Tanzania: Western Media and the “Manufacturing of Consent” Against Magufuli’s Performance*
*By Dr. Darius Mukiza, Dar es Salaam* – Many Tanzanian experts, like me, are deservingly quiet, watching how the country is progressing in terms of realizing its cherished dream. But some recent series of articles obviously calculated at destroying the image of Tanzania are disquieting thus a comeback.
One such latest examples is Washington Post’s article published recently entitled: “Why is Once- Peaceful Tanzania Detaining Journalists, Arresting School Girls and Killing Opposition Leaders?
The erroneous, incompetent, non-factual article was written by one Rachael McLellan who calls herself a PhD Candidate at Princeton University, researching on opposition parties and decentralization in Tanzania.
McLellan’s article has raised anomalous issues about Tanzania which only justifies one end; the editors of the Post and the writer are either sponsored to tarnish the name of Tanzania in the global arena or represent yet another perpetuation of what a US linguist and cognitive scientist Prof. Avram Noam Chomsky coined thus “manufacturing of consent.”
It is surprising that the famed newspaper like the Washington Post is publishing a poem like feature analysis which lacks and misses the reality and facts about Tanzania.
This article shows how both the Washington Post editors and the writer never mind to find out the truth about Tanzania to balance their one sided Broadway gossip story. Let me join this discussion.
*The Once Peaceful Is Tanzania?*
In tarnishing and forcing their narrative to third world audiences, Chomsky reveals, Western media employs what is called framing. The term refers to a careful selection of certain words to communicate the author’s/editors personal bias.
The framing in the headline of the article starts with a misleading inference; “…Why is Once- Peaceful Tanzania”. This means Tanzania is not peaceful.
This is not true because both the newspaper’s editors and the student researcher are ignorant of what is happening in Tanzania and where this prosperous nation comes from.
Additionally, they failed to appreciate sense of data journalism by not consulting and interpreting data from other researchers coming from their own vicinity.
Contrary to the message being “manufactured” in the article casting Tanzania as a once peaceful but currently violent one, the 2018 Global Peace Index Report (GPI) released recently by The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) in the United States has ranked Tanzania the 51stmost peaceful country among 163 independent countries ahead of several giants thus UK (57), France (61), China (112), USA (121) to mention a few.
The report also ranks Tanzania the ninth in Africa and first peaceful independent country in East Africa.
The GPI used 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measured the state of peace using three thematic domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarisation.
The 2018 GPI also included the analysis of trends in Positive Peace namely: the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies that made Tanzania to scoop enough marks than many countries in the world.
*Is Tanzania Detaining Journalists?*
This is another level of “manufacturing consent.” As far as I’m aware, currently there is neither a journalist(s) who is in detention in Tanzania for his/her work nor for any other common felony. This is in contrast to what is actually happening in UK-https://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/david_miranda_hearing_day_1.php and the US in https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/american-born-journalist-iranian-tv-detained-u-s-n959496
That notwithstanding, the author seems to bring into sequence the recent questioning of two visiting CPJ activists who manipulated immigration procedures in Tanzania and got into the hands of law enforcers.
The two media workers cum activists, Kenyan Muthoki Momo and South African Angela Quintal, falsifying their intention of visiting Tanzania as “holiday visitors” only to be caught working in Tanzania, is a case no one can relate with press freedom as the author suggests.
It’s a clear case of violation of the law. Rule of law principles suggest that the legal rules ought to be executed without any bias like ones citizenship or profession.
*Arresting of School girls*
Admittedly, I was exasperating perusing this line in the story.
I had to interrogate and re-consult my own comprehension whether I’m living in a different Tanzania from the imaginary one in the story!
There is no such a thing happening in Tanzania as arresting of school girls. No any school girl has been arrested in Tanzania other than some campaigns to trace truant school children in some cases.
The good intention being to bring them back to school, for, the students have the right to education. I have never seen a targeted campaign so to say just to single out and arrest school girls.
A bit weird for a PhD candidate not to appreciate education reforms taking place in Tanzania, and focus on invented negativity.
