Henry’s charges can only be revealed if he presents himself-Inspector General
TIME PUBLISHED - Monday, April 2, 2012, 1:59 pm
Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani has said that the charges against the fugitive son of former President Rupiah Banda, Henry can only be revealed when he presents himself for question before law enforcement officers.
The Inspector General was reacting to South African High Commissioner to Zambia Moses Chikane who is quoted as saying that his country cannot extradite Henry to their Zambian counterparts in the absence of charges.
Ms Libongani said it is now the responsibility of Interpol to avail the details of Henry Banda’s case to South Africa since the Zambian government has handed over the details to French basedpolice organisation.
Henry, the most prominent son of former president Rupiah Banda is wanted for questioning in connection with the engagement of RP Capital Group to evaluate Zamtel assets at the cost of $2 million and the subsequent sale of the company to LAP Green of Libya.
The Zambian government has since reversed the sale of Zamtel and returned 100 percent ownership of the telecommunications company.
And Ms. Libongani has observed that intellectual property rights violation poses serious threats to the country than just economic loss to the rights’ holder.
She says the failure to protect intellectual property rights undermines confidence in the economy, removes opportunities for growth, erodes the country’s technical advantages and disrupts fairness and competitiveness in the market place.
Ms. Libongani said this at Lilayi Police College in Lusaka this morning during the opening of a five day decentralization training seminar on intellectual property enforcement organized by the British American Tobacco.
She says the focus of the programme is to ensure that at the end of the course, the police service should be in a position to decentralize the functions performed by the IPU unit at the police headquarters to other provinces of the country.
QFM
Labels: CORRUPTION, HENRY BANDA, MMD, POLICE, SECRECY, TRANSPARANCY
Read more...
Zambian public institutions operating in secrecy – MISA Zambia
By Kombe Chimpinde
Wed 29 Sep. 2010, 04:01 CAT
ZAMBIAN public institutions operate in secrecy with
a near 100 per cent failure to respond to citizens’ requests for information, a study conducted by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has revealed.
And the same study has rated the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services as the most secretive government unit in the country. This came to light when MISA Zambia launched the most 'open and secretive public institutions in Zambia' report yesterday.
MISA Zambia interim chairperson Fanuel Chembo who presented the report at a media briefing said of all the five institutions surveyed only one institution responded to requests from citizens for information.
“Secrecy is a major problem in government and public institutions in Zambia. Generally, the Zambian government institutions operate in secrecy with a near 100 per cent failure to respond to citizens for information. Of the five institutions surveyed, none but one, responded to a written request for information while the other four neither acknowledged receipt or provided reasons for not providing information requested for,” he said.
“In spite of empirical evidence from such studies of prevailing secrecy in most public institutions in Zambia, government is all talk and no action to enact the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill since 2002 'further consultations 'have been cited as the reasons for the delay.”
Chembo also highlighted the contrast speed taken by the government to amend the Independent Broadcasting Act 9 and (IBA) Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Act of 2002 as among the many contributing factors.
“To attest to this, MISA Zambia, in 2006, undertook a survey of the ZNBC main news during the run-up to the 2006 tripartite elections .The results revealed that ZNBC gave 75 per cent coverage to the ruling party than opposition parties,” the report read in part.
Chembo said that although government highly embraced the use of information technology such as websites to provide information, the development for handling of citizens requests still remained very poor as demonstrated by the findings of the research.
“Despite having officials designated to provide information to the public, information remains a privilege than a right for citizens, given or refused at the discretion of a public office,” Chembo said.
“It therefore goes without saying that the most secretive government institutions for 2010 and recipient of the Golden Padlock Award is no other than the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services.”
He said the information ministry takes over from the Ministry of Health which was named as most secretive institution last year.
And the Ministry of Education has been ranked as the most open institution this year that had provided information sought in the research conducted by MISA.
According to the report there had been significant improvement in the utilization of information technologies by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)in interacting with the public.
MISA has since called for an urgent enactment of an access to information law in addition to Parliament retaining the clause providing for the right to access to information in the draft constitution under review.
Meanwhile information and broadcasting minister Ronnie Shikapwasha has described the report as inaccurate and biased.
“It is clear that the tone of the report of MISA 's primary aim is malice and ill will against government,” Shikapwasha said.
“Landmark policy and legal reforms are being taken ranging from live coverage of debates in the National Assembly to liberalization of the media industry. By an Act of Parliament, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation has been transformed from a national broadcaster to a public while the process towards media self regulation and enactment of Freedom of Information bill is going on.”
Shikapwasha added that a digital Migration Task force is in place as well as rapid and robust growth in ICTs after the laying of the Zesco optic fiber all which contributed to enhancement of access to information.
Labels: FANUEL CHEMBO, GOVERNANCE, MISA, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, SECRECY
Read more...
Senior Govt officers warned against being tight-lipped
Posted on July 18th, 2008
Secretary to Cabinet Joshua Kanganja has warned permanent secretaries and other senior government officers against resisting to release relevant and important information to stakeholders on the country’s governance. Dr Kanganja said he has received reports from various stakeholders on the failure by senior government officers to respond to stakeholders when they are in need of information on the country’s economic, social, corporate, political, and democratic development.
Dr Kanganja charged that government officers must ensure that relevant and adequate information is provided to stakeholders who have genuine reasons to have access to the various types of information. He said this in Lusaka today when he officiated at a seminar for senior government officials on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
Dr Kanganja explained that the challenges that Zambia as a country faces in realizing good governance should be brought to the fore so as to enable all stakeholders in society to propose remedies to addressing the challenges.
“I do not want to receive any more reports that a permanent secretary or any other senior government official does not want to release information to genuine stakeholders”
“Those offices you are occupying public offices, hence you must be accountable and attend to stakeholders when they are in need of information,” Dr Kanganja.
