by Justin Mupundu, Zambia, September 1997
THEME = SOCIAL CONDIT.
CARE Zambia's director, says: "About 600 million dollars plus,
are earmarked every year to benefit more than 30 million people in
50 countries.
In addition to its current nine projects, CARE Zambia has
programmed new ones such as the Peri-Urban Self Help (PUSH)
project. The project is a work-for-food initiative to help poor
people, especially women, to get enough food. When they have work
for ten days, they are given 25kg bag of maize each, plus 2 kg
sugar, 2.5 litres of cooking oil and other food stuffs. The project
does not just help women, it has improved their living conditions,
improved drainage systems, ensured that roads are paved and that
pit latrines are dug.
Other CARE projects include: PURCH (Peri-Urban Community Managed
Health) set up in March 1993 with the aim of providing primary
health care. Then there is the Livingstone Drought Relief Project
under the umbrella of the Prevention Against Malnutrition (PAM)
programme. This reaches 25,000 people plus.
The European Community, as well as the United States have all send
in help, not only financial help, but aid workers and
professionals. So with all this aid coming in from foreign
countries, will Zambia ever stand on its own feet?
Or is dependency on foreign aid becoming a habit?
On 22 August, High Court Judge Anthony Nyangulu ruled
against the creation of the Legislative Media Council by the
government. This was seen as another step along the road towards
freedom of the Press. This Media Council would have had the power
to grant journalists a license in order to practice their
profession; at the same time, it would be able to revoke these
licenses whenever the journalists breached the Code of Ethics, as
laid down in the Draft Media Council (1996) Bill.
Judge Nyangulu ruled that the creation of the Media Council by the
government is contrary to Articles 20, 21 and 22 of the
Constitution. Especially part III (1) of Article 20 which states:
"No law shall make any provision that derogates from freedom
of the Press".
David Mpanda is a government spokesman and also Information
and Broadcasting Minister. He has insisted that the Media Council
should come into being. Yet, Zambia's Constitution already carries
27 pieces of legislation governing the Press and the media
organisations have already created their own media council, chaired
by Judge Florence Mumba.
An interesting off-shoot to the above is the possibility of
parliamentary sittings in Zambia being broadcast live, so that
citizens can watch the debates.
Joseph Bwembya is the Principal Clerk of Journals. During a
Press Law and Ethics Seminar organised by the Commonwealth Press
Union, 21-23 August 1997, he called for the broadcasting of
Parliament, saying: "If countries with nothing to hide have
done this, why can't a small country like Zambia do the same?".
Maybe the struggle for press freedom in Zambia, is getting
somewhere, after all!
END