Chief government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha, has accused some media institutions of trying to disturb relations between the government and diplomats accredited to Zambia.

Lieutenant general Shikapwasha says investigations have revealed that its not true that some diplomats have stated that they are not happy with the Zambian government, as reported by some media houses.

He says government had a meeting recently with the diplomats accredited to Zambia during which those mentioned as having issued media statements attacking government denied having done so.

General Shikapwasha who is also Information Minister, was speaking in an interview with ZNBC news in Lusaka on Tuesday.

He however appealed to diplomats in Zambia to adhere to rules.

Meanwhile, General Shikapwasha has  said government will not extend the six month period for media bodies to come up with self regulation mechanism.

He said once the six month period elapses, government will introduce a media bill in parliament.

General Shikapwasha said the six months period was agreed upon by media bodies themselves.

He denied that government gave the six months period as an ultimatum.

And the Media bodies have maintained that they will not subscribe to the deadline given to them by government to come up with self regulation guidelines.

MISA Zambia says media bodies are still consulting widely over the matter.[quote]

MISA Chairperson, Henry Kabwe, says progress has so far been made in the on going consultations.

Mr. Kabwe says giving the media a deadline to formulate self regulation guidelines is against democratic principles.

And Press Association of Zambia -Vice Chairman, Amos Chanda, says the media will not work under threat.

He says already serious efforts are underway to find a way of putting in place self regulation guidelines.

Last Friday Parliamentary Chief Whip, Vernon Mwaanga, advised the media to adhere to the six months deadline given to them in which to come up with a set of regulations to guide the profession.

Mr. Mwaanga said if the media did not come up with self regulation mechanisms, parliament will support a bill which will be brought by government to regulate the press.

[ ZNBC]

United National Independent Party (UNIP) has joined calls for a speedy completion of the constitutional making process by the National Constitution Conference (NCC) delegates.

UNIP President Tilyenji Kaunda says UNIP has taken note of the progress made so far and welcomes the commitment by both the Government and other stakeholders in their desire to serve the broader national interest in the matter.

Mr Kaunda said UNIP is for a constitution that enjoys the consensus of all Zambians, saying the constitution has to be one that protects and promotes human rights and guarantees the social and economic rights of all citizens as well as their developmental needs.

Mr Kaunda was speaking at a press briefing at the party headquarters in Lusaka today ahead of the party’s 50th anniversary next month.

He said the event is a great occasion for the party, adding that it has been preparing to commemorate the event in all parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Mr Kaunda said his party was getting concerned over the current debate in the media on the outcome of some recent court cases.

The UNIP President said he would prefer the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) to reflect deeply on the developments and take measures to uphold the confidence of all Zambians in the judiciary’s decisions or judgments.

He said if people are made to lose confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, then even the democratic system that the country aspires to build will be seriously compromised.

And Mr Kaunda said privatization of public media requires careful consideration given the bias towards urban centers.

He said increased investment in the sector is desirable from both the private sector and the state to ensure balanced infrastructure development as well as quality local content from production houses.

He also reiterated his party’s explicit support for media self regulation as opposed to a state imposed regulatory regime.

He said in this new century, it would be totally undemocratic and dictatorial to impose state regulation of the media in any form.

He said it was gratifying to note that members of the press have remained alive to the challenge of protecting press freedom and the rights to freedom of expression and assembly of all citizens.

Mr Kaunda stressed that a vibrant democratic system requires a vibrant press and this results in enhanced voice and accountability in society.

ZANIS

By Kahalu Ngombo

As often as not, physical attraction between a man and a woman becomes wide awake. When it does, one experiences great passionate desire as the mind becomes preoccupied with the man or woman so desired.

This desire was awake in Samson and Delilah, in Romeo and Juliet and Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the wind. Needless to say everyone is capable of experiencing passionate desire. That is from kids to the elderly.

Most people experience lust and conditional love. For the most part, these are one-time relationships with no strings attached. However, some, commonly called affairs are of longer duration. All the same, both are fraught with casual sex, multiple partners and heartbreaks.

In a time when AIDS has loomed large, as relationships falter and as peers tell us of their interesting love affairs, it is wise to keep our passionate desires in check. But it requires a great feat of self control. For many, even some Christians, fail to overcome temptations that come into play.

To bottle up our desires, we need to avoid possible sights and sounds and situations that well up our sexual appetite. A case in point is Joseph’s flight from Potiphar’s wife. Another is that of Job. Job decided to make a covenant with his eyes so that he did not get excited when they fell on a young woman. In Job 31:1, Job says, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?”

