEOLIBERALISM, OIL, REGULATION
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‘Ronnie is exaggerating govt feelings on media regulation’
By Agness Changala
Wed 02 June 2010, 04:01 CAT
MEDIA Liaison Committee (MLC) spokesperson Amos Chanda has charged that information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha is exaggerating the feelings of the government on statutory regulation of the media.
Reacting to Lt Gen Shikapwasha’s claims that Zambians want statutory regulation of the media, Chanda said most Zambians were pushing for self regulation.
“This is the feeling for the majority Zambians, they have rejected statutory regulation and are for self regulation,” he said. “I think that the minister is exaggerating the feelings of the government.”
Chanda said many Zambians including the parliamentary committee on information and broadcasting, the civil society organizations and many others had rejected it.
Chanda said it was regrettable that Lt Gen Shikapwasha could say this at a time when dialogue was going on over self regulation of the media.
Chanda explained that last week, the MLC wrote a letter to Lt Gen Shikapwasha, highlighting the changes that were made to his requirement.
He said the committee was this week expected to hold a meeting with him where the document with changes would be looked at.
Chanda said the meeting was also expected to look at the grounds on which Lt Gen Shikapwasha rejected the Zambia Media Ethics Council (ZAMEC) process.
“We will give the government time to reflect on the position from the meeting we had at Pamodzi and we also want to understand where the problem is,” he said.
Chanda said visiting American Professor Al Cross’ views who on statutory regulation of the media could not be rejected because they were universally accepted.
He said self regulation of the media was a global standard and all about getting other people’s views for best practices.
Chanda said Lt Gen Shikapwasha should not reject other people’s views because that was equal to closing himself from learning.
Chanda said the MLC believed in learning and not shutting other people’s views.
The committee is yet to announce the date of the ZAMEC launch.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha on Monday claimed that Zambians wanted statutory regulation of the media.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the government would respect people’s views on the matter but maintain their position on statutory regulation.
Labels: AMOS CHANDA, MEDIA, REGULATION, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Avoid statutory regulation of media – Zukas
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Tue 11 May 2010, 03:40 CAT
VETERAN politician Simon Zukas has said statutory regulation of the media should be avoided at all costs because it only suits the party in power. In an interview, Zukas said statutory regulation would be partisan because it would have to be implemented by the party in power.
“It needs to be condemned. It should be avoided at all costs and we should all vote against that,” he said. Zukas said he agreed with various stakeholders on the need for the freedom of information law, as it would raise the level of debates in the country.
Zukas said the economy was doing well not because of the party in government but partly because of the problems in Zimbabwe, saying investors were placing a lot of attention on Zambia.
However, Zukas said most of the economic growth was concentrated in Lusaka, the Copperbelt and new mining areas.
“The growth has not so far spread to rural areas. Rural poverty has not been alleviated much and you can tell by the vast increase of population in Lusaka which is between 16 and 21 per cent of the total population. You can easily verify that by the fact that there are a lot of people who come to Lusaka who do not speak English the official language,” he said.
He said this meant that people were coming from rural areas with no full education to make a living because there was nothing for them in those areas.
“Even vendors at street corners, many of them do not speak English. I am not against speaking vernacular but this situation reflects that very little is happening in rural areas and all is happening in Lusaka,” he said.
Zukas said in Lusaka, it was worrying that development was concentrated in house construction rather than factory construction.
He said people needed employment.
Zukas said even the mines were now highly mechanised such that some work was being done with big machines, subsequently reducing the labour force.
He also said the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) had done a job that could stand the test of time.
Zukas said there was a partisan element in the NCC from the MMD, which would not take the country anywhere.
Zukas said even though he had a degree, that sort of requirement for one to qualify to run for Republican presidency was unwise.
Labels: MEDIA, REGULATION, SIMON ZUKAS
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‘Statutory media regulation not an option for Zambia’
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 03 May 2010, 04:30 CAT
STATUTORY media regulation is not an option for Zambia, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) regional secretariat programme specialist for freedom of information and media law Sampa Kangwa-Wilkie has said. And South Africa’s Witts Radio Academy director Professor Franz Kruger said the envisaged Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) should be given a chance to succeed.
