BY GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY CORRESPONDENT
29th September 2013
The Director of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports issued a government statement to that effect in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The statement said the government took the decision because the two newspapers published provocative and seditious stories of late, which were likely to make the public lose faith in the state institutions.
The statement, made through Government Notice No.333, dated September 27, 2013, added that the stories were likely to undermine Tanzania’s peace and national integrity.
It said the government punished ‘Mwananchi’ for writing a story titled ‘MISHAHARA MIPYA SERIKALINI 2013,’ roughly translated as ‘NEW GOVERNMT SALSARIES 2013,’ noting that the statement was “embargoed material,” - a secret meant for government reference,
and not for the media.
Additionally, the statement cited the paper’s August 17, 2013 story, in issue No 4774 with a headline: ‘WAISLAM WASALI CHINI YA ULINZI MKALI’ translated as ‘MUSLIMS PRAY UNDER TIGHT SECURITY’.
The statement added that the story was illustrated by a picture of a furious dog, implying that the police used dogs to patrol the mosque at which the Mislims conducted prayers.
It went on saying that the government and police respect Muslims’ belief and would not bring dogs to their place of worship.
The statement went on to say that publishing the story and illustrating it with a dog’s image was likely to incite Muslim believers to hate the police force because they consider dogs violate the sanctity of mosques; they are therefore banned from going near to worship places.
‘Mtanzania’s’ 90-day ban is due to its publishing a story in its 7262 issue of March 20, 2013 with a headline: ‘URAIS WA DAMU’, roughly translated meaning ‘PRESIDENCY THROUGH BLOODSHED’ .
- The statement also accuses ‘Mtanzania’ of publishing an article with a headline: ‘MAPINDUZI HAYAEPUKIKI’, translated roughly as ‘REVOLUTION IS UNAVOIDABLE’ in the June 12, 2013, Issue No 7344.
It said this particular paper has frequently been warned against publishing inflammatory stories and to observe law and stick to professional journalism. It said that in spite of this, the paper never heeded the caution.
The statement said the story was intricately and lavishly illustrated with red colour through computerapplication, the implication being to depict bloodshed.
It added that the story made claims without proof that the police force were behind the splashing acid on individuals, injuring them.
The statement said the paper also ridiculed the government, implying it displayed serious weakness to deal with matters related to terrorism and added that the story clearly incited the public to hate the state security organs and to imply that they were of no help.
Owing to the paper’s contravening laid down regulations the government banned publication of ‘Mtanzania’ for 90 days through Government Notice No.332 of September 27, 2013, the statement said.
It went on saying the government urges media houses, editors and journalists in general to stick to professionalism and journalism ethics as well as give priority to national interests.
The statement warned that the government would not hesitate to take ‘necessary’ measures, including banning media organs that misused freedom of expression,
The government would not allow the media to become the source breakdown of law and order in the country, it further warned.
Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) Executive Secretary Kajubi Mukajanga, commenting on the government move, said the decision is an assault on Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.
He said the government should revisit its decision simply because the trend being assumed shows “we are going backward instead of going forward.
“We did not expect the government to take such a harsh decision, considering the fact today (yesterday) we marked the Right to Know Day in the world whereby at national level we held it in Mwanza Region.
He added that just a couple of days ago US President Barack Obama praised President Jakaya Kikwete for embracing transparency in governance but in a twinkle of an eye his government slaps a ban on two daily tabloids. It means President Kikwete was lying to the world
“By all standards that is not the proper way of dealing with the media when aggrieved,” he said, adding that that was an old fashioned way of dealing with media.
Efforts to reach Mwananchi Communications (MCL) Managing Director Tido Mhando for reaction failed as his mobile phone went unanswered.
The government issued a ban on the MwanaHalisi newspaper on 30 July 2012 through General Notice No. 258, published in the official government gazette, citing section 25 (1) of the 1976 Newspaper Act.
The government alleged that articles published in three editions of the newspaper in July 2012 were “seditious, inciting, promoted violence and were likely to jeopardize peace in the country.” The government does not specify which articles were in violation of the 1976 Newspaper Act.
MwanaHalisi was banned for three months in October 2008 for publishing an article that alleged that senior government officials were plotting to unseat President Jakaya Kikwete in the 2010 election.
That same year, the owner and the managing editor of MwanaHalisi were both attacked by at least three armed men in their newsroom, apparently to deter investigative journalism.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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