Despite his promise to fight corruption, he ignored the lack of accountability and abuse of power by officials in government. The expulsion of British High Commissioner, Fergus Cochrane Dyet in April 2011 marked the climax of the economic meltdown as the international community, starting with the United Kingdom, cut off financial support for Malawi. They all cited mismanagement of the economy and failure to uphold human rights as the reasons for their decision. At the same time, there was a growing sense of resistance in the country which culminated in countrywide protests against the high cost of living in July 2011. At least twenty protestors were shot dead and hundreds more arrested. A commission of inquiry report has since been released and presented to President Banda. When Vice-President Banda assumed leadership of Malawi, she made history by becoming the first woman president of Malawi and the second female head of state on the continent. She went on to make notable changes starting with the devaluation of the Kwacha and almost overnight the long fuel queues disappeared and the shelves in stores were filled with goods once more. She fired several Mutharika cronies as well as the police chief who was blamed for the deaths of protestors during the July 2011 riots; she launched an investigation into the death of student-activist Robert Chasowa; she opened up the state media to cover some opposition figures; she spoke out strongly in support of human rights and she promised to get rid of Malawi’s anti-gay laws. President Banda repealed the repressive amendment to Section 46 of the Penal Code, which empowered the Minister of Information to ban publications deemed not in the public interest. While this strategic move was welcomed by the media fraternity, they were quick to point out that it was not done in consultation with the media or civil society, and appeared to be more of a reaction to what her predecessor had done. “It is her way of showing that she is different; that she can reverse Bingu’s decisions. We are hoping that this lack of consultation won’t become the norm within the new government. Her approach so far seems politically expedient to get donors back to Malawi.” There is also deep concern that many outspoken civil society activists and prominent media practitioners are being recruited into government positions which is an effective way of silencing the voices of dissent and weakening civil society. “Bingu was fearsome but as a result he helped to create a strong civil society leadership. For Joyce, it is the opposite, as she has co-opted strong civil society leaders into senior government positions.” 8 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALAWI 2012