PilAto Speaks Out Against Cyber Bill

Musician and social activist Fumba Chama, popularly known as PilAto, has criticised the recently enacted Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill, calling the legislation “dangerous” and “wholly anti-democratic”. 

Writing on the Vanguard Africa Foundation website, PilAto laments that the bill marks the end of a truly democratised internet, in which marginalised voices are able to be heard. 

“This ungoverned access to information, and the power to disseminate it, was a mass power takeover. But now, those that benefited from a previously controlled space – and profited off of our ignorance – have come back to take away this freedom,” he writes.

The controversial cyber bill passed into law in parliament on Tuesday, despite strong opposition from the United Party for National Development. 

PilAto’s full comments are as follows:

The best gift you can give to a criminal is silence. Do not say a word and do not write about it. A few years ago, silence was offered to them by accident, as people didn’t know about the criminal acts underway, and they had no access to critical information. These criminals controlled the mainstream media. Some of them even befriended media house owners, while others acquired shares in the most influential media institutions. This meant that public news and opinions were regulated and tamed by the time of broadcast. Vulnerable and mostly poor communities were not afforded space in the mainstream media, therefore undermining their contributions to the governance and democratic processes of the country. This also meant that they had no chance to communicate their concerns to our elected officials. 

The arrival of the internet and social media was an attack on those who made it their right to regulate public opinion. The internet, through social media platforms, redistributed power to citizens and challenged the traditional structure of media authority. The news was no longer dictated by shareholders of a TV or radio station. The people no longer had to wait – silenced – for massaged, sometimes false information to hit them. 

This democratization of the information space now meant that those traditionally shut out and marginalized could communicate through their Facebook or Twitter pages. This new distribution of power also meant that the criminal elements who benefited from our previous ignorance had lost their chokehold on power. They could no longer control the consumption of information. 

This ungoverned access to information, and the power to disseminate it, was a mass power takeover. But now, those that benefited from a previously controlled space – and profited off of our ignorance – have come back to take away this freedom. 

They have done so by brewing up a poison to be fed to the public. And the catch is: they have added a bit of sugar on top. They know that cyber bullying is a public concern, so they have used it as sweetener to this poisonous law. The enactment of this law will instill dread in the public, especially the poor – those who fear being arrested and may not be able to afford legal representation. This law will censor their engagement on the very issues that are affecting them. This fear will produce the silence that the criminals necessarily need in order to loot and to violate the human rights of our people. This law will give power to the state to surveil its citizens; this too is meant to regulate conversations and to intimidate citizens from discussing their legitimate concerns or criticisms of the state (which are many and mounting). 

Here, of course, I am talking about Zambia. The country’s Cyber Security Law, passed by parliament this week, is dangerous. It is wholly anti-democratic. It is, in essence, an Insecurity Law. And it must be rejected and pushed back to its creators. 

This Cyber Insecurity law compromises and infringes on the rights of Zambian people. It reflects the insecurities of its drafters. 

While I agree that cyberspace requires a legal framework, this must be done in a manner that protects the rights of the people, especially the weakest members of society who are unfairly victimized by corporations and by the Zambian state itself. The Cyber Insecurity Law does none of this. It criminalizes the practice of democracy.

In Zambia – and of course elsewhere – we need internet laws. What we do not need are draconian measures that take away our power, sovereignty and security – especially as elections loom in August, a time during which free speech protections and access to information are more important than ever.

Fumba Chama (AKA Pilato) is an award-winning Zambian artist, poet and critically acclaimed musician. Despite facing intimidation and arrest for his criticism of the ruling Patriotic Front government, he continues to campaign for human rights and speaks truth to power with a unique voice that has inspired young people well beyond Zambia. Follow him on Twitter: @iampilato