EVERY JOURNALIST ON BOARD: MY PROMISE A MISA Malawi Chairmanship Election Manifesto Introduction The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a member-run regional organisation and it has national chapters that are run by a professional secretariat. Its core value is to foster free, independent and diverse media in the region which it accomplishes through media monitoring, training, capacity building, research and the distribution of information in the pursuit of democracy and development in line with the Windhoek Declaration (1991) and the African Charter on Broadcasting. According to its website (misa.org), since its founding in 1992, MISA has monitored, investigated and reported media violations in its 11-member states, earning itself the reputation of the staunch defender of media freedom in the SADC region. In Malawi, there has not been any other organisation that has consistently defended media freedom more than MISA Malawi and in the course it has earned itself the respect of the member journalists themselves in particular as well as all Malawians who cherish media freedom, in general. It has spoken against arbitrary arrests of journalists on frivolous charges as much as it has campaigned against archaic laws on the country’s books that are an impediment against freedom of expression. MISA Malawi has single-handedly galvanised stakeholders and championed work towards the passing of Access to Information legislation. During the run-up to May 20 elections, MISA Malawi made every journalist proud in this country by organising the first-ever presidential candidates’ debates. My declaration of my candidacy I, George Damaseke Kasakula, am a firm believer of media freedom and independence, the very same values that MISA stands for. I have lived only on journalism for the past 14 years and have seen and experienced the need for a truly independent and plural media if our democracy is going to work in Malawi, the very values that MISA espouses. I, therefore, offer myself for the position of chairmanship of MISA Malawi during elections that will take place on December 13, 2014 in Lilongwe. Why do I want to lead MISA Malawi? It is because I believe and truly stand for the independence of the media. I also believe that I have the maturity and ability to continue the good work that MISA Malawi has been doing. When things go against any journalist, I will be able to speak against it without fear or favour. I also cherish the fact that over the years, I have spoken my mind on virtually every subject, even in areas where angels fear to tread. But make no mistake. Behind the above demeanor in my character, there is rationality and ability to apply logic to issues without unnecessarily being emotional and confrontational. Where there is need to engage those in authority about journalists’ freedom and independence, I will do so if I believe that it would better serve the interests of the profession in the country. My promises [MY PLANS FOR MISA] Maintaining MISA’s independence I am a fiercely independent person and I guard my personal independence and freedom with a last ounce of my energy. If I am elected as MISA Malawi chairperson, I will take orders during the execution of my duties from only one source: members of MISA Malawi and nobody else. I am an employee of Nation Publications Limited (NPL), but my employers have no say in what I do during my free time and so I will ensure that I separate my work from MISA Malawi activities to maintain my independence and integrity. My biggest promise, therefore, is to keep MISA Malawi independent from any outside interference and stay true to the ideals of the organisation as outlined in the introduction. Every journalist on board Broadly speaking there are three categories of journalists in Malawi at the moment. There are those young men and women who are just entering the profession and trying to find their feet in it. Then there are those journalists that have spent over five years and have made a name for themselves in whatever they are doing; be it active journalism, public relations and marketing, you name it. Finally, there is the last group of veterans who are in senior positions and top managers or directors in their workplaces. This cuts across the independent and State media as well as freelancers. If I am elected as MISA Malawi chairperson, I promise to represent all the three groups. My slogan is ‘Every Journalist on Board’ and I shall endeavour to make it a reality. I shall work towards making MISA Malawi a fair organisation which all its members feel proud to belong to, whether they are veterans, managers or trying to find their feet in this beautiful profession. I shall spare no effort to raise the profile of the profession in the eyes of the general public so that it gains the respect it deserves. Journalism is about enlightenment of society. We play a critical role of supplying information for the sustenance of our democracy by telling what is happening. We are the salt of the world! Our role is even spelt out in the Constitution. Why then should we not be respected? If elected, I shall work tirelessly to make sure that journalists are respected just like other professions such law, accounting, banking etc. Training Journalism in this country has always received training support. Some well-connected journalists eager to improve their lot do hop on a plane once in a while for both short-term and long-term training abroad after applying when the courses are advertised mostly online. Locally, the corporate world, UN agencies and NGOs, both home-based and international, do organize training for journalists normally in the areas of the profession they are interested in. All this has to be appreciated and must continue. But I want to take a different approach to supplement the above. As already stated, my analysis of the journalists in this country is that they are three broad categories: veterans, middle careerists and those