You are the voice. Join
us in the fight for our right to communicate and the people’s right to know.
What could have been the
reason
behind the ban of
MwanaHALISI?
In
its statement announcing the ban on MwanaHALISI, the government cited three most
recent issues of the weekly which it said had carried news and feature articles
which “…created and spread fear in society;” and that they were seditious and
did not measure to “ethical standards.”
The
three successive issues are No. 302 (July 11 – 17), No. 303 (July 18 – 24) and
No. 304 July 25 – 31).
Content
(i)
Issue
No. 302: The major
story was about the deputy national security chief, one Mr. Jack Zoka,
allegedly being behind a plot “to eliminate critics of government.”
The story which links Zoka to the abduction
and torture of Dr. Steven Ulimboka – leader of doctors on strike against
government insensitivity in public hospitals – carries a picture of president
Jakaya Kikwete in a rather tired or resigned or sorrowful mood; and well below,
a picture of Dk. Ulimboka in bed at an intensive care unit (ICU) of Muhimbili
National Hospital in Dar es Salaam.
The paper still holds its source of
story but also quotes leaders of leading opposition Chadema party as alleging
the same at an august press conference in Dar
es Salaam.
It also reports that Dr. Ulimboka still
insists that a man, who arranged a meeting to where he was abducted, was
working with the “state house” – office of the president under which operates
the intelligence services (TISS).
Admittedly, this issue was really
packed. It contained a two-page article on the doctors’ demands and rationale
for their strike; three pages of analysis of Dk. Ulimboka’s abduction and
torture; and an authoritative editorial comment on the need for an independent commission to
investigate the matter.
(ii)
Issue
No. 303: The major
story was about Dr. Ulimboka; quoted as insisting that those who abducted and
tortured him were from the state house.
Photographs accompanying the major
story included that of the president – looking inwardly and kind of perplexed;
chief of police in Dar es Salaam,
Suleiman Kova; and in between a picture of Dr. Ulimboka at ICU.
Besides a front page story, there were
four other pages devoted to analysis on what befell Dr. Ulimboka.
(iii)
Issue
No. 304: This is the most recent issue that must have not only irritated,
but also embarrassed government and forced it to flex its muscle – banning the
weekly indefinitely.
The major story was about one Ramadhan
Ighondu (alias Rama; alias Abeid); identified as an official at the
intelligence unit (TISS) and one who had been communicating with Dr. Ulimboka
until his abduction and torture. It details about Rama and reveals telephone
numbers to which Rama called before and well after the abduction.
A message from a regular reader of
MwanaHALISI said a day after the clampdown, “You sort of went too far. You threatened
to link the revealed phone numbers reporting to authority at TISS or the
executive. When you reach such point, they necessarily must be shocked and block
or ban you…”
Pictures on the front page included
that of Dr. Ulimboka at the ICU, President Jakaya Kikwete and chief of
intelligence, Rashid Othman. Inside pages carrying the same story were
accompanied by pictures: Minister of State (Good Governance) George Mkuchika
and Deputy chief of TISS, Jack Zoka.
Besides the report, the issue carried
among others, one analysis on Dr. Ulimboka; a report on emerging scandal at the
ministry of energy; and part of a speech by opposition member of parliament –
on the ministry of internal affairs –
which, the speaker had ordered not to
be read in the house.
Since
the ban of the weekly, voice has been heard from over 30 civil societies in the
country, condemning government action and calling for immediate withdrawal of
the order.
This
is because there are no grounds for the clamp-down. The stories are neither
seditious nor ethically questionable. They are, if you want, very revealing,
true and correct – which is all about ethics. They have not been challenged by
any individual or authority. To defeat them you need to apply a draconian law
in the form of Newspaper Act (1976), which gives the minister responsible for
information powers to ban and even deregister any outlet without prior notice and
without giving any reason.
Some
media houses, institutions and other fora, conscious of their rights and
freedoms in this particular area, have held government by the neck, demanding
immediate lift of the indefinite ban.
A
good number of members of parliament, religious leaders and individual citizens,
have expressed disgust at the government action. Their voices have been read in
independent print media and heard on local and international radio and TV
stations.
The
voices are not without cause. To many of its readers, MwanaHALISI has been a
fountain of information, education and knowledge. They are now missing the
same.
Your voice matters. Join
us in the fight for our right to communicate and the people’s right to know.
Ndimara Tegambwage
Information and Media Consultant
P.O. Box 71775, Dar es Salaam
Tel: 255 (0)713614872
e-mail:
ndimara@yahoo.comwww.ndimara.blogspot.com