But speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday the Director of President Communications, Salva Rweyemamu made it clear that the President has no plans whatsoever to suspend the ongoing Constituent Assembly in Dodoma.
The coalition has consistently pressured on the President to make interventions into the ongoing wrangle between them and the majority ruling CCM members in the CA to put things right before that constitution process awkwardly collapses.
Already the coalition has threatened to stage countrywide public rallies aimed at informing the people on what they have termed the lopsided constitution-making process.
Citing the Constitution Review Act, 2014, Rweyemamu said the legislation does not give powers to the President to take part or get involved in any mediation process.
“The matter is all clear. The President cannot stop the assembly debates. As said by State Secretary, Ambassador Ombeni Sefue yesterday (Wednesday), the President has no authority to stop the assembly … the assembly will come to an end if and only when the set days elapse,” he told newsmen.
Neither does the Constitution Review Act give powers to any individual to suspend its proceedings, he added.
He said the President has always wanted the people themselves to write their own new Mother Law.
To that effect, he said, he has demonstrated commitment and willingness to see the plan succeed, the “The doors of the State House are still open for any political party seeking consensus with the President.”
Rweyemamu rubbished rumours that President Kikwete had not accepted Ukawa leaders when they knocked his door for talks on the constitution review process.
“The President has not received any formal call or invite from the opposition political parties seeking to hold talks on the constitution making process … but he still welcomes them, the aim being to enable the writing of the constitution that the people want,” he said.
In another development, a member of Constituent Assembly, Theddy Ladislaus Patrick suggested yesterday the need for the assembly to be suspended, to pave the way for reconciliation and rescue the taxpayers’ money.
Addressing a press conference in Dodoma yesterday, Patrick, who represents universities in the CA said: “The Constitution is the heart of the country, we shouldn't be rushing for the interest of those who put forward their own interests as they push the constitution making process.”
Accompanied by her colleague, Elisante Mfinanga, who is the former president of students’ government at the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) and Hemed Mngwali, former president at the Dodoma-based Institute of Rural Development Planning, Patrick said: “We’re not in the right path in this process of writing the constitution. There is a chunk of money is being spent for something that cannot come up with the best constitution,” Patrick noted.
She proposed that the money spent in the CA activities should have been channelled into addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges such as paying allowances for varsity students who are die to go got practical training, as well as paying the teachers’ salaries.
The CA member also called on the leaders to accept the divergent ideas from the people.
“There is a growing tendency by some leaders to use intimidation in pushing their agenda something which needs to be discouraged. Leaders should imbibe a culture of convincing people through argument. On behalf of Tanzania’s students, it is my wish that the CA should be suspended until when the country will be ready for consensus on how to go about in this constitution making process,” she said.
She added: “It must be clearly understood that my decision doesn’t have any side in the rival parties, but it’s neutral. It is about my own feelings and wisdom and ideas of the group I am representing. I cannot deny my patriotism by fearing the cost of standing for the truth. I must speak this on behalf of those whom I am representing. It is a sin to try to ignore majority’s interests for the minority.”
On August 12, leaders of Ukawa threatened to conduct countrywide demonstrations should President Jakaya Kikwete refuse to suspend the ongoing constitution making process.
Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam on August 12, Ukawa leaders said the current Constituent Assembly (CA) will produce a ‘one sided constitution that does not reflect the will of the people’ and as such, ‘allowing the CA to continue with its sessions is but a waste of public funds.’
“We call upon the President to suspend the CA sessions and that way stop this waste of public funds that can be used for other development activities,” James Mbatia, the National Chairman for the opposition NCCR Mageuzi said.
He said Ukawa is not seeking to put an end to the review process but rather to have it suspended until the disputed issues are resolved.
Should the president fail to heed their call, the opposition leader said, by merit of their constitutional right to organise and conduct demonstrations, they will hold nationwide demonstrations against the constitution review process.
“If he does not act on our call, we will organise countrywide demonstrations,” Mbatia warned and went on to allege biasness on the part of the CA.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
0 comments :
Post a Comment