Sunday, April 20, 2014

Religious clerics: return the constitution process to the citizenry!

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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