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Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's statement on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
May 03, 2012

It is with sadness that I join you on what is supposed to be a celebration of Press Freedom day.

On Tuesday, I joined the workers on May Day to mark another hollow day and expressed my fear that most of these days have become meaningless.

We marked Workers' day in a country with no workers to speak of and today I am here with you to "celebrate" Press Freedom day when we all know that press freedom is a scarce commodity in this country.

In 2008, we signed the Global Political Agreement and one of the critical articles contained therein is Article 19, which deals with Freedom of Information and Communication.

The article makes it clear that Zimbabwe is "desirous of ensuring the opening up of the airwaves and ensuring the operation of as many media houses as possible." (pp12).

The GPA is clear on the role of the public media and how it should behave in order to reflect the new dispensation of inclusivity.

Article19.1. (c) (ii) calls upon the government to "take the necessary steps to ensure that the public media provides balanced and fair coverage to all political parties for their legitimate political activities."

The same Article calls upon the government to ensure that "the public and private media refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or that unfairly undermines the political parties and other organisations."

Sadly, the responsible Ministry has chosen not to make the pubic media reflect the new inclusive dispensation and to provide a platform for divergent views in line with the dictates of the GPA.

The responsible Ministry has also chosen not to comply with the instructions of Cabinet and the Principals of the inclusive government to reconstitute the boards of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, the ZBC and the Mass Media Trust.

In short, media reforms remain in limbo regardless of the fact that they are part of those key reforms that are necessary in creating a democratic society especially as we go towards an election that must produce an uncontested outcome.

This means that as a government, we have not only failed to deal with the battery of repressive laws that stand in the way of media freedom such AIPPA, POSA, The Broadcasting Services Act, the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act, the Interception of Communications Act, but that we have also failed to bring in the necessary legislation that would have promoted press freedom, such as the Freedom of Information Act.

Just like any reforms, there are those in this government who think that implementing any reform is conceding power, and they have stood in the way of key reforms including those reforms that would have changed information management and dissemination and brought in alternative voices.

We have a Ministry that spends more time thinking about how it should curtail information rather than how it should disseminate it!

It is clear that those ministers refusing to implement reforms are getting tacit support from a higher office. But the ministers and their handlers, as well as those journalists that have chosen to peddle hate speech and to sow seeds of conflict shall be personally liable on the day of reckoning. The Rwandan example shows that you will be alone, without any institutional support, when history asks you to account for your role in standing between the people and their inalienable rights and freedoms.

I notice that the global theme for this year's event is New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies.

New voices have to be just that - new voices! That is why the granting of licences to Zanu PF-aligned radio stations such as Zimpapers Talk Radio and AB Communications does not in any way reflect pluralisation as envisaged in Article 19 of the GPA.

It is a case of old wine in new bottles; those old voices in Zanu PF finding more media with which to complement the ZBC and Zimpapers. There is no plurality.

There is no diversity and ordinary Zimbabweans still do not have alternative media platforms to speak their minds and to make alternative expression.

Those small satellite dishes dotted around the country and mounted even on pole-and-dagga huts are a big statement from the people of Zimbabwe; indeed a rebellion from the diet of mono-information relentlessly churned out by the public broadcaster.

The regional trend should leave us embarrassed as a country. The DRC has 381 radio stations and 93 television stations. (41 radio stations and 51 television stations in Kinshasa alone!). South Africa has about 1 000 radio and television stations combined.

Zimbabweans have justifiably asked why we have failed to implement reforms when we are part of the coalition. The answer is simple. Those who see reforms as conceding power have dug in and the nature of our coalition is such that political parties second people into government and even a Prime Minister who is in charge of implementation has no powers to fire any Minister seconded by another party.

So I am here to register my solidarity with you in your quest for true press freedom in Zimbabwe.

There cannot be true press freedom when there are moves to ban the circulation of foreign newspapers!

There cannot be true press freedom when a vendor selling the Prime Minister's newsletter is harassed in Gwanda for no apparent reason!

There cannot be true press freedom when journalists are harassed and when we have political parties that make resolutions to the effect that social media are a threat and not an opportunity!

In fact, a free and fair election is not possible in this country without a free press; without a multiplicity of radios, television stations and newspapers to provide a platform for people to express themselves and to make informed choices. We will demand it. We will insist on it because a free press is enshrined in the SADC minimum conditions for the conduct of free and fair elections.

I want to assure you that we will not allow the frustrations of our present circumstances to blight us from our historical obligation of creating a new Zimbabwe with a new culture, a new ethos and a multiplicity of information platforms so that we develop an informed citizenry.

So we are in this together, in this struggle together!

Some of us value the role of the press in unleashing a new impetus because information is power!

Information is knowledge!

Information is the key driver for growth and economic development!

That is why a year ago, my office began monthly press briefings with journalists in order to provide a platform for people to understand the challenges and progress in this inclusive government.

We began those briefings because we believe that a government is not a cult movement that should operate outside the public glare and we pledge to continue holding those briefings in the public interest.

In the new Zimbabwe that we envision, information will play a critical role because the right to information and freedom of expression are a core element of democracy.

We believe that an informed society is able to participate in the design and execution of public policies and is more resourceful and creative in addressing its social challenges.

There is no law in Zimbabwe that obliges public officials to supply relevant information when requested to do so by the media or to respond to questions put to them. It is necessary to come up with a national information policy that deals with these issues.

Our present circumstances notwithstanding, some of us are staunch believers in self-regulation in the media with the full understanding that the media themselves have to act responsibly and to appreciate their potential to make or unmake a nation, to cause division or unity and to incite war or national cohesion.

This is our vision of the new information society in the new Zimbabwe but we will continue to press for media reform as part of the key reforms that we agreed should take place during the tenure of this transitional government.

May you celebrate this day, well aware that we are solidly behind you in your quest for true press freedom, but freedom exercised within the context of responsible journalism.

I can assure you that we are committed to achieving media freedom well within our lifetime.

I thank you

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