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| National |
| Opposition decry MBC, TVM biased coverage |
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by
Mabvuto Banda, 19 March 2004
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12:58:05
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As the official campaign period gets underway in Malawi on Saturday, opposition parties have expressed fear that the elections will not be free and fair because they do not expect the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM) to open up as required by law.
NDA, MCP and the seven-party Mgwirizano Coalition have accused the Electoral Commission of failing to explain why public media is beyond reproach.
“As we launch the campaign, we are also aware that the election will not be free and fair. Our worry is that the campaign period will not guarantee the levelling of the playing-field in terms of opening the air waves by public media,” said NDA vice president for political affairs Viva Nyimba.
Spokesperson for Mgwirizano Kholiwe Mkandawire said on Wednesday that as they launch their campaign in Zomba, they are not guaranteed that their view point will be aired on MBC or TVM.
“We know that it is not possible so we are working on strategies to make sure that we have coverage and not entirely rely on MBC,” she said.
MCP second vice president Nicolas Dausi accused the Electoral Commission of failing to enforce the law to force MBC to open up.
“How do you expect us to say that the elections will be free and fair when the playing-field has not been levelled, the registration exercise was marred by irregularities, there are so many things that the Commission has failed to do,” Dausi said.
Electoral Commission chairperson James Kalaile this week concurred with the view by some interest groups that the elections will not be free and fair if MBC and TVM do not open up and follow the law.
“Elections cannot be considered free and fair if the public media fail to live up to our expectations, they must never be partisan. The public media in particular have a social and legal responsibility to provide fair coverage and access to a cross-section of society without any form of discrimination,” Kalaile said.
Kalaile also cautioned all media in the country to cover the elections fairly and ensure that the elections are free and fair.
Public Affairs Committee (Pac) Chairperson Monsignor Boniface Tamani on Thursday dismissed Kalaile’s warning to public media saying that his word does not guarantee that MBC and TVM will open the airwaves.
“I don’t think there is a guarantee, I am not fully convinced myself, I don’t think what Kalaile said that if the pubic media fail to work as expected the election will not be free and fair is true ... this should have been done sometime back because right now the UDF is miles ahead, they have used the two institutions to castigate their friends,” he said.
A Commonwealth media advisor to the Commission Tim Neal said that a media monitoring team which has been operating since February 1, 2004 has been set up to monitor all media be it private or public to ensure fair coverage to remind media on how they are faring.
Asked if the team will guarantee that there is fair coverage, Neal said: “Nothing can be guaranteed in this world. It depends on the matter of trust really, I have to say that these people signed the media guidelines and we hope that they are going to deliver the goods.”
“In my view, my advice was that this kind of level-playing field should have been done a long time ago and time has to come when the Constitution and, Communications Act may have to be modified so that there isn’t a sort of a narrow two months campaign period.
“As soon as it is clear that people have started campaigning the commission should be empowered to declare an absolute ban on biased public broadcasting and should be given the powers to enforce it,” Neal said.
The Communications Act,1998, clearly explains the role of MBC. In section 87 (2) (a) the Act says MBC shall function without any political bias and independently of any person or body of persons. The same law says MBC shall provide balanced coverage of any elections; and have regard to public interest.
UDF deputy publicity secretary Mary Kamphwereza Banda dismissed fears the air waves will continue to be monopolised by the UDF with opposition not having access.
“They can go to the radio and they will be aired. These are the things we fought for, every launch will be on TVM and radio, they should not complain before they see what's in store,” she said.
To mark the official launch, the UDF holds a rally in Lilongwe while NDA will be at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre. The Mgwirizano will parade their presidential candidates of Gwanda Chakuamba and Aleke Banda in Zomba tomorrow before spreading its leaders to the districts in the region. |
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