Media Services Law in pipeline

By abdulnamoyos@gmail.com at May 14, 2016

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The Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye, said in Parliament that enactment of the Media Services Law would contribute to the improvement of the management of media activities in Tanzania. The minister said the ministry has projected to collect 820m/- from its various sources of revenue in the 2016/2017 financial year which is down from the 2015/2016 estimates of 1.33bn after revenue collections from Tanzania Film Board were removed. He said the revenue collections from the film board were removed after the Treasury Registrar gave the board the powers to become an independent institution. Mr Nnauye asked the National Assembly to approve budget estimates for the ministry which include 17.3bn/- for recurrent expenditure and 3.0bn/- for development expenditure. When presenting the budget estimates of his ministry for the 2016/2017 financial year, Mr Nnauye said preparations of the Bill would be finalised in the 2016/2017 financial year. The minister said the government would expand monitoring plants and conduct close scrutiny of the contents of all broadcasting stations. He said the government would finalise preparations of the Code of Advertising and Sponsorship for broadcasting stations in the country to provide basic principles and guidelines for good practice and fairness in advertisements and sponsorship. The government would also monitor and evaluate activities under the cultural sector to identify opportunities and challenges and come up with sustainable plans and strategies for the development of the sector, he said. The plans and strategies would also include boosting cultural tourism and development of endangered community languages to preserve the identities of the particular communities. The government would also coordinate, monitor and enhance research activities and boost literature and will complete updating of cultural policy and preparations of language policy, he said. Mr Nnauye further said the government would also coordinate research, collection, preservation, and distribution of customs and traditions of more than 120 local communities. The ministry would also continue with national dialogue on national values for Tanzanians, he said adding that the ministry would continue with research, preservation and promotion of local community languages so as to promote Kiswahili vocabulary. Meanwhile the Opposition Camp has said the Fifth Phase government has shown its intention to supress the freedom of expression by deleting from registration Mawio tabloid. “These signs are not good in connection with freedom of speech,” said Mr Joseph Haule, the spokesman of the opposition camp for the ministry. The Opposition Camp said the government erred in banning Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, which is run by public funds from broadcasting live sessions of the National Assembly. The situation denied the wananchi their right to information. It has been realised that the reasons behind the ban on live coverage was not connected with costs but some ulterior motive to deny people of their right to information. He said instead of investing in the electoral process and expand the freedom of expression, transparency and access to information, the government has hidden agenda to undermine freedom of expression. He said the government continued to use the Cyber Crime Act to undermine the freedom of expression. Mr Mwita Waitara, (Ukonga, Chadema) said it was surprising that TBC was broadcasting the bunge sessions late at night. He asked the minister to state why Bunge sessions were aired late at night and who the targeted audiences are and whether this constituted good use of public funds. Mr Zitto Kabwe, (kigoma Urban) claimed in Parliament that all Members of Parliament who opposed the ban on live coverage were summoned to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. “TBC is a public broadcaster which is run by tax payers’ money. Why should all this happen?” he asked. The Kigoma Urban Member of Parliament also said he was surprised that the minister did not show the revenue TBC gets from its partnership with Star Times. He said the only solution to quarrels between MPs and government on TBC is to make it a public broadcasting institution.

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