Cops arrest Rupiah's propagandists
By Roy Habaalu
Thu 10 Jan. 2013, 14:00 CAT
POLICE yesterday detained former information minister Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha on two counts of abuse of authority of office.
The joint investigative team also arrested and detained former Zambia Daily Mail deputy managing director Davis Mataka, consultant Ngande Mwanajiti and MMD propagandist Chanda Chimba III.
Chimba was the first one to arrive at the former task force offices, followed by Mwanajiti and Lt Gen Shikapwasha who arrived at 10:25 hours. After about an hour, the three were driven straight to Woodlands Police Station where they were formally arrested.
Before taking his details, Chimba pleaded to talk to one of the police officers.
"Ba Bwalya can I declare something? It's not for the media, it's for your ears only. Kalya ka arrangement ba Bwalya kalya ka arrangement (that arrangement Mr Bwalya, that arrangement)…you know me I am a father," Chimba was heard pleading with a police officer before being taken into the holding cell.
Earlier, Mwanajiti told journalists not to struggle taking pictures of him as he positioned himself and was the first one to enter the cells.
Mataka was brought straight to Woodlands Police Station in the company of his lawyer Sunday Nkonde.
Investigative team public relations officer Namukolo Kasumpa said Lt Gen Shikapwasha was arrested for alleged abuse of authority of office and Chimba for two counts of unlawful printing and publication contrary to the Laws of Zambia and possession of property suspected of be proceeds of crime contrary to the forfeiture of proceeds of crime law.
Particulars of the offence are that Lt Gen Shikapwasha being a person employed in the public service as minister in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services arbitrary and in disregard of defamation laws and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) editorial policy did direct board management to air the Stand up for Zambia documentaries an act prejudicial to the rights and interests of Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, a public body.
"In the 2nd count, Rev Lt Gen Shikapwasha arbitrary and in disregard of professional legal advice not to broadcast Stand up for Zambia committed the government to pay all liabilities and legal fees emanating from the broadcast of the said programme an act prejudicial to the rights and interest of ZNBC and the government of Zambia," said Kasumpa.
On Chimba, particulars of the offence are that he unlawfully did cause to be printed or published newspapers called Stand up for Zambia and News of Our Times which were not registered at the office of the director National Archives of Zambia.
Chimba was also found in possession or control of an accumulated total of K611,440,433.12, money he paid for private media and printing services to Zambia National Broadcasting Services Corporation, Muvi Television and the Daily Mail Limited respectively which is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Mataka and Mwanajiti were jointly charged for corrupt acquisition of public property and revenue and unlawful printing and publication contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
"Particulars of the offence being that the Zambian Newspaper Limited, Mr Davis Mataka alias 'John Allan Mugwida' and Ngande Mwanajiti alias 'George Banda' jointly and whilst acting together did fraudulently and unlawfully divert K195,000,000 public media support fund from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services for the unlawful production and printing of a private newspaper called The Zambian without it being registered with the director at National Archives department," Kasumpa said.
They were all later released on police bond and will appear in Court soon.
Labels: RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, RUPIAH BANDA
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Ronnie hails stance on FoI Bill
By Moses Kuwema
Sat 23 June 2012, 13:24 CAT
IT is nice that the government is taking the Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament, says Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha. In an interview, Lt Gen Shikapwasha (left), a former information and broadcasting minister in the MMD regime said it was a good move that the PF government had taken.
"That is nice, it is very good. Let's discuss it in Parliament because it will be tabled for people to discuss, so we will discuss it in Parliament also," Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
Asked if the government had addressed the concerns that the MMD had with the bill which resulted in them dragging their feet to table it in parliament, Lt Gen Shikapwasha responded: "No comment until we discuss it in Parliament."
Information, broadcasting and labour permanent secretary Amos Malupenga announced that a taskforce working on a Bill had completed drafting the document and was expected to launch it next week for public scrutiny and comments.
According to Malupenga, the task force comprising civil society, legal experts, Transparency International - Zambia, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and other stakeholders had been working on the FoI Bill for the past few months.
After public scrutiny and comments, the bill would be tabled in Parliament.
Labels: FOI, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Media personnel lost jobs because of Ronnie - PAZA
By Abigail Sitenge
Tue 05 June 2012, 13:24 CAT
PRESS Association of Zambia president Andrew Sakala says some media practitioners have lost jobs because of Ronnie Shikapwasha's manipulation.
Reacting to Lieutenant General Shikapwasha's statement that the media is worse under the Patriotic Front government in terms of news coverage than it was under MMD, Sakala accused the former minister of manipulating the public media and causing loss of jobs for many media practitioners who were deemed to be unprofessional.
"It is through Shikapwasha's manipulation that some media practitioners are now suffering and have lost their jobs for unprofessionalism; it is because of him," he said.
"Times of Zambia, Daily Mail and ZNBC, some of them (reporters) have been retired, they are casualties of Shikapwasha's actions, who is comfortable because he is still an MP; he is getting a salary, but these young people are suffering."
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha was simply bitter that he was unable to manipulate the media any more.
"General Shikapwasha should really be honest and apologise to Zambians for the way he recklessly manipulated the media in this country," Sakala said.
He further charged that the type of media coverage especially running up to the elections was unprofessional, biased, unethical, and that Lt Gen Shikapwasha had a big hand in all that.
He said the former minister literally controlled ZNBC, Times of Zambia and Daily Mail, and issued instructions directly and through his permanent secretary.
"General Shikapwasha directed the public media to an extent that there was political witch hunting among the media practitioners themselves. So for him to say that the media is worse now is a joke, he is being dishonest because I think the media coverage has improved. It might not be the best but I think the improvement is there," Sakala said.
He said the public media in Zambia had improved in its coverage of news especially after last year's elections.
"I am not saying this is the best that we can get, no! There is still room for improvement, but definitely this is better than was under MMD," said Sakala.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who is also Kembe member of parliament, on Friday said the media was worse in terms of news coverage under PF than it was in the MMD regime and that PF cadres were censoring the media.
Labels: ANDREW SAKALA, MEDIA, PAZA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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People don't forget the past so easily
By The Post
Mon 04 June 2012, 07:00 CAT
RONNIE Shikapwasha is saying that the media in Zambia is worse under the PF government than it was during the MMD reign in terms of news coverage. Ronnie is also saying that there is an assault on democracy by the media's failure to report issues as they are under the PF. Is this true? Is this really so?
But what was the media like under the MMD government? What did the media do under the MMD government that it is doing worse today? What is the media not doing under the PF government that it was doing under the MMD government?
What did Ronnie do as Minister of Information that which Fackson Shamenda is not doing? How free is the state media today to report what it wants or what should be reported? What was the situation under the MMD government? How free was the private media to report what it wanted to report under the MMD?
And what were the consequences for the media that reported what the MMD government didn't want it to report? There are many questions that one can ask in response to Ronnie's statement and these are legitimate questions seeking honest answers. But we don't think that Ronnie's statement is an honest one seeking honest responses.
We all know that the media under the MMD, especially the state-owned media which the MMD government controlled, was not free to report the truth. The MMD had turned the state-owned media into a propaganda tool for peddling mendacity about their political opponents, real and imaginary.
We all know how the private media which did not yield to their whims was treated. And The Post can bear testimony to that; it is a clear example of how the MMD treated the media it did not like. We also all know how the MMD abused the state-owned media to vilify those they didn't like.
They created and funded 'private media' that was parasitic on the state media, abusing public resources for their own private or personal political propaganda. Zambians do not have as short a memory as Ronnie. They still remember what Ronnie and his friends did with Chanda 'Chimbwi'. He ran programmes on state television which had no regard to truth and to the dignity of others.
