ZIIMA says the PF are seeking to bring a conflict between UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and The Mast over their cloning of the newspaper.
On Saturday, PF agents cloned The Mast and put their own headline which they circulated online and later printed in hard copy.
Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance (ZIIMA) president Jajah Coulibaly said it was clear that the PF had no message for the voters.
“We have observed with much regret the reported cloning of one of Zambia’s leading privately owned newspapers, THE MAST, by suspected PF agents to suit their appetite for toxic hate speech. The said publication under headline, HH IS A SATANIST, has potential to draw the media house into unnecessary conflict with the UPND and the party president Mr Hakainde Hichilema in person,” he said in a statement yesterday. “We realise that most politicians from the PF have no agenda and message in this campaign. They have tried to muzzle the media and now they have started cloning newspapers. They did this to News Diggers within this year and circulated it online. And now they have moved to The Mast. We wonder which private newspaper they will target next. This is absurdity that deserves strong reprimand.”
He said it was shameful that the ruling party could go to such levels of desperation.
“We agree with THE MAST that the charlatans must clone their own publications. It’s indeed a shame that the ruling party can go to such levels after sensing an impending heavy defeat in elections. We expect the police to investigate the people doing this and arrest them without delay,” Coulibaly added. “Even with a disclaimer from THE MAST Newspaper, some known PF surrogates have continued to circulate the illegality in social media platforms. The worst is that they even went to the extent of printing the same cloned publication in hard copy which they distributed in selected parts of Lusaka and the Copperbelt.”
And Coulibaly has urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia to accredit all deserving journalists for this Thursday’s general election.
He said it was wrong that the Commission could segregate by leaving out some media institutions when they were accrediting.
“On the other hand, we wish to condemn the Electoral Commission of Zambia for their biased accreditation of media houses to the results centre. As a referee in this election, ECZ should have accredited journalists from all media institutions. It is not good for them to play politics with the media as if they are a political party,” said Coulibaly. “We know that they are under pressure from PF, but such illegal acts give credence to claims that they have a scheme to bar objective media houses and journalists from the results centre, specifically to manipulate the flow of accurate information. We fail to understand how mainstream media can be denied accreditation in preference for PF propagandist blogs! This act will complicate the standing of the ECZ after the elections. We therefore implore the electoral body to reconsider their position and accredit all those media institutions they denied accreditation.”
