HH Committed to Repeal the Cyber Security Bill – Mweetwa

UPND Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has said that, on entering office on the 12th August, the number one priority of Hakainde Hichilema is to repeal the Cyber Security and Cyber Crime Bill. 

Concerns have been raised over the impact which the bill is likely to have on the Zambian population, with the implementation of the bill likely enabling the government to listen to private conversations at any time. 

The danger that the bill presents to the Zambian population was reiterated, as Mr Mweetwa called on party members to be wary of the information which they share as it could land them in trouble. 

“We want to tell the nation that HH has committed to repeal the Cyber Security [and Cyber Crimes Bill]. That’s one of the things he will do ever. He has committed to that. Look! The freedoms of the people of this country have been invaded,” he said.

Mr Mweetwa has warned that journalists will also be impacted by the enacted bill, with its implementation enabling the state to remove social media articles which do not stand in their favour. 

“When you talk about the public broadcaster, it is not what people say that should be heard, it is what the State want people to hear. Feeding the nation on a menu of lies. The only platform that remained for people to communicate information was social media and now they have gone into that space to shrink it,”. 

After being asked by the Church not to sign the bill into law, President Edgar Lungu hurriedly did just that on the 23rd March.