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.