Secretary-General urges Tanzania Media to build Peace and Social Consensus

Posted in Press Release

The Secretary-General of the East African Community, Amb. Dr Richard Sezibera has urged the media fraternity in Tanzania to build peace and social consensus as the country prepares for the forthcoming General Elections slated for October 2015.

The Secretary-General, who was on Wednesday, 16 September participating in a two-day Tanzania Media Peace Forum 2015 convened by the Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT), Trinity Group East Africa and the EAC Secretariat at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, said during the electioneering period, the media in Tanzania is expected to build peace, social consensus and cohesion, without which democracy is threatened.

Amb. Sezibera, who was represented by his Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Department, Mr Owora Richard Othieno, said “it will be unfortunate if the media in Tanzania take the path of fanning flames of discord by taking sides, reinforcing prejudices, muddling the facts and peddling half-truths during the electioneering period”.

He urged the media to shape public opinion responsibly and not to be influenced and manipulated by different interest groups in the society. “You are expected to promote democracy by among other things, educating voters, protecting human rights, promoting tolerance among various social groups, and ensuring that the government is transparent and accountable. Please don’t sow fear, division and violence which will lead to democratic decay”, asserted the EAC official.

In his keynote address, Dr Reginald A. Mengi, the Executive Chairman of IPP Limited and Chair of MOAT, commended the EAC Secretariat and the Trinity Group East Africa for bringing together the representatives of various political shades, religious organisations, international organisations, media owners, media practitioners and stakeholders to appreciate their various critical roles in deepening democracy in Tanzania.

Dr Mengi reiterated that for a long time Tanzania had been a haven of peace, a situation, which has given the country international applause and that the peace is a huge national asset and guarantees the country’s unity and national security.

“If we create and breed social instability, our existing peaceful co-existence will vanish at a great loss to all Tanzanians and the nation, and it will be very hard to reorganise and restore it”, noted the MOAT Chair.

The Chair cautioned the media on reporting what candidates and their campaigners say while looking for votes. “Newsrooms, online portals, radio and television producers, should report stories and developments that aim to promote peace and national unity”.

A representative of the Head of the European Union Delegation in Tanzania, Mr Fabio Di Stefano said the role of the media during elections cannot be under estimated and that development partners were ready to accompany the Tanzanian people during the general elections.

Rev. Canon Thomas Godda, the Executive Director of the Inter-Religious Council for Peace Tanzania and Mr Tom Ndahiro, former Head of Department of Civil and Political Rights in the Rwanda National Human Rights Commission shared their views on the role of the media in democracy and peace building.

Secretary-General sends condolence message to President Museveni on the tragic and untimely death of General Aronda Nyakairima

Posted in Press Release

The Secretary-General of the East African Community, Amb. Dr Richard Sezibera has sent a message of condolence to His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda on the tragic and untimely death of the former Chief of Defence Forces and Minister for Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, the late General Aronda Nyakairima.

In a message dispatched today, the Secretary-General, on behalf of the East African Community mourns the passing of “a great son of Uganda and a towering figure of our time who has left an indelible imprint on the history of Uganda”.

Amb. Sezibera notes that the late General Nyakairima played a big role in deepening the EAC integration process in regard to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Co-operation in Defence in the Community, while serving as Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces.

“Together with his fellow Chiefs of Defence Forces from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, the late General Nyakairima worked so hard through the Sectoral Council on Co-operation in Defence to ensure that the MoU is implemented to the letter”.

He says through the MoU, the EAC Partner States have continued to pursue an elaborate programme of activities of confidence building among the Defence Forces such as Joint Operations, Technical Assistance, Visits and Exchange of Information, Cultural Exchanges and Sports Competitions, to enhance a spirit of comradeship among the Armed Forces in the region.

The MoU, which has now been upgraded into a Protocol, lays emphasis on unity, peace, stability and strength to defend the region’s common interests.

The Secretary-General further observes that due to the dedication of the region’s Chiefs of Defence Forces, the Defence sector had undertaken the initiative to evaluate the defence co-operation with a view to coming up with a roadmap leading to a Defence Pact once the Protocol on Co-operation in Defence is ratified by all the Partner States.

“The entire East African Community and I share with Your Excellency, the bereaved family and the government and people of Uganda, the feelings of great loss at this moment of deep sorrow”, concludes the message.