REGULATION OF PODCASTING MUST BE OPPOSED
By SP MCC Faston Mwale
Government’s intention to control online publications and podcasting is a move in a wrong direction. To put it plainly, the move is not only retrogressive, repressive and backward but it is also a negation of democratic governance and a value subtraction on efforts to foster the promotion of freedom of expression. It is inconceivable that in this day and age, government is flirting with the idea to amend the Independent Broadcasting Act with a view to introduce podcast regulation and limiting online publication. The move must be energetically opposed because it offends the freedom of expression.
It is sufficiently clear that the beleaguered United Party for National Development government does not want people to talk about the mediocre governance that has plunged the country into an abyss of crises.
The looming hunger, poverty, the crippling loadshedding, the bane of leadership crisis, the escalating cost of living crisis are among the common themes of public conversation today and citizens must be guaranteed unihibited physical or digital space in which to articulate their views and perspectives on matters of common concen. Laws exist that could deal with any perceived infractions.
Today, there is a huge plethora of laws that inhibit the liberties of free expression. Instead of creating a climate of free speech, draconian pieces of law have only served to evoke an atmosphere of fear, docility, servility and subserviency. The cyber security and cybercrimes Act of 2021 is one of them.
As a consequence of the forgoing, a climate in which it is far more difficult to offer constructive criticism but in which it is a lot easier to praise and deify leaders has proliferated. This retrogressive state of affairs must be questioned and challenged by progressive minds. It is not easy, for example, to talk about the growing spate of corruption involving those in the upper layers of government without factoring a probable invitation to the police station for a harrowing quiz.
Attempts to enact new legislation or modifying the existing acts to purposely cure the systematized delusions of fear of the UPND government must be ruled out of order. The best remedy for the UPND is to develop the capacity to rationally handle rational criticism rather than seeking to concoct legislation against freedom of expression. The era of paternalistic politics in which leaders were idolized and fetishized as demigods is gone and gone beyond return. Leaders must be held accountable to their word. Progressive minds in parliament, ruling and opposition must coalesce and robustly repudiate any attempt to enact pieces of legislation designed to limit justifiable criticism of government.