Zambia’s achievement in the media industry may be rendered useless if we do not guide jealously the unprecedented achievements recorded so far. But with the happenings in Kabwe at the Patriotic Front-PF-general conference, where media practitioners from the public media have been barred, this calls for concern especially from the party that claims to be the government in waiting.
These are the signs of a vindictive prospective government. Full of grudges and dictorial tenancies. Expect the death of blogging and media freedom once they assume power. Once in power they will spend all their term of office witch-hunting and plundering.
To term certain media as hostile and not worth having around in a democratic dispensation like Zambia sends shivers down my spine, worse such a threat coming from a very senior person in the PF, Guy Scot is unthinkable more so that Dr. Scot through his father has a rich media background is the highest denial to progressive forces that stand for media and freedom of expression.
Maybe it is an aspect of when you are in Rome do as the Romans do for Dr. Scot, for the PF, this situation is not alien but one of their ways of suppressing the media, once again from my archive, I present you an article headlined”PF Cadres Besiege Post”, which appeared in the paper on the 30th of September, 2006, in which the cadres besieged the Post Newspapers Bwinjimfumu offices protesting the publication of a story in a previous edition which was headlined 'Levy headed for victory'.
With the PF in power, they would close down all private media institutions criticizing them.
You equally remember how Mr. Sata failed to simply substantiate his claims that the votes had been rigged in an interview with the BBC at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre-MICC- .
Being a television journalist, we should firstly commend the public broadcaster for having taken their crew to Kabwe in the face of adversity to strive to cover all opposition political parties equally ahead of the 2011 polls in shaming the devil, which has always claimed that the opposition is never covered in the news on the national television.
The assigning of the crew was done at the expense of the hard earned tax payers’ money, which the Patriotic Front-PF-should have simply said thank and well done. But like I’ve said this is a repeat of history, I hope you remember the Lusaka PF convention at garden motel!!!! Just an iceberg, of waste things to come…….in case
We’re aware that some local radio station propagating Mr. Sata’s agenda have had all their bills paid for in ensuring the –path of image building is sustained at the expense of highlighting what is exactly happening at the conference.
Zambian people deserve better, not this “yellow journalism” of benefits. Condemning the Patriotic Front-PF-by the Media Institute of Southern Africa-MISA-is itself not a solution but providing an avenue in which ensure”objectivity and ethics outshines political interest.” It is no wonder we are the second highest ranked regarding cases of media freedom violation in the region from Zimbabwe.
When Mumba Phiri called, us dogs(Journalist from Government media, we protested in solidity but with the Kabwe incident, we seem to be quite, this is double standards/selective representation, is this why I voted for you guys at the last General meeting, think twice about your actions.
This is the time for self-examination PF, hostility towards the Scribes from the public media is not a solution. This could be the reason why Zambians do not need a Kaponyas in state house. The KAPONYA-style of PHILOSOPHY.
So what is the LAZ president’s take on this? Recently, the mother body for lawyers LAZ urged ZNBC to stop flouting the law in the manner it is currently covering national affairs. We’ll wait for your guidance on the matter, the one offered so far is not satisfactory!!!!!
But before I go, my archive piece is pending below…….
PF Cadres Besiege Post
30 September 2006
Lusaka — ANGRY Patriotic Front (PF) cadres yesterday besieged the Post Newspapers Bwinjimfumu offices protesting the publication of a story in yesterday's edition which was headlined 'Levy headed for victory'.
But quick action by police who sealed the Post Newspapers' premises stopped the cadres from entering the building.
Bivan Saluseki, Nomusa Michelo And Kwenda Paipi
Lusaka
PATRIOTIC Front cadres clashed with police over the election results in which their leader Michael Sata slipped to third position in the Presidential race.
And Sata has accused the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) of suppressing election results.
The cadres blocked Great East Road and started throwing stones around midday. Some of the stone-throwing cadres were picked up and bundled into police anti riot vehicles.
During the ensuing confusion, some of the people fled into Arcades shopping mall away from the advancing police officers supervised by Lusaka Division Commanding Officer Wazakaza Nguni.
The cadres, waving placards, had earlier peacefully protested outside Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) where the election results were being announced.
Some of the placards read: "Mr Sata is not Mazoka, be careful, we are ready to die. We are ready to fight Levy and Vernon."
News of Sata slipping to third position filtered through to the cadres around 10:30 hours, immediately causing angry protests.
Sata has scooped majority votes in Lusaka and the Copperbelt over his fellow presidential candidates.
Police had a tough time controlling the cadres who at one point blocked part of the Great East Road.
Some of the cadres came from the University of Zambia and were ferried in minibuses. A lady cadre took on a male police officer who was only armed with a shot button and wanted to slap him.
However, some police officers rescued their colleague and took him to the centre's entrance.
The cadres also sang anti-Mwanawasa songs.
Police spokesperson Bonny Kapeso said police were monitoring the situation. Some of the cadres shouted that they would continue with street protests because Sata's votes had been manipulated.
And during a briefing at PF secretariat at the same time the protests were taking place, Sata claimed that the ECZ was suppressing elections results to make President Mwanawasa win the election.
"They are jittery, they are panicking. We need verification because now we have received information from all over the country where for example in Kabushi there was 14,000 in my favour but they gave me only 7,000 and they gave the MP only 7,000," he claimed. "They are trying to suppress these results. All they want is to make Mwanawasa to say that he has won."
Sata said for as long as the election results had not yet been announced by the Chief Justice, they (PF) still had the right to have the results verified.
"We have a right to verify station by station in all constituencies," he said Sata said he would not be intimidated, saying he had heard reports that he would be arrested for allegedly alarming the nation.
"They are trying to use all sorts of intimidation, psychological warfare," Sata said. "I have a constitutional right to defend my vote. I have a constitutional right to defend what they are trying to deprive me."
Sata said Mwanawasa would not have the conscience to rule the country with a stolen vote.
"Will he have the conscience to run the country when he has stolen a vote?" he asked. Sata said he had written to the ECZ to verify the elections results and complain about the selective release of results.
And Sata said it would be a sad day in the history of Zambia if elections were rigged. Reacting to President Mwanawasa's lead in the presidential polls at a press briefing at his house on Saturday evening, Sata said Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Justice Ireen Mambilima should accept to verify all the presidential results that have been counted so far or face the consequences of running a fraudulent election.
"We have established more than 400,000 votes have been suffocated and this is mostly on presidential, nobody can tell us what has happened. We as PF are demanding immediate verification before the election results are announced," Sata
demanded. "If Justice Mambilima does not accept to verify the results she will bear the consequences of running a fraudulent election."
Sata said he did not see any reason as to why the verification cannot be done in that a candidate has got a right to demand for the verification of results.
"A candidate has a right to demand for the verification of results before they are handed over to the Chief Justice," he stated.
