Malawi government through the ministry of information has blamed the private media for the Mount Soche declaration arguing that it was an ’emotional’ decision due to the current cat and mouse relationship between the media and President Peter Mutharika.
The development comes at a time when private media owners in the country had a meeting camera in Blantyre to discuss the intimidation by Mutharika following reports of his ill-health while attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The media owners demanded that the Mutharika led government should follow proper channels in addressing complaints against media houses and not attacks through rallies.
The declaration further demanded respect and implementation of guidelines and decisions of watchdog organisations that includes the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) and National Media Institute of Southern Africa (NAMISA).
Reacting on the declaration, minister of information Malison Ndau has put the blame on the private media arguing that the matter was under discussion.
“As government we are surprised it looks the media is for the president not Malawians and to us we read the declaration and it was an emotional action,” said Ndau.
He added that the media must interpret policies and focus on developmental issues in the country.
Ndau was quick to mention that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has slated to change the presidential press conference from ‘press rallies’ that are dominated by party zealots.
Recently, Mutharika showed his anger against local media for publishing articles about his health a development that some quarters said was created by government due to information blackout after the end of UNGA meeting.
Tandimasulileni mu chiyawo nane ndimvekonawo
Always The Time Justice Is Bitter To Human Beings.Private Medias Usually Say Truth So Dont Blame Private Medias.If You Want To Blame Private Medias First Of All You Should Resume One Party System And Change Human Rights.We Have Tired To Blame Our Journalists.If You Want To Take Our Private Media As Your Kids,we Will Remind You Our Malawi Laws.Its True”cat And Mouse Cant Play Together And You Know What They Mean,anthu Openga Mwanga Bwanji”
Stupid accusation, stupid blames and stupid are those fast forwarding their fingers blaming Mount Soche declaration…….private medias are suffering and denied chances to voice out what Malawians need from their corrupt leaders, look, not all tthe persons in Malawi will be embarking on praising this notorious government and its followers, private medias are there to help us, and if government feels otherwise then its better in any official gatherings government must only invite MBC to their press conferences………you do not give proper chances to private medias to ask vital questions with carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and other nourishments instead you force Malawian to get feedback from MBC’s questions whose nutritive value in it is Vega super bonya na matumbo ankhuku and grain milling, and Kamphata- Tsangano Bwandiro Maserema.
Utola nkhani amachita kupitira kusukulu, sibwino kumangoyankhura usakudziwa mmene utolankhani ulili thats why alot of people blame private media houses to day thats what happens when you are not exposed to awide range of media systems! visit your nearest libraries and try to look for abook tittled Radio production by the BBC or any radio production books you will be healed! sometimes its not wise to make noise on things you dont know though sometimes the mouth can talk without consulting the brain.
Do you call our media professional? I disagree. They rush into reporting rumors before substantiating them.They dont know how to investigate issues .You hear them reporting about drug shortage in our hospitals due to government failure but do nothing to investigate the theft of drugs .They only report stories to please their political masters and financiers and intoxicate the public with their bias coverage.very regionalistic,tribalistic,divisive more like social media.before you read a column in a newspaper check the author’s name. names from same region, similar comments. learn from Mr DD Phiri ,very mature and developmental.
Government even blames god when there is no maize in admarc deports,
Mawu
MBC as well….
You want every media to be on your side even when you are wrong, we depend on private media since MBC is useless, MBC will never announce something good for us to believe, whatever they tell us is nothing but liars, bias, they only favour the goverment even when goverment is in a wrong position. So let these private media do their job without fear or favour, just keep on controling MBC, watching MBC its a waste of time!
Firstly it is important for the minister of information to understand the Nation needs to be told the truth not cooked stories,speculations will always arise if you don’t communicate exactly what is on the ground.It is high time Malawians need to be told the truth.Secondly Blame game cannot help Malawi to climb up on the development ladder.Put politics aside and concentrate on development issues.Malawi should not mean shame to other countries.,infact as one of the citizens of this country am concerned with the fact that we spend much of our time discussing useless and baseless issues. Let’s wake up.
Ndau, there is no Development that media can focus on
stop talking bulshit
Media is a deadly weapon in the world….u can’t win against media if you are doing wrong things coz they are representing millions of poor and oppressed people while u don’t even reach to a thousand
Nw av realised dat yo nt dat important… Media black out on d President, Government n Dpp basi. Misalayanuyomuziikaimvelapam Mutharika Brodcasting Cooperation Television (MBC TV)
Right that’s how justice pains,what they could have done had it been that all the medea praised their pompus doings?
A third state so they say.
if you were doing right things you wouldn’t be intimidated by the media, no media would’ve have been there to talk negative things about you, but since the only things you are doing are the bad, then expect the media to also talk about the bad! they are just communicating what’s there, if you want good things to be talked about you, start doing them! you are the biggest joke of leadership!
THERE IS SOMEBODY WHO ASK THEM TO AGAINST THE STATE PRESIDENT
mukuti chani chizungu apa,Talembani chilomwe tikumvani.
Kkkk Ouch!
Mwanyika braz is that aquestion or explanation?kkk…uhh–uhh…
nde muma capital letaz kuchita kuoneka bwino….yaaaa ndakumva apo….chifukwa chake ndimalemba chichewa kumapage akumalawi koma akunja ndendimabweza fees yamama.
Pita ukawelengeso mabuku adalaweni kkkkk
I thought all lhomwes are professors.
Alfred takawali kkkkk usandisekeketse iwe kkkkkkkk
pa govt ndimawelengapo kuti gotv.kkk
Ine dandaulo langa lipite ku mabungwe oona za ufulu wa anthu… kodi pamene a media analemba nkhani za matenda komanso mpaka imfa ya president inu munalankhulapo chani poteteza ufulu wa president? Chonde musamakondere pochita zinthu
what you have to understand is that the president and government are not in their offices in their personal capacity but on behalf of us as people of Malawi. whatever happened to them that affects us is a matter of concern to us. if the president is sick (not that am admitting that he was) then thats a matter of national concern because he is us in one person. its not possible for everyone in Malawi to go to America for a diplomatic mission so we send the president through our laws to stand in our stead, that means he has an obligation to tell us what is going on with what we sent him for and any of his personal conditions that can affect the obligations he has to us. the people of Malawi do not owe an obligation to the government, they are owed a duty from the people we gave offices to be accountable and transparent to us that means to reveal to us what we need to know regarding our sovereign rights. the president in his capacity as a president does not have any rights because the office of presidency is symbolic of people of Malawi not any particular person with rights. in his personal capacity he has rights to be respected and promoted by rights organizations but where such personal issues come in conflict with his duties as a president then his duties as the president will always prevail for national security and public safety and policy reasons or otherwise he has to give up office to someone whose rights will not affect the office (this is why we have laws for incapacitation, impeachment or otherwise removal of president from office). mabungwe were concerned with the duties the president owed the people in their right to information and representative democracy which includes a requirement of transparency and accountability which in this case outweighed any personal insecurities or uncomfortability the president had. one cannot serve two masters at once and the organizations are no exception.