(MISA/IFEX) – The board of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has suspended the MBC’s central region manager, George Ngaunje, for three months without pay, for defiance of authority, reports “The Chronicle” newspaper. Ngaunje was reported to be “untouchable” and answerable only to President Bakili Muluzi. “The Chronicle” reports that because of his involvement in assisting […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The board of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has suspended the MBC’s central region manager, George Ngaunje, for three months without pay, for defiance of authority, reports “The Chronicle” newspaper.
Ngaunje was reported to be “untouchable” and answerable only to President Bakili Muluzi. “The Chronicle” reports that because of his involvement in assisting the president to retain power during the last election, he received a speedy promotion with numerous unspecified benefits, including the provision of a mansion. Ngaunje was also one of the key people named in a report by the Article 19 Media Monitoring Project of the 1999 Malawi elections as having been involved in a deliberate campaign of disinformation on behalf of the ruling party.
According to “The Chronicle”, Ngaunje challenged one of the MBC board members who had enquired about allowances they were to receive for a meeting in Lilongwe. Ngaunje apparently rudely scolded the board member and went on to boast that he frequently spoke to the president and, as such, no one, not even the minister, could touch him.
Ngaunje was later hauled before the board, where he repeated his boast about being “untouchable”. The board then decided to suspend Ngaunje for three months without pay and demote him from assistant controller to editor, to be based in Blantyre.
“The Chronicle” further reported that following the action against Ngaunje, President Muluzi summoned the chairman of the board and three other board members to explain the matter. The president reportedly refused to interfere in the board’s decision and commended them on the punishment meted out to Ngaunje.
