MBC professionalism has gone to the dogs – MP Kawale

The chairperson of the Parliamentary Media and Communications Committee and a member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Sam Kawale has  said the tax-funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) continue to be an instrument of castigation of the opposition without giving the opposition the right of reply.

Kawale: MBC biased and unprofessional

“MBC professionalism has gone to the dogs in terms of media ethics,”Kawale said on Daybreak Malawi programme on Capital FM on Tuesday.

Kawale said the lack of editorial independence and opening up of MBC airwaves is against the spirit of Communications Act and the Constitution.

The Communications Act clearly spells out under Section 87 of the public mandate of MBC to operate without any bias or serve any political interests.

He also said MBC ignores the Constitution which categorically states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and that the media has the right to publish freely which  entails MBC to be neutral and serve public interests regardless of people’s political views

Kawale said MBC is falling short of this mandate and accused government of using traditional leaders to attack critics and opposition on MBC.

“People are realising that what they are doing is wrong,” he said.

But Minister of Information, Communication and ICT, Nicholous Dausi defended MBC, saying it is operating within its mandate.

“ In a democracy we move by constitutionality and constitutionalism, MBC is following its acts of parliament,” Dausi said.

“Malawians must sit down and say how best we should approach the issue of MBC,” he added.

However, Kawale said government should not be contented in using MBC for propaganda.

“The media is not MBC only. We have the social media. If they think they can still mislead people, they are lying themselves. Everything will start backfiring,” said Kawale.

He  said public institutions such as MBC run on tax-payers’ money are supposed to serve everyone.

Kawale argued that public function role is very clear in Sections 86, 87 and 88 of the Communications Act.

He said monopoly of MBC by ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) implies that they do not respect the law.

Observers say MBC itself suffers from a crisis of professional standards as s successive MBC management teams, especially CEOs, have failed to provide effective leadership to guide the employees on how to behave professionally.

They CEOs have allowed propaganda programmes n to be aired to please those in power when there are far many important national issues that deserve airtime.

MBC stories are told without balance and objectivity in favour of government.

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) shares much of the blame for the unprofessional conduct of MBC because it has failed to stamp its authority over MBC to be professional.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
13 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Monalisa
7 years ago

Phillip Business will not suffer Sibo, only God knows the future of his people. What you expect is not what God has planned for Phillip. you will remember my words. For your own information Phillip does not comment anything, what he does is to ask peoples views . Whether you like it or not Phillip will survive.

msalanyama
msalanyama
7 years ago

mbatama za ku malawi , nothing will change because of ignorance…

Sibo
7 years ago

One person to suffer after DPP is Phillip Business.Chitsilu chamunthu ndithu.Nde amalimbana ndi akatolika pompano,watembeleledwa basi……Azafa infa yowawa

Fabiano Kamanga
Fabiano Kamanga
7 years ago

I EXPECT MACRA TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST MBC FOR BEING BIASED. MACRA WAS QUICK TO SUMMON ZODIAK OVER THE INTERVIEW KAMLEPO KALUA GAVE ON ZODIAK. MACRA ON ITS OWN ACTED AS A COMPLANANT AND SUMMONED ZODIAK OFFICIALS. WHY CANT THEY DO THE SAME WITH MBC. CHAKWERA HAS BEEN ATTACKED LEFT AND RIGHT BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE USING MBC. BUT I NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT CHAKWERA WAS BEING CRITICIZED FOR SINCE MBC COULD NOT GIVE US HIS SIDE OF THE STORY TO WARRANT THE OUTBURSTS FROM MBC COHORTS. IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL PROFESSONALISM, YOU AT MBC? IS THAT… Read more »

Chambe
Chambe
7 years ago

MCP started all this. For 31 years, we were fed with MCP propaganda.Telling us about development everywhere when everything was not moving at all . Look at how our towns were planned. They were planned without sewerage systems in townships leaving people using pit latrines. No town planning with houses just built anyhow. We did not have any street names and stand numbers with not tarred streets and no lights. No malls then and we were living in dire poverty and yet MBC continued to feed us with their MCP foolish propaganda. Now you mustn’t cry when things are working… Read more »

Ali fredo
Ali fredo
7 years ago
Reply to  Chambe

Ndirande newlines, nkolokosa, chitawira were all connected to sewege system main lines by the first Malawi government… What have you done since 1994 constructing illegal buildings where land was reserved for such developments by mbuzi ndi mwana wake mulinayo ku dpp..

KAMPEPUZA
7 years ago

MR GOGODASI, You must be very stupid indeed by failing to know that its not the responsibity of the opposition to control the conduct of MBC, You just dispray yourself how dull you are, Malawi constitution is there to followed by MBC in its operations not Opposition.

gift
gift
7 years ago

Opposition dziwani izi kutukwanizana kwanuko sikomwe timafuna kumamva. Timafuna kutsutsa mwanzeru popereka fundo zanzeru koma inu mukufuna pochukira. Kodi iweyo nthawi yaMCP kunalibe? fusa Kamlepo malemu Chihana ngati anatsutsapo Kamuzu MBC? Or just shut up

Samuel Lwara.
Samuel Lwara.
7 years ago

Kawale is a Malawian from opposition MCP and represents all Malawians including MBC as a state radio. I wonder why Dpp does not respect him and his opinionship over state affairs over MBC/Macra??? These two inatitutions are blanketted with political dirt of Dpp although have excellent recognizable intellect professionals and staffs.

Gogodasi
Gogodasi
7 years ago

Kawale is so stupid to cry over spilt milk. As a member of the opposition what is he and his colleagues doing to improve the conduct of MBC? The problem with the opposition is that they deliberately fail to correct situations so that when they are in power they do exactly what the government s doing with MBC. We will not sympathize with you until you fight to get things thing done correctly.

Blessings Banda
Blessings Banda
7 years ago
Reply to  Gogodasi

I respect your views boss as they contain sense. However , may you pose alittle bit on how the opposition can handle MBC and yet their powers are limited compared to the ruling. in Malawi the ruling is more powerful and control every effort by opposition. Mr Gogodasi I put politics aside and I guess you have done the same as we have the common philosophy as Malawians.

Hendrix
Hendrix
7 years ago

When government institutions are used like a condom this is what happens. In case you are not aware we have well educated journalists at MBC. We have well qualified CEO at MBC. We have well qualified board of Directors at MBC. But when money is all what matters educated people become fools, reducing themselves to a condom. Look at MACRA. I remember Zodiak was punished just because it aired views of Kamlepo Kalua. If MACRA was professional how many times would MBC fined because of airing views of some people without giving chance to those people to hear their side?… Read more »

Read previous post:
Jappie challenges north district governors to back under fire Sanga or quit DPP

Campaign director for ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Jappie Mhango, has launched a bitter attack against district governors in the northern...

Close