‘Loyalty must be to people, not individuals’

MINISTER of Information and Broadcasting Services Joseph Katema says media practitioners should always remember that they owe their loyalty to the truth and the Zambian people.

Speaking at the launch of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) dual cast television transmitter in Kitwe on Friday, Dr Katema said the loyalty of journalists should be to the truth and the nation and not to individuals and their selfish interests.
Dr Katema, who is also Chief Government spokesperson, urged the media to continue promoting the peace and unity that the country has enjoyed in the last 50 years.
He urged the media to highlight the country’s journey from colonialism to independence as the country commemorates its golden jubilee.
And Dr Katema said it was surprising that despite giving media practitioners the leverage to regulate themselves under the umbrella of ZAMEC, the self-regulatory body had remained inactive.
Dr Katema said Government remains committed to increasing public access to information as could be seen by the developments such as the process of enacting the Freedom of Information Bill and the Independent Broadcasting Authority, which was responsible for overseeing a professional and responsible electronic media.
And ZNBC board member Cliven Katebe is hopeful that the launch of the dual cast transmitter will improve television reception in Kitwe and surrounding areas.
And Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Mwansa Kapeya says the poor are the most affected by environmental degradation because they rely entirely on the environment.
Mr Kapeya, who was speaking at a workshop for environmental practitioners, said 70 percent of the country’s population is poor.
“As you deliberate on environmental issues, may I remind you that the link between poverty and environmental degradation is significant,” Mr Kapeya said in a statement read on his behalf by Peggy Chirwa, a director at the ministry.
And Mr Kapeya says low education levels have a negative impact on the environment.
“The ministry recognises the need to increase levels of environmental awareness,” he said.
Mr Kapeya said the ministry has embarked on a programme to revise the school curricula to integrate environment and other cross-cutting issues.
“If more people, especially the young, participate in positive aspects of life such as culture, environment, governance, politics and commerce to promote sustainable development, then we are hopeful of a better future,” he said.

Zambia Daily Mail