Malawi Journalist Arrested

21 March 2008

Demands by youths in Mazabuka for Government to increase the allocation of the youth empowerment fund has riled Mazabuka District Commissioner who has demanded the Mazabuka Community Radio Management to fire a Journalist Innocent Chinyembawho he accused of conspiring with youths who featured during the live debate program sponsored by the Press Freedom Committee of the Post Newspaper and challenged him to explain how the previous allocation was disbursed in the
District.

Misheck Chiinda who summoned the Station Manager Albert Mwiinga to his office said he had declared war against the radio station and threatened to report the matter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Mike Mulongoti after demanding to be given a recording of the program where he featured.Mr. Chiinda called the presenter a bugger and accused him of writing a speech for one of the youth guest Mutinta Mboozi who said youths had nothing to
celebrate because most of them were wallowing in abject poverty and have been thrown into the street due to high unemployment levels.

Mr. Chiinda said the issues which Mutinta brought out on radio had incited the youths not to participate during the youth day celebrations on March 12.
Mutinta said the 40 million youth constituency development fund was nothing to enable youths do viable projects.Contributors during the program asked Government not to tighten the procedures needed to access the youth fund as it discourages youth who can not write from accessing the money. And speaking during the program, Mr. Chiinda encouraged the youths to continue talking and pressure the Government to increase the allocation.

He said the new deal Government has made strides in ensuring that youths get a better share of the national resources and has increased the allocations fromten million 2 years ago to 40 million.And reacting to the DC�s sentiments, Mazabuka community radio station manager Albert Mwiinga said it was not true to say that the presenter conspired with the
guests and callers to attack Mr. Chiinda saying that the program was live and
that the DC was one of the guests featured on the program.

Mr. Mwiinga said the station does not incite people to attack guests but only
provides a platform for communication for every one including Government
officials like the DC.He said a senior government official of Mr. Chiinda�s caliber should not use words like bagger even when he is aggrieved.

He added that he was not impressed with the DC�s language and advised him to avoid using strong words in a public office.Mr. Mwiinga demanded for an apology from the district commissioner and disclosed that he would not fire Chinyemba because the DC�s assertions were baseless as the presenter was neutral in his presentation.

Ends