(MISA/IFEX) – On 4 August 2001, the minister of state in the President’s Office responsible for good governance, Wilson Masilingi, asked that the editor and publisher of “Family Mirror”, a weekly English tabloid, apologise to him for what he described as “mudslinging.” He told a press conference on 4 August that he intends to institute […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 4 August 2001, the minister of state in the President’s Office responsible for good governance, Wilson Masilingi, asked that the editor and publisher of “Family Mirror”, a weekly English tabloid, apologise to him for what he described as “mudslinging.” He told a press conference on 4 August that he intends to institute legal steps against the newspaper.
Masilingi was refuting reports in the 31 July to 6 August edition of the “Family Mirror” which indicated that he and the minister for co-operative and marketing, George Kahama, had failed to join their fellow members of parliament from Kagera Region to protest the way in which the Tanzanian government was handling coffee affairs in the region.
The paper also claimed that Masilingi, a legislator for Muleba South, and Kahama, a legislator for Karagwe, failed to protest with fellow members of paliament (MPs) because they were afraid of losing their ministerial jobs.
The minister said the paper had tarnished their images before the public and the world at large.
Masilingi said their fellow MPs had decided to issue a press statement in the media regarding coffee buying in Kagera Region without the ministers’ knowledge, adding that the legislators had the freedom to issue the press statement.
“I don’t believe that by not involving us in their press statement, the legislators intended to make Tanzanians and residents in Kagera Region believe that we are traitors,” said the minister.
He said he was disturbed by the paper’s front-page story headlined: “Revisiting Constitution – Ministers eat and have their cake!” He added that the newspaper “added salt to the insult” by using his portrait.
Masilingi said the “Family Mirror” should have sought his response to the accusations to have a balanced report. He said the government was doing all it could to assist coffee growers in Kagera Region who had incurred losses in the previous session.
