mwanakijiji
10-09-2010, 11:17 PM
Daily News
THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has disassociated itself with a defamatory message addressed to one of the presidential candidates and spread to some mobile phone users in the country.
The Authority has urged the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) whose candidate, Dr Willbrod Slaa, has been abused in the message, to report the matter to responsible authorities for legal action.
The TCRA Acting Director General, Dr Raynold Mfungahema, said this on Saturday while responding to the allegations and complaints by Chadema leaders who claimed that the message which came from Phone Number +3588976578 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +3588976578 end_of_the_skype_highlighting was spread to mobile phone users with the help of TCRA.
"We are still in the process of ratifying mobile numbers in the ongoing registration exercise, so we are not in a position to answer such claims. The appropriate entity here is the Police Force and mobile phone companies," he noted.
Dr Mfungahema noted further that until all the SIM Cards are registered, the task of censorship to communications through cell phones remains a difficult one.
Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, the Chadema Acting Secretary General, Mr John Mnyika begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, said that the message claimed that 'Dr Slaa was a dangerous man for the country.'
It also said that "if elected he would lead the country into chaos and instability." Mr Mnyika said that the message was a plot by their political rivals to tarnish the image of their candidate.
He, however, admitted that they had not yet reported the matter to police. He added that they were planning to do so as soon as possible.
"We have lost confidence with police forces but as the matter of principle we will report to them anyway," he said.
Mr Mnyika noted that spreading such messages at this time of campaigns for general elections was a thorn in the flesh for the country's peace and tranquillity. He argued that responsible authorities should take serious legal action.
Mr Mnyika claimed that the number seems to be a fake one as the message recipients would neither be able to call back nor reply to the message. Many people have claimed to have received the message between Friday night and yesterday morning.
In a recent co-statement by the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) and Tanzania Police Force, the government warned that anybody trying to disrupt the existing peace and tranquillity during campaigns, election and afterwards would not be spared.
Meanwhile, the Chadema Campaign Manager, Prof. Mwesiga Baregu, has urged the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to elaborate on where the 19.6 million voters who are registered in the voters' book have come from, saying that with the country's population, the number was impossible.
He claimed that the country's population was by last year estimated to be 40.6 million people out of which 44.4 per cent were estimated to be under 15 years of age and that the rest of the population minus those under 18 years and those who did not register it was impossible to have 19.6 million registered voters.
According to the recent World Population Data Sheet issued by Population Reference Bureau, Tanzania is one of the countries whose population has many youths less than 15 years (45 per cent).
Prof Baregu noted that from the consultations they have made from several experts, the country like this can have a maximum of 16 million voters other factors remaining constant.
Attempts to reach the NEC Director for Elections, Mr Rajabu Kiravu begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, to comment on the matter proved futile as his mobile phone was not answered.
THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has disassociated itself with a defamatory message addressed to one of the presidential candidates and spread to some mobile phone users in the country.
The Authority has urged the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) whose candidate, Dr Willbrod Slaa, has been abused in the message, to report the matter to responsible authorities for legal action.
The TCRA Acting Director General, Dr Raynold Mfungahema, said this on Saturday while responding to the allegations and complaints by Chadema leaders who claimed that the message which came from Phone Number +3588976578 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +3588976578 end_of_the_skype_highlighting was spread to mobile phone users with the help of TCRA.
"We are still in the process of ratifying mobile numbers in the ongoing registration exercise, so we are not in a position to answer such claims. The appropriate entity here is the Police Force and mobile phone companies," he noted.
Dr Mfungahema noted further that until all the SIM Cards are registered, the task of censorship to communications through cell phones remains a difficult one.
Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, the Chadema Acting Secretary General, Mr John Mnyika begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, said that the message claimed that 'Dr Slaa was a dangerous man for the country.'
It also said that "if elected he would lead the country into chaos and instability." Mr Mnyika said that the message was a plot by their political rivals to tarnish the image of their candidate.
He, however, admitted that they had not yet reported the matter to police. He added that they were planning to do so as soon as possible.
"We have lost confidence with police forces but as the matter of principle we will report to them anyway," he said.
Mr Mnyika noted that spreading such messages at this time of campaigns for general elections was a thorn in the flesh for the country's peace and tranquillity. He argued that responsible authorities should take serious legal action.
Mr Mnyika claimed that the number seems to be a fake one as the message recipients would neither be able to call back nor reply to the message. Many people have claimed to have received the message between Friday night and yesterday morning.
In a recent co-statement by the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) and Tanzania Police Force, the government warned that anybody trying to disrupt the existing peace and tranquillity during campaigns, election and afterwards would not be spared.
Meanwhile, the Chadema Campaign Manager, Prof. Mwesiga Baregu, has urged the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to elaborate on where the 19.6 million voters who are registered in the voters' book have come from, saying that with the country's population, the number was impossible.
He claimed that the country's population was by last year estimated to be 40.6 million people out of which 44.4 per cent were estimated to be under 15 years of age and that the rest of the population minus those under 18 years and those who did not register it was impossible to have 19.6 million registered voters.
According to the recent World Population Data Sheet issued by Population Reference Bureau, Tanzania is one of the countries whose population has many youths less than 15 years (45 per cent).
Prof Baregu noted that from the consultations they have made from several experts, the country like this can have a maximum of 16 million voters other factors remaining constant.
Attempts to reach the NEC Director for Elections, Mr Rajabu Kiravu begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, to comment on the matter proved futile as his mobile phone was not answered.