ZICTA Told To Monitor Blogs By Copperbelt PS
Copperbelt permanent secretary Bright Nundwe has directed the Zambia Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to monitor all blogs. His comments came as the authority embarked on a countrywide cyber law sensitisation programme.
“ZICTA should monitor all blogs and report all who are not regulating the law to law enforcers. This is an election year. We need to protect people from unnecessary attacks. We have a lot of things to deal with rather than everyday attacks,” Nundwe stated.
However, concerns have been raised with regards to the impartiality of such monitoring. The recent Cyber Bill attracted strong criticism from civil society and the opposition on the basis that it could be open to abuse and used to target those that disagree with the government in an attempt to silence them ahead of the 12 August polls.
Meanwhile, calls for fair coverage of all political players grow as political campaigns get fully underway. This week Zambian citizen Mthoniswa Banda sent an open letter to ZNBC director general Malolela Lusamo setting out the obligations of the broadcaster to the voter and urging them to allow the opposition to advertise on its platforms also.
“As a voter and patriot, and one whose simple role is to make informed decisions and choices based on what the campaigning candidates are saying and promising to do for our lovely country Zambia, and in particular in my thematic areas of interests, my electoral role is made simple by having access to a neutral public news media platform like ZNBC, that has a wider reach nationally, has qualified and professional media personnel, has equipment and funds provided by taxpayers and is not driven by financial or political motives to cover elections in a certain way,” Banda wrote.
“ZNBC therefore owes me the voter, the public and Zambia a duty to bring into our living rooms, through their media platforms of TV or radio sets, all the contesting candidates to come and talk to us, more so that due to COVID-19 concerns, both the Ministry of Health and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), have advised that election campaigns for the 2021 elections be conducted in a smart way using the available technology-based platforms such as online and broadcast media including ZNBC. I am therefore appealing to you Sir with your management team to return to the fundamental ideals of a true public media, a public broadcaster, of a ZNBC envisaged in the ZNBC Act where ‘Z in the name ZNBC stands for Zambia and all its interests and different peoples,” he contined.
Banda’s letter was also copied to Independent Broadcasting Authority director general Josephine Mapoma, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Amos Malupenga, Media Liaison Committee chairperson Enock Ngoma, and Electoral Commission of Zambia chief electoral officer Patrick Nshindano.
Photo: Phoenix FM Zambia