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Govt reiterates its commitment to democracy, rule of law
2008-04-29 10:56:20
By Correspondent Nasser Kigwangallah
The government has said it was committed to fostering democracy, human rights and the rule of law as a tool for sustainable development.
An assurance to that end was made yesterday by Information, Culture and Sports deputy minister Joel Bendera when opening a forum on Democracy, the Role of the Media, Political Parties and Civil Society Organisations held in Dar es Salaam.
The one-day conference was organized by the Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) and aimed at building a working relationship among the media, political parties and civil society organizations.
Bendera said it was extremely important to build trust and mutual understanding between various groups such as the media, political parties and civil society organizations so as to sustain peace and stability in the country.
He commended the media, political parties and civil society organizations for their role as pressure groups in helping the government to perform its functions more effectively.
Bendera remarked: ``I do appreciate your efforts in building a strong democracy. Through your contributions you make the government function better.``
He urged journalists to play their part effectively in highlighting public matters of national interest so that stability and understanding among the people could be sustained in the country.
He said under any circumstances journalists should not be part of breaking peace and stability through the kind of reporting that might cause chaos and unrest in the country.
He also urged political parties and civil society organizations to play their role effectively for the benefit of all citizens.
According to him, the government would do what was required by law to ensure that these groups operated without any interference.
Speaking at the occasion, TCD deputy chairman Ibrahim Lipumba said political parties, the media and civil society organizations complement each other in ensuring that democracy and the rule of law were cemented for the development of the country.
Prof. Lipumba, who is also the national chairman of the opposition Civic United Front, said in order to reach that end TCD needed the support of all citizens.
``TCD`s efforts in building a strong and efficient democracy would not bear fruit unless all stakeholders played their role effectively and supported our vision,`` he said.
Prof. Lipumba called for a working relationship between the media, political parties and civil society organizations in order to build a stronger and truer democracy in the country.
For his part, Emmanuel Makaidi, the National League for Democracy chairman, urged the government to implement all views of various people and groups that are directed at bringing peace and democracy in the country.
He said it has been the habit of government officials to pay lip service to peoples` views without implementing them.
Speaking on the free press as an essential feature for democracy, Sakina Datoo, Editors Forum chairperson, said the media played a crucial role in the building of a strong and democratic country.
She said it helped to build democracy and hence should be supported by all citizens in its functions without fear or coercion.
Sakina urged media owners to pay their journalists nicely so as to stamp out corrupt practices.
``Media houses are underpaying journalists and that contributed very much to the continuation of corruption in the media sector,`` she said.
She said proper training skills for journalists would lead to well-balanced reporting and called on media owners to establish a special fund in that regard.
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