Dr Slaa: I hate the presidential term extension debate

Dar es Salaam. A debate to extend the presidential term limits does not go down well in the mind of the former Chadema secretary general, Dr Wilbroad Slaa.

Dr Slaa – who was appointed to be Tanzania’s ambassador in November last year - believes that the discussion is merely a waste of people’s productive time.

“We need to respect our own Constitution. The elected leaders are supposed to occupy the office of the Presidency for a period of five years and this must be observed,” he said during Clouds TV’s 360 morning talk show on Tuesday February 6.

He said he was happy to note that even President John Magufuli was himself unhappy with the debate.

Last year, Chemba MP Juma Nkamia said he would move a motion before Parliament to extend presidential terms from five to seven years as it is in Rwanda

That resulted into a political showdown, with the opposition Chadema MP John Heche planning to separately table in Parliament a counter private motion to reduce the presidential term to four years, as is the case in the US.

Like Mr Nkamia, another CCM MP, Stephen Ngonyani said President Magufuli should rule for 20 years.

But President Magufuli said last month he was unhappy with the debate on extending the presidential term limit.