{"id":16470,"date":"2022-02-18T19:30:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T19:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/the-story-of-the-post-by-laura-miti"},"modified":"2022-02-18T19:51:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T19:51:15","slug":"the-story-of-the-post-by-laura-miti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/the-story-of-the-post-by-laura-miti","title":{"rendered":"The Story of the Post by Laura Miti"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>Thinking about the Post, one is very ambivalent about its place in history. The paper was, for a long time, the beacon of free speech and a protector of democracy. Then, it went mad!<\/p>\n

A sense by owner, Fred M\u2019membe, that Rupiah Banda should not have stood for elections, after President Levy Mwanawasa died, consumed the paper. Fred was convinced, and declared in the paper, that Rupiah Banda, then constitutionally acting as President, should have stepped aside for \u201cLevy\u2019s chosen\u201d successor, Ng\u2019andu Mangande.<\/p>\n

The vitriol that ensued, against RB\u2019s candidature in the Presidential by election was shocking, for me anyway. He was viciously attacked simply for wanting a presidency that had fallen into his lap, and for Fred claiming Levy had told him he preferred Mangande.<\/p>\n

OK, if truth be told, Mangande would have almost certainly been many people\u2019s preference and probably a better President than RB turned out to be. RB had the right to pursue a presidency within his grasp, though.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, from there, it was downwards into the gutter, for the Post. Fred decided he would use his paper to ensure RB had a short presidency. In came the clean-up-Sata project.<\/p>\n

Before then, you see, the Post did not like Sata. Declared him, rightly so I might add, violent, uncouth and much else. But he was, I guess, the only person seen by Fred as being able to unseat RB.<\/p>\n

The Post therefore reconfigured itself into a Sata rehabitation and campaign platform. Through some scary and reckless reporting, Fred successfully delivered the Sata presidency.<\/p>\n

Sata\u2019s time in office was sadly short lived. It was a short period when the Post (or is it Fred) basked in the kingmaker status. The paper looked away from any wrong doing and sung \u201cMichael\u2019s\u201d praises to high heaven. It seems the Post even stop paying taxes. I wish it had ended there \u2013 with the paper and Fred enjoying the good life, but no.<\/p>\n

The most tragic aspect of the degeneration of the Post was its decision to make some seeming hatred between Fred and then UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema, another project of the paper. Unfortunately, it was decided that it was not enough to vilify HH alone. The paper started the Paint-the-Tonga Black programme which was later adopted by EL\u2019s PF, as personified by Chishimba Kambwili and backing voices of Professor Luo and others.<\/p>\n

It is the last part, I find difficult to forgive Fred for. He, with clear mind, started a hate campaign against a whole innocent people that took our beautiful country to a dark place.<\/p>\n

That said, the Post should not have been closed and especially liquidated. That, ostensibly done because the paper had accumulated a huge tax bill, was really because it did not transfer its worship of Michael Sata to his successor EL.<\/p>\n

You see, just like RB had done with Mangande after Levy\u2019s death, EL prevented Fred\u2019s preferred Wynter Kabimba or compromise Miles Sampa from becoming President after Sata died. Let me leave it there<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. Thinking about the Post, one is very ambivalent about its place in history. The paper was, for a long time, the beacon of free speech and a protector of democracy. Then, it went mad! A sense by owner, Fred M\u2019membe, that Rupiah Banda should not have stood for elections, after President Levy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":16469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,8,16],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-16470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Story of the Post by Laura Miti - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thinking about the Post, one is very ambivalent about its place in history. 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