Mbatia counsels assembly members

Singida East MP Tundu Lissu (left) shares a light moment with opposition party leaders James Mbatia (centre) of NCCR-Mageuzi and Ibrahim Lipumba of CUF during the unveiling of the second draft constitution in Dar es Salaam on Monday. PHOTO | SILVAN KIWALE 

By Mkinga Mkinga ,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

CCM is opposed to a three-tier union, and wants the current two-government set-up to be retained.

Dar es Salaam. Political parties should leave aside their interests during the Constitutional Assembly sessions that will discuss the draft constitution, NCCR-Mageuzi said yesterday.

The opposition party’s chairman, Mr James Mbatia, told The Citizen that it was important that narrow political interest give way to national interests bearing in mind that 70 per cent of assembly members would be politicians.

He said he did not expect Constitutional Assembly members to ignore the wishes of Tanzanians as represented in the second draft constitution, saying doing do would precipitate chaos.

“We should think globally and act locally...we are a complex state compared to Kenya or Ghana. We are a country that resulted from the union of two nations...we should show our maturity to the world,” Mr Mbatia said

He said almost 61 per cent of people who gave their opinion to the Constitutional Review Commission favoured a three-government Union, saying any decision by the Constitution Assembly that would throw out this proposal will have “disastrous” consequences.

Presenting the second draft on Monday, Constitutional Review Commission chairman Joseph Warioba said more than 61 per cent of Tanzanians from the Mainland favoured a three-tier union, 13 per cent wanted one government and 24 opted for the current system.

In Zanzibar, 34 per cent of people who gave their views said the current system should be retained, 0.1 per cent proposed a single government and 60 per cent preferred a treaty-based union.

CCM is opposed to a three-tier union, and wants the current two-government set-up to be retained.

On Monday, the party’s Publicity and Ideology Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye, said the proposal for a three-tier union would be discussed in official party meetings.

“We have heard their reasons for a three-government union….we shall take them to our official party meetings and shall decide after thorough discussions,” he said.

The composition of the Constituent Assembly was decided in November when Parliament reviewed the Constitutional Review Act.

The decision was reached after heated debate in the House. The opposition staged a boycott when the draft was tabled in the previous sitting. Even after President Kikwete signed the Bill into law, opposition politicians threatened to stage a nationwide campaign to oppose the law, demanding that the number of Constitution Assembly members be increased. Opposition parties wanted the number increased to give as many people as possible an opportunity to participate in rewriting the new supreme law.