And this they praised as good media programmes. They had no regard even for the basic rules of defamation. They never cared whether other people were defamed or not. After all, there was no need to worry because even the courts of law were under their control and direction. They did as they wanted them to do.
Ronnie was one of the most reckless Ministers of Information Zambia has ever known. Under him, the state-owned media recorded the highest number of defamation suits which can today not be defended. And that is why it has been decided that Ronnie personally pays for some of these cases.
It is the first time in the history of this country that a Minister of Information has been made to personally bear the burden of defamation suits against the state-owned media. Why is this possible? This is possible because Ronnie himself directed this irresponsibility.
He had gone too far in this recklessness and disregard for the dignity of others. Under the MMD, the state media and the so-called private media that they controlled did as they pleased and with no regard whatsoever to the legality, morality or truthfulness of what propaganda they churned out.
And it is evident to everyone who has eyes to see or ears to listen that things have changed for the better under the PF government. The state-owned media today covers the opposition in the way it has never been covered before since the return to multi-partism in 1990.
The opposition and other voices outside the PF and its government are enjoying good and positive coverage in the state-owned media. Even their lies about those in government are being reported in this media.
And the remnants of the private media they had set up in the run up to last year's elections is still reporting about those in government today in more or less the same way it was reporting on them when they were in the opposition. The so-called private media that was set up to paint Michael Sata varicose is still at it today when he is President of the Republic.
No one has been arrested for criminal defamation of the President. And no one has been sued for doing so. There has been great tolerance and self-restraint on the part of Michael and the PF government when it comes to dealing with hostile, malicious and provocative media. So many clear lies are being reported in this media today about them.
But so far, we have never seen the police being sent on those who run this media. We have also not seen libel suits flying around in an attempt to stop the malice. But what we have seen is the constant exercise of self-limitation, restraint and modesty. This was not the case with the MMD government.
The two are simply not comparable. The media today, both state owned and private, are more free to report things as they want. If those in the media today report things in a manner that is not acceptable to the opposition or any other dissenting voices, it is not because someone in the PF is coercing them to do so; it is simply because that is the way they want to do it.
Yes, there are deficiencies in the Zambian media, including The Post, in the way it reports news. But these deficiencies cannot be attributed to the PF, at least for now. Up to this point, the PF cannot be accused of having a negative influence on the way the media reports.
And this is something that has been acknowledged by many people, including religious leaders. And this is the way things stand today. If things change tomorrow, then it will be another issue. But for now, the PF government has accounted itself very well in its dealings with the media.
The coverage the PF enjoys today is something that is freely given to it, something it has earned. This doesn't surprise us much because of all our politicians, Michael can be said to be the best in terms of knowing how to interact with the media. Throughout his political career, Michael has enjoyed wide media coverage.
For the most part, he has been the second to the president. When Michael was governor of Lusaka, he enjoyed more coverage that was only second to that of KK. And when he was a minister under Frederick Chiluba, he also enjoyed media coverage that was only second to Chiluba.
In opposition, Michael managed his own media coverage. He personally walked into newsrooms and talked to reporters, relating to them directly. Actually his media coverage has gone down; it's getting a bit poorer since he became President. We don't know the reasons for this. Probably it is simply because he doesn't have much time to pay attention to it directly.
It is difficult for anyone to accuse Michael and his government of limiting the scope of media coverage for others. What seems to have happened actually is the opposite; Michael is not getting as much media coverage as he should as the Republican President. He is not using the media as much as he used to when he was in opposition.
It is therefore difficult to understand how Ronnie can today say the media under PF is worse than it was under the MMD in terms of news coverage. Anyway, Ronnie has never had much respect for truth and honesty is something that he seriously lacks.
But it is statements like these which will further undermine the standing of the MMD as a political party. One cannot start telling lies about things which the people can see for themselves and expect to remain credible in their eyes.
We can only hope that the PF maintains its current approach to the media and continues to have a tolerant spirit. We do not have a perfect media, and no one has such a media in the world.
It is worse for us because of the many challenges the media faces that are hindering its development, capacity and efficiency. The skills are lacking in many areas of the media. And this calls for more and more tolerance, for more and more patience from the Zambian people and from the leadership of our country.
In this way, we may eventually get a media we deserve. It is sometimes very irritating, very annoying, but that is part of national growth. We have to learn to live with nuisances in our effort to create a more tolerant society.
This may appear to be a cost but eventually, it will turn into a reward and the reward always goes to those who endure adversity. It is part of the growth process for both the individual and the nation. In saying all this, we are not in any way trying to encourage or defend recklessness in the media. We are also not in any way advocating impunity.
We are simply asking our people and their leaders to be tolerant while at the same time demanding a media they deserve. Those who defame others should always be made to bear the temerity of their actions. But let this be done in a civil and judicious manner.
Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, MEDIA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Ronnie manipulated media, says Lubinda
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Mon 04 June 2012, 06:59 CAT
GIVEN Lubinda says Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha was the pilot of the manipulation of the media during the MMD reign.
Commenting on Lt Gen Shikapwasha's statement that the media is worse under the Patriotic Front reign in terms of news coverage than it was during the MMD's, and that the ruling party's cadres were censoring the media, Lubinda said the former information minister should lie low and apologise for running down the media instead of insulting Zambians.
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha was the worst-placed person to make such a statement.
"I would like to advise Reverend Shikapwasha to lie low and not to be unnecessarily provocative because he is bound to stir the hornet's nest and it is only he who runs the risk of being stung by the wasps," he said.
"In case Rev Shikapwasha thinks that the people don't have information, I want to ask him whether he wants to deny ever having uttered the words: 'it's not your mother's money that we shall use in case we are sued over Chanda Chimba' to pay legal fees and also compensate people who were being defamed, or does he want me to tell the world who he told those words? I am challenging him to deny that he said those words."
Lubinda, who is foreign affairs minister, said Lt Gen Shikapwasha was not only the architect but also the pilot of the manipulation of the media during the MMD rule.
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha should be extremely embarrassed with himself.
Lubinda said during Lt Gen Shikapwasha's time, no-one from the opposition would be carried by the Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail or ZNBC.
He said he was willing to be a witness when the Attorney General sues Lt Gen Shikapwasha over the legal fees in the Stand Up Zambia programmes.
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha could celebrate now that he would not pay the surcharge levied against him by the Attorney General.
Lubinda advised Lt Gen Shikapwasha to preserve the little intelligence he had because by daring the PF, he ran the risk of being exposed to a point where even the little integrity that could allow him to go and stand on the pulpit would be taken away from him and that even people who were following him when he goes to church would stop following and listening to him as a member of the clergy.
"I would like him to spend time to do an introspective view of what he did to destroy the media in Zambia," said Lubinda.
Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, MEDIA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Kunda accuses state media of lies
By Roy Habaalu
Wed 04 Jan. 2012, 13:58 CAT
GEORGE Kunda yesterday complained that the state media was publishing a lot of lies against opposition MMD leaders. Kunda is a former vice-president in Rupiah Banda's regime, which had a tight grip on public media to an extent where opposition politicians were vilified.
Kunda, together with his colleagues such as Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha even opposed media self-regulation and supported programmes such as Chanda Chimba's Stand Up for Zambia, which openly attacked political opponents and private media heads with impunity.
Some of the MMD propaganda programmes and articles have landed state media into various libel suits some from President Michael Sata and information minister Given Lubinda.
But briefing the media on the MMD's expectations from the PF government yesterday, Kunda complained that the state media was blacking out the opposition. This was after he was asked how he felt being covered by the public media when his government denied the opposition coverage.