that are just joining the profession. My training programme, if I am elected, will concentrate on the last two categories and use the veterans as resource persons or mentors. But instead of waiting for NGOs to give us the training that they want, if I am elected, I will pursue demand-driven home-grown training. We must assess our needs in newsrooms and other sectors where journalists work and then tailor-made the training according to the needs. It is only afterwards, I propose, that we must be hunting for the donors to fund the training that we want and not always what they want. Even among us, as a profession, there is a lot of knowledge and technical know-how which we can use to train one another. Sometimes we do not need anybody from abroad to tell us the things we ourselves already know and ready to impart to our up-and-coming journalists to improve their lot. We have a fully functioning secretariat that is already well conversant with proposal writing to drive such an agenda forward. Under my leadership, if I am elected, the secretariat will have this as a priority. Specialist associations such Association for Business Journalists (ABJ), Association for Environment Journalists, Blantyre Press Club, Lilongwe Press Club and Nyika Press Club, among others, are already doing well on this. Under my leadership, if elected, MISA Malawi will reach out more to these associations to see how we can work together on training to the benefit of the members. After all, most members of these specialist associations also belong to MISA. Care will also be taken to make sure that all MISA members have equal access and chance of being picked for the training and not only the lucky few and the well-connected. Once again, the specialist associations will be used to nominate names for attendance to the training under MISA auspices. Interaction At the moment, there seems to be a-them-and-us situation among members of the profession. There seems to be a chasm between veterans and up-and-coming journalists that is creating an impression that other journalists are the elite in their own world while the have-nots are struggling down there. If elected, I shall work tirelessly to bridge this apparent gap by increasing the interaction among ourselves. Apart from celebrating World Press Freedom day on May 3, more creative ways must be found to interact more through sports days and parties, for example, where issues can be discussed and dealt with. More importantly, it would at such forums that the up-and-coming journalists can have a helping hand through access to their leaders and other elders of the profession for mentorship to bridge the generation gap and end the so-called elitism which makes others feel left out. Open-line leadership If I am elected, I promise to be available to all members. I shall give a listening ear to all manner of journalists without segregation in whatever form. To achieve this, my line will always be open to all three cadres of journalists in Malawi as defined in this manifesto. If elected, I shall resist the temptation to evolve into a boss and try to lord over members of the profession for the mere fact that I do not believe in such style of leadership that has no room in today’s world where the catch phrase is servant leadership. Journalists’ poor conditions of service I am well aware of the fact that the body I am proposing to lead is a regional one and among its core functions, there is none that deal with poor conditions of service that journalists face in the region. Yet it is not a secret that the majority of journalists in this country are paid peanuts, if at all. In my interaction with fellow journalists as I was seeking input for this manifesto, I have heard heart-rending stories of some journalists going to family with a meagre K6 000 as a take-home pay. I have heard of media houses in this country that tell journalists that they should not demand a decent salary because part of their job also involves being sent to workshops where they would be collecting allowances. The question that I have been grappling with is: Do I ignore this simply because it does not fall within the realm of what MISA represents? My answer is a hell no! A way must be found to make sure that journalists live with dignity and fully enjoy the fruits of their sweat. To this end, using the muscle that comes with being MISA chairperson, if I am elected, I shall actively seek to work with bodies such as Journalists Union of Malawi (JUMA) to bring employers to a round-table discussion to talk about journalists’ remuneration. Together we will commission studies to find remuneration status of journalists in the members. At some point, this was done but a new study is required to gauge what is obtaining on the market today. All this efforts should ultimately lead to some agreement on the basic wage for journalists at entry point in the country. Conclusion The questions that MISA Malawi members will answer on December 13 when electing its leadership are simple and, in my view, they are these: Where do we take MISA from here? Do we maintain the momentum that it has gained or we bring it down to satisfy short-term exigencies? Do we maintain its independence or we put it in the armpit of a political party or government? If we do that, shall it fulfill its core mandate of fostering free, independent and diverse media? If given the mandate and honour to lead MISA Malawi, I do hereby make a solemn promise to provide the independent and mature leadership that will do the above without qualms with members support and help because it is what this organisation requires. It is not about NPL, BNL, MBC, Joy Radio, Zodiak, Mana, Capital FM, 101, or any media house in this country. It is about protecting journalism. I, therefore, seek your vote. Eve Chisomo Maotchary Journalist on Board: My Promise!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 09:05:45 +0000
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