MY TAKE ON THIS : TCRA should rescind this oppressive directive

According to Tanzania Communication Regulatory Agency (TCRA), no common Tanzania is now allowed to air his or her views in a political programme which is being aired live.

TCRA has issued this notice in accordance with regulations with administer broadcasts during election campaigns.

According to the regulation which TCRA has based its notice, hosts of live broadcasts should invite only candidates for posts of councillorship, parliament or presidential. If these are not available, such programmes should feature party spokespersons or people who have been nominated by political parties.

This excludes other people from taking party in live broadcasts of issues concerning the General Election.

Obviously, TCRA has done this as a way of controlling inflammatory utterances, which are likely to cause chaos or disorder in the community. It is encouraging to note that TCRA has decided to take such precautions but there is problem with the way the government entity has decided to experiment its powers.

It should be understood that the regulation which TCRA has used to base its notice is against the constitution which gives every Tanzania a right to air his views. This means that this section of the regulatory is unconstitutional.

I believe that controlling something by curtailing constitutional right of some people does not augur well with principles of good governance. TCRA should have come up with innovative ways and means of controlling hate speech without restraining freedom availed to the people through the major law.

Besides, why TCRA has moved to bar other people from airing their views and allow only politicians to do so? I think that TCRA should have given more room to common people to air their views through these live broadcasts because politicians, on the other hand, have a lot of time to speak what they believe.

Experience from campaign rallies shows that common people are not given opportunity to say anything, it is only politicians who rant from the beginning to the end of the rally. Under such circumstances, such broadcasts were one of opportunity for common wananchi to air their views over what the politicians are saying or doing as far as general Election is concerned.

If common people are not allowed to speak, where will we hear the voice of the voiceless? If common wananchi are not given this opportunity to air their views, where are we going to hear the real issued pertaining at the grassroots?

And why TCRA has decided to hinder common wananchi while experience shows that in many cases it is politicians who have been uttering inflammatory statements?

There are numerous examples of how politicians have articulated divisive statements and they have been allowed to get away with it.

If anything, TCRA should find mechanisms to control politicians and not the public which is trying to make sure that the politicians does not mislead them. Curtailing the general public from doing so will be a leeway for the politicians to continue misleading and disparaging the communities which they seek to lead.