Min of Info abdicates national duty

Press Statement

The MDC is seriously worried by the manner the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity has abdicated its national responsibility to the taxpayer in pursuit of the shameful parochial interests of protecting one exclusive political party in the inclusive government. 

The public media has been abused to become the theatre and arena of maligning and vilifying the MDC, its leadership and members at the expense of covering pertinent issues affecting the ordinary man and woman. 

The Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity is the spokes-ministry of the inclusive government in its entirety. The public media, under the express orders of ministry officials, have become willing vehicles of spreading hate speech, divisions and tension in the inclusive government through overt bias and positive coverage of ministers and officials from one political party. 

The MDC condemns the partisan use of public institutions such as the public media to the detriment of national and public interest. For years, the MDC has been a perennial victim of unbridled propaganda. Ironically, the ridicule, abuse and vilification have intensified since the formation of the inclusive government in February 2009.

The latest victim is Finance Minister Hon Tendai Biti who is on the receiving end of a vicious war by Zanu PF bigwigs used to free handouts who are now fighting tenaciously and extra-legally to have access to IMF funds that are outside the control of the usual Father Christmas-the Central Bank. 

It would not be illogical to conclude that the life of Hon Biti, just like other MDC officials and ministers, is in danger judging by the vitriol being spewed by The Herald and the ZBC. A month ago, Hon Biti received a live bullet in his mail and it appears there has not been any investigation on the matter. 

The past seven months have seen the sunset of political debauchery and corruption and the emergence of a new sunrise of hope for the people of Zimbabwe. That hope; the nation’s hope is under serious threat from the partisan use of strategic national institutions to undermine the new political dispensation.

The Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity and its puppet media have lost all credibility in the eyes of Zimbabweans who want to nurture the new era of prosperity and hope. 

The MDC regards the lampooning and hate speech against its Ministers and officials as a threat to the Global Political Agreement.  We are worried about the threat posed to the longevity of the GPA by a retinue of sulking remnants from the old order which is hell-bent on undermining the hope that had begun to be engendered by the inclusive government.  

The MDC is a party of excellence. Despite the open season of threats and provocative behaviour, we remain steadfast on our agenda to keep our promise of delivering real change to the people of Zimbabwe.  We want dignity, security, democracy, freedoms, prosperity and hope. 

Together to the end, marching to a new Zimbabwe.