By: Lloyd M’bwana
The country’s Center for Investigative Journalism in Malawi (CIJM) has hinted the need for citizen to use their constitutional rights cautiously by putting trusted individuals into leadership positions in a bid to deter thieves from public funds.
The observation comes amid serious dwindling of social-economic services in the country including depreciation of the Malawi Kwacha, rising in inflation rates leading to skyrocketing goods and services prices, lack of food and medical supplies in public hospital and worsening hunger crisis.
Speaking to The Maravi Post on Monday, February 15, in the capital Lilongwe after officially opened a second week long media training workshop which CIJM has organized on “Investigating and Reporting Corruption”, Dan Msowoya, CIJM’s Deputy Board Chairperson attributed the worsening socio-economic woes lingering Malawi to the electorates’ culture of electing and celebrating leaders who are ‘thieves’ while undermining contribution of genuine patriots arguing that voting in the country is based on hand outs.
Msowoya hinted the need for Malawi’s media to be vigilant in exposing corrupt practices which might induce the general public to have informed decision towards electing trusted personalities into leadership positions.
“The irony and tragedy for us in Malawi is that we celebrate thieves and vilify the patriots while knowingly or unknowingly as we elect hyenas to take care of our goats, which have now been consumed”, observed Msowoya who is also the renowned activist.
He further observed for the leadership exposure on fraud and corruption, the country needs vigilant and affirmative media with the punch to change for transformation with the support of passing of the much touted Access to Information Bill.
“It’s the purpose of this training to provide an opportunity for you distinguished participants to forge a head inspired by wisdom. We need anger so that cannot be may not be. We need courage that what must be will be hence the need to pass the ATI bill into the law as its essential to the proper function of democracy since without it voters can’t hold the government to account for its actions if it is able to suppress information and that is embarrassing or worse disastrous to its public reputation”, elaborates Msowoya.
The training which runs from February 15-19 aimed at enhancing the competence of journalists in the area of accurate, professional and readership-oriented corruption reporting and to increase the awareness for the media’s contribution to the promotion and good governance.
With funding from funding from Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa-(OSISA), CIJM’s media training on “Investigating and Reporting Corruption”, has attracted journalists from electronic, print and online media houses including Nation Publication Limited (NPL), The Maravi Post, Nyasa Times, Marawi24, Dziko FM Radio, Yoneco Radio, Chanco Radio, ATV & Afm, Calvary Church Radio and freelancers.
For journalists attending the training had to undergo scrutiny process through applications which satisfied CIJM’s selection committee such that the award winning and highly professional team from the Mail and Guardian newspaper’s Centre for Investigative Journalism, Amabhungane leads the mentorship program.
