VICE-President George Kunda has asked media bodies to consider dialoguing with the Government over the draft Media Bill as opposed to mass demonstrations.

Media bodies are organising demonstrations over the draft statutory media regulation bill.

Mr Kunda said it was regrettable the media bodies had resorted to demonstrating over the bill, which was still in draft form.

Speaking during the commissioning of the elevator at the Ministry of Justice in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Kunda said, in fact, the draft bill by Government was as a result of the meeting held with representatives of media bodies.

During the said meeting, he said the Government, which was represented by Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha and Mr Kunda agreed with the media bodies that by yesterday, they should have been able to come up with a self-regulation mechanism.

He said following the agreement that by December 31, 2009, the media bodies would be able to come up with self-regulation mechanism, the Government on the other hand also started drafting the bill.

"We started preparing our own bill internally and the media bodies also decided their own. The bill which we as Government has developed is still a classified document and marked secret but has now been leaked. We are also entitled to develop our own bill and we are consulting the mother ministry and that bill is very raw," Mr Kunda said.

Since the bill was still in draft form, he said there was no need for the media bodies to agitate for demonstrations as such was recipe for anarchy in Zambia.

He said bills for professionals were done in consultation with experts and the professionals themselves and the Government would not impose a bill on media practitioners before wide consultations, as well as, subjecting it to submissions from a parliamentary committee.

"I am a great friend of the media and we want a media that is responsible. My appeal to media bodies and those that are agitating that they are going to demonstrate is to seek dialogue, instead of demonstrating demonstrate for what? The doors are open for dialogue and do not think that by demonstrating you will achieve anything," Mr Kunda said.

It was imperative that the spirit of reconciliation was promoted in 2010 among the various stakeholders.

He said the pre-occupation of the citizens and the Government should be to develop the country and not to entangle in confrontations.

The vice-president also advised media houses to desist from writing editorial comments that were derogatory to the people in Government.

Mr Kunda said many times, editorial comments in some media institutions were incessantly attacking Government officials.