- For the first time, the Former President reveals how he personally played a role of encouraging the setting up of The Citizen and the region’s foremost Kiswahili newspaper, Mwananchi
Dar es Salaam. Former President Benjamin Mkapa has revealed why he allowed the establishment of The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers in Tanzania during his leadership.
He made the revelation in response to a question
on the role that past African leaders played as part of efforts to
strengthen opposition as well as democracy, offering a lesson to today’s
wielders of power who have a negative view a vibrant, independent and
responsible press.
Mr Mkapa, who led Tanzania between 1995 and 2005,
told participants to the African Leadership Forum in Dar es Salaam last
week, that he created an environment that allowed the media industry to
flourish.
“I can’t remember now…I may have banned one or
two supposed newspapers, but during my tenure, the newspaper industry
did flourish…in fact, I personally encouraged the founding of Mwananchi publications – The Citizen and so on,” he said. The maiden editorial for The Citizen, which hit the newsstands for the first time on September 16, 2004, was written by President Mkapa. The Citizen newspaper has since flourished, and will be commemorating its 10th anniversary later in September.
At the same time, he said, he made sure he was not
an obstacle to the growth of opposition political parties. However,
during his leadership, the police was on the spotlight for using
excessive force in dealing with the Opposition, mainly the Tanzania
Labour Party (TLP) and Civic United Front (CUF) in the Mainland and
Zanzibar, respectively.
Mr Mkapa said he created an enabling environment
that helped democracy to thrive during his rule despite challenges
brought by the newness of multiparty politics.
This is the first time the former President is revealing how he personally played a role of encouraging the setting up of The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers.
Though Mr Mkapa did not elaborate further, Nation
Media Group (NMG) Chairman, Wilfred Kiboro is on record as having been
quoted in October last year (2013) saying that the leading media company
in East and Central Africa decided to acquire a stake in Mwananchi
Communications Limited (MCL) after President Mkapa himself invited the
Nairobi-headquartered firm to come and invest in Tanzania.
“I remember at that time when I was the company’s
chief executive officer, I accompanied the then NMG board chairman to
meet President Mkapa in Arusha. In the course of our discussion, he
invited us to come and invest in Tanzania,’’ said Mr Kiboro at an
October 2013 event in Dar es Salaam. He said the former president told
them that he would be happy to see Tanzanians being informed by a media
house that adheres to professionalism.
NMG’s investment in the media industry in
Tanzania had contributed immensely to the country’s economy through tax
compliance, he said, adding that there was no hidden agenda as claimed
in some quarters.
“The only agenda that MCL has is strengthening
cooperation in East African. There isn’t an iota of proof that MCL
operates through directives issued from Kenya,’’ Mr Kiboro said. He said
all editors at Tanzania’s leading media house worked according the
company’s editorial policy.
Convened by Mr Mkapa and coordinated by Uongozi
Institute, the African Leaders Forum, which was held in Dar es Salaam on
Thursday last week, was attended by former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo
(Nigeria), Festus Mogae (Botswana) and Thabo Mbeki (South Africa).
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