. Sakala
By MARTIN NYIRENDA –
ZAMBIA stands on one leg if the local media fails to anchor and sustain democracy.
As the lifeblood of democratic processes, the upcoming January 20 presidential by-election demands media outfits to go beyond the traditional news story headlines.
For this to work, the media should play its desired critical roles as it wrestles itself from all forms of powerful forces and vested interests intertwined with ownership, control, policy and regulatory constraints.
With the election fever gripping the political climate in the country, the media’s goal is to critically analyse candidates, political parties and their manifestoes — comparing and contrasting contesting candidates.
Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) president Andrew Sakala said the media was charged with the responsibility to dwell on issue-based stories surrounding affairs of national significance for the benefit of the public.
In this case, as the January 20 presidential by-election curves in, they should actively engage societal players by educating citizens
through fertile stories that adequately explain the national situation to enable citizens benefit from improved service delivery and also take part in the national development agenda.
Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge says the media has the obligation to thoroughly assess the needs of the nation and issues posing societal challenges by turning facts into knowledge for the electorate to base their choices on the suitable presidential candidate.
Only too true, as Mr Musenge put it, the local media faces the challenge of consolidating the democratic processes by making free and fair elections an irreversible feature of the political culture.
“Throughout the electoral and political process, the media has the responsibility to help shed light on candidates and political parties; educate voters on key procedures; and inform the public of electoral developments.
“This is so because the media has continued to play an influential role in elections as much as it remains crucial for the development of democracy,” he quips.
The minister believes that a well-tailored media outfit performs a voter education role when it has the capacity to positively explain the procedures for voting, the ballot paper and election arrangements especially secrecy of the ballot to the average members of society.
To him, the public and private media houses are supposed to help especially contesting parties depart from politics of personal attacks by concentrating on campaigns that would help the electorate gauge a suitable presidential candidate.
The media should be able to explain, in simple terms, specific legal and administrative issues which are chief ingredients for any free and fair election undertaking — providing a platform for all participating candidates and their political outfits to market their manifestos to the public.
Ndola’s Yengwe Ward councillor, Andrew Kalima said the hallmark of representative democracy enables the people’s regular input in choices about leaders and policy and that they are also credible processes, unleashing conflict and tensions that, if not constructively managed, could potentially undermine the fabric of states and societies.
“It is essential, therefore, that the media play an active role in ensuring that such tensions and conflict are minimised or eliminated.
The media can do this by sensitising the electorate and the rest of the citizenry on the proper conduct of elections,” Mr Kalima said.
He said the media plays its role as the watchdog of society especially when they are able to effectively expose errors of omission by those contesting by-elections.
“Society expects the media to alert citizens to electoral malpractices so that these may be addressed by of course exposing political schemes to disadvantage those outside the corridors of power.
The media should expose manipulation of citizens through the distribution of bribes and other illegal niceties during campaign periods,” Mr Kalima said.
Patrick Hara, a prolific computer guru in his own rights, believes the media also needs to explain to the citizenry the importance of their participative involvement in all aspects of governance systems such as voting.
More than that, it is expected that journalists will strive to cast their focus on pertinent national issues, by engaging ordinary men and women especially those lacking a strong voice in society, for instance, the elderly and the young, women, the poor, and ethnic and religious minorities.
Now the Church urges political players in the country to focus on issue-based campaigns rather than character assassination as they bid for the Republican presidency in the forthcoming by-election.
CCZ Suzanne Matale believes the media is expected to help the nation unite during the elections and thereafter through constructive and balanced write-ups.
“The media should help the nation unite by informing them correctly of prevailing situations in the country to ensure they participate fairly during the coming elections,” Rev Matale chipped in.
She further weighed in with a plea for the media to avail equal space to all political contenders especially candidates vying presidency.
“Fair coverage across the board entails democracy!” she beams, with marked precision.
And as society expects the media to alert citizens to electoral malpractices so that these may be addressed by exposing political schemes that disadvantage those outside the corridors of power, the media should expose manipulation of citizens through the distribution of bribes and other illegal niceties during campaign periods.
Indiscriminate dishing out of huge sums of money tend to manipulate desperate citizens.
As for the opposition, the media has the responsibility to analyse the depth of their ability to hold the ruling party accountable as they avail alternative programmes that may attract votes from the electorate.
In playing the analytical role, the media — adhering to ethics and professional norms — must strive to articulate beyond the programmes and promises of candidates and parties to assess the needs of the nation and issues posing societal challenges — turning facts into knowledge for the electorate on which to base their choices.
Little wonder Ythe media faces the challenge of consolidating the democratic vector by ensuring free and fair elections an irreversible feature of the political culture.
Tendai Mabodo, a Chipata based social commentator, lucidly recoils that the media still faces the challenge more than ever of making elections meaningful to processes of choosing the desired leader to govern the country.
In his thesis ‘The role of the Media in Elections A Critical Reflection’, Professor Tawana Kupe of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg argues that society needs a diverse, free and professional media which actualises the right to freedom of expression.
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a Washington, D.C.-based development organisation providing assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies, in a study titled ‘Reflecting on the Role of Media in Elections’ reflects that throughout the electoral and political process, the media can shed light on candidates and political parties; educate voters on key procedures; and inform the public of electoral developments.
Why so? The media wields influence in elections and is crucial for the development of democracy.
Media explains the procedures for voting, the ballot paper and election arrangements especially secrecy of the ballot. In this
regard, the media is performing a voter education role.
Without an alert media, all these issues are in vain to the erosion of the democratic tenets on the political face.
The media, in its somewhat meek agenda-setting role, provides diverse view points and unbiased information, offering forum for debate involving citizens and the civil society, mediating in national development projects and contributing to sustainable flow of information.
The media is supposed to help contestants and their side-kicks depart from politics of personal attacks by concentrating on campaigns that aid the electorate gauge a suitable candidate.
To eschew the election tide as we get closer to January 20, the media should go beyond headlines when reporting the campaigns so that it is not forced to stand on one leg because of its failure to anchor and sustain democracy.
