Opinion / Columnist
BAZ is better challenged through courts than via Mugabe
01 Dec 2011 at 10:14hrs | Views
The concerns of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe over the recent granting of commercial radio licences to two organisations with Zanu-PF links are understandable but should be channelled through the courts than via Robert Mugabe for better results.
There is merit in taking the matter to the High Court or even the Supreme Court rather than writing an open letter appealing to the principals who are obviously outsmarted by Robert Mugabe and his allies.
The fact that when the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) invited applications, 14 organisations applied but 10 were rejected with no valid reasons set the whole selection process to a contestable outcome.
Furthermore, given that BAZ board members were not legally appointed as required by the law that governs the unity government a fact acknowledged by Mugabe and other principals, it follows that BAZ should be dissolved and its recent adjudications set aside as a nullity before it is properly reconstituted.
The opening of the airwaves is not a matter that should be left to chance because Mugabe is very paranoid about a free media ahead of elections in which he is being presented as Zanu-PF's presidential candidate despite ageing and health issues.
It is important that BAZ be subjected to a due diligence test before adjudicating on the politically sensitive issue of the opening of the airwaves transparently, recognising Zimbabwe's diversity and the need to uphold human rights and freedoms of information and expression.
Experience has shown that appeals to Robert Mugabe over issues of political governance, human rights or the rule of law yield nothing of substance.
A fresh example is that of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams who shared tea, scones and jam with Mugabe as he appealed to him to use his power to stop the abuses suffered by Anglicans including the seizure of church properties by Nobert Kunonga, a Zanu-PF loyalist.
All Dr Williams got from the tyrant was: "I can't help you".
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Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
There is merit in taking the matter to the High Court or even the Supreme Court rather than writing an open letter appealing to the principals who are obviously outsmarted by Robert Mugabe and his allies.
The fact that when the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) invited applications, 14 organisations applied but 10 were rejected with no valid reasons set the whole selection process to a contestable outcome.
Furthermore, given that BAZ board members were not legally appointed as required by the law that governs the unity government a fact acknowledged by Mugabe and other principals, it follows that BAZ should be dissolved and its recent adjudications set aside as a nullity before it is properly reconstituted.
The opening of the airwaves is not a matter that should be left to chance because Mugabe is very paranoid about a free media ahead of elections in which he is being presented as Zanu-PF's presidential candidate despite ageing and health issues.
Experience has shown that appeals to Robert Mugabe over issues of political governance, human rights or the rule of law yield nothing of substance.
A fresh example is that of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams who shared tea, scones and jam with Mugabe as he appealed to him to use his power to stop the abuses suffered by Anglicans including the seizure of church properties by Nobert Kunonga, a Zanu-PF loyalist.
All Dr Williams got from the tyrant was: "I can't help you".
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Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
Source - Clifford Chitupa Mashiri
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