Tanzania president John Maguful By Gladys Mbwiga
Dar
es Salaam — Nearly nine out of every ten Tanzanians (87 per cent)
believe they should be able to criticise the government if they think
there is concrete reason for doing so, according to a new Twaweza study.
The report says the
vast majority of respondents believe that they should be free to
criticise the government and the President "for making bad decisions and
not taking advice".
"They believe that
criticism helps leaders to avoid making mistakes," says the report of
the study titled Not to That Extent? Tanzanians' Views On Information
and Public Debate.
Eighty-one per cent of citizens feel criticism of leaders is a good thing because it helps them avoid making serious mistakes.
However, 60 per
cent say they feel they are not free to criticise the President, and 54
per cent do not feel free to criticise the Vice President.
The report also shows a decline in trust in various major sources of information.
Trust in radio has
dropped from 80 per cent in 2016 to 64 per cent in 2017, while trust in
television has fallen from 73 per cent to 69 per cent during the same
period.
Although trust in
the media has declined, 62 per cent of citizens believe in media freedom
and would rather a newspaper publish false or incorrect information and
apologise and publish a correction than be shut down or fined.
Despite
respondents' strong views on access to information, very few are aware
of the law that governs this issue, and the majority are not connected
to the system.
Twaweza executive
director Aidan Eyakuze said, "Citizens strongly support access to
information and free expression, but they rarely demand information, and
they don't feel they can criticise senior government officials.
"The government must recognise the value of open public debate and constructive criticism," he added.
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