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Green Party leader, Peter Sinkamba, has cautioned the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) government against enacting laws that punish perceived opponents that use social media to disseminate their views.
Sinkamba in a statement, advised the UPND administration to learn lessons from past mistakes or previous governments that wanted or took the same route.
He stated that the UPND was set to present a Bill to Parliament to amend the Indepedent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act with the sole purpose to punish perceived opponents that use social media to disseminate their views.
“Targeted opponents include social media broadcasters critical of government, the likes of Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa, Kasonde Mwenda, Laura Miti, Emmanuel Mwamba, Chilufya Tayali etc,” Sinkamba said
He alleged that the Bill wanted to punish groupings like the Barotse National Freedom Alliance in Western Province, Umodzi Kumawa, Eastern Province among others.
Sinkamba also claimed that the Bill was intended to stiffle and punish political parties that use social media to reach out to the public, especially now that the 2026 elections are drawing closer.
“With innovation in social media broadcast outpacing traditional TV and radio broadcasting, this mode of communication has gained more traction than never before,” the Green Party leader stated.
He recalled that the UPND government while in opposition relied heavily on social media broadcasting to reach out to the masses, especially the youth, without any restriction.
Sinkamba said if there was no social media outreach before, during and after elections, there was no way that UPND would have won the 2021 elections.
“Never defecate in a water-well after you drink from it, especially if it is located along the way to your neighbouring village because you may need to drink from the same well on you way back,” he advised.
Sinkamba appealed to the UPND government to also learn from an old adage of never kick the ladder that helped the party to go up because they would need the same ladder on their way down.
Read More: Govt announces plans to regulate online broadcasting services
He said the same laws were subsequently used to punish the same leaders that enacted the laws when they lost power.
“There are several examples in this regard, too numerous to mention. Some cases are in courts of law right now. So UPND leaders may face the same fate,” Sinkamba warned.
Government had said IBA’s intention to regulate online media was meant to ease facilitation of the issuance of licences and make them conform to nationally acceptable standards.
Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, had also said government had noted proliferation of online broadcasting for some time which was seemingly unregulated.
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