The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) will continue to serve journalists and uphold professionalism and ethical conduct among scribes despite South Kondoa Member of Parliament, Mr Juma Nkamia’s negative remarks over the council.
Mr Kajubi Mukajanga
Addressing journalists yesterday, MCT Executive Secretary Mr Kajubi Mukajanga said the organisation is proud of its record, as a self regulatory body of the media, which has drawn other stakeholders across Africa to learn and establish similar bodies in their countries.
“MCT will continue to implement without any hesitation its mandate to serve journalists and the media fraternity to uphold professionalism and ethical conduct through its various programmes and interventions,” Mr Mukajanga stressed.
The MCT Executive Secretary was reacting to Mr Nkamia’s remarks in Parliament recently when debating budget estimates of the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, where the later disparaged the council, saying it was an NGO formed to benefit individuals.
Mr Mukajanga said it is nonsensical to dismiss the council which boasts of institutional membership of 131 including newspapers, radio, television stations, Press Clubs and media training institutions.
“Mr Nkamia’s remarks have saddened the council and the media fraternity in general, given the fact that he is a stakeholder in the media and he talked so positively about the council last September, when the council sponsored legislatures to visit India to learn about the Right to Information legislation,” he explained.
At the time of the trip to India Mr Nkamia, who was the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Community Development, headed the delegation of seven MPs and two members of the Zanzibar House of Representative during a five -day study tour to India, where he praised the notable achievements the country had made by enacting the Right to Information Legislation.
Mr Mukajanga said the council has always identified itself as a voluntary, non statutory and self regulatory body of the media and it is proud of its achievements, dismissing the allegations by the legislator as baseless.
“We will not allow the council’s good work spanning two decades to be trampled, work that includes mediation of cases between the public and media that has seen high ranking politicians and government officials seeking recourse at the council, including Vice President Dr Omar Ali Juma, former Prime Ministers and ministers,” he stressed.
He said Mr Nkamia’s remarks are ill intended aimed at tarnishing the councils’ good image in preparation for an institution by government that will curtail media freedom.
Detailing achievements of the council in the media fraternity, Mr Mukajanga said it has been supporting in-service training of journalists, formulated a journalism curriculum and setting standards for training of journalists at journalism schools in the country.
“MCT shines as an example of self-regulation throughout Eastern and Southern Africa and of late various countries have come to learn from us or while others have requested for assistance to put up similar councils in the countries,” he explained.
By ROSE ATHUMANI, Tanzania Daily News
