Advocacy

The new context indicates that advocacy will be quite important in the coming four years. To start with, the gains in advocacy for constitutional reform will have to be safeguarded jealously, considering the new administration’s penchant for control and overregulation. It is possible that there may be attempts to make negative changes in the Proposed Constitution before it goes to referendum. Likewise, before the new Constitution is passed, it is possible that the executive will make decisions that stakeholders may deem unconstitutional even by the standards of the 1977 Constitution.

 

Down from the constitutional level is the level of legislation where MCT will have to continue advocating for better media friendly laws, and laws that promote freedom of expression in general or to mitigate the harsh effects of the recently approved new Media Services Act (MSA).

 

In a situation where conventional advocacy might be constrained by the executive’s coercive or administrative measures, MCT will look at the possibility of using courts of law to challenge the constitutionality of the laws, particularly those directly affecting its members such as the new Media Services Act. Already, MCT and her partners have filed cases at the High Court of Tanzania and the East African Court of Justice challenging the  MSA.

 

There are several scenarios as to what MCT could do in its advocacy work, depending on the way the government proceeds politically and legislatively.

 

Possible Scenarios

During the 2012 -2015 period MCT undertook massive advocacy work to ensure press freedom was included in the proposed constitution. This was eventually realized through Articles 39 and 40 of the Proposed Constitution. With regard to following up on the constitutional process the first scenario is: the Proposed Constitution is shelved, or it is put to referendum and rejected. In this case, the 1977 Constitution continues, and MCT continues pressing for relevant constitutional amendments to the 1977 mother law.

 

Scenario two: the Proposed Constitution is accepted in a referendum and becomes the new mother law. MCT would then have to advocate for the operationalisation of Articles 39 and 40 through the passing of relevant laws and their regulations. While getting the two articles on the constitution was a resounding success worth documentation and praise, it is not an end in itself, but has to be implemented in corresponding legislation.

 

Scenario three: Before the Proposed Constitution is passed, retrogressive media legislation is enacted further curtailing freedom of expression and the press and as a direct assault on self regulation. This is what happened in beginning of November 2016. Now, in this scenario 3 MCT will have to advocate against the law, which the government has moved quickly to operationalize by passing of regulations. MCT has to consult intensively with other civil society stakeholders and its members which avenues to pursue in advocacy. If the room for maneuver in advocacy is very limited, then MCT has to concentrate on other areas of engagement.

 

Social media as a tool of advocacy

MCT will make optimum use of social media as a tool for effective and widespread advocacy. Of recent, social media has gained so much ground in the country that effective use will enable the Council not just to disseminate information, reports and so on, but to interact with stakeholders, initiate and encourage debate, argue and convince, and be able to gauge stakeholder thinking, which will also enable the Council to improve on its interventions.

 

Social media will also be used to interact with international media actors. It will also be used to get MCT agenda noticed by influential persons.

 

It is expected that social media will enable MCT to drive traffic to the MCT website, engage with journalists and media managers and owners, engage with policy makers, engage with the wider public and ultimately create pressure on decision makers. It will also, as mentioned earlier, provide platforms for networking and sharing with international media advocates and organizations.

 

A senior programme officer will be assigned to ensure quality of form and content.