Chikawe criticised over remark

Dar es Salaam. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mathias Chikawe has come under attack for taking a hardline stance in the pursuit of consensus on the controversial Katiba Review Amendment Bill. The Tanzania Constitutional Forum (TCF) yesterday accused Mr Chikawe of assuming powers that, it said, did not belong to him or the government.

“The minister is trying to pre-empt the president in an effort to derail the Katiba review process,” said Mr Deus Kibamba, the TCF chairman. “We are appealing to Tanzanians of goodwill to ignore him and focus on what is good for the nation.”

The Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament, Mr Freeman Mbowe, described the minister as “lacking wisdom” and challenged him to demonstrate leadership in the national exercise.

The Chadema national chairman said the opposition leaders were ready to be called names by government officials and they would continue fighting for the voiceless. “This work of healing wounds and building national consensus requires wisdom and tolerance,” Mr Mbowe added. “Whether the president signs the Bill or not, we will continue pushing for a good supreme law for this country.”

All stakeholders are key players, he added, and they include non-governmental and faith-based organisations, trade unions, institutions of higher learning and many others. “With millions of people behind us, we will surely succeed,” he said.

Mr Kibamba was speaking in response to reports yesterday that Mr Chikawe had asked President Jakaya Kikwete to ignore mounting pressure against the Bill and sign it into law. If the Bill was returned to Parliament for improvement, the minister said, it could lead to “anarchy” within the ranks of the ruling CCM.

Mr Kibamba said, though, that the forum would wait for word from the President. He added: “We are planning a meeting with him as soon as he returns from the trip in the US. We want to tell him why it is dangerous to go ahead and sign the Bill.”

Mr Kibamba accused Mr Chikawe of “total abuse” of collective responsibility, democracy and the rule of law. The minister is in charge of the docket responsible for constitutional matters. “The way he has been pressing for the signing of the document suggests a man in a hurry to assume the nation’s executive role that lies only with the head of state.”

Mr Kibamba vowed that his group would not relent. “We are ready to die for our country’s mother law…we will not be cowed by anybody,” he declared, adding that some unnamed people had taken to intimidating and mudslinging the forum for its stand.

On Thursday, Mr Chikawe said President Kikwete should ignore “noises” from leaders of three opposition parties. They include Mr Mbowe, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba of CUF and Mr James Mbatia of NCCR-Mageuzi.

The opposition leaders will today hold a joint rally at Jangwani grounds in Dar es Salaam to drum up support for the Bill. The three men have exhibited rare unity in recent days, brought together by a desire to defeat amendments introduced in the last Parliament that they believe will give CCM power to control the rest of the review process.

They have been meeting stakeholders, including religious leaders, to press the President to reject the Bill that was passed in Parliament with the support of only one opposition MP, Mr Augustine Mrema of Tanzania Labour Party.

Mr Mbowe, Mr Mbatia and Prof Lipumba held a five hour-long meeting yesterday with Inspector General of Police Said Mwema on today’s rally in Dar es Salaam, where they intend to explain to the public why they are opposed to the Bill.

The meeting with the police chief was to discuss the banning of a procession ahead of the rally. Mr Mwema and the leaders later told journalists they had agreed on the rally but pushed back the demonstration. The parties have nevertheless vowed to kick off a countrywide campaign to defeat any moves by either the government or CCM to dominate the review process.

University of Dar es Salaam lecturer Richard Mbunda told The Citizen yesterday that it was only to be expected that Mr Chikawe should push CCM’s agenda.

“The constitution issue has been dominated by political interests and it seems CCM wants to make sure it dominates the process,” said Mr Mbunda, of the department of political science and public administration. “If Mr Chikawe was not a member of any party, we would be surprised to see him push for a bill that has been opposed by the majority of Tanzanians.”