Available data show that since November 2015, the government of Tanzania under the reformist President John Pombe Magufuli, established the free education policy to both primary and secondary education to ensure all children are accessing education in the country.
The government is allocating TZS 23bn/- (some $10m) every month to serve the purpose.
The policy has put the primary school enrolment at 35.5 percent higher and secondary school at 201.1% percent increase.
On the other hand, to avoid psychological tortures, name calling and other possible intimidations in normal classes, and with a good intention to ensure that every Tanzanian girl is getting the primary and secondary education, President Magufuli’s government and the World Bank are working on the modality that will allow pregnant girls to return to alternative schooling.
*Is Tanzania democratic?*
The writer of the article writes that Tanzania under Chama cha Mapinduzi (the ruling party CCM) had never become democratic. This is a massively inconclusive assertion not worth of a future PhD scholar.
Since independence to-date, Tanzania is actively expanding its democracy and unwavering commitment and respect to human rights, by among others, instilling constitutionalism, creating institutions, allowing multi-party democracy and acceding and subscribing to international as well as regional human rights instruments.
As a young nation mitigating between building a united nation and economically stable society, like many other countries on earth, Tanzania may have some challenges on its democracy but not to the extent suggest by the Post.
The reality is that Tanzania is a democratic country than many countries in the World. The findings from a 38-nation US based Pew Research published early this year put Tanzania as one of the most promising democratic countries in Africa ahead of Kenya and Ghana.
The survey conducted among 41,953 respondents in 38 countries across the world using telephone and face-to-face interviews found that 88 percent of Tanzanians are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the country under the leadership of President Magufuli.
“Trust in the national government is highest in Tanzania. About nine-in-ten people in Tanzania (89%) trust their government to do what is right for their country, including 48% who say they have “a lot” of trust,” states the research
It should be noted that since 1992, Tanzania remains to be among the few countries in Africa, Asia and Europe that embraces and continues to enjoy peaceful multi-party democracy and power transition from one person to other after five or ten years.
Currently, there more than 18 registered political parties in Tanzania with the opposition increasingly gaining more seats and votes in both parliamentary as well as presidential elections albeit some isolated few incidents of violence.Which happens everywhere.
Since assuming power in 2015, President John Magufuli has been a pioneer and engineer of press freedom and press accountability in Tanzania. Journalists and media stations/ newsrooms enjoy freedom of expression.
Currently in Tanzania, there are 226 registered newspapers, 163 radio stations and 35 televisions stations respectively.Are these not the cornerstones of democracy?
I understand there is an increased scrutiny on media accountability which is not a bad thing.
Considering the past massive ethical challenges in Tanzania where many political figures faced character assassinations and defamation from sponsored journalism, anyone familiar with media history in this country would understand why accountability is the word now.
*The LGBT issue in Tanzania*
Exhibiting lack of cultural relativism, the author blames Tanzanian on the issue of homosexuals. It should be made clear that same sex relationship is a crime in Tanzania and in many countries.
This makes the behaviour to be regarded as a moral decay in Tanzania. No one has the right to force his/her own belief into another.
That’s why, despite a personal loose statement of the Regional Commissioner, whose stance was denounced by the central government, and there is no mass or public harassment of homosexuals in Tanzania, other than those caught on the pants committing the immoral act.
*Crossing over parties in Tanzania*
The writer goes on to allege that opposition politicians are paid to join the ruling party CCM. I’m not in politics but this is a problematic fact. Switching political parties has always been the practice in Tanzania since multi-party politics returned in the country in 1992. Its not a new norm.
Actually, the ruling party has lost most of its senior cadres including two recent former Prime Ministers to the opposition.
The writer who is calling and bragging himself a PhD student does not tell us if it is so for the opposition politicians to switch to the ruling party, what is the motive to those who do the vice versa?
These are political gossips in downtown Dar es Salaam inked into a piece or paper and gets published in a famous newspaper that everybody respected. What happened to our responsible journalism?
*Who is President Magufuli?*
To understand and appreciate what is happening in Tanzania and the global shadow he is casting, the author and everybody who wants to objectively analyze Magufuli is supposed to ask: who is President Magufuli and what is his quest and bequest?
