Uncle Harvest on POLITICAL PARTY MEDIA TEAMS

Are these political party so called "Media Teams, professional media? Are they registered and accredited with the Media Council of Malawi?

Are the people who work with them professionally trained to practice and are they accredited to appropriate associations?

Media plays a critical role in the development of any country.

Since the advent of multiparty democracracy in Malawi, media has played a critical role in ascertaining that democracy is nationally internalised and sustained, human rights are upheld, democratic social structures are built.

Whatever progress Malawi has made since 1992, the media has been a major contributor.

The coming in of political party media teams in recent years was in itself a thing that was initially never anything to worry about.

The trajectory of their development in the past eight months is becoming of concern to those of us that are aware of the danger " wrong media " can have to a country's national security and development.

It has been clear that they has been silent intention by this category of media to bring about a rife among the Tonse Alliance partners and more particularly between MCP and UTM and even specifically between President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Chilima.

The worry is that these Media teams have no clear direction and purpose in whatever agenda they are pursuing? However, in whatever that agenda is they are succeeding.

What is further disheartening is that it seems that within each political party there are people that are patrons of these politically clueless media team members that have no concern for the national development of Malawi.

Meanwhile, the behaviour of these Media teams is eroding trust among the Tonse Alliance partners and it's focus on it's transformational agenda and the implementation of it's anti corruption fight.

It is at this stage that Malawi must be reminded that " unprofessional media behaviour was very central to the Rwandan genocide and the political violence that followed the elections in Kenya a few years ago.

A read of the content of the political party media is unpalatable. If the trend that these party media teams is not ripped in the bud they can lead Malawi on a dangerous course.

This is a clarion call to political leaders to stem out this cancer before it permeates the whole nation.

This is a clarion call to the Media Council of Malawi to take action that will preserve the profession. This is to alert political leaders not to allow themselves by their party media teams.

A better Malawi is possible.