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afrol.com, 11 October - Rankin Nyekanyeka, editor of the "Daily Times" - one of the only two daily newspapers in Malawi - has been demoted four steps down following his suspension over an editorial decision in August this year. Nyekanyeka was suspended on August 28 for allegedly not leading with a story about President Bakili Muluzi opening a plastic factory. Nyekanyeka maintained that the decision to lead with another story was arrived at profesionally. He was initially suspended for two weeks but former Group Managing Director of the paper, Walker Jiyani, extended it without pay for another two weeks. Nyekanyeka received a reinstatement letter October 4, in which he was advised that he was being recalled to resume duties on condition he ceased to hold any decision making position and accepted a position of a sub-editor. Signed by Mrs B. Saiwala, a Human Resources Assistant in Blantyre Print and Packaging, the reinstatement letter also advised Nyekanyeka that he would have to forfeit a 20per cent increment on his salary effected in April. When talking to the Malawian branch of the Media Institute of Southerne Africa (MISA), Nyekanyeka said that he was seeking legal advice on the matter. When Nyekanyeka was suspended on August 28 for allegedly "belittling" a story about President Bakili Muluzi, he was charged with not using good judgement on which story to put as the newspapers lead story. In the suspension letter, the editor-in-chief, Mike Kamwendo, took issue with the paper's Friday, August 25, 2000 edition lead story entitled 'Malawi Police To Serve In Kosovo'. The previous day, President Muluzi had presided over the opening of a factory in Blantyre. In the letter, Kamwendo said Nyekanyeka should have used his judgement to know that the Muluzi story was more important than the Kosovo one. But Nyekanyeka said he still believed his choice was professional. Nyekanyeka's suspension came three months after the original board in charge of the paper, appointed by the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), was fired to pave the way for a government appointed board. Blantyre Newspaper Limited, publishers of the "Daily Times", was part of the MCP establishment but when former president Hastings Kamuzu Banda died in November 1997 the newspaper was put under a trust. Relatives of Banda sought a court order, saying Banda's estate was not being properly distributed. The court ordered that the estate be put under an interim administrator until the case was settled. A new board had to be appointed to run the newspaper, effectively moving its editorial stance from the opposition to the government.
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