By Peter Sinkamba

DRAFT BROADCASTING BILL: UPND SHOULD LEARN LESSONS FROM PAST MISTAKES OF PREVIOUS GOVTs

UPND is set to present a Bill to Parliament to amend the IBA Act with the sole purpose to punish perceived opponents that use social media to disseminate their views.

Targeted opponents include social media broadcasters critical of government, the likes of Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa, Kasonde Mwenda, Laura Miti, Emmanuel Mwamba, Chilufya Tayali etc.

The Bill is also intended to punish groups that use social media to disseminate their views critical of government, the likes of Barotse National Freedom Alliance in Western Province, Umodzi Kumawa, Eastern Province, etc.

Above all, the Bill is intended to stiffle and punish political parties that use social media to reach out to the public, especially now that the 2026 elections are drawing closer. With innovation in social media broadcast outpacing traditional TV and radio broadcasting, this mode of communication has gained more traction than never before.

UPND government should remember that President HH in opposition relied solely on social media broadcasting, especially twitter and Facebook to reach out to the masses, especially the youth, without any iota of restriction. If there was no social media outreach, before, during and after elections, there is no way that UPND would have won the 2021 elections.

So, UPND government should learn from an old Lozi adage of “pukucwe munyelela siliba”. Never defecate in a water-well after you drink from it, especially if it is located along the way to your neighbouring village because you may need to drink from the same well on you way back”.

UPND government should also learn from an old adage of never to kick the ladder that one used to go up because you may need the same ladder on his way down.

Finally, UPND leaders must learn from mistakes of previous government that enacted laws to punish opponents. The same laws were subsequently used to punish the same leaders that enacted the laws when they lost power. There are several examples in this regard, too numerous to mention. Some cases are in courts of law right now. So UPND leaders may face the same fate.

My appeal to UPND government is that they need for decongest the cage they used to go up because they will need the same cage on their way down.

Learn from past mistakes. When forewarned, you are forearmed.

For now, I end here on this issue.