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UDF adverts not paid for
Opposition members of Parliament on Monday stirred a heated debate in Parliament when they accused the ruling UDF party of exploiting the state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) by not paying for adverts that are flighted on the radio.
Opposition Malawi Congress Party MP Yesaya Phiri, while contributing to the debate on budget accused the UDF of engaging lots of activities on MBC, which is run on taxpayers’ money and wondered whether the party pays for the adverts.
“I am wondering whether the activities of UDF as a party are paid for because it is this party that engages more activities on MBC which is run on taxpayers money with an annual budget of over K150 million,” he said.
Phiri’s statement did not go down well with some Cabinet Ministers notably Education Minister George Nga Mtafu who alleged that the UDF pays for all adverts that are aired on MBC, saying the matter has been explained by several information ministers in the chamber.
“It is not true that the UDF is abusing MBC. Our people and donors are not being told the truth. That’s not correct. If you hear an advert on MBC it means my party has paid for it,” Mtafu said.
But another opposition MP Green Mwamondwe quashed these remarks and challenged Mtafu to bring receipts in the House to prove that UDF pays for its adverts on MBC.
“It is out of order to say that the UDF pays for all the adverts run on MBC. That is untrue. Let him bring evidence or receipts that show that they paid otherwise he is lying because MBC wouldn’t have been struggling.
“I have been recording the adverts that are run by the UDF on a weekly basis. MBC would have been rich today if they were paid for,” said Mwamondwe.
Leader of opposition Gwanda Chakuamba took over debate on the matter and accused ministers of interrupting every statement from the Opposition instead of listening so that they could respond to them later.
The issue attracted a heated debate in the House forcing Speaker Davis Katsonga to rule that the statement was incorrect from both sides in the absence of evidence to substantiate whether the adverts are paid for or not.
A source yesterday told Nation Online UDF MPs, ministers and officials owe MBC a total of K9 million as of end May, 2003.
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