The Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) has called for the inclusion of journalists among those that will be protected in the public interest disclosure bill number 12 of 2010, which is also referred to as the protection of whistleblowers bill.
PAZA vice president Amos Chanda said the bill must include the rights of media players to access information in their deliberate effort to effectively fight corruption.
Mr. Chanda, who welcomed the introduction of the bill, said this is in tandem with the practice of ethical journalism in protecting sources and the media’s role of watchdog.He said if passed, the bill will greatly contribute to the fight against corruption in the country because persons with information on such vices will be encouraged to disclose information without fear of adverse consequences.
“The decision by the state actors to put together this law needs the support of all Zambians and as PAZA we believe that a deliberate effort must be made to strengthen the bill for it to contribute effectively to the fight against corruption,” he said.
He however said the law will be irrelevant to the media without the Freedom of Information Bill.
Mr. Chanda made these submissions when he appeared before a parliamentary committee on legal affairs on the public interest disclosure (protection of whistleblowers) chaired by Monze Central Member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu in Lusaka today.
And appearing before the same committee, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe also called for the inclusion of the word media in the bill as recipients of whistleblower information.He also called for the protection of media houses that would publish such information.
Mr. Kabwe, who also welcomed the bill, said the draft in its current state, appears to be discouraging whistleblowers from giving their information to the media.
He said the media are important components of democracy hence the need for them to be specifically mentioned in the whistleblower law.
“The coming of this bill is a welcome development. The need for protecting whistleblowers has been recognised by various institutions namely the media, advocacy organisations and investigative agencies of government. It however needs to include media as vehicles for whistle blowing in the Act. It is essential that the media be specifically mentioned in any whistle blowing law,” he said.
ZANIS
Yes, the journalists need to be protected because as we saw last year in the case of Chansa Kabwela, they can be wrongly victimised and opressed by the powers that be for presenting facts to the masses and openning the peoples’ eyes to what’s really going on around them.
In some countries of Eastern Asia and the Middle East, some so called “whistle blowers” have suddenly gone missing because they dared to ask thought provoking questions to the leaders in public. We don’t want that to happen in Zambia please.
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“PAZA vice president Amos Chanda said the bill must include the rights of media players to access information in their deliberate effort to effectively fight corruption.” Please Mr. Amos Chanda, a whistleblower legislation is NOT an Access to Information/Freedom of Information law. And the draft Bill in section 11(1) states “any person may make a public interest disclosure to an investigating authority”, and due protection clauses are provided. I believe a journalists is a person.
“PAZA vice president Amos Chanda said the bill must include the rights of media players to access information in their deliberate effort to effectively fight corruption.” Please Mr. Amos Chanda, a whistleblower legislation is NOT an Access to Information/Freedom of Information law. And the draft Bill in section 11(1) states “any person may make a public interest disclosure to an investigating authority”, and due protection clauses are provided. I believe a journalist is a person.
You are hereby invited to attend a meeting at the Zambia High Commission on Friday, 12 March 2010 starting from 1800 – 2030. The meeting is to enlighten fellow Zambians here in the UK about the Citizen Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) which has been created by the Government of Zambia to enable it provide funds for Zambians to run businesses. The Chief Executive of CEEC, Ms Mable Mung’omba will lead the discussions.