In our case, we should not only make covenants with our eyes but also our ears, our mouths and every part of our bodies. More so our spirits and souls. The point is responsible and innocent love can only play itself out in a marital setting. Reasons being sexual relationships involve both physical and spiritual elements that can be good or bad on the part of the individual.

For this reason, in Song of Solomon 2:7, it is written: “I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.”

As with when it becomes wide awake, many books abound. A Zambian, Henry Mpundu Salimu, has just published a book on the subject. In his debut poetry book, Deep Sleep, which is expected in Zambian bookstores this October, Salimu presents a first person narration of awakened innocent love.

Written in an intimate tone, he uses lovely words to detail thoughts and feelings that awaken when one falls in love. His brand of poetry is designed to warm the hearts of all who think in terms of romantic love, whether Christian or not. And, again, whether a lover of poetry or not.

Deep Sleep has nine poems, one of which carries the same title as the book. They are essentially conversations between a man and woman though only one of them addresses the other in each poem. In the poem ‘Deep Sleep’, the male character is amazed at the captivating nature that God has put in his lover. He says, “Whenever I am with you, I always lose my equilibrium. I can’t solve this maze. Its either I act crazy, foolish or do something beyond my capability.”

The possible consumer complaint against the book is the number of pages. It has 20 pages from cover to cover, with the poems occupying half the book. Priced at 35,000 Kwacha (7.37 US dollars), it is a matter of thinking in terms of opportunity costs and benefits. Otherwise the book is of fair overall quality and will surely awaken passionate desires.

ATTONERY General Mumba Malila has questioned the motive behind groups agitating over registration of the judgement of a London Court in a civil case brought against former President Frederick Chiluba as the matter is before court.

Mr Malila said there was no need to raise alarm over the matter because the Government was already a step further and that the case was already before the courts of law to determine registration of the London High Court judgment.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Malila said it was wrong for any individual or organisation to start pressurising the courts on the matter because it was still going on.

Some civil society organisations and individuals have continued to agitate for registration of the judgement and alleging Government interference in the recent acquittal of Dr Chiluba in the criminal case.

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is on behalf of 17 other civil society organisations currently circulating an invitation letter for a Press conference tomorrow where Dr Chiluba’s acquittal, the question of appeal, the registration of the London Court Judgment and the restoration of his immunity are issues lined up to be tackled.

“There is no need for any person to start pressurising the courts over the London judgment case because as Government we have gone a step further by having this matter registered, so the best those wishing to hold such gathering can do is to rescind their decision,” Mr Malila said.

He explained that the Government was waiting for a date to be set by the Supreme Court following some preliminary issues raised by the defence and called for calm.

He said if some sections of society were not clear over the matter, they should consult his office.[quote]

And Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani said any attempts to hold gatherings related to the London judgement would be regarded as prejudicial and questioned the motive behind such an action.

He said while the Government acknowledged the freedom of assembly, association and expression, it was wrong to misinform the public by making them believe that the matter was not before the Zambian courts anymore.

“I think the law is very clear and we are not going to allow people who deliberately want to cause anarchy in the country and my appeal to those planning to hold such meetings is that they should be patient and wait for the courts,” he said.

He said the Government was concerned about the conduct of some NGOs. He said the Government was not against criticism provided it was genuine and that it was aimed at the development of the nation.

The civil society includes TIZ, Caritas Zambia, Non Governmental Coordinating Council (NGOCC), Women for Change, Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP), Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Citizen forum among others.

[Times of Zambia]

The Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) in North Western Province says it remains confident of defending the Solwezi Central parliament by-elections

MMD Provincial Publicity and Information Secretary, Benjamin Mufunga told ZANIS in an interview in Solwezi at the weekend that the party has done its homework and is geared for the fourth coming by elections.

Mr Mufunga said the party in the province has received overwhelming support from the people.

He said the Solwezi seat is an important seat for the party adding that it will not give it away easily.

He said despite the party performing badly during the August 13 ward by elections where it lost some seats to the PF/UPND pact, it will campaign hard to win this seat.

He said the leadership in the province has since taken measures to ensure that the candidate who will be chosen on the MMD ticket is one who will represent them well and help bring development to the area.

Meanwhile, Mr Mufunga said he is aware of certain people both from the opposition and the MMD who are campaigning secretly even before the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announces the date for both nomination and poling date.

He has cautioned those from his party to wait until the dates are announced and the party advertises for the seat before they can start with their campaign.

Mr Mufunga said the party will not take lightly anyone who will be caught engaging in illegal campaigns advising them to follow the right procedure for them to be selected.

The Solwezi Central by elections fell vacant after the death of area Member of Parliament Benny Tetamashimba who was also Local Government and Housing Minister.

ZANIS