I can introduce him as a democratically elected Tanzanian President who is highly respected among his people and in regional politics for his no nonsense type of leadership as well as performance in delivering his promise.
President Magufuli has already received many awards because of his strong leadership. These are his top achievements that the PhD analyst missed:
*#1The War against Corruption:*
Since assuming power in 2015, President Magufuli has been sweeping away the country’s reputation for endemic corruption and poor public services. For example, he fired many senior executives and half of his Cabinet Ministers either for embezzlement or inaction. In Tanzania today, any public officials knows it; you are corrupt, you are in trouble.
And it’s already paying up-The Transparency International has ranked Tanzania the second country in East Africa after Rwanda in the war against corruption. The 2018 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report released recently put Tanzania at an average score of 36 points behind Rwanda which has scored 56 points.
The 2017 Afro Barometer research network, shows that over 70% of Tanzanians believe corruption in the country had decreased “somewhat” or “a lot” in the previous year. This is in stark contrast to the results of a similar survey in 2014, when only 13% reported they believed corruption had decreased in the previous year.
*#2Tanzania’s Right To Benefit from Natural Resources:*
Understandably, together with the impact of his great work on corruption sharks, this is another reason for targeted international media propaganda against President Magufuli.
The protection of natural resources mainly in extractive industry has been another area of achievements. He has confronted mining giants like Acacia, Barrick Gold, Geita Gold Mine and Tanzanite One to renegotiate their contracts to make Tanzania earn more. All have bowed to his pressure albeit in protest.
Three laws have been enacted to enforce a sterner administration of the mining sector and results are positively yielding. For example, the revenue from the mining sector has risen to TZS 300 billion during the financial year 2017/2018 from below TZS 194 billion previously.
*#3 Cost cutting revenue enthusiastic*
President: The reduction of foreign trips to government officials and scaling down public workshops has been another achievement of President Magufuli in the past three years.
For example, in 2014/15 fiscal year the government spent a whooping TZS 216 billion for foreign travel, while in the last three years under Magufuli only TZS 25 billion has been used for the same.
The increase of the government revenues from an annual average of TZS 950 billion to TZS 1.3 trillion has been another achievement of President Magufuli and his government over the past three years. This has been a milestone on reducing donor funds in financing development projects.
*#4.Major construction work under Magufuli*
President Magufuli continues to focus on infrastructure in the country. For example, recently, the President laid the foundation stone for the construction of 19.2km eight-lane duo linking the country’s commercial Capital Dar es Salaam and Coast region.
There is another, signing of the three-billion-US dollar landmark deal with an Egyptian company for the construction of the Rufiji Hydropower Plant that will be Africa’s fourth largest dam. The project will generate 2,115 megawatts which is more than all electricity generated from all other sources in Tanzania which currently stand at.
He is yet undertaking another big thing, currently Africa’s biggest Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, fetching another $ 3.5m from the government Treasury.
The SGR work that will use electricity powered train will be ready by December, 2019 for the first lot from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and in two years the SGR will connect the East Coast Indian ocean cities with the current Political Capital, Dodoma.
Those are not end of the list on Magufuli’s scorecard-in the past three years, President Magufuli has also revamped the national career by purchasing six new planes. Among these, six new planes have been received and are all operating within and outside the country.
Among these are two Airbus 220-300 jets and a US manufactured Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Two more are expected this year.
These and many other untold achievements in a short span of three years surprised no one when last December he was declared a winner of the London based African Leadership Magazine’s African Person of the Year-Political Leadership award.
Contrary to the consent being “manufactured” by western media and allies, this is the Magufuli “the bulldozer” I know, and as a patriot Tanzania, I appreciate his great and unwavering efforts to transform his people.
I call upon my fellows in the academic rooms in Tanzania and Africa at large to come out, research and communicate objective data to defend our own development path than letting go the imaginary analysis like the one published in the Post.
Let us be part of telling of own stories, our own narrative.
*Darius Mukiza, Ph.D, is a lecturer in mass communications at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, SJMC, of the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania*
