Media stands alone as leaders mute US, UK concern

The United States and UK condemnation of last Friday’s arrest and detention of Tanzanian journalist Joseph Gandye will be ignored by President John Magufuli because he is fully aware that international condemnation of governments that abuse the rights of its citizens, especially in Africa, counts for hardly anything.

PRESS FREEDOM

He is equally aware, and quite happy that there will be no comment whatsoever — even oblique — from his colleagues in the eastern Africa region, and from organisations like the EAC or its agencies that are charged with protecting rights of citizens of East Africa and enhancing their economic well-being. They are comrades in crime on this one!

In President Donald Trump’s and Boris Johnson’s world, expressed concern about journalists in Africa is an expected diplomatic gesture that no longer carries any threat of pain that international ostracisation should imply. It was not always this way. In the old world of the Cold War, patronage that the Western powers extended to countries that wanted to belong in the group seen as democratic and liberal often extracted compliance.

Such was the dependence that many governments in Africa dreaded incurring the wrath of Washington, London or Paris because to be sanctioned led to real pain if the cause of that censure was not cured. It was serious real politik between diplomats from these countries and their hosts. In many instances, cause led to effect — generally withholding of budgetary support or suspension of a funded bilateral programme or denial of entry to those Western countries.

That Mr Gandye is accused of publishing fake news in a television outlet set up by the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition is intriguing. As a non-governmental organisation, it must rely on support from an international organisation, or a consortium of organisations, that protect human rights and defend press freedom.

MISTREATING SUSPECTS

These tend to have fairly rigorous quality control measures as conditions for support and hence I have no doubt that Mr Gandye’s reporting about police abuse of suspects in custody is largely accurate. Police will never willingly confirm that they are mistreating suspects!

In President Magufuli’s Tanzania, strangling media, harassing journalists, intimidating and closure of media houses is rampant. The clampdown on Opposition is severe, both in and outside Parliament. The carrot and stick game is in full bloom as critics are enticed and rewarded to abandon their contrary positions or made to suffer pain if they do not.

Friday’s arrest comes just a month after journalist Erick Kabendera was charged with treason, for writing an article critical of President Magufuli’s leadership. There was criticism of the act then also from the US, the UK and a host of global and regional organisations that defend press freedom. Just as there was when journalist Azory Gwanda disappeared two years. (The Foreign Affairs Minister recently cryptically said that Mr Gwanda was dead).

There are going to be more threats, detentions and court appearances for journalists in East Africa. South Sudan is holding several. Rwanda takes no prisoners in this space and media houses and journalists operating there know this. Uganda’s authorities are as intolerant towards media and tensions will start rising again as the next presidential elections approach.

WILFUL THEFT

The disdain of Kenya’s leadership towards media is palpable from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s dismissive “newspapers are only good for wrapping meat” to Deputy President William Ruto’s tasteless expulsion of journalists from some of his functions. This is often painfully dramatised with police (or vigilante) violence against journalists doing their job!

This is the reality. Media and journalists in Eastern Africa confront dangerous times from governments averse to being questioned over glaring governance deficits, blatant disregard of the law, wilful theft and avarice. President Magufuli believes that he can only morally vacuum Tanzania by bullying and riding roughshod over everyone else, and the media should only cheer him on.

Since the media will not and must not allow this to happen, there is going to be pain, discomfort, jailing and possibly death. The leaders of the Western global hegemon have lost the moral authority to enforce governance standards on our African chiefs. Regionally, trade tariffs between the countries elicit more agitation than news of a jailed or even dead journalist!

Journalists and media are on their own and they must urgently rebuild the once-formidable alliance between civil society and media at both the national, regional and international level. It is a necessary alliance to survive the inevitable blows ahead.

Tom Mshindi is the former editor-in-chief of the Nation Group and is now consulting. [email protected], @tmshindi