"In the public state media we're covered in the negative and sometimes when you want to correct a defamatory statement, you're either blacked out or covered in the negative. Lies are coming out in the public state media. We can't defend ourselves it's wrong but it's getting worse," said Kunda, once an ardent critic of The Post and a ‘friend' of the state media.
"Look at the Zambia Daily Mail! The Post, I must give you some credit. Sometimes you cover us… but you also covered Mr (President) Sata throughout and that was unprofessional. We are on the receiving end to The Post." Kunda complained of negative coverage and being blacked out by state media.
Recently when debating the 2012 national budget in Parliament, Kunda said The Post had taken a good stance of criticising the PF government over wrong decisions it has been making.
Kunda said the private-owned newspaper should continue pursuing justice in the country.
"I am reading The Post newspaper. This is a very good newspaper. I was praising The Post newspaper for the way they do their editorial comments," Kunda said in apparent reference to an editorial comment, which criticised the PF's inaugural budget.
"This is of very high standards. They have turned their arsenals, from the MMD, now they are attacking the PF government and that is how it should be. Where mistakes are made, they should be pointed out and brought to the attention of the public. In this paper it is about the national budget and the Minister of Finance has been heavily criticised. He was writing very good articles before he became a minister and they have quoted him extensively on how he used to think at that time but now they are saying you are just adopting the MMD budget and there is no coloration between the promises which you made when you were campaigning and the budget. So I think this is a very good newspaper."
Kunda said he wanted The Post to continue fighting for justice.
Banda's cabinet wanted to formulate a punitive media bill, which was a hybrid of media laws in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe in a quest to fix The Post.
Meanwhile Kunda said President Sata spoiled his new year festivities.
Kunda, who is MMD chairman for legal affairs, said President Sata's attacks and allegations against him and his law firm made him not to celebrate New Year.
He complained that him and former ministers were living like slaves.
Kunda said he expected President Sata to deliver messages of goodwill, peace, reconciliation and encourage citizens to embrace tenets of good governance on New Years' eve.
"President Sata spoiled my new year festivities. The address to the nation was characterised by threats and attacks on individuals. He announced the setting up of a commission of inquiry to investigate some allegations against me. Listening to the President it's quite clear that the PF government is unlikely to provide good democratic governance," said Kunda.
The former vice-president who on Monday went to various media institutions to clarify the allegations said the manner in which the fight against corruption was conducted was unorthodox.
He said MMD members should brace themselves for hard times in 2012 because PF was vindictive and dedicated to vengeance, retribution and an eye for an eye principle.
Kunda accused some civil society organisations of benefiting from what he called illegal arrangements.
On the constitution-making process, Kunda said the government should disclose how much allowance was paid to members and how much the whole process would cost.
"We also note that the committee will again undertake provincial tours thereby reinventing or duplicating work already done by previous Constitutional Review bodies," said Kunda.
Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, MEDIA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Sata wins damages in libel case against Ronnie
By Mwala Kalaluka
Tue 26 July 2011, 14:00 CAT
THE Lusaka High Court has decided in favour of PF leader Michael Sata in a case where he sued chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha for defamation. The Lusaka High Court, last Thursday, entered a default judgment against Lt Gen Shikapwasha after he failed to avail himself before the court in a case where Sata sued him for libel and slander.
This is a matter where Sata, leader of the country’s largest opposition party, the Patriotic Front, in May this year sued Lt Gen Shikapwasha, the information minister and MMD parliamentarian.
The defamation suit stems from remarks attributed to Lt Gen Shikapwasha alleging that Sata supports homosexuality and warned that once people voted Sata into office he would change laws that would see marriages breaking up.
Sata claims the remarks were aired on ZNBC’s main evening news of April 21, 2011.
Sata is also seeking an interlocutory injunction restraining Lt Gen Shikapwasha from repeating the said slanderous words and that the court should award him costs.
Sata said Lt Gen Shikapwahsa’s statement was false and malicious as the words were understood to mean that he was a homosexual and guilty of the criminal offences on indecent practices.
Sata said the words were further understood to mean that should he win the presidency of the country, he would compel all persons to become homosexuals or lesbians.
He further said the said words were calculated to disparage and diminish his political ambitions of ascending to the Republican presidency.
However, according to a copy of the High Court judgment in default of appearance to defence entered against Lt Gen Shikapwasha last Thursday, the court ordered that Sata recovers general damages for defamation of character from him.
The court made the order in view of Lt Gen Shikapwasha's failure to appear in court in compliance to the Writ of Summons.
“The Defendant not having appeared to the Writ of Summons here, it is this day ajudged that: (i) The Plaintiff recovers against the Defendant general damages for defamation of character to be assessed by the learned Deputy Registrar. (ii) Cost to the Plaintiff, to be taxed in default of agreement,” the default judgment read in part.
The court, according to Sata's lawyers, has set August 2, 2011 as the date of hearing of the application for interlocutory injunction in the same case.
Labels: COURTS, LIBEL, MICHAEL SATA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Ronnie justifies abuse of public resources
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sun 24 July 2011, 14:00 CAT
Government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha has joined his counterpart education minister Dora Siliya in justifying the abuse of state resources by ministers.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha who is information and broadcasting minister said in an interview that there was no way ministers could cease to be ministers when they attend political rallies campaigns.
“Dora Siliya, for instance, is a minister. She does not take off her ministerial position when she goes anywhere in the country. She does not get demoted for her to hold a rally or tell the people to vote for her party or for her to wear her party regalia. And she enjoys the benefits of being a minister anywhere,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
“If you (reporter) for instance, remove your clothes, will you cease to be a lady? You are a lady! So there is no way government and the party can be differentiated. The party forms government. The party makes the manifesto which is then implemented by government. You cannot divorce government from the party,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
Commenting on the Law Association of Zambia’s (LAZ) considering to institute legal action against the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for breaching the ZNBC Act through unbiased media coverage, Lt Gen Shikapwasha attacked the association for exhibiting double standards.
“Do you think that if you allow The Post Newspaper to do what its been doing for many years, reporting against government, the other organisations cannot do the same? We (government media) can do the same. Mr. Musa Mwenye (who is LAZ president) has not talked about the bias reporting of the Post Newspaper,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who seemed incensed when interjected to remind him that ZNBC was a public institution that was guided by an Act of Parliament.
“No, let me talk. Let me talk. It does not matter whether public or private, it is the same information that must go to the people and it is therefore important that we have a standard for everybody else. Even The Post must have standards that are going to be applied to the public and private media, then we will move media development in Zambia.”
Lt Gen Shikapwasha said it was unfair for those that were opposed to government to continue attacking the state media when a named private media was covering President Rupiah Banda negatively.
“If PF leader Michael Sata and the PF do not want ZNBC to cover them it is not their ZNBC’s fault. President Banda has been able to survive negative coverage from The Post for the past five, six years he has not closed the newspaper. So I am justifying,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
He reiterated his attacks on LAZ president Mwenye, saying that he was not being neutral on national matters and accused him of being a PF sympathiser.
Labels: CORRUPTION, DORA SILIYA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Sata refused to buy me a bag of mealie-meal - Shikapwasha
By Misheck Wangwe and Isaac Phiri in Ndola
Fri 13 May 2011, 10:20 CAT
Chief government spokesperson Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha has described PF leader Michael Sata as an evil man who refused to assist him with money to buy a bag of mealie-meal at the time he was unemployed. And confusion among MMD members characterised Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha’s visit to Ndola’s Chifubu township on Wednesday.
