(MISA/IFEX) – Opposition Movement for Democratic Change Member of Parliament Welshman Ncube, a member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, has said the new Broadcasting Services Bill was fast-tracked because the government did not want to leave the sector without regulations, “The Daily News” reported on 6 April 2001. Ncube said the broadcasting bill was “a […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Opposition Movement for Democratic Change Member of Parliament Welshman Ncube, a member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, has said the new Broadcasting Services Bill was fast-tracked because the government did not want to leave the sector without regulations, “The Daily News” reported on 6 April 2001.
Ncube said the broadcasting bill was “a ridiculous piece of legislation, to be contested in court if signed by the president.” The bill is full of unconstitutional sections, he said, including the hindering of opposition political parties from broadcasting freely during elections.
Ncube said the broadcasting regulations set under the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act in October 2000 had a six-month duration. They expired at midnight (local time) on Wednesday 4 April. This is why the Broadcasting Services Bill 2001 was fast-tracked, allowing the president to sign it into law on 4 April.
Meanwhile, editors interviewed by “The Daily News” have dismissed the bill. Commenting on the legislation, Mark Chavunduka, editor of “The Standard”, said : “Obviously it’s a sinister piece of legislation that the government has fast-tracked into law in its bid to clamp down on the media.”
Chavunduka said that the manner in which House Speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa threw out the Parliamentary Legal Committee’s report on the bill showed that the government did not want to entertain opposing views.
Iden Wetherell, editor of the “Zimbabwe Independent”, said it was a ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party bill. “Obviously the bill is an important one that needed the widest possible people’s involvement. The only voice in the bill is that of ZANU-PF, which is clearly an abuse of public facilities,” said Wetherell.
He said it was unfortunate that Chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Committee Eddison Zvobgo’s views were ignored. Pikirayi Deketeke, editor of “The Herald”, said he supported the section of the bill which stipulates that local stations must carry seventy-five percent local content, as this will encourage local artists. However, he refused to comment on the whole bill, saying he was not in the broadcasting field.
