FROM THE PUBLIC EDITOR'S DESK : Bunge shows why free speech is doomed

It is no longer possible to see Members of Parliament in action – debating. This is because what started as a humble excuse by government has grown into a gigantic lie beyond dictionary expression.

It started like this. The government told the nation and the world that it had no money with which to run live the Bunge debate programmes. It produced the figures to show how costly it was. It promised to call it quits.

It was Ernest Sungura, director of Tanzania Media Foundation (TMF) in Dar es Salaam, who responded almost immediately by saying: “If the issue is only lack of money, my institution was ready to carry that burden.” The government laughed into its palm; and silence reigned.

It was thought that the withdrawal or failure by government owned and controlled Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), to broadcast live all Bunge sessions, would not be a big blow as there are already capable radio and TV stations in the country to do the work, even better.

But what the government pulled out of its purse three weeks ago is what perplexes every right thinking person. It ordered other radio and TV stations to pull out of Parliament building all their transmitting gadgets. No more live coverage of debates in the People’s House!

Now, here is the end of the road for all lies. The Bunge administration says it will be making programmes through a special channel from which all radio and TV stations could get house proceedings as determined by Bunge programme producers.

Sincerely speaking, Bunge has no experts in this field. It will have to hire them from media institutions. And the easily hirable experts are government employees at TBC which the government said was pulling it out of Bunge live coverage because of lack of funds.

It is now clear that the Bunge authority and the government, two of the three pillars of the state, are drinking from the same scoop.

They may work together to produce programmes friendly to both of them; but devoid of the content that had glued citizens to their mobile radio gadgets and TV screens.

Gone are the days when citizens used to see and hear MPs hold government by the neck, seeking answers to hard questions from the electorate; or follow-up hard, labyrinthine, head-on arguments on corruption that involved sections of the executive branch.

Gone are the days too, when would be future politicians used to promise themselves, “I will be like this or that…;” when they saw and heard hard-hitting speeches by outspoken representatives.

Here also is an end to original voice and word of vocal MPs; terminal point of the voice of the not easily deterred by Speaker or deep and sharp mocks of opposing MPs.

Listen to what Bunge authorities say. They give examples of countries where live coverage of the House proceedings have never been live. They compare themselves with the sick and politically disabled.

But, that TBC operates out of tax-payer’s money; and other media houses capable of airing live broadcasts do not seek a single sent from government; the barring of direct broadcast from the House promises to put citizens in the dark.

Indeed, this is a clampdown on freedom of speech and the right to information.

The books are clear, however. Telling lies is a crime. Here the government has been caught in a double tongue exercise. On one side it is saying it has no money to fund TBC for direct broadcast of Bunge proceeding.

On the other, it definitely will, through the budget, enable Bunge authorities to hire experts to record, process and transmit Bunge products of their liking and through a channel of their choice too. Journalists, media workers and media houses must have something to say on this. Not only on their behalf, but also on behalf of citizens whose right to information and right to inform have been tampered with and trampled. Say it now!

Ndimara Tegambwage is Public Editor with Mwananchi Communications Limited