Download - Media Institute of Southern Africa

State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
2002
denies involvement in the plot.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-09-30
INSTITUTION(S): The Chronicle,
Daily Times
VIOLATION(S): Threatened
President Bakili Muluzi has lashed
out at the “Chronicle” and “Daily
Times” newspapers for what he
termed “irresponsible journalism.”
Speaking at a rally in Balaka district
(southern Malawi) on 25 September
2002, Muluzi described the “Daily
Times” as a “naughty paper” whose
agenda was questionable.
“What’s wrong with our ‘Daily
Times’? What agenda do they have?”
he charged.
Muluzi’s remarks follow the publication
of an article in which the newspaper
quoted the Public Affairs Committee
(PAC) as contradicting
Muluzi’s assertions that he founded
the group. PAC described the president’s
outbursts as “untrue and misleading.”
On 11 September, Muluzi accused
the “Chronicle” newspaper of trying
to incite civil unrest. The “Chronicle”
had quoted a letter written by a sector
of the Muslim community threatening
a holy war (Jihad) against Christians
and their institutions.
Muluzi, a practicing Muslim,
strongly condemned the newspaper,
but fell short of rebuking the authors
of the letter.
PAC is a grouping of religious faiths
that helped to catapult the Muluzi administration
to power through its role
as a human rights watchdog.
President Muluzi and his ruling
United Democratic Front (UDF) are
68 So This Is Democracy?
on a countrywide tour, trying to rally
people behind the constitutional
change to allow him a third term in
office. In July, the Malawi Parliament
defeated a bill aiming to delimit the
presidential tenure of office.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-10-22
PERSON(S): Gabriel Kamlomo,
Levison Mwase
VIOLATION(S): Threatened
Two police officers from the Criminal
Investigations Department (CID)
stormed the newsroom of “The
Chronicle” newspaper in Lilongwe,
Malawi’s capital, on 22 October 2002.
They demanded to see reporter
Levison Mwase, who was not in the
newsroom at the time.
“The Chronicle”’s editor-in-chief,
Rob Jamieson, told MISA’s Malawi
chapter that the two officers refused
to say why they wanted to see the reporter,
but ordered the journalist to report
to the central region CID office.
Jamieson said he was not sure why
the police wanted to see his reporter,
but could not rule out a connection to
an article Mwase wrote about a sensitive
letter allegedly written by President
Bakili Muluzi on 18 October.
In another development, people believed
to be supporters of the ruling
United Democratic Front (UDF) have
threatened to “deal with” reporter
Gabriel Kamlomo, who also wrote
about the letter.
Police publicist George Chikowi
refused to comment on the developments.
In the letter, President Muluzi allegedly
told his party’s southern regional
governor and three cabinet