BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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National Assembly Speaker, Anne Makinda
National Assembly Speaker Anne Makinda has confirmed receiving The Access to Information and The Media Services bills, 2015 but denied they were filed under a certificate of urgency.
The Speaker was responding to a question by Chonga MP Haroub Muhammed Shamis (CCM) who in his supplementary question said; "Considering that journalists are ill-treated, harassed and tortured, how will the two bills to be tabled in the House under the certificate of urgency going to help journalists out of such savage and barbaric acts?"
Responding, the Speaker said: "As the Speaker of this House I did not receive the Certificate of Urgency, what was submitted are the bills only."
However, in contradiction to the speaker's statement, according to the 19th National Assembly timetable, the two Bills, The access to Information Bill, 2015 and The Media Services Bill, 2015 will be tabled in the House for the first time on Friday, March 27 under Certificate of Urgency.
Anotehr matter raised was the question of journalists' specialization about which the Deputy Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Juma Nkamia said the government has allowed for the establishment of a Journalists' Association to offer journalistic trainings in specialized fields.
"The government has allowed the registration of eight Journalists' Associations which will offer specialized training," he said.
He mentioned named the associations as Association of Journalist Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT), Economic Journalist, Journalist on Environment (JET), Tanzania Sports Writer Association (TASWA), and the Tanzania Association of Government Communication Officers (TAGCO).
The Deputy Minister told the National Assembly that, the government recognises the media's contribution in educating the public and the subsequent boost it gives to the country's socio- economic development. In the same vein, media stakeholders are questioning the logic behind tabling two media bills in the House; the Access to Information and the Media Services under certificate of urgency.
According to stakeholders, there must be a hidden agenda on the part of the government if it goes on with the idea of tabling the said bills under the certificate of urgency.
"There is no reason to present the bills under the certificate of urgency," said the Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania, Kajubi Mukajanga.
"If tabled under the said conditions, it means that media stakeholders will not be given the opportunity of participating in discussions about the Bills and their views will not be taken into consideration," he warned.
"However, if the bills are tabled under normal procedures, there will be time for stakeholders to discuss and give their opinions," he said.
According to the official, it is better for the government to involve all stakeholders instead of pushing the bills now only to have them rejected later on.
"This will not only be wastage of time but a loss of resources as well," he cautioned.
"We as stakeholders have struggled for over eight years now to ensure the bills are tabled in the National Assembly," he went on to note.
"Now, where does the urgency arise from," he queried.
"Imagine, as media stakeholders, we do not even know what is contained in the two bills," he lamented.
"Tomorrow (today) we will hold an emergency stakeholders' meeting to discuss the urgency of the bills," he announced.
Another stakeholder said it is surprising that the draft did not involve the media stakeholders and as such, he was of the view that it should not be presented under the certificate of urgency.
"We weren't involved even in the draft and it is a pity that the government wants to ignore media stakeholders," said the stakeholder who opted for anonymity.
The Secretary of the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) Neville Meena said what is contained in the bills is a government's hidden agenda.
"The government is doing this knowing too well that not any of the media stakeholders were involved in one way or the other to discuss what is contained therein," Meena said.
"Therefore what is contained in the bills up to now is a top government secret and we don't know the impact the bills will have on our profession," the TEF Secretary said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN