CoRI opens dialogue with two government ministers
The delegation of the Coalition on the Right to Information (CoRI) in a group photo with the Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Palamagamba Kabudi (centre front row). Second from right is CoRI chairperson, Kajubi Mukajanga.
The Coalition on the Right to Information (CoRI) has successfully engaged and discussed pertinent issues with two government ministers – Constitutional and Legal Affairs Minister, Palamagamba Kabudi and Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Minister, Innocent Bashungwa.
CoRI delegation led by its chairperson, Kajubi Mukajanga met Information Minister Bashungwa on May 27, 2021 in Dodoma Tanzania’s capital and seat of government and travelled again to the city to meet Constitutional and Legal Affairs Minister, Kabudi on June 16, 2021.
During the meeting with Minister Bashungwa the CoRI delegation raised several issues begging for response and explanation from the government in relation to:-
- The review of the sections of the Media Services Act following the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) ruling of March 28, 2019;
- MSA Regulation 4 in relation to print media ownership. The regulation requires that foreign investor shareholding in local print media companies should be in the minority;
- Inclusion of media practitioners in the priority list of the National Special Committee on Covid-19 as frontline workers because of the nature of their work;
- And for the Minister to open the door for dialogue with stakeholders citing the importance of Government and Stakeholders to work together for better media legal environment.
The Coalition also sought improvement of working conditions for the media and to promote professionalism and urged the Minister to look at the regulations on investment in the media with the aim of easing them to spur progress.
Minister Bashungwa promised to look into the proposals and discuss with his officials and come up with the way forward.
He appreciated CoRI’s request for continuous engagement, and added his door is always open for the Coalition to approach his office anytime.
do The meeting with the Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affair was another boost for CoRI as the two sides agreed to work together for successful implementation of the Access to Information Act, 2016.
CoRI chairperson, Kajubi Mukajanga, said the Coalition is quite happy that the government was receptive to various proposals it raised during the meeting with the Minister and senior officials at the Ministry’s office in Dodoma.
“The challenge is on us now on the way forward”, Mukajanga who is also the Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) said.
He said during the talks the Minister urged CoRI and the Government to jointly arrange implementation of ATI step by step.
The delegation of the Coalition on the Right to Information (CoRI) in a group photo with the Minister for Information, culture, Arts and Sports, Innocent Bashungwa (centre).
He said they should undertake a joint programme of raising awareness of information holders including District Executive Directors, Information officers and to start a central depository of information which would store information to be readily accessed.
The Minister also urged CoRI to extend the awareness campaign to community media as they are close and effective.
During the meeting in which Minister Kabudi’s team included Permanent Secretary Sifuni Mchome, three departmental directors and several officials, the CoRI delegation pointed out that despite the good intentions of the ATI Act, its implementation raises many issues and in addition proposed that names, position and contacts details of information/communication officers of specific offices to be known to facilitate public understand the designated officer to handle information requests.
The Minister was urged to open the door for dialogue and partnership/collaboration with stakeholders to facilitate better environment of access to information.
On the question of raising awareness on ATI, Minister Kabudi urged CoRI to prepare training manuals, guides, tool kits that will inform the public and information officers on procedures on access to information.
On the question of media law review, the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Minister recommended that CoRI should engage the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance as well as the Law Reform Commission of Tanzania.
During the lengthy meeting, the CoRI team had also raised the issue of implementation of court rulings for media related cases, citing the ruling by the East African Court of Justice regarding the Media Services Act, 2016 and cases filed by Mawio and Mwanahalisi newspapers at the High Court of Tanzania and appeal at the EACJ regarding Mseto newspaper.
All these cases were ruled in favour of media stakeholders – for MSA 2016 the EACJ had ordered the Government to amend several contested sections, while orders to unban the newspapers by the Tanzania High Court and EACJ were not heeded.
CoRi appealed to the Minister to work on the rulings or explain if there were reasons for not implementing the court rulings.
Minister Kabudi promised to discuss issues related to implementation of the court rulings with the minister responsible for information.
CoRI is made up of Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF), Twaweza, TAMWA, MISA-TAN, TLS, TCIB, Policy Forum, Jamii Forums, THRDC, LHRC, and SIKIKA.