Newly appointed Permanent Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Services, Amos Malupenga has banned the public media from carrying any media statements issued by Zambian Embassies abroad.
In a letter written to media heads of; ZNBC, TIMES OF ZAMBIA, DAILY Mail and ZANIS, dated 7th January 2020 and signed by new Permanent Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Services Amos Malupenga, stated that the public media should not use or publish or circulate such media statements from Zambian embassies and High Commission.
He said exception has been given to media statements that will have express approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Malupenga has also banned the appearance of ambassadors on public media programs in special interviews and feature profiles without prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Malupenga stated that the directive was with immediate effect.
The letter was copied to Minister of Information, to the Secretary to Cabinet and to the Permanent Secretary at Foreign Affairs.
maka maka uyu Emmanuel na uyu Antony
He should speak to Emmanuel and Antony not ban media from covering them. Now he is giving People a good reason not to tune in to State owned media
Those are boot lickers , you still hear from them……it is those who complain about not getting salaries that PF are trying to gag
This is weird management indeed. Instead of directly engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to then direct the Ambassadors to stop issuing media statements, the PS instructs the media heads instead, are these rogue Ambassadors? Ideally the letter should have been from Foreign Affairs PS to Ambassadors copied to Information PS who would have forwarded to media heads ……
@1.3, this morning is so true, the Zambian Embassy in Uk only has one person in the visa section. I have been calling since November and I was told today that they there is only one person. Can you imagine the revenue Zambia is losing because of this?
Sorry meant @1.2
Amos be smart, people will label you as gay, by the way you sign. Especially that you worked for a long time with Mmembe, and the way you are into gay-rights fight already?? No good for you bro. This is bad way of terminating career. You are done, no job for you in 2021.
I have never heard of this in a democracy. In China and North Korea yes because the state dictates news agenda but in a country that was liberated from the one party state by something called the Movement for Multiparty Democracy one would think any new ruling administration would share the ideals of democracy
The headline is wrong. Ambassadors represent the country and and any word coming from their mouths is construed as government policy (as was the case of statements made by the former US ambassador who was forced out of the country for abusing our hospitality) so they should be very careful what they say hence the need for the statements to be cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Chaps who are being appointed to serve the country are getting carried away by the appointment and forgetting their lessons from NIPA
Thank God, finally we have someone sensible enough in place and am glad he has used his butcher’s knife to cut off the propaganda nonsense from Anthony Mukwita and Emmanuel Mwamba. It is just these two who really abused public media, the rest, including our beloved Father Bwalya have been wise and magnanimous, and one would think Zambia had only two Ambassadors abroad, fake Journalist Mwamba and Mukwita.
Thanks for bringing the knife down. These two were literally running media propaganda houses from these embassies at tax payer’s expenses, totally unacceptable. Good job new broom. Please sweep the real dirty clean while you are still new
What do you expect when the President keeps appointing these former Daily Mail and Times Journalists in foreign service.
Also the znbc guy in India was forever chasing the high commissioner s dress in issuing statements!
Amos Malupenga is right, an ambassador is a very junior officer in our set up but some behave like they were above the Minister. An ambassador is the equivalent of a Deputy Director
Can a Deputy Director be equivalent to a person appointed by a President to represent the same President in a foreign Country? You must be joking. It is only the President that can issue such a Directive, period
Lukanga, a Zambian ambassador is a very junior officer, he’s below a deputy PS. I even wonder why people like Nervers Mumba want to be an ambassador after having served as a Vice President, it’s very demeaning. You must understand how government operates. For example, at State House the senior most is the controller of State House but chaps that are in the limelight are the press aid who’s a very junior officer. Ask KZ he will educate you
Yes let us have some sanity threr. There is a guy who said ADB suspending Zambia due to debt was fake news while MOF was preparing a statement.
Do you know what freedom of the press is you PF cadres writing here? First of all I’m very shocked that a journalist is issuing such draconian instructions to media that have their own Editor in Chiefs. He is confirming these heads of the media are token appointments. It just proves the PF are archaic and are still living in the second Republic. We need to move with the Times and this is not the party that will move with us in this 21st century.
Its not the news media that should be given such instructions. It is the diplomats. The media fetch their news from everyone. You cant tell them not to talk to so and so. That is censorship and coming from someone who worked for The Post it is shocking!
Jealousy against Anthony Mukwita and the Ethiopian Ambassador by their fellow journalist peer. Cheap politics and flexing of muscles to show that they are below the PS in rank. We want to hear about what our ambassadors are doing to know that they are contributing and not just earning free dollars. It’s not a secret that many diplomatic appointments are made as a political incentive. So leave them alone and you just make sure expenditure is up to date.
Very true. Malupenga wants to show his colleagues who is senior and who is junior
Shah!
well spoken but who is supposed to issue that statement ? who is senior between the permanent secretary and the ambassadors.l hope there’s confusion in the patriotic front government;we shall soon have a contradictory statement from another government official. oh,why is justice minister so quite ?
Ba Lungu Amos Malumpenela has gone against government policy by issuing illegal instructions to reporters who have their own bosses. Just like his predecessor went against policy by illegally instructing civil servants not to cut their salaries thus contradicting you so please fire him
@Ayatollah; the narrative has now changed, deputy director as ambassador? Former vice presidents, ministers, defence and security commanders etc are now ambassadors. It’s no wonder even a former foreign affairs ministers was equating the former US ambassador Daniel Foote to that same level. State department unlike the Zambian case appoints career diplomats to these positions across the board.
Further proof that government media is not free to write stories of their choice or have any control over editorial policy. It will never be neutral and will always write in support of government and against anybody opposing government as this is the invisible hand that controls state media.
True. Government should have a mouth piece. Not everyone should be . Especially Ambassador Mwamba, he is always the one who behaves like Government spokesman. Let’s have sanity and order. Shaa
Especially ka Emmanuel Mwamba, that chap who struggled ka Kafupi Chuluba, he is very fond of issuing stupid statements to the media. He must now shur up!
This is needed to instil order and certainty which leads to confidence in investment. In every organisation there is a code or policy and authority that authorizes statements made under that organisation. This is needed. Kz
I actually enjoy Emmanuel Mwambas articles, he is a skilled man who is being underused by ECL. I think Emmanuel Mwamba should be made RUNNING MATE 2021. He is sober and articulates issues very well and I think he would give PF a good name. Not lumpens like Kampyongo, Jean Kapata.
The other cadre Ambassodor is Germans Ambassodor anthony i think his name is
That guy in Ethiopia hosted Tayali for his private business which had no bearing on what the Zambian Embassy is not l about . He is out and about in several countries doing things he is not even qualified for most likely doing it on Tax payers account .