CCM must own up its wrongs if Salim was put to 'kiti moto'

By Editor

                                                               Editorial cartoon

We read in one of the newspapers on Thursday that the Central Committee of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), at its meeting held in Zanzibar end of last week questioned former prime minister Salim Ahmed Salim over his failure to defend the party’s stand with regard to the government structure that Tanzania should embrace in the envisaged new constitution.

In street Kiswahili, such jungle meetings are called ‘kiti moto.’

Given the fact that the Central Committee of the ruling party is truly the central organ, the news published in the daily Swahili tabloid is indeed surprising and discouraging. 

We dare say the news is surprising and discouraging  because CCM was aware that no individual the president appointed to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) was expected to carry or  drive an agenda of political parties or any institutions to which they belong.

Since day one, the commission, through its Chairman Judge Joseph Warioba, made a   public announcement that it would perform its duties independently, and that no entity, be it a political party or any civil society organization,  would interfere in its operations.

When some entities, especially political parties such as the ruling party, made attempts to drive their own agenda or make their voices heard before the rest of the stakeholders the Commission has been quick to remind everyone of us about the rules of engagement.

Looking at the composition of the Commission, there is ample evidence that  it consists of members from  other political parties  as well , notably NCCR-Mageuzi and Chadema, but it has been rare to hear  such other parties crying that their demands be met in the  draft Constitution. 

At one point, some CCM leaders took issue with the Commission over the same proposal of adopting the three-tier government structure instead of retaining the current two-tier government system. That was when the CRC issued its first Constitution draft.

It would be recalled that CRC Chairman Warioba was forced to hold some press conferences to clarify contentious issues over the same subject, prompting everyone to believe that he was heard loud and clear; unfortunately, indications are that he wasn’t.

All said, the truth here is that the envisaged new constitution will be a national document after the citizens come to a consensus. It is not a product of a certain group vested with certain skewed interests.

The CRC recently released the second draft which is expected to be scrutinized by Constituent Assembly starting next month. Thereafter a refined document would be taken to the public for final decision – the referendum. 

Everyone expects that the laid down procedures of the constitution-making process will at last give this nation the best document, not the other way round.

Though we cannot verify the information published, CCM must be truly wrong if the information published is true – if at all.