Addressing a private MMD meeting at Chifubu’s Mpezeni Hall where journalists, both from public and private media, were blocked, Lt Gen Shikapwasha urged MMD members not to give Sata a chance because he would not assist anybody.
He said when he left Zambia Air Force and life became hard for him and his family, he met Sata at a filling station but the latter refused to assist him with money for a bag of mealie-meal.
“I was unemployed and at that time I was sick, I had backaches. We only had a small shop where my wife was selling bread. One day I met Sata at a filling station, I asked him for assistance because we didn’t have mealie-meal at home and he refused to assist me.
He said to me ‘Awe kapoke fye uko kwine uleya’ (go and get assistance where you are going). That’s how bad that man is,” he said.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha who is also Information and Broadcasting minister said the PF would destroy the nation if Zambians allowed them to take over government.
And Lt Gen Shikapwasha accused The Post of fabricating stories on President Rupiah Banda and the government.
He said the story which was published in The Post where former vice-president Lupando Mwape explained his recall from China was a total fabrications.
“We are not bothered by what this newspaper reports. The Post wants to create animosity in this country but it will not happen.
It’s full of lies but all these maneouvres will not take them anywhere,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
He was reacting to Lupando’s sentiment that he had been recalled by President Banda on account of being old.
Meanwhile, MMD members in Chifubu insulted each other and almost fought after supporters of the suspended constituency chairman Joseph Mukosela were prevented from attending a meeting at Mpezeni Hall chaired by Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
Some of Mukosela’s supporters vowed not to campaign for the MMD because of the mistreatment they were getting from the newly elected Ndola district chairman Victor Koni.
The party’s Chifubu Constituency vice-chairperson Noah Bwalya who was earlier also prevented from attending the meeting but was later allowed accused some party leaders in the district of dividing and weakening the party.
“This is the year of elections and we should be more organised as a party. But this discrimination and selfishness is killing us,” Bwalya complained.
As Shikapwasha arrived to address the meeting, divisions among the cadres deepened as supporters of Koni advanced towards the supporters of Mukosela who were getting ready for a fight.
Chifubu Constituency information and publicity secretary Hagai Bwalya described Koni as a bad leader who was busy persecuting MMD members he perceived as his enemies.
“This Koni is not a founder member of the MMD. He is not a ‘true blue’ of the party. He has brought more harm than good to the MMD. Koni knows nothing, he can’t even express himself in English and these people are calling him district chairman.
If this continues we will not campaign for anyone except President Rupiah Banda. We will just fold our arms and watch the PF and other people do the campaigns,” Bwalya said.
The confusion was only stopped by some policemen and senior MMD officials who assured both sides that the problem would be resolved amicably after the meeting.
Labels: RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Magande sees dictatorship in Radio Lyambai closure
By Kombe Chimpinde and Ernest Chanda
Mon 09 May 2011, 04:01 CAT
NG’ANDU Magande says the decision by the government to shut down Radio Lyambai
is testimony that President Rupiah Banda harbours dictatorial tendencies. And Radio Lyambai board chairperson Muliokela Wamunyima says the government’s long closure of the Mongu-based station has deprived people of their right to information.
Information and broadcasting minister Ronnie Shikapwasha on May 3 maintained
that the government would not open Mongu’s Radio Lyambai until the necessary
screening of the operations and computers belonging to the station were done to
establish whether or not some programmes aired on the station had contributed to
the January 14 riots over the Barotse Agreement.
Magande, who is president of the National Movement for Progress (NMP), said in
an interview that President Banda’s move to close the station was meant to
deprive the people of Western Province of relevant information.
Magande, however, warned that the people of Western Province would find another
avenue to get information which the government of President Banda was depriving
them of.
“He (President Banda) is the man in control of government. That is why we are
all saying he is in full control of what is happening there but that should not
be the purpose of a leader. A leader of a country is supposed to embrace
everyone,” Magande said.
“We have law enforcement agencies which can scrutinise and see whether there is
something suspicious in the operations of Radio Lyambai and courts are there to
judge whether someone said something that incited people to riot.”
Magande said Radio Lyambai was not only vital in the development of the people
of Western Province but that it was also a platform on which issues of public
interest were shared around that community.
He said it was also through community radio stations that the societies were
enabled and empowered to make informed choices about their lives, a right that
President Banda was denying them.
“Whether it is Mazabuka Radio or Radio Breeze, it is not supposed to be used for
political expedience.
Community or public radio stations need to be used to be
informing people on issues of development such as farming activities, weather
patterns and so on, that is major politics of the people in communities,”
Magande said.
He urged the government to heed to calls for them to reopen the station.
“In fact, they are not only depriving the people of Western Province of
information but they are also depriving themselves of a channel of communicating
with the people in Western Province. This is what causes frustrations among
people,” he said.
Magande said abuse of the public media was raising a major concern.
“I’m concerned now as a leader of a political party that now President Banda is
campaigning on public media without giving us a hint of when elections will be
held,” Magande said.
He said President Banda had embarked on reverting the country to the UNIP days
where the media was used for propagating messages of the party in government.
“It’s for this reason that we opened up community radio stations. When we
became a multi-party state, now we even have private television stations
opening,” said Magande.
“The public media is supposed to be a vehicle for
collecting and spreading information and if this government deprives the public
of what they want to know, the public will also be skeptical about what they
will be telling them and find other avenues.”
And Wamunyima stated that the closure of Radio Lyambai had also kept out of
employment many youths who depended on the station for their livelihood.
“The closure of Radio Lyambai is unprecedented. It is the longest closure of a
radio station from the time the Zambian airwaves were liberalised in the early
nineties.
This has unnecessarily dented the image of the Zambian government as
it should have been avoided. The situation as it stands is unacceptable in a
democracy,” Wamunyima said in a statement yesterday.
“This closure of the station has deprived the residents of Mongu and surrounding
areas of the inalienable right to access to information and communication
services in line with article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The continuous closure of the station has had adverse trickle down effects,
which started manifesting a long time ago.
Not only has it affected the members of the community but it has also rendered a
youthful team of staff unemployed.”
He stated that business houses had also lost out because they no longer had an
advertising platform for their goods and services.
Wamunyima has since called upon the government to reopen Radio Lyambai to enable
people access information, especially that it is an election year.
Labels: CENSORSHIP, MEDIA, NG'ANDU MAGANDE, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Ronnie threatens to close several radio stations
By Bright Mukwasa
Wed 27 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT
INFORMATION minister Ronnie Shikapwasha has threatened to revoke licences for many radio stations, accusing them of fabricating stories. In an interview during the Intellectual Property Day commemorations yesterday, Lt Gen Shikapwasha also accused radio Yangeni of Mansa in Luapula Province of broadcasting fabricated stories.
He said the government was concerned about the manner in which some radio stations were operating. “That’s why many radio stations may lose their licences,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
He accused Radio Yangeni of broadcasting a false story repeatedly regarding a young lady whose breasts were allegedly mutilated during the riot without disclosing the source, which he alleged amounted to fabrication.
He also said the government was still waiting for Radio Lyambai to submit more recordings of the programmes it used to run prior to its closure for scrutiny before it could decide its fate.
And Lt Gen Shikapwasha said the government was loosing huge sums of money due to piracy without mentioning any actual figure. He vowed that the government would crack down on piracy which was having negative effects on intellectual property.
National Arts Council of Zambia chairperson Mulenga Kapwepwe said without the protection of intellectual property there could be no development. She further commended the government for its efforts in fighting piracy.
