RADIO DPP or Radio MBC

Below are comments by Diana Cammack, a dedicated and committed activist with a passion for Malawi. She is currently resident in RSA but keeps a keen interest on whats happening here in Malawi.

"It is sad to see this, but not unusual. In 1994 ARTICLE 19 monitored election coverage and again in 1999, and it was monitored in 2004 by a different group. In all of these elections, MBC and when broadcasting, TVM have been biased. The Ministry's publications and news service are also biased, and when GTZ/NICE called MBC's bluff (giving them vehicles when they said they had none to cover other candidates' rallies) in 1999 campaign, the ruling government did not use the vehicles... So, its a matter of political will.

In my view, it has nothing to do with the ruling party per se (as its been MCP, UDF and now DPP) but this is symptomatic of a need to change the nature of broadcasting ownership in Malawi. There is no need for a Ministry of Info, except to spread propaganda. Instead, there could be an info person attached (and responsible) to a ministry that could advertise its work, e.g., # clinics built, funds received, cases dealt with, babies delivered, etc. These info clerks should have a technical mandate.

The ruling party has many advantages when re=running for govt (which is why parties don't want to let go of power)... and control of the media is only one. Imagine if we see this abuse of media because its aimed at the public, what other abuses of govt resources might go on?! Remember, the K187m that was pilferred from the Min of Educ was used to win the 1999 election.

So, how to get a govt in power that is willing to abolish the current Min of Info and set up a new system of public media? which of the parties/presidential candidates do you trust to do that? If none, then what is civil society prepared to do the get change underway?

D"