Open letter to President Banda on MBC sacked staff
I am writing on behalf of many people who have been affected by the retrenchments at Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.
These people were unjustly thrown out of the system by the previous government. We are shocked to be informed that the present government has decided to let the status quo remain.
Your ascendency to the high office gave us hope that a real transparent and credible merger process will take place, but that has not been so.
Your Excellency my real concern of writing this letter is to plead with you on behalf of other workers who are HIV positive and they declared their status with the Corporation, to spare their jobs.
What is the point in declaring your status if you are going to be treated like everyone else? Can compassion not come into play? What about Umunthu.
Your Excellency I am sure you will agree with me that not everyone can be a successful business person. To throw people who are HIV positive out of employment is making these people and their families vulnerable to poverty and early death. Some of these have spouses and children that also are HIV positive. We already have lost some colleagues because of hopelessness.
I may not have better arguments, but please your Excellency the numbers of those who declared their status are not many. It is a small percentage. You alone can let them LIVE.
As I did not have another alternative of talking to you, I just decided to use the press.
*The author is Augustine John Lubani, the President Electronic Media Workers Union
