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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Clerics call for trimming of presidential power


It was high time the United Republic of Tanzania Constitution gave direction on the stripping of presidential immunity so that leaders could be charged for grabbing the country’s wealth.PHOTO|FILE 
By Alex Bitekeye ,The Citizen Reporter
In Summary
Corroborating with him, the Dar es Salaam Diocese Auxiliary Bishop, Reverend Fr Titus Mdoe said that Tanzanians have invested in the coming constitution, so there is a need for the Constitution Assembly members to shun political parties’ interests and stick to the national/public interests.


Dar es Salaam. Religious leaders have called for removal of presidential immunity soon after the tenure of the incumbent office holder expires to prevent greedy leaders from abusing power.


This was said yesterday in the city by various religious leaders who attended a one-day seminar organised by the Inter-Religious Council for Peace Tanzania (IRCPT) and funded by a German organisation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, aimed at analysing the contents of the second draft of the new constitution on religion in Tanzania. The chairman of IRCPT’s Board of Trustees, Judge (rtd) Raymond Mwaikasu, said that greed was prohibited in the Bible and other religious books. He said it was high time the United Republic of Tanzania Constitution gave direction on the stripping of presidential immunity so that leaders could be charged for grabbing the country’s wealth.
For his part, Sheikh Alhad Musa Salum of Dar es Salaam Region said that even God was unhappy with people who normally took wealth which God gave for all to share.

“It’s not good at all...we should make a law to prevent leaders from acting this way...let’s share the limited resources we have for the betterment of all Tanzanians,” said Sheikh Salum.

He noted that all Tanzanians needed to share the meagre resources which the country owns, and if some few Tanzanians took the wealth for themselves then others will be living a hard life.“We need to fight it, and this will only be achieved if only we will have a law in place, and this will be done if only the new constitution will direct the stripping of the president’s immunity soon after handing over the office,” he detailed.

Corroborating with him, the Dar es Salaam Diocese Auxiliary Bishop, Reverend Fr Titus Mdoe said that Tanzanians have invested in the coming constitution, so there is a need for the Constitution Assembly members to shun political parties’ interests and stick to the national/public interests.
“They went there as one group but I wonder what happened as now they have formulated small groups to favour their groups interests, something which is very bad,” he said.

Bishop Mdoe urged CA Members to put national interests at the forefront because they are representing Tanzanians and not their political parties, “they are members, that is something which we cannot deny, but at least for now they should save Tanzania,” he noted.
IRCPT is an organization formed by various religious leaders who aspire to see that Tanzania acquires a Constitution which will save the benefits of all Citizens instead of some groups.

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