Study: More civic space required for Tanzanians to enjoy civil liberties

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has been urged to create more civic space linking digital and physical spaces in order to enable its citizens to exercise civil liberties enshrined in the country’s constitution.

The call has been made Friday on January 25, 2019 during a breakfast meeting organized by Policy Forum.

Presenting her paper dubbed: Is Social Media an Alternative Space for Politics in Tanzania in the context of shrinking civic space?, a senior consultant with the Business Management Consultant (Bumaco) Ltd, Ms Aikande Kwayu said civic space is not given, rather it is created.

"Apart from linking the digital and civic space, the space should be expanded in order to provide the society with enough and reliable civil space to civil liberties provided in the constitution," she said.

She said Social Media has played significant roles in providing citizens with platforms to enhance freedom of expression, broadcasting views, getting feedbacks and building audiences and sharing of knowledges.

She also added that social media provided citizens’ collaborations such as organizing fundraising, planning for protests, resistances and providing research materials for various purposes including academics.

"However, these advantages are limited by the state reactions through enactment of laws such as the Cybercrime Act (2015) and formulation of regulations including the Online Content Regulations of 2018,” she said.

“The Cybercrime Act has been used for arresting Social Media users allegedly for insulting the President and that in 2016 at least 10 had been arrested,” she added.

According to her, the social media is a platform that enables users to get massive support and cheerleading, noting, however, that support is not guaranteed outside the social media.

Speaking during the event, Dr Muhdin Shangwe of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) said incidents that include the questioning of people about their citizenships, the disappearance of people, rising incidents of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests by Regional Commissioners (RCs) and District Commissioners (DCs), closure of blogs and increased media self-censorship were signs of declining political space in Tanzania.

"The only challenge that requires an in depth-debate from stakeholders is the extent at which the state should regulate Social Media use in Tanzania,” he said.