Journalists urged to fight AIPPA to the bitter end

Journalists must fight the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act to the bitter end because the act is full of restrictions and barriers and reeks of the intolerance and xenophobia that has characterised the Robert Mugabe administration for years.

This was said by the Daily News after the signing of the Act in 2002.

“That the act was even signed into law after its eloquent condemnation last year by the chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, Eddison Zvobgo, is testimony to the government’s commitment to dictatorship dressed up as democracy,“ the paper said.

“Every journalist worth their salt must feel morally outraged that the government can be so uncouth as to try to muzzle them while protesting to the outside world that there is freedom of the press in this country.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE752, MEDIA REPORT MEDIA ACT CHALLENGED; HARARE

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

220940Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ4929

PAGE 01       HARARE 00752 220955Z

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FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1296

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000752

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT MEDIA ACT CHALLENGED; HARARE

¶1.   UNDER HEADLINE “MEDIA ACT TOTALLY REEKS OF

INTOLERANCE, XENOPHOBIA,” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE

DAILY NEWS” DEDICATED ITS MARCH 22 EDITORIAL TO URGING

JOURNALISTS TO CHALLENGE THE RECENTLY ENACTED ACCESS TO

INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT, SAYING “THIS

ACT MUST BE FOUGHT TO THE BITTER END.” EXCERPTS:

¶2.   “. . .THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF

PRIVACY ACT. . .IS REPLETE WITH. . .RESTRICTIONS

AND BARRIERS. IT REEKS OF THE INTOLERANCE AND

XENOPHOBIA THAT HAS CHARACTERIZED (THE MUGABE)

ADMINISTRATION FOR MANY YEARS NOW. . . THAT THE

ACT WAS EVEN SIGNED INTO LAW AFTER ITS ELOQUENT

CONDEMNATION LAST YEAR BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE

PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE, EDDISON ZVOBGO, IS

TESTIMONY TO THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO

DICTATORSHIP DRESSED UP AS DEMOCRACY. EVERY

JOURNALIST WORTH THEIR SALT MUST FEEL MORALLY

OUTRAGED THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN BE SO UNCOUTH AS

TO TRY TO MUZZLE THEM WHILE PROTESTING TO THE

OUTSIDE WORLD THAT THERE IS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN

THIS COUNTRY. THIS ACT MUST BE FOUGHT TO THE

BITTER END. JOURNALISM IN ZIMBABWE MUST CONTINUE

TO PROMOTE THE FREE FLOW OF ANY AND ALL INFORMATION

AMONG THE PEOPLE UPON WHICH CITIZENS AND FOREIGNERS

CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

>

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