The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Gordon Moyo, said in his speech that NJAMA was an important part in encouraging journalists to operate in Zimbabwe. He stressed that one of the most important parts in the success for the Inclusive Government is the media. “The implementation of political agreements is always difficult. It is actually a miracle that as Zimbabweans, we have managed to sit in Cabinet together and get work done. We are also happy with the media reforms that are starting to take place,” Mr Gordon Moyo.

Currently in Zimbabwe the interviews and selection of commissioners for the newly implemented Zimbabwe Media Commission, ZMC are about to take place. The function of this new commission is to license journalists and media houses to practice in Zimbabwe. They are also assigned to make sure that media ethics rules are followed and to ensure for the eventual revival of free media in Zimbabwe.

The Swedish government has earlier this year decided to increase funding within the media and democracy sector. Media reforms and free media will be a very important ingredient in Zimbabwe’s ongoing transition and in the implementation process.

The current situation for media in Zimbabwe is and has been restrictive. Many journalists have been forced to flee the country and many regime critical newspapers have been shut down. However last week it was thus announced that the old Daily News has now got permission to start appearing again. Furthermore news that foreign media, amongst them, BBC and CNN, have been allowed to operate once again in the country came in the run up to the event.

Address by H E Sten Rylander, Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe at the National Journalistic and Media Awards, 31July 2009:

Progress of the Inclusive Government and the role of the media: Comments from an international perspective.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister´s Office, Honourable Gordon Moyo, representing the Guest of Honour, Right Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai,
The two Ministers of Information Nelson Chamisa and Webster Shamu
The President, Secretary General and Committee of Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ),
Dear Members of the media fraternity and Distinguished Guests here present,
Colleagues and Friends,

It is indeed an honour and a great pleasure for me to speak at  this year’s National Journalistic and Media Awards. I would like to use this opportunity to look at the “Progress of the Inclusive Government and the role of the media”. I will share my views from an international perspective and as a friend of the Zimbabwean people. I believe an international perspective is crucial because free media and freedom of expression know no borders. Media should and can never be constrained by narrow national perceptions or sovereignty.

Let me start by congratulating the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists for hosting yet another edition of the National Journalistic and Media Awards (NJAMA). The awards have become an exciting part of the media calendar and are an effective way of supporting the journalistic world and promoting high standards of journalism in the country. As the Swedish Embassy we are proud to be associated with NJAMA and we look forward to the presentation of the awards later tonight.

Sweden has an admired tradition of press freedom, which dates back as far as  1766 when the Freedom of the Press Act was passed. Sweden’s current work with media is ultimately founded on the rights of the individual; the right to freedom of expression, the right to knowledge, the right to transform knowledge into action and the right to freedom from poverty. This year the Swedish government has boosted its commitment to democracy and freedom of expression even further through a decision on increased spending and other initiatives. This special action is one important way to counter oppression, which is an obstacle to poverty alleviation. As Sweden we are therefore interested in how the inclusive government deals with the media and how the media covers the progress of the inclusive government as this has an impact on the lives of ordinary people.

Colleagues and Friends,
As from 1 July 2009, Sweden took over the Presidency of the European Union. The Swedish EU Presidency has an overall goal which is to lead the EU in a transparent and efficient manner, in line with Swedish policy and values, and in the interest of the EU as a whole. As part of the agenda during our Presidency we aim to build democracy and to further coordinate and strengthen the EU in its external and developmental policy. As the Swedish Presidency in Zimbabwe we  seek to follow and monitor the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The opening up of the media environment is one of the key issues that we will be observing. As part of the agenda we also endeavour to achieve a successful dialogue (under Article 8 of the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement) with the Zimbabwean government aimed at normalised relations. In this regard, an open and vibrant media will be important in order to  highlight and communicate the progress of the inclusive government as the country moves towards re-engagement.

Press Freedom is not an alien concept. One of the best and most comprehensive set of media guidelines was produced in Namibia in the early 1990´s. I am happy to inform you that I was Ambassador in Namibia when the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) was established and I contributed very actively to its formative stages. Its birth came after the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media in 1991. The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights has wedged in with a Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Information. Despite the adoption of these commendable declarations, monopolies continue to exist in some countries, not least in Zimbabwe, which still has a single national broadcaster contrary to the objectives espoused in its broadcasting laws. In addition, there have been documented cases of freedom of the press violations in most countries in the region and unfortunately Zimbabwe has not been an exception.

Over the last years, the state repression of the media has intensified through the use of legislation like AIPPA, POSA and the Broadcasting Services Act. These laws have seen the crackdown on the media resulting in forced closure of private newspapers and radio stations, the arrest and intimidation of journalists and the restructuring of the state media into a deplorable and highly politicised monopoly. The international community and indeed Zimbabweans are closely monitoring the media environment expecting an end to the repression as an indicator of the success of the inclusive government.

Colleagues and Friends,
For us to have a clear understanding of the progress of the inclusive government and the role of the media, it is important to focus on the GPA, which provides the framework for the inclusive government. Article 19 of the Global Political Agreement, signed by the three political parties, recognizes the importance of the right to freedom of expression and the role of the media in a multi-party democracy. The implementation of the GPA in general and the adherence to the Article dealing with media in particular is a litmus test of the sincerity of the inclusive government to usher in a new era of unity, freedom and work.