Labels: CENSORSHIP, PRESS FREEDOM, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Parallel vote advocates face arrest
Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:35
GOVERNMENT has warned that individuals or members of civil society organisations who will try to carry out parallel vote tabulation in this year’s tripartite elections will be arrested and prosecuted.
Chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said there is no law in the country that allows an individual or organisation to conduct parallel vote tabulation. He said any individual or group of people that will go against the law during the elections will face arrest.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said the Electoral Commission of Zambia is the only institution mandated by law to announce results during elections.
“The only institution that has the mandate and authority over all elections in Zambia is the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
“So, civil society organisations have no right to do so as there is no such law in our Constitution,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha was speaking in an interview on March 8 in reaction to pronouncements by the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) and other civil society organisations that they will apply parallel vote tabulation during the elections.
It also caused unrest in 2001 when the United Party for National Development members and supporters took to the streets to celebrate the party’s then president Anderson Mazoka’s unofficially announced victory in that year’s presidential election.
The official results showed that Mr Mazoka’s rival Levy Mwanawasa was the winner.
But Gen Shikapwasha said Government will not tolerate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that want to fuel violence in the country.
He also said the parallel vote tabulation has proved to be a recipe for violence in countries where it has been applied.
“Just in Zimbabwe, there was confusion during the elections because some NGOs applied parallel vote tabulation, and so at the end of the day, there was confusion after the electoral body announced the official results.
“And if you also remember during the 2001 general elections, violence almost broke out in this country because the European Union and other NGOs applied the parallel vote tabulation and had announced that late UPND president, Anderson Mazoka, had won the elections when in fact it was late President Mwanawasa. So, people should desist from activities that can cause civil war in this country,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha said it is also surprising that United States Ambassador Mark Storella is in support of the system when it does not exist in his own country.
“This system does not apply in America or any other country that I’m aware of. So, it is disappointing the ambassador can be in support of such a system.
“Let all those that have intentions of sponsoring NGOs to apply the parallel vote tabulation instead direct those funds to the ElectoralCommission of Zambia so that we can strengthen this institution,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
Mr Storella was quoted by the media at the weekend as saying there is nothing wrong with the parallel system.
But Gen Shikapwasha said NGOs that want to implement the system have intentions of rigging elections.
“These institutions just want to cause confusion in this country because they want to come up with their own results and dispute official results of the ElectoralCommission of Zambia,” he said.
The ECZ last week rejected the parallel vote tabulation, stating that it would cause confusion in the management of elections in the country.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Labels: RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, VOTERIGGING
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Parallel vote advocates face arrest
Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:35
GOVERNMENT has warned that individuals or members of civil society organisations who will try to carry out parallel vote tabulation in this year’s tripartite elections will be arrested and prosecuted.
Chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said
there is no law in the country that allows an individual or organisation to conduct parallel vote tabulation. He said any individual or group of people that will go against the law during the elections will face arrest.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha said the Electoral Commission of Zambia is the only institution mandated by law to announce results during elections.
“The only institution that has the mandate and authority over all elections in Zambia is the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
“So, civil society organisations have no right to do so as there is no such law in our Constitution,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha was speaking in an interview on March 8 in reaction to pronouncements by the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) and other civil societyorganisations that they will apply parallel vote tabulation during the elections.
It also caused unrest in 2001 when the United Party for National Development members and supporters took to the streets to celebrate the party’s then president Anderson Mazoka’s unofficially announced victory in that year’s presidential election.
The official results showed that Mr Mazoka’s rival Levy Mwanawasa was the winner.
But Gen Shikapwasha said Government will not tolerate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that want to fuel violence in the country.
He also said the parallel vote tabulation has proved to be a recipe for violence in countries where it has been applied.
“Just in Zimbabwe, there was confusion during the elections because some NGOs applied parallel vote tabulation, and so at the end of the day, there was confusion after the electoral body announced the official results.
“And if you also remember during the 2001 general elections, violence almost broke out in this country because the European Union and other NGOs applied the parallel vote tabulation and had announced that late UPND president, Anderson Mazoka, had won the elections when in fact it was late President Mwanawasa. So, people should desist from activities that can cause civil war in this country,” he said.
Gen Shikapwasha said it is also surprising that United States Ambassador Mark Storella is in support of the system when it does not exist in his own country.
“This system does not apply in America or any other country that I’m aware of. So, it is disappointing the ambassador can be in support of such a system.
“Let all those that have intentions of sponsoring NGOs to apply the parallel vote tabulation instead direct those funds to the ElectoralCommission of Zambia so that we can strengthen this institution,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
Mr Storella was quoted by the media at the weekend as saying there is nothing wrong with the parallel system.
But Gen Shikapwasha said NGOs that want to implement the system have intentions of rigging elections.
“These institutions just want to cause confusion in this country because they want to come up with their own results and dispute official results of the ElectoralCommission of Zambia,” he said.
The ECZ last week rejected the parallel vote tabulation, stating that it would cause confusion in the management of elections in the country.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Labels: RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, VOTERIGGING
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eBy Patson Chilemba
Sun 06 Feb. 2011, 04:01 CAT
RUPIAH Banda’s government is preparing the minds of Zambians to reject the outcome of this year’s elections results, says Lusaka lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe.
Reacting to attacks from information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha that it was foolish for him to say that the MMD’s trend of rigging the elections was likely to continue during this year’s general elections, Dr Chongwe said in fact it was those in government who were preparing the people to reject the results should it result in an MMD victory because of their conduct.
He said the attitude of those in government towards the holding of credible elections was very worrying.
Dr Chongwe said the hounding of justice Florence Mumba from the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the abuse of state resources on the holding of MMD provincial conferences and the abuse of the state-owned media by those in government pointed to the fact that President Banda was not ready to conduct a free and fair election.
“By their very conduct they are preparing the minds of the people to reject the results. Only this week there was a report by a political activist, who is a member of an opposition party in Eastern Province, of all places, alleging that the government is starting to register people, opening up a register outside the register, which by law is supposed to be opened by the Electoral Commission of Zambia,” Dr Chongwe said. “That obviously is illegal and unconstitutional and evidence of rigging.”
Dr Chongwe said Zambians should be concerned about the current happenings with regards to the MMD conduct.
“There is nothing in my view sinister in the administration of the elections office by justice Mumba. And I am surprised that the people who gave her the job did not come to her rescue. They appeared to have agreed with them protesting workers,” he said.
Dr Chongwe said it was illogical and myopic for those in government to label those who raised concerns on the conduct of elections as opposition members.
He said the people had a duty to tell the government to be fair in their dealings with their opposition colleagues.
Dr Chongwe said there was too much anger emanating from those in government when people talked about the need for a credible election.
Dr Chongwe said the MMD government had already embarked on the process to rig the 2011 elections.
He said it was a fact that the political playing field was not level.
“They are using government resources like Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail, ZNBC, including public transport for politics. The President of this country has been flying from one province to another, conducting provincial elections. That is not a national duty, that is part of rigging,” Dr Chongwe said.
“When we talk about rigging we are talking about so many things, falsifying figures, using government resources to the disadvantage of others.”
Dr Chongwe expressed surprise at President Banda’s recent statement that he would only announce the election date when the MMD national executive committee (NEC) had put in place a campaign strategy.
“That is not politics in a multiparty. That is politics in a one-party state. That is not allowed by article 1 of our Constitution. That behaviour should change to conform to the system of government that we agreed to in 1990. It is the behaviour of a party which is buried in one partism, and that is illegal,” he said.
Dr Chongwe said Shikapwasha and Mulongoti were political novices who joined politics when rigging had already been ingrained in the MMD DNA.
He maintained that all the general elections the MMD government had conducted since 1996 were rigged by the ruling party.
