Tanzania's Prime Minister call for media laws review

MOROGORO, Tanzania

Prime Minister of Tanzania, Kassim Majaliwa, yesterday May 20 opened the door to reviewing legislation on the media profession with the full participation of media professionals and stakeholders when opening the 10th editors’ conference and professional workshop organized by the Tanzania Editors Forum.

He gave this assurance and call on media practitioners to ensure that they adhere to professional ethics, and work hard to provide quality information to the public.

The Premier said that adhering to ethics when carrying out their journalistic duties was the key to strengthening freedom in media organizations.

Majaliwa assured journalists and media houses of the government’s entire support including the need to address statutory challenges hampering media industry operations.

“We will work hard to ensure that you continue working safely. The government will not spare anyone who will be seen trying to curb your rights.

“What I emphasize here is that media practitioners adhere to the country’s laws and stop misusing their pens,” he explained. The government will also continue working closely with media houses, engaging them in the implementation of several major projects, he stated.

“During the preparation of the implementation of the development plan, media practitioners will also be engaged so as to have broader understanding and thus be able to educate the public,” he elaborated.

The Premier also directed the minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Innocent Bashungwa to fast-track the establishment of the Media Accreditation Board that will work to regulate journalism professional ethics and thus facilitate the formation of an Independent Media Council.

The government of United Republic of Tanzania enacted four Acts concerning with the control of freedom and regulation of media in the country. These acts are The Cybercrimes Act, 2015, The Statistics Act, 2013, The Media Services Act, 2016, and The Access to Information Act, 2016.

The country’s political analysts, activists, professionals and normal people criticized that the Acts will pessimistically affect the freedom of media and eventually the freedom of speech of citizens.

The Acts give the Minister responsible for information the power to ban any media which may seems to report, publish, print or broadcast information contrary to the code of conducts or threaten peace in the state.

The Media Council of Tanzania, Legal and Human Rights Centre and Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition filed a petition early in January 2017 challenging restrictive sections of the country’s Media Services Act, 2016.

In their ruling, the East African Court of Justice on March 28, 2019, ruled that the Media Services Act, 2016 is in contradiction to section 6(d), 7(2)  and 8 (1) (c) of the East African Treaty.

According to the ruling, sections 7 (3) (a) (b) (c) (f) (g) (h) (i) and (j), 13, 19, 20, 21, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 50, 54, 52, 53, 58, and 59 of the Media Services Act, 2016 violate section 6(d), 7(2) and 8 (1) (c) of the East African Treaty and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania was directed to take necessary measure to bring the Act into compliance. - Africa