Greetings, I personally thank you cde Mzukisi for introducing this debate. In fact, at heart of Maureen's argument was to rubbish Polokwane resolutions on the establishment of a media appeals tribunal. However, she did not want to come out clean except to resort to the usage of the apartheid case scenario to establish basis for her argument about freedom of the press. I could not relate with her line of argument and knew she should be singing for a wrong choir (COPE). Hence, she did not know that there were attempts by certain businesspeople which included political heavyweights who wanted to take over Johncom which owns Sunday Times and Sowetan in attempt to curtail freedom of the press. Enough of her master's failed attempt to privatise freedom of the press and back to the debate. I still do not know what she meant by "the new ANC has forgotten where it comes from and why - this is how Zimbabwe began - slow, insidious break down of democratic values"? How does she define the new ANC? It's by virtue of our revised strategic and programmatic direction that characterised Polokwane conference resolutions or newly-elected National Executive Committee? While awaiting her reply, let me deal with the wild allegations she's making about "the new ANC has forgotten where it comes from and why - this is how Zimbabwe began - slow, insidious break down of democratic values." I do not intend accusing her of sounding like a prisoner a Afro-pessimism - what has remained dominant illusions of our present national reality and foremost among them the neo-liberal campaign to undermine our strategic developmental agenda. Why pick on Zimbabwe not Botswana? This is because there is a relentless campaign to vilify and destabilise Zimbabwe without tackling the root cause of the crisis. The ANC-led government will never be part of a bloc whose interest is to further aggravate the problem than being part of a process to restore the state of health of the Zimbabwean economy and body politic thereof. Watch the space, Madam! Back to her faulty opinions about the new ANC if there is such a thing. Polokwane resolutions on the "Communications and the Battle of Ideas" are very clear of what is sought to be achieved on media freedom through the establishment of a media appeals tribunal. As cadres of the ruling party, we're sick and tired of underperforming media practitioners and shabby work of editors who are susceptible to hoaxing, manipulation and shallowness to compromise journalistic ethics sacrosanct to the profession, in many espects unbefitting of a professional. What this means is that the focus of the resolution was not on media but the conduct of practitioners. It's against this backdrop that the ANC resolved to establish a body that does not take sides, but seeks at all times to act fairly and impartially, including having powers to reprimand or fine a delinquent journalist. Is this equal to government clamping down on freedom of the press? Quite frankly, we're of the view that the establishment of a media appeals tribunal will strengthen, complement and support the current self-regulatory institutions (Press Ombudsman/Press Council) in order to uphold the principles of media freedom and freedom of expression as espoused in the Constitution and in the public interest. No hidden agenda, whatsoever. I remain Morgan Phaahla, Ekurhuleni
"Sometimes, if you wear suits for too long, it changes your ideology." - Joe Slovo --- On Thu, 5/7/09, Mzukisi Ronyuza <[email protected]> wrote: From: Mzukisi Ronyuza <[email protected]> Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: WHAT IDI AMIN DID TO JOURNALISTS. To: [email protected], "Maureen Dosoudil" <[email protected]>, [email protected] Date: Thursday, May 7, 2009, 10:29 AM Comrades, We all enjoyed this debate, and others didn't. Maureen Dosoudil has been the centre of these debates. Since I introduced the topic on Idi Amin I believe that Maureen has picked something up which I would tell her when we meet. Although but I believe there is something that I believe she has observed from this fruitful exchanged. Maureen was one of one of our comrades who we lost to COPE comrades, although new in the ANC she was raising issues and she wouldn't back off until she was satisfied. Unfortunate now she joined COPE and I remonstrated with her and showing her the darker side of joining COPE. I believe that from this youth platform she was learnt a lot. COME BACK TO MAUREEN. Kind Regards, Mzukisi. On 5/6/09, Luzuko Buku <[email protected]> wrote: Thebile your comment suggest that you have joined the debate very late, I will not tell you about what was said in this forum because you have the emails. Please read them and then think again about replying because what you are doing is getting us back to where we started with the debate. If you have read the whole debate, then your comment would be too childish for a serious response. If you think that the debate is too much for you, you should refrain from it. I believe that you should head your head in shame for having sent such a comment. I am not undermining you but the things that you raise have been addressed, even a primary school going child would see that. One thing that indicates that you have not been following the debate is that you are not referring to any particular email; you just took the first email and responded to it with haste, without even paying attention to your writing, especially in terms of presentation. You must start taking us seriously. Luzuko Buku YCL KK 'Chule' Papiyane District YCL Rhini Rhodes University From: Thebile Sgqolana <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 12:56:38 PM Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] media Comrades as we all know that our fellow cadres fought for this democracy, let us not make any accusations regarding the freedom of the press without understanding the ethics and principles of the media or journalists as you may say. It is important that a journalist writes the truth and should not take part in the story. so cadres if we think we know their job better than them what is the use of reading their stories, if i may take you back in the aparthied days the press was not working for government and it was free even though some newspapers where closed and journalist beaten and even killed but they stood and believe in their non bais ethics. Now that we are in power we don't want the media to practice their freedom of the press, baring in mind comrades if a person is a public figure that individual should be used to the press diging up some information about him because he is a role model of the youth, cadres if you don't like the manner in which our press is operating you should forward your information or quieries to the ombudsman i think he or she will deal with that particular newspaper and if that does not happen you have the right to put them before the court of law. so cadres before we accuse the media lets first clean our ways so that they (journalist) have nothing wrong to find. let us lead by example. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
