POST HEIGHTEN BATTLE AGAINST CHIKWANDA On Wednesday 8th October, we woke up to a revelatory lead story in The Post–“Wage Freeze to Continue” and the support strap lines screamed:“Chikwanda Doubles Bus Operators’ tax, reduces Jet Fuel”. On the face of it, the report riles a public worker and his public sector union officials! ‘’Wage freeze to continue into the second year?” a union official will ask. The Report also riles the poor who commute on buses, as tax will be increased on the bus operators. But the report also quickly reveals who has obtained incentives from the Budget. Price on jet fuel has been reduced. Who jumps on planes? The rich off course! After reading the report, questions immediately arise. Is the Minister of Finance, Alexander Chikwanda only bothered by special interests of corporate institutions and the rich? Does he care for workers and the poor? But wait, we cant have such a debate yet! This would have been a normal debate AFTER the budget speech had been presented to Parliament. But the Budget HAS NOT been presented to Parliament yet. At this stage, the Budget is a secret document being processed by Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Office, and State House officials. A day before Budget presentation, in this case, Thursday 9thOctober 2014, a Cabinet Meeting will be held at State House to give a final approval to the Budget. So whatever The Post has published from this leaked secret document should be deemed as information emanating from a secret draft document until Cabinet approves it. But before I delve into the details of the ugly fight between Minister of Finance, Alexander Chikwanda and Fred Mmembe and The Post, my sympathies and concerns go to any public official that will be caught leaking such sensitive material. Public officers swear to uphold secrecy and sign anoath signed under the State Security Act of 1969 (Act 36 of 1969), (Declaration and Undertaking signed by persons who work or have access to matters affecting state security). Any official found breaching these provisions will be liable to imprisonment upon conviction of up-to 25 years. So I always wonder why any civil servant or public official would risk suffering such a heavy punishment just to help prosecute or perpetuate a political fight. But for The Post, the battle lines are drawn. Chikwanda is a big tree they should fell, come what may! In their mind Chikwanda wants them closed, Chikwanda must fall! Although Mmembe has embarked on a vicious campaign to scandalize, and undermine Chikwanda, whose only crime is, his reported resolve to ensure that the paper pays its tax obligations and liquidate its outstanding debts to public institutions, the recent use of illicit secret recordings and the use of this embargoed document probably crosses that last ethical line of any newspaper or media organization. Is this fight so desperate that the paper is willing to throw all ethical considerations and legal requirements into the dustbin? Or will the paper run to that sacred cry of “we are pursuing press freedom?” NATIONAL BUDGET IS AN EMBARGOED DOCUMENT UNTIL PRESENTED In the media fraternity worldwide, the national Budget and its speech is an embargoed document and remains so until it’s formally presented to Parliament. Like the President’s speech or Queens Speech to Parliament, the document or its excerpts cannot be published until it is presented to Parliament. Usually media have access to such documents prior to the formal presentation. In many cases, a copy is given to media houses but embargoed till its formal presentation. From the above it is clear that The Post has breached secret laws, a matter the State can pursue, and has also breached ethical requirements of an embargoed document institutions such the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) (though largely toothless) can pursue upon a complaint. In Journalism, a news embargo or press embargo is an understanding that a document from the source will not be published until it is formally presented. However, an advance copy is given to editors, to digest details and have enough time to write news stories or features on the subject, but on condition that the material would only be released on the day or time agreed upon. In Zambia, in relation to the Budget, the practice is a “lock up” where reporters are given an advance copy but locked up and secluded. This is to ensure that their final reports are accurate and enough background and understanding is given but the integrity of the document is not compromised until it’s delivered. By the time of the presentation, or release of material, the reporters would have had ample time to prepare their reports. Here are some international examples: 1. Biweekly press briefings from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are typically embargoed until 10:30 a.m. Washington time, 1430 GMT (for synchronized effect on global stock markets). 2. Reporters who accompanied U.S. President George W. Bush on a visit to Iraq in 2003 were embargoed from filing their stories, until the President left Iraq. Iraq was a high security risk and in the interests of security, the trip risked being cancelled if news broke before its conclusion. 3. The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom informed a handful of journalism outlets that Prince Harry would be serving in Afghanistan, on condition that the information would not be released until the end of his deployment. 4. In Canada and Australia and other countries, prior to the release of the Budget and other important government announcements, reporters are held in a lockup so that they can prepare stories in advance. They are not permitted to file until after the official announcement (for example, after the Minister of Finance rises to deliver the budget speech.) Lockups are particularly aimed at preventing insider trading on the basis of leaked government announcements.A similar lockup is done in the United States when Federal Reserve Board is preparing to adjust an interest rate. (Source- Wikipedia-Free Encyclopedia) SO WHAT HAS THE POST DONE? Clearly the paper has breached legal and ethical requirements. Furthermore a Budget Speech is not only an instrument for development, but is also amarket document. This requires that all players in the market obtain information equally and in an equitable manner. The Budget is such an important document that its presentation is structured in