A statement from Luke Tamborinyoka, spokesman for the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, said it is indeed the duty of the press “in a democratic society to oversee the State and excesses of government,” but they also had “an obligation to be fair, impartial, objective and accurate.”
The statement was prompted by an uproar over US$1.5 million that government reportedly spent on new off-road vehicles, at a time when they claim there is no money to raise the salaries of civil servants and improve service delivery for citizens.
Tamborinyoka explained that the money was allocated in 2010 by government for the purchase of the off-road vehicles that cabinet ministers and other senior government officials need to use for “outreach duties.”
The statement also said: “The Government should not operate as ‘a secretive enclave’. In the public interest, the Ministry of Transport should state the full facts, the number of vehicles procured and the total cost to the taxpayer.”
But the Committee of the Peoples Charter (CPC), a rights group, dismissed the explanation from the Prime Minister’s office, saying it “falls short” in giving a full accountability on the vehicles and was issued only after the vehicles became news headlines.
The group criticised the PM for “taking an unnecessary swipe” at the press by “falsely” accusing journalists of “mistruths and sensationalism.” They said if anything, it is the government and government ministers who have been dishonest about the procurement of the state of the art luxury vehicles.
We were unable to reach Luke Tamborinyoka, spokesperson for the prime minister’s office, for comment. – SW Radio Africa News
Post published in: News
And of course every Minister must have a top of the range vehicle because isn’t that the whole point of becoming a Minister?