IBA is failing the nation

Dear Editor,

OUR broadcasting and television station have become havens of anarchy where any person can broadcast insults, allegations of corruption and other character assassination statements without any control.

For example Chishimba Kambwili has absolutely no development message, all he knows is how to insult President Lungu and other people in authority, which people have no opportunity of reply. This is not correct.

The Independent Broadcasting Authority should provide very clear guidelines with regard to the content of broadcast messages. If Parliamentarians, who have unlimited latitude to debate and restrained and constrained not to debate people who are not in the house to respond, why should Chishimba Kambwili who has such a tainted personal record be allowed to go on radio and broadcast to millions of people about how corrupt President Lungu and his Ministers are. What moral right does any station have to host a person like Kambwili to make such statements? This is anarchy. The Police in Mansa must be commended for their timely move to eject Kambwili from a broadcast which was full of insults. Our politics must go beyond insults into more constructive issues. The Government must however seriously consider the role of the IBA which should engage with radio and such Television stations as Prime TV which has thrown all ethics and human decency standards to the wind. They will broadcast live anybody who has anything to say.

This does not happen anywhere else in the world. We are taking our freedom too far and unless check this, we will live to regret this error. The sooner this matter is checked the better.

Manfred Chama