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Mkapa calls for SA-style poll guidelines
2005-07-20 09:31:48
By Ludger Kasumuni
Tanzania should adopt a mandatory electoral code of conduct similar to that of South Africa ahead of this year’s general election, President Benjamin Mkapa suggested yesterday.
He said when opening the 13th Conference on the State of Politics at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) that political parties and candidates who would be involved in this year’s elections should be required to abide by the mandatory code of conduct like that adopted by South Africa in 1995.
’’A good example of a mandatory code of conduct for political parties is the 1995 South African Electoral Code of Conduct for Political Parties, which is automatically binding on any party, candidate and party representative participating in elections,’’ he said.
He added: ”Much as I welcome recent initiatives for such codes of conduct among the leading political parties in Tanzania, I would feel better if we could have a binding and mandatory code of conduct like this.’’
The South African electoral code of conduct, among other things, calls for public condemnation of violence and intimidation, prohibits the use of inciting or abusive language and bans people from carrying or displaying weapons at political meetings, demonstrations and voting stations.
The media is required not to publish false, defamatory and inflammatory allegations against political parties which are advised to avoid holding meetings at the same venue.
Political opponents should also have free access to voters and avoid disfiguring or removing other parties’ election materials.
The South African electoral code of conduct also prohibits abuse of power, plagiarism of political parties’ symbols, bribing of voters and discrimination based on sex, class, ethnicity, race, religion and gender.
It also includes guidelines such as co-operation with electoral authorities in investigating allegations of violation of electoral laws, safety of electoral officers, protection of the rights of authorised representatives, reassurance of voters with regard of secrecy and integrity of ballots and taking necessary steps to ensure that the code is binding to all parties.
President Mkapa also suggested that the Press too should have a mandatory code of ethics since it was always in the thick of elections.
He added that a set of rules similar to the US Code of Ethics for Journalists was also suitable for Tanzania.
The President listed the essential elements of the US code as seeking the truth and reporting it accurately, minimising harm by being transparent to readers, the right to privacy, treating people with dignity, respect and compassion and respect for editorial independency and accountability of the media to the public.
He stressed the need for politicians to avoid ’’politics of lamentation” and being constantly engrossed in power struggles instead of focusing on the war against poverty.
The President commended the UDSM Research on Education for Democracy (Redet) for going into the second phase of research on democratic empowerment.
The two-day meeting, organised by Redet under the UDSM Department of Political Science and Public Administration, has brought together representatives from the government, political parties, public and private organisations, NGOs, diplomatic community and academic community.
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