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MALAWI NEWS ONLINE / MALAWI NEWS ONLINE / MALAWI NEWS ONLINE
This is an EDITED VERSION of Malawi News Online
of 28 June 1996
Malawi
News Online
a fortnightly update
of news from Malawi
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MALAWI NEWS ONLINE is written by Malawian journalists in Malawi, and from their point of view. It is assembled and edited in Copenhagen, Denmark by South Africa Contact (the former anti-apartheid movement), publishers of i'Afrika, a quarterly magazine on Southern Africa. Each edition carries from 8-12 stories and an in-depth feature.
The fortnightly news updates from Malawi are provided by our established network of journalists in Southern Africa. They will be followed, in the not too distant future, by individual news updates covering other Southern African countries.
Malawi News Online is sent out through a co-operation between South Africa Contact and Inform-bbs, the leading alternative information network in Denmark.
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Here are three of the articles which appeared in this
week's edition. If you would like to subscribe, please
contact us.
1 MULUZI THREATENS OPPOSITION WITH SEDITION LAWS
President Bakili Muluzi has warned opposition politicians not to force him into unleashing the country's unpopular sedition laws. The Malawi media reported last week that Muluzi had accused his opponents of "6using bad language under the guise of democracy and free speech to slander him and his party, the United Democratic Front "9.
"6The laws of sedition are still there, " he cautioned. "Don't provoke me into doing what the former head of state used to do. I don't want to jail anybody. "9
Muluzi's warning comes in the wake of what he considers increased personal attacks on him by the opposition. He told a crowd of well-wishers at Mzuzu Airport June 16 that it was "6unbecoming anywhere in the world to abuse a head of state "9.
According to the local press, however, opposition leaders accuse President Muluzi of "6intimidating the opposition by threatening to resort to the laws of sedition "9.
2 ESCOM'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIGHT AGAINST DEFORESTATION The Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi is to start selling electrical appliances to its clients as a way of helping in the fight against deforestation.
The company's Commercial Manager, Clemence Kasiya, said appliances like stoves and hot plates will be sold to ESCOM clients "on hire purchase at reasonable prices to try to discourage people from using charcoal and wood, major contributors to deforestation in the country".
He said that many people use charcoal and wood despite having electricity, because electrical appliances are expensive. "We can import these items and sell them to our clients at a price that covers our expenses only," said Kasiya. Only 3% of Malawi's 11 million people use electricity.
3 MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY DEFECTION
The MCP Deputy Treasurer, General Mfunjo Mwanjasi Mwakikunga, announced June 16 that he had defected to the ruling UDF. He cited the leadership vacuum in the MCP as his main reason.
Mwakikunga said MCP Life President, Kamuzu Banda, was no longer in control and there was a leadership crisis in the party. In a statement he said it was hard to tell who was in control.
Reacting to the resignation MCP Publicity Secretary, Hetherwick Ntaba, was unruffled, saying the defection did not come as a shock since, according to him, Mwakikunga was in a financial crisis.
"6That much I know definitely. He has actually
been asking for funds from MCP for a long time now.
We have tried to assist him but it has not always been
enough," Ntaba said.
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This is what appeared in this week's edition:
Feature: LIFE IN MBAYANI TOWN - TWO YEARS ON
Articles:
1 MULUZI THREATENS OPPOSITION WITH SEDITION LAWS
2 MALAWI'S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS GET MONETARY
BOOST
3 ANOTHER AFORD MINISTER RESIGNS
4 MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY DEFECTION
5 ESCOM'S CONTRIBUTION TO FIGHT AGAINST DEFORESTATION
6 TV PROJECT IN TROUBLE - AGAIN
7 WORLD BANK SIGNS LOAN FOR MALAWI
8 THIEVES PARTY IN ENVOY'S HOME
9 ALL THE NEWS ON THE KAMAZU CUP FINAL!
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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Subject: Malawi News Online - 28 June 1996 Date: 28 Jun 1996 19:35:09 GMT Message-Id: <1262342109.880685@inform-bbs.dk>
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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