Download - Media Institute of Southern Africa

MALAWI
State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
presidential third term.
The militant youths started gathering
outside the newspaper offices as
of 7:00 a.m. (local time). By 8:00 a.m.,
the crowd had significantly grown,
with hundreds of people arriving in
truckloads and joining the youths.
Newspaper staff barricaded themselves
in their offices as the women
demonstrators chanted their support
for the president’s third term bid while
the youths angrily demanded an apology
from the newspaper. Blantyre
Newspapers’ managing editor Jika
Nkolokoa said he did not know why
the youths decided to demonstrate outside
their offices. In its Monday 20
May editorial, the “Daily Times” challenged
the ruling party, saying it would
not be silenced by threats.
The demonstration, which despite
the inflamed emotions was largely
peaceful, turned violent when the angry
youths beat up a newspaper staffer
who was seen attempting to record the
registration numbers of the vehicles
that brought in the demonstrators.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-06-25
INSTITUTION(S): Malawi Institute
of Journalism radio station
(MIJ FM) VIOLATION(S):
Threatened
The Malawi Communications Regulatory
Authority (MACRA) has
warned the Malawi Institute of Journalism
radio station (MIJ FM) that it
risks losing its broadcasting license
because of what MACRA describes as
anomalies and bias in its reporting. MIJ
FM is a community radio station run
by the MIJ to train students.
In a 13 June 2002 letter signed by
MACRA Director General Evance
Namanja, MACRA accused MIJ FM
of running editorial comments,
newscasts, licensed programme formats
and general coverage inconsistent
with the provisions of the Communications
Act and MIJ’s broadcasting
license.
However, the MISA’s Malawi chapter
(Namisa) has established that the
license principles issued to MIJ state
that the radio station should protect the
best interest of the community, encourage
new and innovative programmes
and promote community access to information.
MIJ Executive Director James
Ng’ombe told Namisa in a 20 June interview
that he was surprised by
MACRA’s move. Ng’ombe said his
station would not betray professional
standards because of the threats. “I
hope everyone gets the same type of
refereeing. I hope they (MACRA)
have a way of proving neutrality and
balance,” said Ng’ombe.
MACRA Director of Telecommunications
Mike Kuntiya refused to clarify
what the authority meant by “anomalies”
in MIJ FM programmes.
MACRA, hitherto dormant, is yet to
prove to be a neutral referee.
Political analysts suspect that
MACRA’s move is aimed at turning the
station into another front to advance the
idea of an unlimited term in the presidential
office. The Malawi Constitution,
which the UDF is trying to amend,
gives the president a maximum of two
five-year terms in office. MIJ FM took
to the airwaves a year ago and is fully
dependent on donor funding, especially
from Denmark, a country that
controversially cut its diplomatic ties
with Malawi a few months ago.
So This Is Democracy? 65