Dr Chongwe wondered what more evidence those in government wanted to hear when former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu testified that the 2001 general elections were rigged.
Reacting to Chongwe’s earlier statement that the credibility of this year’s election was in serious doubt, Shikapwasha was quoted in last Friday’s edition of the Times of Zambia as saying that it was foolish for Dr Chongwe to make rigging allegations.
“That is a foolish statement coming from a man who is even a doctor in law. How does the Patriotic Front (PF) win elections in Lusaka and the UPND (United Party for National Development) in Southern Province?” said Shikapwasha.
He said the country’s electoral system was transparent as it allowed all stakeholders and players to monitor the process.
In the same edition, Mulongoti said Dr Chongwe was preparing people’s minds to reject the election results when they lose this year’s elections.
Labels: ECZ, ROGER CHONGWE, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, RUPIAH BANDA
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A Lozi is a Lozi
By The Post
Sat 22 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
Things must be called by their right names. This does not mean that we are speaking with hate, nor harshly about anyone. We should analyse, censor, criticise seriously all these things.
There is no section of our nation that has all the virtues, neither does any have all the vices. There are problems in the Western Province of our country which no honest person can deny. And the problems that are in Western Province today are deep-rooted and have nothing to do with the way we are reporting on them as a newspaper. We are not the creators of the confusion that has rocked this very important part of our country.
Those who are seized of the responsibility to govern and therefore deal with problems such as the ones in Western Province need to be honest, sincere, upright and men and women of unquestionable integrity. It is not possible to deal with deep-seated and complex problems by employing lies, deceit, character assassination, calumny, cheap propaganda and any other dishonest means that may appear to give those who use them advantage. We say this in the light of the infantile reaction of Ronnie Shikapwasha, Rupiah Banda’s government spokesman, to our coverage of the treason charges levelled at 23 Lozi men. Ronnie accuses us of trying to incite the Lozis into thinking that they are hated by the rest of Zambia by referring to them as Lozis. How Ronnie arrives at this interpretation of the use of the word Lozi is beyond our comprehension. Either this man is very dull or he is irredeemably dishonest. We say this because no sane person can honestly say that by reporting that 23 Lozi men have been charged with treason, we are telling the Lozis that they are hated by the rest of Zambia. Which word in that headline communicates the sense that Ronnie is accusing us of?
A responsible leader will not resort to finding cheap scapegoats to justify their own mistakes. It is clear that Ronnie and his puppeteers, those who are pulling the strings that make his mouth move endlessly, are worried by the crisis that their irresponsibility has created in Western Province. It’s clear that they are creating a Zambia, a nation, a society which even they themselves are starting to get scared of, and are afraid to call what is happening in it, the things they are doing in it by their names. Blaming The Post will not change the complexion of Ronnie’s government’s problems. If they think that by blaming The Post or destroying The Post, they will have removed the source of their problems, they are cheating themselves. The problems in Western Province are much older than The Post. The people in Western Province are raising issues that have nothing to do with The Post. These jokers would be better served if they stopped trying to hide behind the finger that they use to point at The Post and started dealing with real issues.
It is not possible to resolve problems if you are not prepared to be honest about what the problems are. It is like somebody suffering from syphilis or gonorrhoea going to a doctor and telling the doctor that he has a headache. The doctor may examine them, give them panadol and send them away. They may manage to deceive the doctor but that does nothing for their problems. Problems must be admitted, clearly defined and solutions prescribed. The government, rather than engage in cheap politics of character assassination, should deploy the resources at its disposal to understand the mistakes they have made which have allowed the situation in Western Province to get to where it got. Whether we call the 23 men who were arrested Lozis or Zambians will do nothing to solve the problem on the ground in Western Province. In fact, if we ran a headline that said that 23 Zambians had been arrested for treason in relation to the problems in Western Province, we would be guilty of misleading the public. That headline would tend to suggest that the problem of treason in Western Province covers the whole Zambia and all our people from various regions of our country are a party to it. It was more accurate for us to say 23 Lozis were arrested for treason. And moreover, the stationery used to arrest people in our police stations still carries this identity. There is a provision where one has to state his tribe, village and chief. None of the 23 men charged with treason belongs to any other tribal group of Zambia other than that of Lozi. What is wrong with us reporting that which the police recorded from these people? Is calling a Lozi a Lozi today an insult, a crime? Why should reporting that Lozis have been arrested make the Lozis feel hated by the rest of Zambia?
It is clear that Ronnie’s job is that of a spin doctor. To remain relevant, he has to continue saying something even if what he is saying doesn’t make sense.
We are not surprised that we have the kind of problems that are being experienced in Western Province when we have a government that can be so irresponsible as to reduce a complex problem that people have carried for many years to a question of names or tags for tribal groupings. The problem in Western Province has nothing to do with who is called what. It seems to us that the people of Western Province are desirous of a greater say in matters that affect them daily. They want to be a better part of the governance system that is supposed to deliver services to them. These are simple issues in and of themselves. But when they are placed in the historical context of the Western Province, we are made to realise that some complex questions would have to be asked and answered. This is the issue that the government is supposed to be grappling with: trying to understand what the people of Western Province are saying and how that can be addressed in a way that ensures that those people who are raising issues appreciate that their problems are dealt with and the government is able to justify whatever they do as a necessary consequence of their responsibility to govern. Trying to bully people and blame anybody and everyone for problems that they have a responsibility to manage is reckless cowardice that could land this country in a lot of problems. Ronnie must learn to think beyond the politics of keeping his job.
What is distinctly lacking among our leaders in Rupiah’s government is a culture of tolerance and humility which places the humanity of others before self and accepts that all citizens have a right to participate in the shaping of their destiny directly without fear of reprisal. They have a reputation for intolerance that is difficult to match.
Since the recent problems in Western Province started over the Barotse Agreement, we have written four editorial comments critical of the way the Barotse Agreement activists were going about their issues and also of the way the government was handling the matter. In these comments, we also offered solutions on how the matter could be approached. Neither the Barotse Agreement activists nor Ronnie’s government paid any attention to our advice. And today Ronnie has the audacity to try and accuse us of the nonsense he is accusing us of. Ronnie needs to have his head examined. We say this because all the comments we have written on this issue are there for any literate person to read. And also all the stories we have published on this issue are in the public domain. And nowhere can any honest person accuse us of being negative, of encouraging confusion. It is only a dishonest person like Ronnie who can have the courage to do so. But this is what happens in a society when standards, values and principles are lost.
Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, RICHARD LUONDE, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, THE POST
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Who are you trying to fix?
By The Post
Tue 11 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
It is among the rights of citizens which found their expression in a democracy to express their points of view concerning the duties and sacrifices which are imposed on them, not to be forced to obey without being heard.
In this regard, the views expressed by Southern Province MMD chairperson Solomon Muzyamba on the necessity for a self-regulating media deserve support.
Solomon says “for those in leadership, I think they should be scrutinised by the public through the information the media gives out but that information should not be malicious and bent on destroying somebody or even targeted at discrediting an individual”.
We should not follow leaders blindly; we should critically examine their true intentions, and the direction in which they are leading us. Is it to a richer, more satisfying life?
To a life in which we are the masters of our own destiny?
Or, is it to new forms of oppression, tyranny, dictatorship and unfulfilled hopes? Let us work to become a single people.
A country is firm and united insofar as its citizens feel that they have a voice in its affairs.
This requires that each citizen be allowed one’s opinion and the right to act with full responsibility and without fear in matters that affect him intimately.
No one person can claim to have a monopoly of truth and wisdom.