Making a presentation at the 2010 World Press Freedom Day stakeholders' conference in Lusaka yesterday, Wilkie said the government should not push the media into developing a mechanism that does not suit them.
“MISA acknowledges that over the last several years, there has been increasing criticisms of press behaviour, some of it legitimate, others orchestrated and designed to weaken the media institution by powerful interests that are uncomfortable with a vibrant press beaming its searchlight on their questionable activities.
In order to redress legitimate grievances, which have the capacity to taint the entire industry and which can justify attempts to restrict media freedom, it is critically important that the media industry puts in place a framework for responding to the situation," Wilkie said.
"Voluntary non-statutory media council is the recommended form of media regulation under international law including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights states that ‘Effective self-regulation is the best system for promoting high standards in the media’. On the contrary, statutory media regulation is prone to abuse and political interference."
Wilkie said the Kenyan media environment that the government kept citing as an example was a surpressed one.
"There are some principles which characterise any truly self-regulatory media system. One of the most important principles is that government can have no part in formulating the framework, or sustaining the mechanism, including drawing up the applicable ethical codes and standards. The Kenyan model, favoured by the Zambian government of statutory self-regulation is not an option for Zambia.
A statutory regulation in whatever shape will undermine article 21 of the Zambian Constitution. It is seriously worrying that Government should look to Kenya," she said. "The Kenyan media environment is a suppressed one operating under the shadow of draconian laws.
The conditions that led to the statutory media council in Kenya in 2007 are well documented and ironically reminiscent of the current situation in Zambia, that of a government having difficulties with a watchful, assertive and forceful media. Statutory regulation in all its forms should have no place in a democratic nation like Zambia.
The comparison of Zambia Media Council to the disbanded MECOZ is lame. MISA urgently calls on the Zambian government to urgently review its stance on statutory regulation. Statutory media regulation is not an option for Zambia.”
And Professor Kruger said any power needed to be checked.
"Free media is crucial to democracy. But any power needs checks and balances. Freedom means responsibility.
Self-regulation is the only mechanism that balances the two principles. Media freedom is indivisible: if the state regulates the media, they are no longer free," said Prof Kruger. "All countries have laws that prohibit some extremely undesirable material, eg hate speech. Self-regulation offers a channel to resolve complaints.
It does not offer a guarantee that no mistakes will ever be made. A model that suits local circumstances can be developed. Zambian Media Council should be given a chance to succeed."
Labels: MEDIA, REGULATION, SAMPA KANGA-WILKIE
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Statutory regulation is prone to misuse – ZEC
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Thu 22 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIA Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo has said statutory regulation of the media, even when passed with the best of intentions, is prone to misuse by overzealous politicians.
And World Press Freedom Day Organising Committee chairperson Sheik Chifuwe said the media were not shaken by the government’s threats to regulate them by statutory and would go ahead and launch ZAMEC on May, 3 this year.
Commenting on information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha’s statement on Monday that he could not support a fraud system on media regulation and that the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) was just a reincarnation of the failed Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), Fr Samasumo said there was a misunderstanding that self-media regulation would endanger the rule of law, infringe on people’s privacy and bring the peace that the nation had enjoyed in jeopardy.
“This is not true. Seriously, offending media can and will still be dealt with in courts of law. Politicians and the public can choose not to go to ZAMEC but the courts for law for redress,” he said.
“Statutory regulation, even when passed with the best of intentions, is prone to misuse by overzealous politicians. In the end only voices that are in support of governments will be heard. This will not be good for our democracy.”
Fr Samasumo said the Catholic media in Zambia was saddened by the new stance adopted by the government over media self-regulation. He said having participated fully on the journey towards media self regulation, it was important that the government gave this route chance to work.
He said judging from the resolve and unanimity witnessed among the various media houses during the national conference held at Pamodzi hotel, recently, the Catholic media was convinced that both the private and public media were resolved to make ZAMEC succeed.
“The minister of information should not be unduly worried that ZAMEC will go the way of MECOZ. As Zambian media, we have come too far along this route of self media regulation to start changing course now and go the statutory way.
The media in Zambia have done their homework by going to almost all our neighbouring countries and in the end decided to adopt the South African model of self media regulation,” he said “The whole process and visits to neighbouring countries was done with the blessing of government. It is therefore, not right for government to change goalposts now and insist that the media adopt the Kenyan model.
