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Femact: What’s Mkapa’s stand on Mapuri utterances?
2005-09-20 08:25:33
By Guardian Reporter
FEMACT, a grouping of 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that advocate for human rights, wants President Benjamin Mkapa to comment on the conduct of his Minister for Home Affairs, Omar Ramadhan Mapuri.
In a press statement issued yesterday through the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (Tamwa), Femact said that it did not trust the statement issued by Mapuri regarding the use of the prisoners and prison warders to beat up journalists and tenants of the former ATC.
The NGOs said the minister’s attitude and statement were at variance with President Mkapa’s stand on good governance.
The statement signed by Tamwa’s executive director, Ananilea Nkya, said Mapuri’s statement was out of step with government’s principles of good governance and the rule of law.
’’The statement by Mapuri went against President Mkapa’s stand on press freedom, and that the media has a vital role to play in enhancing democracy,’’ the statement said.
On September 10, two journalists were beaten and severely injured during the eviction of tenants of former ATC houses in Ukonga, Dar es Salaam.
Mapuri later absolved the prisoners and prison warders from blame and instead told the public and journalists not to venture into restricted areas.
Meanwhile, key media stakeholders and human-rights activists met in Dar es Salaam yesterday to review last week’s statement by Home Affairs Minister Omar Ramadhan Mapuri.
The associations that were represented at the meeting included the Media Institute of Southern Africa-Tanzania Chapter (MISA-TAN), Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT), Legal and Human Rights Centre, Photographers Association, Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) and Dar es Salaam City Press Club.
After reviewing the recorded statement, the meeting noted that the minister agreed with the Prisons Department that they were engaged in a lawful operation to evict tenants of the former ATC houses.
The meeting noted further that the minister had not retracted his remarks and apologised.
They told the minister to make an unconditional apology to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.
Should he fail to comply, they said the minister and the Commissioner of Prisons, Nicas Banzi, should be sacked by the president.
They also upheld journalists’ decision to boycott his functions.
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