Times adamant on holding ‘digusted’ Mutharika accountable: Dulani faults Malawi leader for outburts
Malawi’s media giant, Times Group says it will not be stampeded with the attacks from President Peter Mutharika, saying they will remain resolute as watchdog of the public to hold the Head of State and his government accountable to the citizenry.
Times Group, which published the flagship Daily Times and Malawi News as well as having Times Radio and Times TV, was mentioned in an attack by President Mutharika when he addressed a political rally at in Mchinji West where he campaigned for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Stephano Kamwambi, ahead of the Tuesday by-elections.
Mutharika on Thursday specifically mentioned The Daily Times and Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) in his rant, accusing the media houses of reporting about his health.
The President challenged that he is “100 percent fit” unlike the reports in the media houses which portrayed him as being incapacitated or in bad shape.
“Iam 100 percent fit. Stop all those rubbish and stupidity that they have been writing about me,” said Mutharika.
The Malawi leader said he was “disgusted” by the behaviour of some media houses “ that talk garbage and nonsense.”
But on Monday, Times Group Editor-In-Chief George Kasakula responded by standing by its coverage and insititing that they will remain resolute in their watchdog role.
“We cannot change out coverage. There is nothing wrong we have done. We can only improve our coverage,” said Kasakura on Daybreak Malawi program of Capital Radio.
Kasakura said the paper will only improve their coverage to make the President “ more accountable to Malawians.”
Said Kasakura: “ He [President Mutharika] is not being transparent about his health.
He doesn’t have any point. Malawians who were funding his strip in America deserve to know what he was doing [whenMutharika remained in the U.S. after the U.N. General Assembly.] We are only asking our leaders to be transparent and accountable.”
Boniface Dulani, a political scientist at University of Malawi’s Chancellor College in Zomba during the Daybreak Malawi program condemned the President for fear-mongering against the media.
He said Mutharika’s outbursts has “the potential to creat fear on the part of the media.”
Said Dulani: “ The media is only playing their role in the democrcatic process and holding government accountable.”
He said government should not be immune to criticism.
“In my view the media has just been doing its job. We do need a very critical media, especiall when other areas like public demonstrations [ and civil society] don’t seeme to be effective,” said Dulani.
Dulani said government still need to divulge information on the cost of Mutharika’s prolonged stay in US and “how much it cost government to charter the plane” to take Mutharika to New York and back.
Mutharika’s prolonged absence was shrouded in secrecy, prompting rumors he was hospitalized and perhaps even had died.
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well done Times and Zodiak. Kaasakula is right, if he wasnt attending to his poor health (at least we as Tax Payers would forgive his ovestay), what then was delaying him? If he wasnt sick, then we demand that he be held accountable for misuse or mismanagement of our tax. This man should know that even Bingu did not succeed to kill Zodiak and Nation media houses. He hould know that he cant divert all of us to listen to MBC and Galaxy. The more he is attacking the media houses, the more he is making an ordinary citizen sympathise… Read more »
Kodi 2014 adawina?chilungamo amadziwa ndi chauta,sometimes even the devil can give power and you think its from God,these are the consequences’,Devine judgment,locusts that’s the sign
Who does not know that Daily Times and Times Group is MCP. When you talk of being public watchdog you mean a watchdog for the MCP. You hardly cover negative issues about MCP and when you do so you do it with kid-gloves. We know that Times Group is busy campaigning so that their masters, the MCP, should go back in power after more than 25 years outside government. Don’t cheat people that you are a watchdog of the public. Just come straight that you are a watchdog of MCP. You go on attacking the President left and right and… Read more »
The only way to deal with these people is to be truthful to Malawians. If your take Malawians for granted and start cheating them your meeting zombies in USA that’s whst you get. The imaginary creations of an active mind you call rumours. And point of correction No ordinary people’s rights are infringed in this case. It’s the lying president who is offended because the extend at which the rumour went around described his relationship with the citizenry which was hurting. How can the people who voted for me wish me dead is the question in his mind right now… Read more »
So akasakula simusintha kuti Pitala anafa kale tinakayika kumanda mungopanga improve potiuza kuti unafa ndi chani nanga manda ake ali kuti, kodi anamwalira liti nanga anayikidwa liti, kodi mmalo mwake anatenga u president ndi ndani, nanga mayi mutharika pano ali kuti. ikuyembekezera poti mwati mungopanga improve koma zoti anafa simusintha ayi
We have been here before with Bingu, who charactistically called himself “Chitsulo cha Njanji” only 140 days before his death, after disappearing form the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting between 25th October and 31st October 2011, and reappearing in Hong Kong.
APM emerged the winner amid torture from Jezebel, amid lies of the 20 thieves who died in July when breaking shops especially in the North. Dulani is a highly learned person. He should tell us what the constitution says about the illness of the president and what it says about the incarpacitation of the president. We know Mr Dulani has worked with the Daily Times for years.
You Muchizy, you say Bingu was unpopular or you just imagined him so? If he was unpopular how come his party imaged the winner in the 2014 elections? Was it not Jezebel who told Malawians that it was the plan of God to get rid of Bingu so that Malawians are rescued from the atrocities the DPP incurred on Malawians? Is it not the same God who made the DPP come back to power to ashame you and expose your lies? You think the president should tell you whatever he does even in the bedroom just because he is using… Read more »
Obviously Kasakula and friends were right in 2014. If Malawians had listened zitcheche and mice wouldn’t be considered a delicacy in lomwe land. Economy would’ve continued picking up with JBs planned recovery. It’s the tribal bondage that the southerners are in that enslaves this nation The good thing is those entrapped by this animal are the ones suffering more. The decralation of independence by these people in the lomweland, the arrest of 20 people at confozi or whst ever you call that estate is a manifestation of the suffering because of the mistakes they continue making. Presidency is not food… Read more »
I don’t support Mutharika but indeed our media and civil rights societies are no longer helping the public. It seems they are now working at fulfilling their own political agenda and paymasters. What does the public gain when the media start manufacturing gossip and lies. They told us the president was incapacitated and dead but there he was live kicking. They even went to tell us that the president would be flown back to the USA in the night but alas; they were actually lying. So what transparency and accountability are they promoting with lies and fabrications. I commend Nyasa… Read more »
No one is forced to be President so if someone want to live a very private life don’t be president of Malawi fullstop. if the President is spending my Tax, I want to know on what?? If he doesn’t want to tell , hey there are millions of malawians, no one forces anyone!
I agree with MIKA KUMBIRE. For the first time, Nyasa Times waited for facts. Dulani was carried away with skewed public and now he is busy defending the indefensible. Mutharika is not dead. How are you going to improve on this. Mutharika is not incapacitated. How would you improve on this? The plane did not leave to US that night with APM.
So Dulani and his friends, before we start talking about cost of the trip etc. Please tell us the basis of your lies. Kanyongolo has proved to be the best analyst in town. kkkkkkkk
no one was attacking the president, his being too quiet made people start speculations, anyone can get sick, is he a stone? there is no problem in saying that i was sick, but now i am ok. until they tell us what he was really doing in the US, we will continue speculating, and this behavior of intimidating the media is the one that made his brother the late Bingu become unpopular…