CA teams all set to debate draft

Constituent Assembly chairman Samuel Sitta addresses members yesterday. PHOTO |SALIM SHAO

By Katare Mbashiru ,The Citizen Reporter


IN SUMMARY

Inaugurating the assembly, President Jakaya Kikwete said it was too expensive to run the Union structure as proposed in the Draft Katiba. The draft was presented in the assembly by CRC chairman Judge (rtd) Joseph Warioba.


Dodoma. The chairman of the Constituent Assembly (CA), Mr Samuel Sitta, yesterday blocked members from seeking guidance so as to allow the committees to embark on debates on the second Draft Constitution.

Mr Sitta said the House had spent many days before beginning the major task that many Tanzanians expected from members and that it was high time the committees immediately started their job.

The CA will today start debating the second Draft Constitution, beginning with Chapter One and Six, after spending about 40 days on Standing Orders and other contentious issues that drew sharp misunderstandings between the ruling CCM and the opposition.

Mr Ismail Jussa Ladhu stood up for more than four minutes to no avail. Mr Sitta could not allow him to speak saying the House had lost many days before embarking on the main task of discussing the draft.

“What we now want is to debate and adopt the second Draft, I will not allow interferences anymore,’’ Mr Sitta told the assembly.

According to the CA chairman, the assembly committees yesterday started debating Chapter One and Six. Chapter Six is expected to draw a heated debate as it is about the Union structure.

The now dissolved Constitution Review Commission (CRC) proposed a three-government Union structure but the ruling CCM, which has many members in the House, is in favour of the current Union structure.

Inaugurating the assembly, President Jakaya Kikwete said it was too expensive to run the Union structure as proposed in the Draft Katiba. The draft was presented in the assembly by CRC chairman Judge (rtd) Joseph Warioba.

According to Mr Sitta, the House Committees will today begin discussing the two chapters and on Thursday the Drafting Committee will put on paper the compiled views of members.

A heated debate is expected in the assembly on Friday when members will meet in the House to adopt the two chapters through both modes of voting.

Last week, members decided that any member was free to choose casting his vote through an open or secret ballot.

The mode of voting was left pending when the assembly adopted its Standing Orders last month after a protracted tug-of-war between members supporting the secret ballot and open voting.