‘Start Katiba process afresh’

Tanzania Centre for Democracy chairman, who doubles as NCCR- Mageuzi leader James Mbatia (centre) shakes hands with Tanzania Labour Party chai Augustino Mrema during the Political Parties and Religious Leaders’ workshop in Dar es Salaam Wednesday. Left is Democratic Party chairman John Cheyo. PHOTO | VENANCE NESTORY

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The TCD chairman, Mr James Mbatia, said it has come to the group’s knowledge that most of the challenges facing the country were the result of a lack of strong institutions which would ensure that all Tanzanians are accorded the rights and freedoms which they deserve under the supreme law of the land.

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) held its meeting in Dar es Salaam Wednesday, during which it resolved to seek audience with President John Magufuli and discuss with him the need to re-initiate the process to rewrite country’s constitution.

The TCD chairman, Mr James Mbatia, said it has come to the group’s knowledge that most of the challenges facing the country were the result of a lack of strong institutions which would ensure that all Tanzanians are accorded the rights and freedoms which they deserve under the supreme law of the land.

“We believe that is the best way to deal with the challenges that are threatening to tear the country apart,” said Mr Mbatia.

However, a representative from the ruling party CCM, Mr Wilson Mukama – who happens to be a former CCM secretary general – said the issue regarding the new constitution was not one of the government’s priority areas as of now.

By way of background, TCD had invited religious leaders and leaders from different political parties to a meeting to discuss Tanzania’s human rights record amid reports that seemingly endless abductions and killings were leading to a situation in which people would start living in fear of their lives and freedoms. The TCD meeting comes at a time when the nation is yet to recover from the shock caused by the shooting dead of a student of the National Institute of Transport (NIT), Ms Akwilina Akwilini.

The 22-year old student – who was apparently hit by a stray bullet in the Kinondoni area of Dar es Salaam last Friday as the police sought to break up a rally by the opposition political party Chadema – has been the talk of the nation since then.

The meeting also comes at a time when several people – including a reporter attached to Mwananchi Communications Limited, Mr Azory Gwanda – have presumably been abducted by ‘persons unknown,’ and remain a mystery for long periods.

Much earlier, there were as yet unexplained killings of police officers in the Kibiti areaof the Coast Region.

On Wednesday, the TCD chairman, Mr James Mbatia, said TCD was so saddened by the nation’s poor security record that they decided to invite different political and religious leaders to deliberate on the issues.

“Some of our relatives and friends have died, and our beloved Akwilina Akwilini is a vivid example. She was shot dead (in a commuter bus) on February 16. Otherwise innocent people have lost their lives. We need to sit down and discuss. People are already living in fear,” he said, stating that the meeting would focus on the need to create strong institutions that will define the country’s future.

The chairperson of the Christians Union, Dr Alinikisa Cheyo, said “much as religious leaders are not required to interfere with the activities of the three organs of state (the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislative), it should nonetheless be appreciated that they (religious leaders) also stand for and on behalf of the people.

“Sometimes it is not possible to separate religious leaders from politics, since we stand on behalf of the citizens – and we are also citizens,” Dr Cheyo said.

The Tanzania Centre for Democracy is a non-religious, non-partisan and not-for-profit, non-governmental membership organization founded by political parties represented in Parliament. Current members are the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the leading political opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), the Civic United Front (CUF), the National Convention for Construction and Reform Mageuzi (NCCR-Mageuzi), and the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo).

Political parties outside parliament are Associate TCD members who participate in TCD governance organs by being represented as a bloc by one political party on a six-months rotational basis.