No individual – or group of individuals – can pretend to have all the resources needed to guarantee the progress of a nation.
The contribution of the most humble members is often necessary for the good running of a group.
The people must never be reduced to a mass of subjugated beings vis a vis their rulers, but rather be treated as conscious, intelligent and responsible subjects, while those in authority for their part play their role as servants of the people, conscious of the liberating mission which is theirs and which they have to carry out in a spirit of love and justice.
Participation in the life of a country is not only a right; it is also a duty that each citizen should be proud to assume and exercise responsibly.
People in positions of authority, in government and administration, have a particular duty to work for the restoration of a climate of trust and openness.
However, participation will remain a fiction without the existence of adequate channels of expression and action: an independent press, open forums of discussions and the like.
Freedom of the press includes the freedom to hold and express a line of thinking that is distinct from that of the government.
Freedom of the press is basic to any civilised society.
The intentions of Rupiah Banda’s government to introduce statutory regulation of the media have nothing to do with public good.
They have everything to do with selfishness, greed, vanity and political survival. If the spirit of the common good were to animate Rupiah and his minions like Ronnie Shikapwasha and George Kunda, we would not be witnessing the things they are trying to do, their intentions and attempts to introduce statutory regulation of the media.
But it is necessary for them to realise that a free media is for the good of a country, and not for the political survival of any individual or political party.
And as we have pointed out before, few would argue that the news media in our country always carry out their functions responsibly.
They are sometimes sensational, superficial, malicious, intrusive, inaccurate and inflammatory.
This is not desirable. The solution is not to introduce statutory regulation and devise laws that set some arbitrary definition of responsibility or to licence journalists, but to broaden the level of public discourse so that citizens can better sift through the chaff of misinformation and rhetoric to find the kernels of truth.
If Rupiah’s government was truly interested in the common good, they would not think of statutory regulation at all.
What is driving them is selfish and narrow political interests. And this can be seen from the way they are abusing the media under their control and direction.
Look at the irresponsibility, outright lack of professionalism, bias, malice, calumny, lies that we read every day in the two newspapers they control and direct!
Watch the television programmes they produce on the media they control!
Can these people be said to care about truth in any way? Can they be said to be concerned about professionalism in any way?
They are in control of more than 60 per cent of media products in this country.
One can truthfully say that those who are seeking to regulate the media are also media players, controllers of media content.
The regulations they want to bring, can one say they are targeted against themselves? These people have no problems with what they do with the media.
They are already directly regulating a great proportion of the Zambian media. What they seem to have problems with is the small segment of the media that is not under their control and direction and at the head of this is The Post.
This is what they don’t control.
If The Post today started to serve them the way the Times of Zambia and Daily Mail are serving them, this whole subject of media regulation would come to an instant close.
So their intentions to regulate the media have nothing to do with common good but their selfish intentions.
We say this because in all respects, the media outside their control beats the media they control.
It is the media they control that has the highest number of libel cases, including against ourselves.
They have lost more legal suits than the media outside their control put together.
This in itself is a sign of recklessness, irresponsibility, lack of professionalism on their part.
And they have made it clear that they are happy with the way the state-owned media under their control is operating.
So this whole media regulation issue has nothing to do with the media they control, the media they every day abuse to carry their lies, abuses and propaganda.
But evil things have a way of boomeranging.
This statutory media regulation they want to introduce will boomerang in the way the removal of bail from motor vehicle theft did on them.
They will not be in power forever to control and direct things.
The media they want to suppress today, the media whose capacity they want to curtail today may turn out to be their saviour when they are out of power tomorrow. But what will they find?
They will find a media outside government control whose capacity they have undermined. This is all they will have to defend their human rights!
We want to make it very clear to all our people that statutory regulation of the media will certainly affect the operations of our country’s independent media.
But the greatest losers in all this will not be the journalists or the private media owners.
It will be the people of this country in their complexities and diversities.
Yes, the media today is in the forefront of defending press freedom in this country. But the press freedom that is being defended by the media does not belong to the media or the journalists who work for the media.
They are defending something that belongs to the people. And the greatest loss in all this will lie with the people, and not the journalists.
So those who think by the introduction of statutory regulation, they will fix certain journalists, editors, media owners and their organisations, are cheating themselves, are fools who will eventually, and without escape, suffer the consequences of their own deeds.
MLC meets Ronnie over media regulation
By By Mwala Kalaluka
Tue 11 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE Media Liaison Committee yesterday held a meeting with information and broadcasting ministers Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikap-washa over the issue of media regulation.
Media Liaison Committee (MLC) spokesperson Daniel Sikazwe said the meeting with Lieutenant General Shikapwasha and other government officials was held to facilitate for the opening of talks and engagement between the government and the MLC over media regulation issues.
Sikazwe, who is also Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zambia chairperson, said they agreed that it is important for them to start to dialogue.
Labels: MEDIA, PRESS FREEDOM, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, SOLOMON MUZYAMBA
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Shikapwasha must be ashamed for denouncing Panji - Fr Salangeta
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Sun 09 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
A KITWE clergyman says Ronnie Shikapwasha must be ashamed for denouncing Colonel Panji Kaunda’s statement on violence because that is the thinking of many Zambians.
Fr Anthony Salangeta, the assistant parish priest at Kitwe’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, said information minister Lieutenant General Shikapwasha was displaying double standards.
“… For me there was a condition to that statement which is, ‘if government does not put in place measures, which will make elections free and fair’. When did we see Shikapwasha come on TV to condemn or denounce MMD member Chiko Chibale who openly threatened that he will travel to Mongu with his thugs to sort out Bishop Paul Duffy?” Fr Salangeta said.
“What about William Banda’s recent talk that he will do anything in his power including violence to ensure that MMD remain in power because power is not lost on a silver platter?”
He said it was against that background that most Zambians felt that the coming tripartite elections would be the bloodiest like Col Panji put it.
Fr Salangeta said Lt Gen Shikapwasha and the MMD would never come out clean on violence until they explain to Zambians why the police failed to arrest even a single MMD cadre over the Mufumbwe violence.
He said what happened in Mufumbwe where even the Inspector General of Police did nothing to curb violence spoke volumes about the country’s electoral code.
“Even the shooting of a PF cadre by the former health deputy minister Dr Solomon Musonda is a clear indication that more needed to be done to secure people’s lives before elections,” said Fr Salangeta.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha, his home affairs counterpart Mkhondo Lungu and some hired non-governmental individuals condemned Col Panji’s caution and asked him to retract his statement.
However, Col Panji reiterated that the government needed to stop violence or else the country would experience a bloodiest election this year.
Col Panji said he was more than qualified to talk about violence and he was in no way agitating for it.
Labels: MDC VIOLENCE, PANJI KAUNDA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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Appreciate govt’s efforts - Ronnie
By Misheck Wangwe
Sat 08 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE congestion on the roads in Lusaka is a sign that the government is creating wealth for the people, according to Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha.
Featuring on Radio Phoenix’s Let The People Talk programme yesterday, Lt Gen Shikapwasha, the chief government spokesperson and information minister, said the MMD government under President Rupiah Banda had done a lot to improve people’s livelihood.
“If you pass through the roads in Lusaka, there is a congestion on vehicles which is a sign that government is creating wealth for its people and the country. President Banda’s administration has come up with several developmental programmes that are touching the lives of citizens,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
He said the government had embarked on infrastructure development programmes such as building schools and health institutions around the country.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha said people should appreciate the government’s commitment to national development.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha maintained that anyone calling for the secession of Western Province would be committing treason.
But economist Bob Sichinga said the influx of vehicles on the streets was not a sign of economic growth.