Dr Kanganja said government officials should not view the APRM as a blame apportioning exercise but rather as a genuine opportunity to show case Zambia’s determined efforts to release and actualize good governance principles.
“WE should equally ensure our co-operation with the APRM secretariat by providing all the information which is critical in producing the country’s self assessment report,” Dr Kanganje said.
Dr Kanganja said the Zambian government’s contribution to the APRM process should continue to demonstrate the good efforts being sewn to enhance good governance in the country.
He explained that the APRM process to which the Zambian government has committed itself is meant to assist African countries and its leadership in developing credible and satisfactory governance systems.
Dr Kanganje added that countries accredited to the APRM process are accountable for the governance situation in their respective countries through a self country assessment report and the peer review of the president.
ZANIS/YK/AM/ENDS.
Labels: APRM, GOVERNANCE, JOSHUA KANGANJA, PERMANENT SECRETARIES, SECRECY
Read more...
Corruption - And What The Government Can Do About It
The way I see it, corruption is helped immeasurably by the secrecy surrounding government finances and contracts.
The way this government could make huge strides in combating public corruption, is to end all secrecy about financial deals, procurement, tax collection and all the deals made with the mines.
Therefore, I'm calling for an initiative to end secrecy about public finance, and make all government transactions and receipt of funds a matter of public record.
Labels: CORRUPTION, FOI, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BILL, SECRECY
Read more...
Some leaders deny journalists access to information - Nonde
By Laura Mushaukwa
Tuesday August 28, 2007 [04:00]
FEDERATION for Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Nonde yesterday observed that some leaders denied journalists access to information because they were mediocre and scared of exposing their ignorance. And Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post chairperson Webster Malido, who echoed Nonde's sentiments, noted that the problem African countries had was that of accepting democracy as a political system but not being ready for an open system.
MISA-Zambia vice president Zarina Geloo described the just-ended Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit as a disaster in terms of the secrecy that enshrouded accessibility to information.
Featuring on a MISA Zambia programme dubbed 'SADC and freedom of information' on Sunday, Nonde explained that some leaders made it difficult for journalists to access information because they were mediocre and could not competently answer questions on what was happening around the world.
"You need to evaluate the type of leaders we have, some of them are mediocre and cannot compete on a global world," Nonde explained. "When an intelligent journalist asks a question and I am as ignorant as the people I lead, I do not want to expose my ignorance. They see a journalist, they are so scared because they do not know what they will be asked. How many of them understand the ministries they lead? Obviously they do not expect a journalist to ask them what is happening in their ministry."
She attributed the trouble associated with getting information to dictatorial tendencies African leaders exhibited.
"As African leaders we want to show that we are perfect, we want to be super human beings and do not want to come out the way we are so that people can analyse," Nonde said. "To us leadership is dictatorship."
She expressed fear that if such tendencies among leaders went on unabated, the country would not move forward.
"If you have a leader like that, do you expect to get the information that will help you react on issues that affect you?" Nonde asked. "You journalists are always intimidated when you report a fact you are in trouble because you have to report the way I want you to whether I’m lying or not."
She described democracy as a big joke saying the country was not anywhere near it as the archaic laws had not changed.
"We depend on journalists to tell us what is happening but all the information is hidden, how can I participate in globalisation when am ignorant of what is happening next door?" Nonde wondered. "How can I be part of a United States of Africa when I do not know the people am working with?"
She cited the speculation surrounding the dropping of foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana as an epitome of what happens when information is hidden.
"We are now gossiping because others are saying he is not sick, he did something during the SADC summit, can't you tell the truth of what happened?" Nonde mused. "A journalist would want to follow that up but they are not given the information and we continue gossiping."
On the manner in which SADC tackled the Zimbabwe issue, she said she did not expect anything because none of the leaders could challenge Robert Mugabe because they were all guilty in some way.
"I do not expect anyone to challenge Mugabe because he will also say ‘what about you’," said Nonde.
Contributing to the same discussion, Malido said although some countries had access laws, it was difficult for journalists to access information because of the systems that had been put in place.
"Certain systems make it so difficult to access information. For example, at the SADC banquet, we were trying to access information but someone thought we were trying to access food," Malido noted.
He expressed concern at the way journalists were denigrated at the SADC summit in their pursuit for information.
"We were denigrated and on top of that our profession was desecrated. Sometimes we are even insulted by fools and some people have taken advantage, thinking our profession is that of paupers," Malido lamented. "It is an enviable profession with great responsibility on behalf of many people."
Malido said there were even complaints about some news sources who think that female journalists are objects of abuse.
"These are issues we need to confront and people need to change their mindset," he said.
Malido questioned the move by SADC to develop a training manual for journalists on grounds that SADC issues were not well covered when the same people made it difficult for journalists to cover issues due to inaccessibility to information.
"If SADC is genuine about its project to come up with a manual for journalists so that coverage of regional issues is improved, they have to look at the process holistically because they cannot have on one hand restrictive procedures and on the other hand complain about poor coverage," Malido lamented.
He emphasised the need to look at SADC as an organisation while incorporating integration and development.
"We have to look at the broader agenda. Therefore, what should be at the core of our process is both development and integration and we have to look at some of the overriding factors," said Malido. "And the informational needs of the process of development and integration have been emphasised even by SADC itself."
MISA Zambia vice president Zarina Geloo corroborated Malido and Nonde’s sentiments said, expressing sadness at the failure by SADC to adopt the gender protocol.
Geloo said there was a lot of secrecy around the SADC summit because a lot of things had gone unexplained.
Labels: FFTUZ, JOYCE NONDE, MISA, SECRECY
Read more...
