16th September 2013
Leaders of the three leading opposition parties
deliver a joint statement yesterday in Dar es Salaam expressing their
discontent with the ongoing National constitution review process. They
are NCCR Mageuzi Chairman James Mbatia (L), Chadema National Chairman
Freeman Mbowe (C) and Civic United Front Chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba
Comprising Chadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi, the alliance joins Civil Society Organisations and the Tanzania Constitutional Forum in appealing to the head of state not to sign the bill.
Reading a tripartite statement signed by the national chairperson of the three opposition parties, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba of CUF, they protested the powers vested in the President to appoint 166 members out of the 604 members to form the Constituent Assembly saying these were too many.
“The decision is against the opinion by stakeholders and the Parliamentary Committee on Legal, Constitutional and Administration matters, which among other things agreed that the section be removed in the Act,” he said adding that the committee did not have Zanzibar’s representation.
Prof Lipumba detailed that the proposed amendment draft which was submitted in the august House had a number of additional sections which were again not included in the draft that originated from Zanzibar.
Section 37 of the proposed bill details that the Constitutional Review Committee would cease to exist just after submitting the Constitutional Draft before the Constitutional Assembly, he said expressing worries over which other body would oversee the referendum process.
“We have decided to put our differences aside, join forces to get a Constitution that serves the nation’s needs,” he said noting that the alliance will organise a public meeting this Saturday in Dar es Salaam to appeal to the people to decide accordingly on the making of the Constitution they want.
In addition, Prof Lipumba called on CSOs, academicians, professional associations, religious leaders and politicians to join the parties with a view to ensuring the nation attains a suitable-and-people oriented Constitution.
“We don’t want to be misled by our political parties. We want to be patriotic in building the nation we all need,” NCCR-Mageuzi Chairman James Mbatia said at the conference in the city.
According to Mbatia “political parties will disappear but not the country,” he said citing experiences in neighbouring Kenya, Zambia and Uganda where some of the founding political parties no longer exist but the nations are still in existence.
Mbatia who was referring to the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) said it doesn’t need to be worried of the proposed three-government structure in the Constitution, but should instead work with other stakeholders for the good of the country first.
For his part, Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe said the alliance will do ‘whatever needs’ to be done to ensure the Constitution attained addresses to the interests of majority Tanzanians.
The party, in collaboration with other opposition parties will seek audience with members of the public for a proper handling of the Constitutional process that is a delicate matter, he said.
He said the alliance will conduct a nationwide campaign to educate people on the side effects of the Constitution that are likely to develop as a result of the recently reviewed Constitution bill 2013 as passed by the National Assembly.
Early this month, three opposition parties with parliamentary representation formed a front on the ongoing constitutional rewriting process.
The alliance, based on a gentlemen’s agreement and not a concretely signed document, came hours after a tug of war between opposition MPs and House security officers resulting into physical confrontation.
Acting under orders of the Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai, security guards tussled with opposition MPs in a bid to throw Freeman Mbowe out of the debating chamber.
In principle they opposed the provisions that the President appoint members of the Constituent Assembly and also protest the lack of formal consultation of institutional stakeholders in Zanzibar.
The entire chamber was then left to CCM lawmakers and the Deputy Speaker to debate, who then passed the bill unopposed.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
