Outcry over ‘sinister’ plan in changes to Parties Act

Dar es Salaam. Political parties, academicians and human rights groups have criticised the government for tabling a Bill in Parliament to amend the Political Parties Act (Act No. 5 of 1992).

Claiming that the move is aimed at returning Tanzania to a single political party system, they said the Bill provides massive powers to the registrar of political parties, including the mandate to deregister political parties, as well as exercise virtually unlimited control over the financial affairs of political parties.

Speaking to the The Citizen in Dar es Salaam, the Chadema director of Protocol, Communications and Foreign Affairs, Mr John Mrema, said the Bill ‘allows’ interference with political parties’ democratic processes, and provides immunity to the political parties registrar and his/her subordinate staff in terms of accountability.

“Restrictions on people or institutions expected to provide civic education and capacity-building training are intended to restrict sister parties from assisting each other. Generally, the Bill is turning the Registrar of Political Parties into a regulatory authority,” reads in part Chadema’s analysis of the proposed legislation.

The CUF director of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Jussa, said the government intends to kill the political opposition and turn the country into a single party political system.

“This is because opposition political parties are the ones that are targeted in the proposed amendment, as no section will be applied to CCM. The registrar has been given powers to control the political opposition,” Mr Jussa said.

According to him, the government was roundly intimidated by the opposition political coalition ‘Umoja wa Katiba ya Wananchi’ (Ukawa) in 2015, an experience they would not like to be repeated in the future.

“Tanzanians, political parties, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the international community should join forces to oppose the Bill,” the CUF official said.

A senior Ruaha Catholic University College (Rucu) lecturer, Prof Gaudence Mpangala, said the government should come right out and openly declare Tanzania a single political party state instead of enacting laws that undermine democracy.

“The registrar of political parties is NOT supposed to interfere with the internal affairs of political parties. As their guardian, he isn’t supposed to order to be provided with information by political parties, and even determine which should be denied government subsidy,” he said.

The national coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said the Bill is part of the ongoing trend to enact laws that suppress democracy and people’s freedom.

He stressed that, by providing such sweeping powers to the registrar of political parties, the government has expressed intentions to kill multiparty democracy in Tanzania.

The chairman of the United People’s Democratic Party (UPDP), Mr Fahmi Dovutwa, said the political opposition is to blame for lack of unity from early in the beginning.

“When the CAG (government controller and auditor general) passed the law to audit even small political parties that do not receive a government subsidy, the large parties remained silent. We should continue with our silence even to the expense of deregistration of all political parties,” A clearly despondent Mr Dovutwa lamented.

On Friday last week, the Bill to amend the 1992 Political Parties Act was tabled in Parliament, giving powers to the registrar of political parties to suspend the provision of government subventions to political parties under certain circumstances for up to six months. The registrar can also order specialized financial audit for any political party.

The Bill also restricts political parties from operating in the manner and style of activism; empowers the registrar to deregister any political party that was illegally registered...

Furthermore, it proposes a minimum of five years jail term – and a maximum of 20 years – for political leaders or party members involved in militia-type of activities.

If the Bill becomes law, it will empower the registrar of political parties to approve or disapprove the dissemination of civic education, and capacity-building programmes – for which the organizers are required to seek prior permission of the parties .