The Information, Culture, Arts and Sports minister Nape Nnauye.
What you need to know:
All the amendments made were as proposed by the government, and all attempts by the Opposition to change some of the sections were thrashed by majority CCM lawmakers.
Dodoma. The National Assembly yesterday passed the Media Services Bill 2016 after making 32 changes including introducing five new sections.
All the amendments made were as proposed by the government, and all attempts by the Opposition to change some of the sections were thrashed by majority CCM lawmakers.
This means the Bill is now ready to be sent to President John Magufuli for him to assent it into law. On Friday he categorically said in a live interview with editors that he will sign the Bill into law the day it reaches his office.
The key amendments which were unsuccessfully pushed by the Opposition were, first the definition of the word ‘media’, where according to the Bill it is “the industry trade, or business of collecting, processing and dissemination of content through radio, television or newspapers, and includes online platforms.” Kigoma Urban legislator Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo) proposed it changed so as in the end to read “including its online platforms” to specifically meaning the online platforms of newspapers, radio and television.
“If we are to leave it the way it appears in the Bill it will mean all online platforms including blogs and social media sites will be regulated by this Bill, which is unacceptable. I know the minister has been insisting that this Bill is not going to go for social media platforms, but the its current state suggests otherwise,” he said.
His argument was countered and overpowered by among others, the Information, Culture, Arts and Sports minister Nape Nnauye and Attorney General George Masaju who insisted that the Bill was not going to crack on social media and that definition was legally correct.
Another amendment pushed by the Opposition was in Section 6(1) (2) which stipulates that conditions for ownership of media houses shall be as prescribed in the regulations. Ukonga legislator Mwita Waitara (Chadema) wanted the clause deleted or the conditions be stipulated in the Bill.
Backing Waitara, Mr Kabwe said that, “There are already talks of what is intended here. I don’t think if there’s any harm in putting the regulations in the Bill, so we can all go through them here and ensure each and everything is technically okay. If we are to live it to the minister to dictate the regulations then we will not be doing justice to the matter.”
Debating the section on Friday, Ubungo legislator Saed Kubenea (Chadema) said that the section was specifically penned to attack one media house that is currently 100 per cent owned by foreigners.
Defending the section, Mr Nnauye said that the section is not intended to hurt anyone, “the good thing here is, the regulations will be tabled here in Parliament for endorsement and if there is anything then it will raised. Again if any party will feel aggrieved by it they can go to court and lodge their complaints.”
The matter was subjected to voting where by naysayers, CCM MPs which are the majority in the House had it their way and threw out Mr Waitara’s proposal.
The last major attempt from the Opposition also came from Mr Waitara on Section 7(1) (b) (iv) which states that one of the obligations of private media shall be, “to broadcast or publish news or issues of national importance as the Government may direct.”
Mr Waitara, wanted the words “…as the Government may direct” omitted, since it will be used by the government as a lee way to command what private media houses should publish or not in issues of national importance. Again the proposal was turned down by the majority vote form CCM camp.
