Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has once again brazenly discarded journalistic impartiality, rekindling the debate over whether the State-owned institution is a public broadcaster or captured by the governing party.
MBC is running an advertisement subtly favouring President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP), a profound betrayal of public trust weeks before the official campaign period begins.
This distorts the democratic playfield, demanding immediate intervention for credible electoral process.
In the partisan advert, listeners are persistently urged against returning to their “failed marriages,” apparently a veiled attack on the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), People’s Party (PP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) which were once in power.
The implication is crude and unambiguous: Voters are implicitly instructed to remain loyal to the current spouse—MCP. However, MBC’s failure to declare its sponsors makes this a clear direct State-funded electioneering message.
The danger, however, extends beyond the overtly biased message; it lies crucially in its strategic timing.
By broadcasting this pro-incumbent propaganda before the campaign period sanctioned by the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), MBC effectively grants the governing party an unlawful head start.
Consequently, it insidiously plants seeds of doubt and preference in the voters’ mind long before opposition voices are permitted to counter with equal reach on the public broadcaster.
This blatant manoeuvre violates principles of electoral fairness and equal opportunity and cynically transforms MBC into the ruling party’s pre-emptive campaign megaphone, actively manipulating the democratic choice of the taxpayers who fund its operations.
Regrettably, the latest transgression is a symptom of a deep-seated, institutionalised malignancy plaguing MBC.
For years, spanning multiple regimes, the corporation has failed to function as a public service broadcaster and allowed itself to be used as the governing party’s propaganda arm.
This entrenched pattern manifests itself through systematic exclusion of opposition voices, denying them equitable airtime and right to reply while framing their activities negatively.
It is also evident in its uncritical promotion of the ruling party through demonstrable editorial intrusion and interference which could be symptomatic of political pressure as this advert exemplifies.
MBC has failed to provide balanced, objective and fair coverage reflecting the nation’s diverse political landscape.
The current situation demands an immediate, unequivocal, and multi-faceted response from everyone entrusted with safeguarding Malawi’s fragile democracy.
Foremost, MEC is not a passive observer. It must determine whether the pre-campaign airing of this advert violates laws governing media conduct during an election and could issue a statement reiterating media dos and don’ts.
Similarly, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) should enforce broadcasting standards, particularly the requirements for fairness, balance and objectivity expected of the State-owned broadcaster.
Macra’s failure to decisively investigate and penalise MBC’s actions as they could erode its own credibility and embolden further impunity.
The civil society, especially governance, media freedom and election watchdogs, must raise their collective voice to condemn this textbook case of State resource abuse for partisan gain. Silence or muted responses could be interpreted as endorsements and open floodgates for further violations.
The advert’s origins and intents must be investigated and its enablers denounced.
Critically, the targeted opposition parties must formally challenge this partisan messaging through all available channels, including MBC management, Macra, MEC, Media Council of Malawi and the courts for transparency, accountability and immediate corrective measures.
The aggrieved parties should demand the advert’s withdrawal, the right to reply, compensatory equal airtime and an end to the State-sponsored assault on their fundamental right to a fair electoral contest.
Consequently, the Parliamentary Appointments Committee must swiftly summon and interrogate MBC management to account for this. Failing to act decisively now constitutes a dereliction of duty and tacit approval of MBC’s partisan capture.
Malawians deserve a public broadcaster that informs, educates, entertains and unites—not one that divides and campaigns for a single political master. How the nation responds in the coming days is a litmus test for our democracy.
Will they defend electoral integrity and hold MBC accountable or allow this recklessness to continue unabated?
