Editors Forum criticises NBS' delayed clarification on contested Statistics Bill

Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) Secretary General, Neville Meena

The Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) Secretary General Neville Meena has faulted  the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) over its delayed clarification of  the Statistics Bill.

 

“NBS coming out to defend the law now after so much has been staked is very  disconcerting,” he said.

“This is just a trick to show the public that the law is good while it is  not,” he alleged.

 

“First of all, for NBS to come out and defend the law, shows how bad this  law is...if it is good then there would be no need to defend it,” he  reasoned.

 

“This Law is bad and it clearly suppress the right to freedom of expression  and right to access to information as provided for under Article 18 of the  United Republic of Tanzania Constitution of 1977 amended in 2005,” he  concluded.

 

Mid this week, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) defended the recently  endorsed 2015 Statistics Law arguing that it does not infringe the right of  information to neither media nor civil societies nor academicians.

 

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam, NBS Director General,  Albina Chuwa maintained that the law does not bar publication of statistical  findings by the said stakeholders but rather, it is specifically targeted to  government agencies and organisations that produce statistics to be used by  the government when planning for various development projects.

 

According to her, most of people don’t understand the law and that is why  they consider it a barrier; “the law talks of official statistics which  means government statistics only,” she clarified.

 

Dr Chuwa said researchers and the media are only required to ensure that  they don’t provide statistics which contradict official data provided by the  government.

 

“According to Clause 37 (4) and (5) of the Act, offenses and penalties on  which the concerns are based, it is only aims at prohibiting media from  distorting official statistics and not non-official statistical  information,” she went on to explain.

 

She said the Act gives more room for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  to cooperate with researchers and enhance private sector inclusion in  preparation of vital statistics for spearheading the nation’s development. 

She said the government is now working on creating public awareness of the  new Statistics Act which includes clarifying debated clauses to different  stakeholders with assistance from the World Bank.

 

Dr Chuwa said the awareness programme will be done at different levels of  statistics users/producers such as CSOs, Higher Learning Institutions and  Academies, researchers and the media.

 

“Copies of the new Statistics Act, 2015 will be distributed to all  stakeholders after publication,” she said.

“NBS is there to receive comments on the law and if there will be any  provision that seems to create ambiguity then amendments will be done...the  law is always dynamic,” she went on to say.