The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has cautioned newly appointed board members for the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) against being controlled by the Government as they oversee the running of the two institutions.
MLC Chairperson Enock Ngoma said the new board members for ZNBC and IBA must not become rubber stamps that will be validating what government wants at all times.
Information and Media Minister Chushi Kasanda over the weekend announced and unveiled the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Boards.
The new IBA Board members include Chikosola Chuula, Victoria Banda, Prof. Jameson Mbale, Susan Ndumingu, Makasa Luonde, Victoria Mupwaya, Oliver Kanene, Elizabeth Chanda and Mumbuna Kufekisa.
The new ZNBC board members are Dante Saunders, Mato Shimabale, Mazuba Monze, Nchimunya Hachandi, Bernadette Phiri, Leopard Kantumoya, Ophelia Nyambe, Bishop Joseph Kazhila and Nalituba Mwale.
When announcing the new board members for IBA and ZNBC, Ms. Kasanda told Journalists at a media briefing in Lusaka that government is confident the teams have competence, expertise and experience to grow the two institutions and make them vibrant.
She said the government and the people of Zambia have high expectations on the need for the media to exercise high ethical and professional standards in its role to inform, educate and entertain.
Meanwhile, in a media statement, Mr. Ngoma, a veteran journalist, said he believes all appointees know exactly what has been the public cry on the operations of the two state institutions.
“The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) is happy that the government has finally appointed new boards for the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and at Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).We are happy with the composition of the new boards but would like to caution the new board members against being used by government and become rubber stamps that will be validating what government wants. We assume that all the appointees know exactly what has been the public cry on the operations of the two state institutions and therefore the expectations from the public are high. The board members need to ensure that they themselves are professional first before they can demand for professionalism whether at ZNBC or IBA,” Mr. Ngoma stated.
“While we acknowledge the appointments of the two boards, their roles and functions must not be ceremonial, symbolic and diluted by the appointing authority as was the case in the past. We also call on the board members not to be theorists but instead should be practical as they give policy direction and guidance to the institutions that have for a long time been run on political whims. We expect the boards to spearhead true reforms and oversight in the media sector by being professional and independent, and embracing recommendations and multi-stakeholder approach in their conduct to avoid discrimination based on certain variables as was the case previously,” he said.
Mr. Ngoma pledged MLC’s commitment to the promotion of media development and freedom of the press in Zambia.
“The MLC remains committed to media development and freedom of the press in Zambia and shall remain open for consultation from all stakeholders especially the new boards at the two institutions. Even as we await the enactment of the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) bill to be enacted into law, we have no doubt that the IBA and ZNBC acts shall be re-aligned to accommodate for media professional regulation to be offered by ZAMEC. We still remind the government that there is need for an appointments committee when appointing board members at IBA as was enshrined in the initial IBA act before retrogressive amendments were made to the act,” Mr. Ngoma said.
He concluded:”We congratulate the new board members for their deserved appointments especially that at least we now have some members with experience in the media who we expect to lead the reforms at the two institutions. We also notice that this time around, the permanent secretary at the ministry of information and media is no longer a permanent board member, a move that is progressive.”
These boards have to work very hard to lift the standards of journalism, for example just yesterday Monday ,Diamond TV runs a story on their main evening news about a murder of a person in Mtendere and say Police are yet to issue a statement on the issue but a second later they run a clip of Police issuing a statement on the same issue. ZNBC tonight Tuesday run a story on the impasse in Ukraine and don’t even give details or background on the impasse in Ukraine to say Russia has taken some territories there and they take it that every body knows what the impasse is all about
As long as the Minister of information has powers to dissolve these boards they will be answerable to politicians…look how Dora was threatening Josephine Mopoma.
This is wasted cautions. The two boards are by law answerable to the Minister of broadcasting so how can they not be controlled by govt? During the enactment of the two institutions protection should have been ensured by making them answerable only to parliament never to the executive. They are now effectively rubber stamps of government. This makes DeadNBC a State broadcaster like the one in Harare. If UPND were serious about freedom of speech they would set about dismantling the ZNBC and IBA acts.
Don’t be naive, hh controls everything including courts and acc.