Mwanawasa shouldn�t jail journalists

That didn�t take long.

President Levy Mwanawasa has joined the wonderful club of leaders who oppress journalists and suppress freedom of the press.

Six months into his presidency, Mwanawasa has ordered the arrest of four journalists from the People, an independent newspaper.

The charge _ defaming the president _ is as absurd as it is archaic. Adding to the bizarre nature of the charge is the fact that the journalists are accused of reporting that Mwanawasa has Parkinson�s disease. What�s so defamatory about Parkinson�s disease? Several global figures have Parkinson�s disease and don�t feel defamed. Among them are Pope John Paul II and Muhammad Ali.

If the president has Parkinson�s disease, he should use it to champion the cause of those afflicted by this disease. He should be a shining example that no disease can stop anybody from aspiring to the highest office in Zambia.

Equally absurd is the refusal by the courts to release the journalists on bail. Since when wasn�t such a charge bailable? It would not be a stretch for someone to take the liberty of suspecting the journalists are being held in a bid to muzzle them further.

As if the arrests were not enough, a bunch of Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) hooligans _masquerading as youth supporters _ rallied to cheer the arrest of the journalists, a clear sign that the arrests were politically motivated. These MMD youths then went on to beat poor newspaper vendors who had nothing to do with the story.

Mwanawasa _ in complaining to police that the newspaper had defamed him _ did not categorically deny that he has Parkinson�s disease. He just insisted that he has the right to privacy. Mwanawasa, a lawyer, ought to know that he lost his right to privacy the moment he stood for public office. After all as he indicated in his inaugural address, he is a �servant� of the people of Zambia.

Even if Mwanawasa does have Parkinson�s disease, he has been called worse names. Being labeled a vegetable _ cabbage _ is more demeaning to the president than Parkinson�s disease. Yet all those that had called him cabbage have not been arrested and charged with defamation. This without doubt shows he is just after journalists.

The whole notion of defaming the president is outdated and has its roots in the equally oppressive days of President Kenneth Kaunda, who thought anybody challenging his authority was defamatory. President Frederick Chiluba tried to use the law to detain journalists and the opposition and it backfired in his face. His corrupt acts became more apparent as he took more journalists to court. Mwanawasa should learn from this.

President Mwanawasa needs to put the national interests first by devoting efforts on issues pertaining to critical issues from poverty and disease to economical revival and education.

There are several other issues that Zambians would be interested in, like that investigation into the $90 million believed stashed in the Bahamas. When he took the office of oath, Mwanawasa promised freedom of speech _ but I guess that does not include freedom AFTER speech.