By Agness Changala
The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has told the police to desist from attacking journalists and disturbing their course of duty.
And MLC says the police behavior is purely an aspect of ignoring their professional ethics and becoming cadres in order to please the politicians who are in the government now.
MLC chairperson Ernest Chanda said it is disappointing and annoying that police officers should continue to behave like political party cadres.
Chanda said the affected journalists were there to execute their duties based on the invitation they received from the conveners of the briefing and it is wrong that their gadgets should be confiscated.
“We therefore urge them to desist from attacking journalists and disturbing our course of duty. They should just mind their business and they should respect other professions. If they do not change, we will start calling them out one by one. Will start identifying them and writing about them as well as reporting them to their appointing authorities,” Chanda said.
He said it defeats all intelligence and professionalism for police officers to start attacking journalists who are simply covering a press briefing.
“There is no connection between a press briefing and politics. Those journalists were there to execute their duties based on the invitation they received from the conveners of the briefing,” Chanda said
He added that it was an act of ignorance and primitivity of the highest order from the police officers involved in disturbing the work of journalists adding that the officers displayed utmost ignorance and cadreism.
He said the police should learn to respect the work of journalists.
“In fact they should further themselves in education in order to understand other professions. This will help them to become more professional. For those with enough education but choose to be cadres, it’s a shame on them and we urge them to believe in their abilities to deliver, that is what will protect their jobs and not cadreism where you start harassing others, especially journalists,” he said.
Chanda said police officers will not go scot free, saying the media will continue calling them out condemning them and if possible engage the police command because it seems despite several engagements with them, there is nothing that is changing for the betterment of the journalism profession.
He expressed worry that if the police are behaving like this now, they will become in 2005 and 2026 towards elections.
“Lastly we are scared that three years away from the general elections, police can behave like this, what more in 2005 and 2006. Are we not going to see a situation where police officers will be invading news rooms where they are literally stopping us from writing our stories and they will even go to the extent of editing our stories. That is the fear that we have and where are they drawing this illegal mandate because we know the legal mandate that the police have and certainly it does not include preventing journalists from carrying out their duties,” he said.
Chanda said the police should stop being cadres because they are embarrassing themselves as individuals and the profession itself.
He said there are better ways of seeking promotions other than harassing fellow professionals in other fields and that they can still be recognized by this government and promoted without then harassing anyone.
Chanda also said the police should stop this overzealousness.
There is a tendency of being overzealous all the time as they seek favours from politicians. This overzealousness will land some of them in problems one day. We are warning them,” said Chanda.
