MUTARE Ongoing harassment of journalists is the clearest example of how the unity government has greatly failed to deliver on its promise to free the media and open up democratic space in the country, opposition Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) Movement party leader Simba Makoni Makoni called on President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to act urgently to end harassment, arrest and intimidation of journalists, adding that attempts to achieve democracy in Zimbabwe were doomed without a free and robust media.
The arrest of journalists is an abnormal thing Its wrong, we as Mavambo highly condemn it, said Makoni, while addressing the media here.
He added: The inclusive government has greatly failed the media. It failed to abide to the agreed principles of the global political agreement (GPA) in creating conducive media reforms.
It should also be aware of the fact that whatever the media reports about it is due to its own doing. If they (government) continue to politically muscle the media, they will be shooting themselves in the foot. A former minister in Mugabes pervious governments, Makoni rebelled against the 86-year old President to stand as an independent in the 2008 presidential election in which he came a distant third behind Tsvangirai and the Zanu (PF) leader Mugabe.
His comments on rising media repression in Zimbabwe follows a spat of arrests of journalists in recent months, which analysts say signals a fresh crackdown on the media as the country gears for new polls that Mugabe has said should be held this year. The unity government has implemented some reforms to open up media space, including issuing licenses to privately owned newspapers to publish and compete with the governments vastly dominant newspaper, radio and television empire.
But Zimbabwe remains one of the most dangerous places in the world, for journalists, with tough media and security laws under which journalists, for example, face long jail terms if convicted of denigrating Mugabe in their stories. Zimbabwe also has laws committing journalists to imprisonment for up to two years if caught practising without a licence from the Zimbabwe Media Commission. Newspapers are also required to register with the commission, with those failing to comply with the requirement facing closure and seizure of their equipment by the police.
Post published in: Politics