"Disloyal opposition" denied access to public media

A senior Zimbabwean official declared at the weekend that the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would not be allowed access to the state media in the lead-up to general elections next year. The statement was made despite the fact that Zimbabwe is a recent signatory to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on principles and guidelines governing democratic elections. Speaking in Mashonaland West province at the weekend, Jonathan Moyo, Minister of State for Information, said the MDC was disloyal to the country and showed allegiance to the United States and Britain. "Britain and the USA do not give disloyal opposition political parties access to their public media and we also will not do it here. Unless and until we have a loyal opposition, it will not be possible for them to access the public media," said Moyo. He added that the opposition should stop using foreign radio stations like the Voice of America if it hoped to access the official press. Brian Kagoro, chief executive of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a group of pro-democracy NGOs, told IRIN there was nothing surprising about Moyo's statements. "The SADC Protocol is just a collection of basic guidelines. The guidelines are just that - guidelines - and because they are not part of the country's enforceable laws, the ZANU-PF government can choose to ignore all the guidelines or implement a few of them for cosmetic purposes to avoid international isolation," Kagoro said. In reacting to Moyo's statements, MDC secretary for constitutional and legal affairs, David Coltart, said: "Since the protocol was signed [in Mauritius], there is nothing yet to show that the government of Robert Mugabe is committed to the SADC Protocol ... On the contrary, the government is ensuring every day that the election next year would not be free and fair." The MDC has pulled out of all polls until the government fully implements the SADC Protocol. General elections are due in March 2005.