The Kenyan model cannot work in Zambia where government is the biggest media player. Besides, governments, even when freely elected, are participants in the political contest and therefore are not best-suited to enforce fairness and objectivity.
Fr Samasumo said good journalism works in the interests of the public and offers news that was accurate, fair and balanced, gives voice to the voiceless, and contains the diversity of opinions in any given story.
“This is not to say that the media cannot take positions. However, when they take sides, the media will clearly distinguish between facts, comments and opinions,” he said.
Fr Samasumo said the view of the media owned by the Catholic Church in Zambia was that the media could only perform its crucial role as a watchdog of government if there was as little state control as possible.
He said at the recent national conference, to discuss the formation of ZAMEC, the media resolved to put in place ethical standard that would be governed by a code of ethics.
Fr Samasumo said ethics were best created by professionals themselves and best obeyed by them in a voluntary manner.
He said another misconception was that ethics were about dos and don’ts.
“Ethics are a way of life. In other words, a journalist will resolve to maintain ethics even when no one is looking. Obviously, no one is perfect. That is where the Ombudsman who will head ZAMEC comes in,” he said.
“In our view, our government should be celebrating the fact the media from the public and private sector have come together and resolved to make ZAMEC work.
This is unprecedented and needs to be celebrated. If ZAMEC fails then government can come back and say to all of us ‘we told you it would not work. Now let’s talk statutory regulation!’”
Fr Samasumo said if the media worked according to agreed ethical standards of behaviour based on accuracy, fairness, independence and accountability, they were less likely to fall foul of the law.
“In fact, what is never emphasised is that the major beneficiaries from ZAMEC are actually members of the public, who will have their complaints against a media house dealt with within three months and at zero or minimal cost.
If you compare this to going to court and waiting three years, I think everyone will agree that self media regulation that the media want to launch on May 3 is the best way to go.”
And Chifuwe said the media was convinced that self-regulation was the best way to go and they would deliver on the process.
He said the process would succeed and would meet the expectations of the public and media practitioners.
Chifuwe said it was already known that the government wanted to regulate the media but the media were not shaken and would go ahead with self-regulation.
He said it was beyond reasoning that a developing democracy such as Zambia should abandon the principles on which democracy was strengthened and instead take the path that was not only destructive but oppressive to the citizens.
Chifuwe said the deliberate attempt to gag the media through statutory regulation shall restrict and compromise flow of information intended to help people make informed decisions and be able to influence policy formulation and general governance of the country.
“We have no doubt that the media in our country is at the centre of discussion because it is under threat. We want to appeal to media practitioners to remain on the correct side of the debate and ensure that our people understand and start demanding for a free press,” he said.
Chifuwe also said the organising committee of the World Press Freedom Day had made tremendous progress in organising this year’s event scheduled for May 3.
He said this Sunday the committee would host sports activities at which media workers and practitioners shall have social engagement and revitalize their resolve to demand for a free press and freedom of expression.
Chifuwe said several teams and media organisations had confirmed participation and floating trophies would be presented to deserving teams.
He said the media was also faced with a lot of challenges as a new page is turned towards self-determination regarding media self-regulation in the country.
Chifuwe said criticism mounted by those opposed to media self-regulation had strengthened the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) and other progressive citizens.
“We have never at any given time believed that this would be an easy undertaking and we have no reason today to feel frustrated about the position taken by those opposed to this progressive agenda,” he said.
Chifuwe said MLC members felt disappointed by Shikapwasha’s statement attacking individual members of the committee.
He said Shikapwasha accused the MLC chairperson Henry Kabwe of driving or propagating what did not reflect the position of the MLC but the committee was confronted by the fact they were aware of such machinations intended to divide and weaken them.
He said those working with Shikapwasha to derail the process were aware or should know by now that Kabwe was mandated by the MLC to speak and/or represent the vision of the progressive media practitioners in the country.
Chifuwe appealed to Shikapwasha’s conscience to redirect his mind on this issue so he can be judged correctly by posterity.
And MLC spokesperson Amos Chanda said the MLC was open to dialogue but not one where positions were fixed.
Labels: MEDIA, PAUL SAMASUMO, REGULATION, SHEIK CHIFUWE, ZEC
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