Sichinga, who featured on the same programme, said although it was commendable that the government had put more resources for infrastructure development in this year’s budget and recorded considerable economic growth in the country, there was need to ensure that the growth translated into tangible human integral development.
“You can have growth like the current eight per cent. It’s not the highest in the region but it’s positive growth. But you can have growth without development unless people are able to have money in their pockets,” Sichinga said.
He also said the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 was a good document because it emphasised on devolving power so that the people could have a greater say in governance issues.
He said the aspirations of the people in Western Province and other parts of the country must be listened to.
Sichinga said there was no reason for the government to threaten the people who were calling for the recognition of the Barotseland Agreement.
“I don’t agree with government that this issue should not be discussed. We need to discuss the Barotse Agreement, resolve it and close the issue. I agree with government though that we cannot do it in anarchy. I totally condemn violence,” said Sichinga.
Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, MMD, ROBERT SICHINGA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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No one can be jealous of Rupiah - Nawakwi
By Patson Chilemba
Wed 29 Dec. 2010, 04:01 CAT
NO one can be jealous of Rupiah Banda, says Edith Nawakwi. Reacting to information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha assertions that she was jealous of President Banda’s successes because she expected to be part of it, Nawakwi, who is FDD president, wondered how she could be jealous of a government that presided over suffering.
“No one can be jealous of Rupiah Banda as President of this Republic when there is so much carnage on the roads…I do not expect this government to go to Kanyama and see the squalor and the breeding of houseflies, the cholera. I do not expect them to go to George Compound and see how water logged those pit-latrines are, where people are getting dirty water,” she said.
Nawakwi (right) said what could be seen as success under President Banda was not started by him. She said no one in President Banda’s government was ever seen rescheduling the county’s debt in Paris.
“They are boasting of US $2 billion reserves. How can any government boast of reserves when their people are starving? It is like having a granary of food which is full and your children are starving and you tell them that ‘I am rich’,” Nawakwi said.
“People at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) have no access to the renal unit because they can’t afford the cost of K2 million, and this government is feeding on reserves. Which reserves are they talking about which are only meant to support the mining sector because it keeps their imports? When they want their money they get it?”
Nawakwi said it was a fallacy for the government to claim that President Banda was building schools because the normal government procedures dictated that it took almost a year to process tender permission to construct a school.
“But these facilities are already at completion level. Only someone who doesn’t have eyes can be cheated that this is their work. This is work that has been going on for maybe four, five years after the HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative) completion point and debt write-off,” Nawakwi said.
“That is what you see. It is not their plan. We must now demand to begin to see their plan. We want to see good housing for the people in the compounds. We want to see silos so that our maize is not soaked.”
Nawakwi said she did not consider a ministerial position as a job. She said she left the civil service to join hands in removing UNIP from power.
Nawakwi said in 2001 she left the comfort of being a minister to ensure that the Republican Constitution was not annihilated when Frederick Chiluba wanted to go for a third term.
She said the MMD should be grateful because for the sake of peace and stability she chose to support them in the 2008 presidential elections.
“This is a government full of people who say that they are in MMD simply because of the politics of benefit. Some of us are not in that category, and will never be, and have no need for it,” Nawakwi said.
She said there was nothing positive those in government did because they refused to take advice, saying that was why some chose to keep quiet.
“As such President Banda is missing out on very important valuable advice because around him, he is literally on a noose. He can’t even talk to Grey Zulu…they are so bent on politics of benefit, they forget to see reality,” Nawakwi said.
She insisted that the country should start trading in hard currency because the exchange rate in the last 20 years had been tailor made to support the mining industry.
Nawakwi likened the mining companies to tourists whose activity had failed to add tangible value to Zambians.
She said the issues she raised in the health sector and Finance Bank needed serious intellectual minds and not comedians like Shikapwasha.
“He is spokesperson of government. He should address this issue. Can we dollarise the economy which has been subsiding the mines because if the mines start paying in hard currency for goods and services supplied to this country, which goods are imported by small scale traders they have to suffer the consequences of a duel exchange rate?” said Nawakwi.
Shikapwasha was quoted in yesterday’s edition of the state-owned and government-controlled Times of Zambia saying Nawakwi was jealous of President Banda’s achievements.
Shikapwasha was responding to Nawakwi’s observation that President Banda’s government had underperformed and failed to deliver.
Labels: EDITH NAWAKWI, FINANCE BANK, MINING, POVERTY, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, RUPIAH BANDA
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MLC exposes Ronnie’s media council bill plan
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 28 Dec. 2010, 04:01 CAT
THE Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has disclosed that information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha has devised a 2010 Media Council Bill which he intends to present to Parliament early next year.
Reacting to a story published in the Times of Zambia yesterday where Lieutenant General Shikapwasha asked the media bodies to withdraw the registration of the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC), MLC chairperson Amos Chanda said the MLC was aware that the minister wanted to fulfil his desire to regulate the media by law.
"What he has said is a step to implementing what's on his table. We are aware that he has prepared a 2010 Media Council Bill which he wants to table before Parliament in the next sitting," Chanda said yesterday.
"We are also aware that he has decided to revise the 2009 Media Council Bill so that his position and conditions on media regulation can be fulfilled. He has a tendency of dragging people into acrimonious situations, but we will not be a party to that."
Chanda contended that the MLC, and not Lt Gen Shikapwasha, had always spearheaded the dialogue process. He said the registration of ZAMEC was done in line with the wishes of media bodies.
"As of 3rd May 2010, the conference at Pamodzi Hotel decided that MLC be registered. And we have registered in line with the Pamodzi resolution. Even the institutions the minister has mentioned were there and they agreed to the resolution," he explained.
However, Chanda said the MLC was still available for dialogue with Lt Gen Shikapwasha, but would not de-register ZAMEC.
Chanda said the MLC would not succumb to Lt Gen Shikapwasha's threats, innuendoes and acrimony.
And Press Freedom Committee of The Post chairperson Chansa Kabwela said Lt Gen Shikapwasha had exposed himself over media regulation.
Responding to Shikapwasha's claims that The Post was driving the media regulation agenda, Kabwela asked Lt Gen Shikapwasha to reflect seriously on his attitude towards the media.
"His stance towards media self-regulation shows that he is not ready to reform. It is the same Lieutenant General Shikapwasha who not too long ago accused The Post of standing aloof regarding media regulation. But now that we are involved in the process, he is accusing us of driving the agenda. Clearly, Lieutenant General Shikapwasha has exposed himself that he is not interested in media regulation," said Kabwela. "We hope and pray that he will reflect seriously in the remaining three days before closing the year. This kind of thinking defies logic. It's a very shameful way of closing the year!"
In yesterday's Times of Zambia, Lt Gen Shikapwasha asked the MLC to de-register ZAMEC before engaging the government in further talks.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha also claimed that the MLC had betrayed the government and accused The Post of driving the agenda on media regulation.
"On our part, we want MLC to de-register ZAMEC and bring it back to the table because they decided to register it without further consultations. They said dialogue should still go ahead and they hoped there can be an understanding. How can there be an understanding when they decided to unilaterally register it before we could dialogue?" asked Shikapwasha. "There is no way one newspaper and a few individuals can control the media regulatory framework on behalf of all Zambians. There was a rush to go and register it because they did not want negotiations to continue."
Lt Gen Shikapwasha further claimed the MLC did not consult state-owned media institutions such as the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail, Evelyn Hone College Media Studies Department, Zambia Institute of Mass Communications and Zambia Printing Company, before registering ZAMEC.
Labels: AMOS CHANDA, MEDIA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA
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