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Freedom in police state
Saskia Kuiper
May 07, 2012

With World Press Freedom Day upon us, the question looms, will the Zimbabwe Media Commission be successful with their plan to establish a statutory media council?

Zimbabwe Independent ran an article last week about the "Renewed assault on media" where they describe the council as a tool to further "police journalists". Using neighbouring South Africa as an example it might be wise to learn a lesson or two. The idea of a statutory media council is something any democracy should celebrate, but, as we-ve seen in South Africa, democracy is often left abandoned on the sidelines where media regulation is concerned. It seems that the Zimbabwean government, instead of learning from South Africa-s detrimental decision to "privatise" information, are forging ahead in a dangerous attempt to emulate them.

Despite the existence of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) Zanu PF politicians are urging for a stronger clampdown on private media. With traffic police tormenting Zimbabweans left right and centre, Zimbabweans will now face another loss of a democratic right, their right to freedom of speech and information.

Having a voluntary media council may not be what a fully-fledged democracy needs, Zimbabwe quite clearly isn-t one and a voluntary council is the best we can do. Media councils function to remove the political riff-raff from media control and work purely as an objective media monitoring body. While the VMCZ promotes a professional and free media environment and is self-regulatory, this is an 'ideal- that won-t hold for ever - see South Africa for proof.

The South African media scene faced huge attack after a number of scandals and general skulduggery and strengthened their 'self-regulation- policy. However, because a few of the big boys were burnt on the way, government made the anti-democratic decision to pass a privacy of information bill. If the media had had a more stringent media council to begin with South African media perhaps wouldn-t have fallen prey to a predator they may well have welcomed into their home.

Yes, Zimbabwe is a totally different ballgame, we all agree, but while the VMCZ is a novel idea self regulation doesn-t always work. Imagine a state-owned paper regulating itself, the idea is laughable. Perhaps the idea of having an 'objective- media council in Zimbabwe is crossing the line from pure idealism into the boundaries of insanity; we need to start asking the question "Well, what now?"

Zinef chairman Brian Mangwende describes the move by the ZMC to constitute a statutory media council in terms of the "draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act" as "patently undemocratic and designed to asphyxiate freedom of the press and broadly freedom of expression."

With the new constitution being hashed out as we speak, one wonders what lies in store for Zimbabwean media.

In a country where democratic rights are dissolving daily before us we need to begin, once again, to take lessons from our neighbours. South Africa fought to the death for their democratic rights under a government whose systematic policy was to take these away and for 18 years they have had freedom from Apartheid. We-re celebrating 32 years of freedom. Look around. Are we really almost twice as far ahead? The answer is pretty obvious. It-s time to stop pussy-footing around, Zimbabweans need to fight for democracy and take charge of a country for the people, by the people.

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