DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Earlier this week, new Tanzanian President, Samia Hassan, ordered the reopening of media outlets that were closed or otherwise repressed under President John Magufuli, who died last month.
Immediately after the announcement, the Information Permanent Secretary, Hassan Abbas said that the president was only referring to online television and not other media outlets.
The president ordered responsible authorities to lift a ban on all media outlets that were closed under the previous administration.
"I am told you revoked licenses of some media outlets, including some online television stations. You should lift the ban but tell them to follow the law and government guidelines." She said.
She added, "Let us not give them a room to say that we are limiting press freedom."
The country's journalists and activists applauded the announcement from President Hassan that media organizations suspended under the late president John Magufuli tenure would be allowed to reopen.
But a day later the mood over the announcement changed, as the newly appointed government spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa clarified that the announcement applied only to online television outlets causing mixed reaction on what exactly the president meant.
The Secretary of the Tanzania Editors Forum, Neville Meena said it appears that the ministry of Information is disobeying the president’s order.
"He said that earlier, in his press release about the president’s event, the government spokesperson wrote that among the directives that the president made was to reopen all suspended media outlets. Later he comes out and reversed what he has written." Meena said.
He added that in his opinion, the contradiction was created by the same people who were in the ministry of Information for a long time under the leadership of the late John Magufuli. "These are the same people who participated in denying licenses to media outlets and closing them unlawfully." He said.
Issa Mbura an assistant lecturer in the school of journalism at the University of Dar es Salaam said, “The first question I asked myself was that what do we fear as a country? Why were the statement and the order given out by the person in the top position later being clarified by someone with a lower position?”
Information Minister, Innocent Bashungwa said the government is willing to meet with owners of still suspended media outlets and discuss the path to reopening.
Bashungwa said if there are case by case situations with other media outlets, they should go to his office to discuss the issue.
“if there is another media outlet that wants to reopen besides online television, there were reasons for their suspension, the laws were used to come up with the decision and I believe the law has also given out guidelines to what should be done if those media outlets need to return to work.” Bashungwa insisted.
The Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania, Anna Henga, said there is no room for partial freedom of the press and it should be granted fully according to the country's constitution.
“if one media outlet is free and the other is not free that is not freedom! Freedom means all people are free and this is the actual meaning of freedom. We take this as the refusal of authorities to implement the president’s instructions." She said.
She added, "A president gives out clear instructions and someone give the people different interpretation, I think this is not something good for civil servants.”
As things stand now and with new interpretation, Kwanza TV, an outlet owned by government critic Maria Sarungi, will be allowed to reopen, while four newspapers closed by Magufuli’s government shall remain closed.
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