DPP owes MBC huge sums, reveals Minister as TVM is dissolved
Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu has disclosed that the former ruling DPP is one of the institutions that were suffocating state controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) following huge amounts of money that the political party owns the public broadcaster.
Kunkuyu made the revelation soon before Malawi Television (TVM) was officially dissolved following a Bill that has been passed in Parliament to have the national TV station absorbed into MBC.
In his winding speech to the Bill, Kunkuyu said one of the major problems at MBC was that the institution was owed huge sums of money by various institutions that in turn has made it failing to service its own debts.
MBC is currently said to be deep in debts amounting to almost K5 billion.
“I have to mention here without fear. There are sums of money being owed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),” said Kunkuyu.
Kunkuyu said government decided to urgently bring up the Bill after realising that the merger between MBC and TVM initiated by the former DPP brought miseries to employees including some of them going for almost nine months without pay.
The Bill passed without opposition with even DPP parliamentarians supporting it.
In her contribution to debate earlier on former Minister of Information Patricia Kaliati admitted TVM since it was established has been operating illegally despite being a public broadcaster it was
registered as a private company.
“TVM as a public broadcaster was illegally established and was illegally broadcasting,” said Kaliati.
Kaliati was the last Minister of Information during the late Bingu wa Mutharika and was speaking in the House as DPP spokesperson on information matters.
She, however, commended her successor for bringing the Bill into the House.
The passing of the Bill means legal formalisation of MBC operations since the Act that established the public broadcaster already provides that the institution will operate both a radio and television station.
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