Internet Freedom Is Vital To Zambian Democracy
On August 12th Zambia faces its most important elections since the advent of multi-party democracy 30 years ago. Rising unemployment and crippling levels of debt are now being met with a creeping wave of authoritarianism, which is washing over the country in levels not seen since the colonial era. According to the V-Dem Institute, Zambia is one of the fastest declining democracies in the world, having fully shifted from an electoral democracy in 2009 to an electoral autocracy in 2019. A recent report by Amnesty International drew similar conclusions, observing that Zambia’s human rights situation has “drastically deteriorated under Lungu’s presidency”.
In the wake of this nascent autocracy, Zambians’ access to information and communication has never been more important. The role of the internet in connecting voters and speaking out against oppression cannot be overstated. Sadly, across Africa authoritarian regimes are shutting down the internet as a means by which to stifle criticism and cover up electoral fraud.
This is particularly worrying in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Zambia. Recently imposed restrictions on campaigning, as well as guidelines preventing citizens from going about their daily lives, are making it near impossible for political parties to reach voters by traditional means. This has placed an increased emphasis on digital forms of communication, such as social media. The threat of an internet shutdown means that opposition parties risk being entirely cut off from voters in those crucial days before the election, totally undermining efforts to ensure these polls are free and fair.
Covid-19 restrictions mean political campaigning and voter education are increasingly taking place online.
Additionally, in the absence of physical voter education campaigns, Zambians this year will be heavily reliant on the internet to inform them about how and where to vote. To see how badly this kind of public information campaign can go wrong, you need only look at the recent voter registration process, which fell 2 million names short of its target to register 9 million voters. Even with the internet turned on, this process had to be extended multiple times as the ECZ failed to get enough people to register to vote and technical difficulties led to hours-long waits. Without physical voter education, online resources will be crucial to ensuring that as many people who are eligible to vote can.
Furthermore, a free internet is instrumental in tackling disinformation and sidestepping restrictions on freedom of speech. The Aforementioned report by Amnesty International described a “systematic erosion to the right to freedom of expression” in Zambia over the past five years, citing the closure of The Post newspaper in 2016 and the revocation of Prime TV’s broadcasting licence in 2020 as two examples of the Lungu regime’s blatant censorship. The Council of Churches has also expressed concerns over ZNBC’s lack of coverage for opposition parties in the lead up to August’s elections. Both of these issues are at least partially remedied by a free internet, where opposition voices can be given just as much coverage as the government and news outlets are largely free from censorship.
The internet also helps guard against fake news, such the Patriotic Front’s bogus claim that it had secured a 14 point poll lead against the United Party for National Development - an assertion that was resolutely discredited by Prof Nic Cheeseman of the University of Birmingham over Twitter. Without access to the internet, Zambians could be left entirely at the mercy of such misinformation campaigns.
The internet helps to counteract media restrictions and government disinformation campaigns
Finally, the internet is vital in providing the infrastructure that ensures the elections themselves can be kept free and fair. It provides a communications network for election monitors to carry out parallel vote tabulation (PVT) and other independent verification exercises. It also allows citizens to call out instances of electoral fraud or political violence. In the Lukashya by-election last September, PF cadres attacked a UPND-branded campaign vehicle and terrorised opposition supporters. While the police did nothing, video footage documenting the attack was shared by bystanders on social media, eventually making headline news. Without free access to the internet this election, many such instances of political violence will likely go undocumented. Already PF thugs have been accused of pulling down opposition billboards and attacking a printing company which produced UPND t-shirts. This violence will only get worse as polling day comes closer.
This year, more than any other, a free internet is vital to ensuring Zambians’ democratic rights are upheld. However, there are very few safeguards to defend it if the government does decide to flip the off switch. Two of the only institutions able to stand up to the government in this event are the major telecommunications companies, MTN and Airtel, who together provide cellular data to over 80% of mobile phone users. Sadly, neither company has a good record of standing up to authoritarian regimes, with MTN currently in court for cutting service to eSwatini in the wake of pro-democracy protests. As Zambians, we must send a message to these companies that they cannot undermine the freedoms of their paying customers by cutting off internet access. Please consider, therefore, signing our petition and letting them know that Zambian democracy doesn’t have an off switch.
SIGN HERE: http://chng.it/WBc5MWKZ