Rally ban in Mtwara, Lindi to be lifted soon, says govt

Government ban on public rallies in the southern regions of Mtwara and Lindi may be in the not so distant future with authorities reporting they are performing a security evaluation ahead of the lift.

Public rallies in the said regions were banned late last year in the wake of riots that turned violent as residents protested the construction of the now almost complete gas pipe from the regions to port and commercial city of Dar es Salaam.

Addressing legislators late last week in Dodoma, Premier Mizengo Pinda noted that there are good signs that the dust said the regions have significantly stabilised and now all that remains is the release of a formal report to officially confirm the ground situation before religious and political public rallies are allowed to resume.

The PM’s announcement was prompted by a question by Suleiman Bungara (Kilwa South-CUF) who inquired as to when the government would consider lifting the ban.

Bungara said the ban will significantly affect politicians’ campaigns and outcome of the upcoming local government elections due at the end of this year. The Premier reminded the House that he does not have the authority to issue a directive to lift the ban noting that:

“The government is keen to ensure that politicians are allowed to conduct rallies ahead of the elections but security comes first.” 

In another development, responding to a question by Rajabu Mbarouk Mohammed (Ole-CUF) at the same session, the Premier emphasized the government’s commitment to the implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative.

In Tanzania, the OGP was originally launched in 2011 and is envisioned to provide an international platform for domestic reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable and responsive to citizens. 

OGP is implemented in 64 countries with governments and civil society working together to develop and implement ambitious open government reforms.

In compliance to the OGP, the PM said, the government has begun posting official documents like budget estimates, on ministries’ websites accessible to the general public. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN