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Daily News a victim of rule of law: Moyo GOVERNMENT did not shut down The Daily News, it was a
victim of the rule of law that the paper had been preaching about since its
inception in 1999, the Minister of State for Information and Publicity,
Professor Jonathan Moyo, said yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of the New Ziana in Harare, Prof Moyo said The Daily News believed itself to be above the law, and a law unto itself, so it decided not to register with the Media and Information Commission as stipulated by the law. "The Daily News is a victim of the rule of law which it had been preaching since 1999," said Prof Moyo. The Minister said The Daily News operated for eight mon-ths and 12 days without being registered but it was not shut down because the Government wanted the law to take its course. He said the relevant arm of the Government � the police had to stop The Daily News from publishing after the Supreme Court declared that it was operating outside the law. Prof Moyo said the ANZ issue would continue to be dealt with according to the law and no amount of pressure or political interference would be entertained. "We will not entertain any pressure from anybody because we respect the law," he said. He said the Government makes polices on fundamental issues like the media and information according to the aspirations of the people and not those of British Prime Minister Tony Blair or the US president, George W. Bush. The aspirations of the masses of Zimbabwe come first when making any policies. There were many governments and many countries in the world but they could not all be expected to have the same policies. The minister said information affected everyone and the Government was cognisant of the fact that it was not possible for any organisation, let alone any nation, to exist without being concerned about how to manage information. Given the current unipolar world, the management of information has become decisive to the survival of nations. The media, he said, had become the battleground to win the hearts and minds of the people. He gave the example of the Iraq invasion, where there was a deliberate attempt by the media to invent weapons of mass destruction that were said to be in Saddam Hussein�s possession. He said the BBC and CNN, which he described as weapons of mass deception, and other pro-Western news organisations attempted to give an impression that American and British values and points of view were good for everyone. The exercise of imparting information and lies using deceitful means had become institutionalised in a very dangerous way for nations like Zimbabwe. The information comes to the country disguised as issues of democracy and the rule of law. Prof Moyo said a lot of the media organisations that were now presenting themselves as champions of democracy and the rule of law were the ones that were against the country�s liberation struggle, launched to achieve democracy and the rule of law by freedom fighters. As a historical challenge, the people of Zimbabwe defeated colonialism and UDI interests to give birth to a new democratic Zimbabwe. The BBC and CNN were not part of that democratic struggle but instead were used to frustrate and derail the liberation struggle. He said the impression that BBC, CNN, the British and the Americans wanted to give was that the struggle for democracy started with the emergence of the so-called NCA and The Daily News in 1999. "Is that the historical orientation that we want for ourselves?" asked Prof Moyo. In pursuit of democratic values, the Media and Information Commission registered some of the papers that are now churning out trash, which was even worse than those they try to emulate, using all sorts of insults to describe the country�s leadership. Freedom of the Press was not synonymous with worshipping the US, he said. The Minister castigated the so-called Studio 7 operated from the US using some locals like Ray Choto, saying that its days were numbered. He said it was surprising that some people had taken it upon themselves to continuously write stories that undermined the country�s national interests and their own existence as citizens of Zimbabwe. Prof Moyo said the media should not be used to pollute the country�s historical heritage and blur people�s vision. "We differ with those who think that the media should be used to create anarchy." The Government�s view was that the media should be used to develop the country�s national viewpoint and the New Ziana would play a critical role in advancing Zimbabwe�s national interests. Money was not going to make the New Ziana but the commitment and vision of the people who are part of the institution, Prof Moyo said. He said New Ziana had a bright future, especially when all the strategic business units become fully operational. The New Ziana will have a News Agency, Electronic Business unit involving newsgathering, radio and television and a newspaper publishing business unit. The minister said New Ziana was just a few weeks from having its own radio news through the full use of an existing frequency on shortwave. New Ziana chief executive Mr Munyaradzi Matanyaire said the launch of the institution came at a time when the Community Newspaper Group (CNG), a donor-funded project under the now defunct Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust, had been successfully transformed into a viable business unit. "The launch comes also at a time when the transformation of the News Agency from a Government-funded service into a profit-making unit is firmly underway," said Mr Matanyaire. He said apart from refocusing its operations in line with the new information order, which had rendered some of its traditional functions irrelevant, the unit was being equipped to meet technological demands of the news information era. Mr Matanyaire said the operations of New Ziana were being diversified to enhance its income- generating capacity by meeting the needs of a broader client base. The Electronic Services Strategic Business Unit had commenced television productions and its products were ready for marketing locally, regionally and internationally. "Outstanding capital development projects include the purchase of a printing press, broadcasting equipment, computers and vehicles," said Mr Mata-nyaire. New Ziana board chairman Mr Munamato Mutezo said the Government�s injection of $510 million had laid a solid base upon which a vibrant New Ziana could be built. "Community newspapers create a platform for communities to express themselves, their values and points of view at the same time exposing and interpreting the national agenda at community level," he said. The launch was attended by media organisations, journalists and board members of media- related bodies. The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
