Magufuli’s one year of reshaping nation
Few
days after he assumed office, President Magufuli started making
international headlines for his austerity measures as well as his
impatience with corruption and misuse of public office.
He ordered that all public meetings and
workshops be held in government buildings instead of hiring conference
rooms in expensive hotels. Dr Magufuli trimmed a delegation to a tour of
the commonwealth countries from 50 to just four people.
He also effected massive reforms aimed
at strengthening transparency, accountability and organisational
capabilities to guarantee delivery of high quality services to citizens.
The president tightly controlled foreign
trips for public officials, subjecting all applications for
international travels to State House approval after serious scrutiny. Dr
Magufuli who has himself snubbed over 50 presidential invitations
defended the move as inevitable towards reshaping the country.
Thanks to the enactment of numerous
laws--the Statistics Act, 2015, Cybercrime Act, 2015 and Media Service
Act 2016, Dr Magufuli is now pushing for the rule of law, although
critics charge that the fifth phase administration is increasingly
becoming unfriendly to human rights.
The International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), a multilateral treaty adopted by the UN
General Assembly on December 16, 1966, came into effect on March 23,
1976. It commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights
of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to
due process and a fair trial.
Tanzania, one of the 74 signatories and
168 parties under the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) must promote human
rights. Article 19 of the covenant says, “Everyone shall have the right
to hold opinions without interference.
” The covenant however imposes some
certain restrictions with respect to the rights or reputations of
others, protection of national security or of public order, of public
health or morals.
Observers have it that Tanzania
adaptation of three laws, the Statistics Act, 2015, Cybercrime Act, 2015
and Media Service Act 2016, is in line with the international treaty to
protect the public against defamation, invasion of privacy, national
security and public health. Meshark Juma, a taxi driver in Dar es
Salaam, supports President Magufuli whom he says has reinstated the rule
of law.
He appreciates the government’s strict
enforcement of the laws as a positive move, saying if one adheres to
rules and regulations governing the country, there is no way they can
get into troubles.
“You cannot easily maneuver under this
administration,” he says, noting that even public offices now operate as
the rules and regulations. His views contrast many critics who denounce
the Media Act, for instance, saying the legislation is designed to give
the government more powers over media and press freedom.
Some had it that the cybercrime law also
is turning into a draconian legislation, infringing on human rights.
But, as you take a critical look at things. Is there any one under the
sun who will smile if his/her personal privacy is attacked?
Obvious NO! but should we let those
endangering lives with false information and statistics to flourish? The
Media Service Act 2016, according to the Minister for Information,
Culture, Arts and Sports Nape Nnauye, intends to transform the media
fraternity into a recognised profession. Similar to lawyers or doctors,
for journalist to become full professionals, must have a body of
accreditation and professionals must be registered.
“The law will allow media practitioners
to establish councils and press media owners to insure reporters,” Mr
Nnauye says in defense of the Act. Therefore efficacy of public
institutions depends on the delivery mechanism and the institutional
framework of rules, regulations and procedures, which has to evolve
continuously to respond to the changing times.
Currently there is a pressing need, on
one hand to improve organisational capabilities to cater for the
increasing demand for services and improvement in the quality of service
delivery, and on the other, to improve transparency and accountability.
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