Police waive ban on party internal meetings

Head of Operations and Training Nsato Mssanzya

What you need to know:

The new directives communicated to the media by the forces commissioner of operations and training Nsato Mssanzya come as CCM gears up for internal meetings slotted for next month.

Dar es Salaam. Police on Thursday waived the one-month ban on internal meetings of political parties saying they are no longer a security threat.

However political demonstrations are still outlawed with an exception for those organised by MPs in their respective constituencies.

The new directives communicated to the media by the forces commissioner of operations and training Nsato Mssanzya come as CCM gears up for internal meetings slotted for next month.

CCM spokesperson Christopher ole Sendeka confirmed to The Citizen that that party’s Central Committee (CC) under chairmanship of President John Magufuli will be meeting next month. Among other things, the CC will set a date for when the National Executive Committee (NEC) will hold its ordinary meeting.

“President Magufuli will be presiding over his first NEC meeting after being unanimously elected to the helm of the party in July,” he said.

Mr Sendeka commended the police for their decision saying it will allow parties fully undertake their constitutional mandate to hold internal meetings.

Main opposition party Chadema said Thursday’s announcement is proof that the police are being used by CCM.

“The police do not have the constitutional mandate to ban internal meetings and public rallies, so even lifting the ban is still baseless,” said the party’s acting secretary general Salum Mwalim, adding; “This is one of the reasons why we’re calling for the protest to fight these double standards.”

 “We will not wait for them to decide for us. Our defiance campaign is surely going to take place…they will intimidate us, some of us will be arrested but that will not deter us from fighting for the democratic space which is our constitutional right,” said Mr Mwalimu.

Chadema and other opposition parties believe the ban is one of the series of ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘dictatorial’ decisions taken by the government.