Public broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), on Saturday ignored former president Peter Mutharika as he held a press briefing at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.
MBC did not broadcast Mutharika’s press conference where the Democratic Progressive Party president claimed the June 23 Elections are not credible.
During the six years he was president, Mutharika used the MBC like his personal broadcasting station as it broadcast many of his activities and engagements including DPP events.
The MBC was also used to castigate opposition party leaders Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima who are now President of Malawi and Vice President respectively. Political rallies by the opposition were not aired and in May, the MBC Television even broadcast screenshots of Facebook comments that included swearwords against Chilima.
On Saturday afternoon, before the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) had declared Chakwera as president, Mutharika said the elections were affected by irregularities and are the worst ever elections in Malawi.
But at this time, with unofficial results showing Chakwera had won, Mutharika’s message was not aired on MBC.
“MBC is playing weekend jams as the President is addressing the nation,” noted one Facebook user.
Meanwhile, some Malawians have condemned the public broadcaster for not airing the press conference saying this is a sign that the public broadcaster has not changed.
“MBC is so guilty to cope with change that its atonement includes not airing what was expected to be outbound president Mutharika’s final statement as President-elect Chakwera will be sworn-in tomorrow. It’s the Malawians who fund the state broadcaster that are being shortchanged by this blackout,” Journalist James Chavula wrote on Facebook.
