By Elias Mhegera
March 26, 2014
Contacts: Tel: 0754-826272 email: mhegera@gmail.com
Tanzanians have once again been
warned not to lose the track from the peaceful political terrain of mutual
understanding which has identified this country for decades.
The call was made at a one day
symposium at the New Africa Hotel; Dar es Salaam City Centre on March 26, and
it was organized by the Konrad Adanauer Stiftung (KAS) in collaboration with
the Inter-Religious Council for Peace Tanzania (IRCPT).
Calls for peaceful discussions on the
draft constitution were started by Judge (rtd) Raymond Mwaikasu Chairman
IRCPTs’ Board of Trustees, who counseled members of the Constituent Assembly (CA)
to respect suggestions from the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC)
He counseled that Judge Warioba who
represented the CRC which he had chaired did not present his personal opinions,
but those of Tanzanians at large, and those of people his team managed to
interview, and according to researches that it conducted during it’s tenure.
The KAS CEO, Mr Stefan Reith
reiterated that it was in 1964 when KAS was invited by the founding father of
this nation Julius Nyerere to facilitate the construction of Kivukoni College
the main motive was to enhance leadership in a newly independent country by
then.
He said that the meaning of participation
of his organization was meant to contribute to the ongoing process of
formulating a new constitution. He said that the vital role of the religious
leaders is important because their congregants are in Dodoma as well.
For his part the moderator at the
event Mr Salim Zagar reminded that efforts to get a new constitution had
started long time ago and that the IRCPT has been part of this effort though
then in a different name.
“this efforts started way back in
2003, then 2009 in a meeting at the Economic and Social Research foundation ESRF, then since 2010 particularly after the
General Elections the main opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) came out very vehemently in support of this
bid,” he commented.
He reminded that it was again in 2010
when the IRCPT came out with 18 propositions of which 10 have been accepted in
the Draft Constitution.
Earlier Mr Israel Ilunde from the Constitutional Forum well
known as Jukwaa la Katiba said that
he was happy to see that the Draft Constitution had sought for the
institutionalization of the leadership code which is a good thing.
Also he cherished the move to abolish
was offshore account for any public leader. For his part Auxiliary Bishop of
the Dar es Salaam Archdiocese, Titus Mdoe expressed his disappointment as the
process for getting a new constitution has been manipulated in order to further
certain political agenda.
Rev. Fr John Solomon, Secretary for a Peace Committee in Dar
es Salaam says that the president was wrong in addressing Tanzanians in a style
of a party leader than head of state.
“I fear that already the power mighty
have already prepared their own constitution and that It seems the new
constitution will just favour the ruling CCM than what the citizenry at large
wishes,” he commented.
A Muslim cleric Sheikh Ali Mosse said
that the existence of God should be clearly stipulated in the Constitution and
that non-believers should not be allowed to contest.
Rev. Chediel Sendoro called for more
wisdom from the power mighty calling them not to hijack the constitution
process anyhow. He called for members of the CA to maintain National
cohesion.
Sheikh Athuman Mkambako was wary as
he wanted to know why there is a fear if one part of the Union was to join
international organizations. Although he did not mention any name of an
orgnisation but one could infer of Zanzibar’s attempt to join the Organisation
of Islamic Conference (OIC).
The answer was immediate from his colleagues
that there are certain items of international cooperation which for some
reasons needs mutual consensus before one partner in the Union can join.
Eventually servants of God came up
with twelve resolutions that will be tabled in Dodoma to members of the CA.
Namely; that they must come out with a people’s constitution.
Secondly that the new constitution
must indicate vividly the existence of God the Almighty and that God’s
sovereignty than that of individuals should be the goal. Fourthly they counseled
that the Constitution should join people than separate them.
Fifthly they warned of party
fanaticism as it could destroy the ongoing Constitutional process. Moreover
they were categorical that this is not a CCM’s constitution and therefore the
Government and the CCM itself should not hijack the process.
They called for full attendance
participation during the CA sessions. Moreover they warned members of the CA to
abstain from non-constructive agitations. Ninthly they called members of the CA
not to count on numbers but pertinent issues for mutual benefit of all
Tanzanians.
There was a call to respect differing
opinion, and that the CA is not an avenue for cheap popularity and finally
those who want to criticize anyone should do so in a respectable way, without
attacking one’s party but issues in hand.
Photo
Auxiliary Bishop of the Dar es Salaam
Archdiocese, Titus Mdoe
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