an elaborate official Ceremony and its presentation is an annual momentous occasion. So for The Post to throw away this tradition to the winds and begin to run excerpts in this fashion, violates this longstanding parliamentary tradition. All codes or media ethics demand that principles of ethics are upheld and that all reports carried are honest, truthful, fair, accurate, objective, impartial and promote public interests. And for its role in the promotion of Democracy, the media does give importance to public awareness about public matters.The duty of the journalist or media institution is therefore to seek the truth and provide a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. My questions, is The Post in its recent coverage even meeting the basic standard of journalism? SO WHAT IT IS THE AIM OF THE POST? The Post going by its recent coverage of Chikwanda, wishes to continue demonstrating that the current Minister of Financeis not suitable to hold that office. And one that does not care about the poor but is only preoccupied with the promotion of corporate interests. This particular report about excerpts from the draft Budget is so narrow that for example, it does not explain that when civil servants were awarded the huge and unprecedented pay perks in 2012/2013, the wage bill jumped to 52% of our national Budget. And that these pay perks were designed to rationalize and normalise salaries and historical anomalies in the pay structures, which found that professionals of similar qualifications were paid differently by various ministries despite being employed by government. The effect of this increase has resulted in salaries and emoluments taking up-to 52% of our national budget. The report does not bother to explain that 52% of our national income goes to pay 170,000 civil servants only? I wish this leaked report could carry a commentary on when the 14.3 million Zambians would have a share of their cake if the bulk of their national budget goes to settle salaries and emoluments of civil servants. Or when will we, as a country complete the ambitious infrastructural development if the bulk of our budget was consumptive in nature? And on the reduction of the cost of Jet fuel, the report does not explain that two major airlines, KLM and British Airways have withdrawn direct flights to Lusaka from Amsterdam and London, to the detriment of the tourism sector we as a country have prioritized alongside agriculture. And that this action alone by these airlines, has prompted a spike in ticket prices, as Zambians have to take circuitous routes to get to Europe, China or USA and this matter requires an immediate policy intervention. It is clear that The Post’s aim is not an act of presenting the truth or neither is this report an act of investigative journalism. It is merely a report designed to undermine Chikwanda, and use desperate means to scandalize and portray him in bad light and as one officer not suitable to hold that office. CONCLUSION Whether the tax measures or policies leaked in The Post edition make it into the final report to be presented to Parliament is however not a matter for this paper. In the same edition, The Post has carried a long commentary praising the First Lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba for her noble call to commit resources to academic research. It’s public knowledgeby now that, every time the paper carries a strong attack against Chikwanda, Chishimba Kambwili or Edgar Lungu or Sata’s other ministers known to be of unfavourable standing with Mmembe, there will be a corresponding complimentary and flattering report about President Michael Sata or the First Lady. So who is fooling who? It needs no emphasis that the President appoints ministers. The choice of the ministers is a reflection of the President, his trust in certain individuals and their abilities to help him achieve his national agenda. So how can a good President (in the regular estimation of and portrayal by The Post) have bad, tribal, and corrupt ministers? How do you come in my home and praise me as a good husband and laud my good parenting skills but constantly remind me that my wife is bad, evil or regularly schemes against me? How can you publicly admire my parenting skills but regularly call my children as delinquent, stupid, truant, or evil? Who would know my wife or children, better? You, a mere visitor or myself? Does it occur to you that we are a team and we could be making all the decisions together? So Chikwanda, Kambwili, and Edgar Lungu, who are regular victims of these scurrilous attacks are ministers and representatives of President Sata. So how can you love “Michael” but demonstrate keenness to eat his children out of their political existence? And by the way, the Budget is the Presidents document delivered by his Minister of Finance. It is for this reason that the opening sentence of the Budget is always that: “ I am the bearer of the President’s Message”. Therefore an attack of that Budget is an attack on the President and his government. It’s a GOVERNMENT Budget and not Chikwanda’s Budget! But maybe the hope of The Post is that we wont see that? After 2011, the paper openly became a partisan journal with interest to support the PF party. This came at a cost as the paper no longer retained wide credibility and its standing as an independent and free paper was lost. But it didn’t take long for many to see that the paper “didn’t love the PF” but was promoting a highly sectional agenda and interests. It had assigned itself a duty of propping up Wynter Kabimba as a possible successor to President Sata. And it used Vice President Guy Scott inits coverage, as a mascot for this job and agenda. However this job was done so poorly that Kabimba was consequently fired and Guy Scott’s image now cries for urgent help. Following the dismissal of Kabimba, the paper has upped its desperate antics and the fall out has been messy with its coveragedripping with symptoms of “tufilile munsenga”. Clearly the recent actions by The Post, besides the abuse of trust, flagrant breach of ethics and the (ab)use of the paper for political battles, might finally consign the paper to a mere scandal sheet not to be taken seriously or a once historical paper that now betrays its own lofty principles earlier practiced at its founding. End
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 04:31:56 +0000
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