(MISA/IFEX) – At least 3,000 militant youths and women, members of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), besieged the premises of Blantyre Newspapers on Monday 20 May 2002. They were angered by the newspaper group’s stand against President Bakili Muluzi’s bid to run for an unconstitutional third term when his current term expires in 2004. […]
(MISA/IFEX) – At least 3,000 militant youths and women, members of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), besieged the premises of Blantyre Newspapers on Monday 20 May 2002. They were angered by the newspaper group’s stand against President Bakili Muluzi’s bid to run for an unconstitutional third term when his current term expires in 2004.
There was high drama as the UDF loyalists held a rowdy demonstration outside the newspaper offices. Blantyre Newspapers publishes the “Daily Times” and the weekly “Malawi News”. The demonstrators threatened to storm the premises and beat up journalists.
The ruling party loyalists were angered by the newspapers’ persistent articles against the proposed third term bid for Muluzi. After a series of stinging commentaries against the bid, it appears the demonstration was prompted by a recent article in “Malawi News” which disputed claims by Henry Mussa, the ruling party’s member of parliament for the southern district of Chiradzulu, that up to 185 chiefs had mandated him to support an amendment to the constitutional clause that limits presidential terms. However, Presidential Affairs Minister Dumbo Lemani brought two senior chiefs to the newspaper officers after the demonstrations, where the chiefs re-affirmed their support for the presidential third term.
The militant youths started gathering outside the newspaper offices as of 7:00 a.m. (local time). By 8:00 a.m., the crowd had significantly grown, with hundreds of people arriving in truckloads and joining the youths.
Newspaper staff barricaded themselves in their offices as the women demonstrators chanted their support for the president’s third term bid while the youths angrily demanded an apology from the newspaper. Blantyre Newspapers’ managing editor Jika Nkolokoa said he did not know why the youths decided to demonstrate outside their offices. In its Monday 20 May editorial, the “Daily Times” challenged the ruling party, saying it would not be silenced by threats.
The demonstration, which despite the inflamed emotions was largely peaceful, turned violent when the angry youths beat up a newspaper staffer who was seen attempting to record the registration numbers of the vehicles that brought in the demonstrators.
Presidential Affairs Minister Lemani met with Blantyre Newspapers Executive Chairman Cassim Chilumpha to defuse the situation. Chilumpha is also an executive member of the ruling party. After their meeting, Lemani asked the demonstrators to disperse. The minister later said in an interview that the angry demonstrators were only “exercising their democratic right of expressing a political opinion.” When asked whether the newspaper had no right to press freedom, he responded “when the freedoms clash, there is bound to be conflict.”
Lemani added that as far as the ruling party is concerned, President Muluzi will be its candidate for the 2004 election. “What do you think can happen if Dr. Muluzi does not run again?” he asked rhetorically. “There will be chaos because a lot of people would have been denied their right to political choice.”
