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Tanzania's parliament to discuss media services bill

Xinhua, November 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tanzania's National Assembly will resume business on Tuesday as the Media Services Bill 2016 is to be tabled for debate by Members of Parliament, the Speaker of the House, Job Ndugai, said on Monday.

The Media Services Bill seeks to repeal the Newspaper Act of 1976, and it intends to promote ethical and professional journalism standards. The new law also compels media owners to ensure that their employees are well remunerated.

Ndugai told a news conference in the east African nation's political capital Dodoma that the National Assembly that will run for two weeks will also debate the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) 2016 Bill.

Ndugai said both the Bills have already been discussed by the lawmakers at parliamentary committee levels.

The tabling of the Media Services Bill comes as a big blow to the majority of media stakeholders who have been pushing for the postponement of the Bill until February next year.

Ndugai said Parliament will also debate the issue of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and the East African Community (EAC).

"This is a very important agreement, MPs will advise the government whether to sign it or not, but the final decision rests with the government," he said.

Already two EAC member states Kenya and Rwanda have signed the deal, but it won't be operational until all member states sign the agreement which is protested by Tanzania. EAC Heads of State agreed in September to push the bloc's commitment on the deal to January next year.

The deal gives products from EAC member states duty- and quota-free access to the EU as long as they meet health and safety standards. Endit