Don’t discriminate based on age
THE appointment of Good governance and Human rights activist, Dante Saunders as board member of Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) has received negative reception from some section of the public.
He is perceived to be ill-qualified and old to provide effective oversight to the executive management of ZNBC (The Sunday Nation, March 31 2022).
We can debate the suitability of his experience and qualifications but we must drop the issue of age out of the equation.
Discrimination against the aged is called “ageism.” It is a terrible social discrimination against people who are aged because they are regarded as less productive either physically or intellectually or both.
This is not different from reducing the socio-political space for women based on sex or for the differently-abled people based on disability.
Any form of discrimination based on social status including age must be fought tooth and nail.
The full meaning of the concept of life expectancy is not just about an expectation of increase in the quantity of life but also quality of life which in essence is enjoying a full and active life until death.
Not many of us are privy to Mr Saunders’s profession qualifications. However, those familiar with the struggle for democracy, promotion of good governance and human rights in Zambia have come across him since the dawn of multi-party democracy (See Dr Mbita Chitala’s book: Not yet Democracy).
I am 100 percent for his appointment but less confident about his placement. The appointing authorities should have considered placing him on the Human Rights Commission because of his experience and passion in that domain than giving too much weight to his qualification (assuming that he has media qualification).
With Ms Laura Miti moving to the Human Rights Commission, Mr Simon Kabanda to Police Service Commission and now Mr Saunders onto the ZNBC board, the “salting” of the state organs with civil society experience continues to receive attention.
What is crucial is how the activists will use the State machinery to advance the project of building a sustainable democratic country and not how the machinery will use them to paint a picture of an inclusive society when in reality it is not.