In Summary
Dual citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of two states.
Dar es Salaam. Dual citizenship is likely be
accommodated in the new Draft Constitution, the minister for Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe has said.
Mr Membe said concerns have been raised that Tanzanians living in the Diaspora were denied their rights of citizenship.
“In the ruling party election manifesto we have
categorically stated that we shall involve and engage those in the
Diaspora for the country’s development. We have identified them under a
special directorate at the ministry. There are about 3 million of them
worldwide,” he said.
He noted the major worries that had been impeding
the introduction of dual citizenship as including security and political
reasons for Zanzibar.
However, he said it has since been established
that dual citizenship would not jeopardise security. He said the issue
of having a group of few people based abroad that controls Zanzibari
politics was also out of the question. He assured the Constitutional
Review Commission that there would be rules and regulations to guide the
whole process.
Dual citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of two states.
The Tanzanian citizenship is governed by the
Citizenship Act of 1995. The figures of Tanzanians in the Diaspora is
about 5 per cent of the country’s population.
“There are at least two critical areas which need
this group to be regarded. One being the factor of health services in
respective countries where they reside and second is better education,”
Mr Membe said.
Clarifying on the issue of better health services,
the minister said while abroad health services for the natives are
almost free, for foreigners it is different. This applies to education,
whereby foreigners spend a lot of money in accessing the services.
For his part, the chairman of the Constitutional
Review Commission, Judge (retired) Joseph Warioba, said he personally
did not want Tanzanians to lose their nationality.
He said even the Commission considered the pros
and cons of dual citizenship. He said stakeholders still had the chance
to give argue their case in the matter. “We still have time deliberate,”
he said.
Last year, $40 billion was remitted to Africa by people living the Diaspora. Out of which Tanzania received $250 million.
source: Mwananchi
source: Mwananchi
