LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Former Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Daud Suleman has rejected social media claims linking a Facebook post he made on June 10, 2024 to prior knowledge of the aircraft accident that killed former vice president Saulos Chilima and eight others.
Suleman addressed the issue while testifying before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating the accident, saying his social media activity had been interpreted out of context following the tragedy.
He told the committee that in the early hours of June 10, he posted words on his personal Facebook page which were later cited on social media as allegedly having some connection to events that unfolded later that day.
According to Suleman, the words were taken from a song he liked and had used on his Facebook page before the day of the accident.
On the day, Suleman posted on his personal Facebook page: “Ndinu mafana owaza. Azinzanga, chonde musadzafe. Win this week. Hustle harder.”
Suleman says the post was not made in response to the plane crash and was not intended to communicate information about the aircraft, its location or any impending events.
He says the words were lines from a song he likes and had previously posted about.
According to Suleman, he also made a post on his Facebook page on May 15 2024 using lines from the same song.
Suleman has asked that if the June 10 post is used as part of allegations concerning his conduct or knowledge, the committee should consider the social media history surrounding the post, including posts made before June 10 2024.
He says: “My purpose is not to avoid scrutiny, but to ensure that my conduct is assessed based on evidence and actual circumstances known at that time rather than conclusions drawn retrospectively.”
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