The GPA notes that while the provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act permit the issuance of licenses, to date no licenses other than to the public broadcaster have been issued. It is very important for the government to urgently open up the airwaves to allow for the operation of “as many media houses as possible” to directly quote from the GPA. A first step would be to open the airwaves for community radio stations. As Sweden we join so many others in believing that the absence of community-based radios hinders development and  slows down poverty reduction efforts. Community Radio stations could be playing a crucial role in terms of informing the ordinary people, especially in rural and marginal areas, on the progress of the inclusive government and other key issues like national healing and the constitution-making process. We call upon the government to open the airwaves and grant operating licenses to community radio stations and other broadcasters.

The Parties to the GPA agreed that the government shall ensure the immediate processing by the appropriate authorities of all applications for re-registration and registration in terms of both the Broadcasting Services Act, as well as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. We urge the government to do this and to go further to allow Parliament - in consultation with all media players - to discuss these Acts to determine if they help or hinder media freedom; if they hinder it we urge the parties to amend or repeal parts of these laws, which are not in line with the spirit of the inclusive government, and realign them in line with key regional media declarations. It is important for government to come up with legislation that will open up the media landscape and help facilitate the implementation of the GPA.

The GPA notes that it is important for the public and private media to refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred - or that unfairly undermines political parties and other organizations. It is therefore worrying to note the hate speech and negative and biased reporting that is still coming from the state media on a regular basis. The inclusive government should ensure that appropriate measures are taken to achieve this objective as articulated in the GPA. In order to open up the media environment as anticipated by the Agreement, the Parties agreed that steps should be taken to ensure that the public media provides balanced and fair coverage of all legitimate political activities. We call upon the government to ensure that the public media abides by what was agreed in the GPA. The media is very important in the current dispensation; its role is to accurately inform on the various processes underway for instance the constitution-making process, the re-branding exercise and the crafting of the national vision. 

It is regrettable and unfortunate that media coverage and access in Zimbabwe is below fifty percent. There are many areas in Zimbabwe, especially rural areas, where there is no radio or television coverage and which newspapers do not reach. It is very important for the media to be accessed by ordinary Zimbabweans. The government has to provide adequate funding that will ensure universal media access to all Zimbabweans. It is also important to promote and support the printing of community newspapers and local newsletters and pamphlets in local languages in order to promote universal access. Universal access will ensure that Zimbabweans are aware of the progress of the inclusive government. Through the media they can have a voice in the way the country is governed thereby strengthening democracy.

Distinguished guests,
As we honour distinguished journalists who have excelled in various categories we should also call upon the government to support initiatives by various media organizations in training journalists. Such training is relevant to the current dispensation, since the quality of journalism will determine the role that the media can play in reporting and giving feedback on the work of the inclusive government. The training will also be important in order to build a new brand of highly trained journalists, whose work can contribute towards rebuilding the country.

We call upon the government to open up the media space for both local and international journalists. This will go along way towards marketing Zimbabwe as the wonderful place that it is and help in reviving tourism which has an obvious impact on the economy, given the prospects of the 2010 World Cup next door in South Africa. The creation and promotion of a free, truly independent and highly professional media can have an enormous impact on Zimbabwe’s development process and economic growth. The media in Zimbabwe has the potential to create a more positive picture of Zimbabwe, which in turn will attract investors, tourists and the international community to assist the country with direct foreign aid and financial resources. Opening up space for the media is a confidence-building measure. A country with a free and vibrant press attracts investors and tourists. A country without one does not – it is as simple as that.

Globally, new technologies and new ways of distributing content - all part of the “new media” - have made information far more accessible and diverse. Mainstream media reporting, for example, is being supplemented by “participatory media”, such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and others. It is important for Zimbabwe to also benefit from these new global trends. But this can prove to be a challenge if the legal framework for the media is still repressive. We call upon the government to set up a single independent communication regulatory authority to deal with radio, telephone and the new media licensing. Independent regulation of telecommunications and broadcasting should be done with the aim of promoting freedom of expression, access to information, fair competition, universal access and the protection of consumer rights.

Most of the media reforms we are calling for are not alien or imposed by the West but are derived from the wisdom of the GPA and are in line with the key regional declarations on media freedom. It is therefore imperative that the government abides by what it agreed upon in the GPA. We call upon Parliament through the Parliamentary Committee on Media, Communication and Information Technology to consult widely with stakeholders and take a lead in media reform initiatives.

My government strongly supports freedom of expression and the media worldwide. In Zimbabwe Sweden has provided generous support to MISA and to the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ). The aim of the VMCZ  is to establish an effective system for professional self-regulation of the media. Self-regulation, rather than state regulation, is the best way of promoting high standards of professionalism and ethical behavior. We believe that the VMCZ has the capacity to regulate the work of journalists; deal with the enforcement of the code of conduct by handling media complaints and also with the accreditation of journalists. We also support various other media initiatives, as well as the training of media practitioners. We align ourselves with all on-going efforts by the international community and local stakeholders to support the growth and development of a free and professional media in Zimbabwe.

Let me congratulate in advance tonight’s winners and wish them all the best in their pursuit of excellence. I close by quoting the Indian Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen: “ The absence of a free press and the suppression of people’s ability to speak to and communicate with each other directly impoverish human freedom and impairs development”.

Thank you, Tatenda, Siyabonga, Twalumba.