TCD seeks audience with President Magufuli…

TCD chairman, Mr James Mbatia

What you need to know:

  • As CSOs scream for new Constitution

Dar es Salaam. The members of a forum that brought together political and religious leaders under the facilitation of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) resolved to seek audience with President John Magufuli.

This is in virtually last-ditch efforts to persuade the president and related authorities to revive and complete the Union Constitution rewriting processes.

Reading out the forum’s recommendations, the TCD chairman, Mr James Mbatia, said that – apart from the envisaged new constitution, Tanzania sorely needs strong institutions to maintain bona fide justice and equality in the country.

However, a representative of the ruling political party CCM, Mr Wilson Mukama, told the Forum that “a new constitution isn’t a priority of the fifth government” of President John Magufuli!

Mr Mukama – a former CCM secretary general – cited Kenya next-door as an example of a country that has not been spared from chaos and unrest despite having adopted a ‘new’ constitution that was promulgated on 27th August 2010.

In any case, Mr Mbatia went on to say that "national unity (under a new constitution) will remove the weaknesses that have resulted in unnecessary controversies among the Tanzanian society. Hence the need to revive and complete the new constitution writing processes in the best interests of the country.”  

Stressing that “TCD is a platform for collecting opinions,” the chairman said “we will seek the president’s audience to brief him on the forum’s position.”

Mr Mbatia – who is also the chairman of the opposition political party NCCR-Mageuzi – revealed the Forum’s other recommendation as “strengthening the freedom to express personal opinions.” He also took the opportunity to earnestly urge political players across the country to avoid indulging in what he called ‘hate politics.’

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 with no representation in 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.

In a related development, civil society organizations (CSOs) have called for revival of the new Katiba-writing process, as well as the formation of an independent national electoral commission (NEC). This is according to a report by GLADYS MBWIGA of the Mwananchi Communications group MCL.

Escalating incidents of human rights violations and rule of law have been cited as causes for the escalating demand to revive the new constitution-writing processes this year.

CSOs made that call at a February 21 press conference held in Dar es Salaam to evaluate the state of Tanzanians safety and security as a whole, as well as human rights and freedoms, the rule of law – and the way forward!

Reading out the statement to the Press, the founder and director of ‘Equality for Growth’ (EfG), Ms Jane Magigita said the fifth-phase government of President John Magufuli should by rights consider reviving the constitution-writing processes. Doing this is generally considered pivotal to providing lasting solutions to most of the socio-political problems in the country.

"A new Katiba (Constitution) has been a long-time demand by Tanzanians. Therefore, over 100 CSOs earnestly advise that the new Katiba-writing processes should be reinstated this year,” Ms Magigita said.

“This is because the country will be fully-engaged in the local government elections slated for next year (2019), and the general elections scheduled for 2020.”

The ‘Equality for Growth’ chief also said that CSO organizations  in Tanzania have called for the “formation of a truly independent national electoral commission (NEC) by next year, ready to deliver justice to political parties – thus avoiding  plunging the country into possible chaos as a result of failure to uphold the principles of justice during elections.”

According to Ms Magigita, the CSOs suggest that the new electoral commission should open offices in the country’s administrative districts, and recruit its own employees, thus doing away with the current system of using local government officials in supervising elections.

“This system has invariably resulted in conflict of interests among government employees. In that regard, CSOs are able, willing and ready to collaborate with the government and our development partners to ensure that this endeavor is realized,” she said.

Ms Magigita also challenged the Union Parliament to assume its statutory functions by forming special parliamentary committees to probe the ongoing violations of human freedoms and rights, and ensure that the rule of law takes firm hold  in Tanzania.

Speaking on accessibility of funds for reviving the new Katiba writing process, the executive director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), Dr Hellen Kijo Bisimba, said funding is within the government’s ability. This is especially seeing that it has been able to implement various projects in the recent past without having been allocated the requisite funds in the current national budget!