The minister for Information, Culture, Artistes and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye.
The government’s
decision to limit parliamentary live coverage by Tanzania Broadcasting
Corporation (TBC) ignited a heated twitter debate with majority of
tweeps dismissing the decision as unacceptable.
Moments
after the minister for Information, Culture, Artistes and Sports, Mr
Nape Nnauye, announced in Parliament yesterday that the live coverage by
the state-run broadcaster will only cover questions and answer session
in the morning.
Twitter-sphere
went abuzz with people differing in opinion over the matter, while many
criticized the decision, there were also those who defended the
government’s move.
Kigoma
Urban MP on ACT-Wazalendo ticket Zitto Kabwe, who was vocal against the
matter in Parliament, took the debate to twitter saying “Limiting live
coverage on financial basis is shallow argument, democracy is a costly
endeavour.”
A
tweep and blogger based in Scotland, Mr Evarist Chahali tweeted:
“President (John Pombe) Magufuli’s good intensions to serve Tanzanians
might be hindered by hard-lined party affiliated ministers. Nape
(Nnauye) is a liability… If they only knew how important parliamentary
live coverage are to the people they wouldn’t move to limit them.”
The
general feeling around the social media users and echoed by Opposition
MP is that, the government intends to muzzle parliamentarians, who with
the advantage of TBC’s live coverage which is accessed all over the
country, have managed to fiercely criticize and shake the government
during debate sessions in the eyes of Tanzanians.
Adding
weight to the debate, political commentator and University of Dar es
Salaam lecturer Prof Kitila Mkumbo tweeted: “The government which has
plans to accommodate praises but not criticism will kill democracy. But
that government must know that there is no development without
democracy.”
The
debate raged on Ms Maria Sarungi’s account. Some people defended the
government saying by airing Bunge almost all day long, TBC was not
receiving any adverts and its pockets were running dry.
