JK to receive draft Constitution today

President Jakaya Kikwete

The final draft of the proposed new Constitution will today be officially handed over to President Jakaya Kikwete.

 

At the handover along with the President will be his counterpart Dr Ali Mohammed Shein and other invited guests including members of diplomatic missions, head of security organs, regional commissioners and members of the Constituent Assembly.

The handover, which is scheduled to take place in the nation’s capital Dodoma, follows last week’s controversy marred voting and passing of the proposed new Mother Law by the Constituent Assembly.

 

Commenting on   the handover ceremony slated for today in the country’s capital, Mbatia said his party together with other parties forming Ukawa have not been invited.

As such, he said Ukawa is not aware of the content of today’s ceremony and so it cannot comment on it.

 

“Neither Ukawa nor my party (Chadema) has been invited so  we  don’t know what is going on,” he said in brief.

Among the controversies, was whether the voting members of the CA actually reached the required quorum as queried by Legal and Human Rights … .

 

Another controversy came about as Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda addressed the CA soon after the document was passed; in his statement, the PM said the Constitution could be completed before President Kikwete’s tenure ends next year.

 

This despite consensus reached between the Head of state and members of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy in which they agreed to halt the Constitution review process and have it continued after next year’s general election under a new President. 

 

Speaking to The Guardian yesterday over a telephone interview, Ukawa Co- Chairman James Mbatia said the coalition ‘trusts’ in the resolution reached between TCD and President Kikwete.

 

“We agreed the process to be halted to pave way for general election… as far as we are concerned,  the decision reached  by the Head of State and TCD  is final,” he said discrediting Prime Minister Pinda’s subsequent statement.

 

Mbatia who is also the National Chairman for NCCR-Mageuzi went on to explain that the agreement reached between President Kikwete and TCD to halt the Constitution review process was due to the fact that  Tanzania does not have a permanent voters’ register to facilitate the referendum process.

 

“This is why we reached this decision because there is no permanent voter’s register, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) agreed that the current register won’t be used until it is updated,” he detailed.

 

NEC Chairperson Justice (rtd) Damian Lubuva confirmed last month that the government had already paid 290bn/- as advance to procure Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits.

 

The monies will among other things ensure NEC revises the register before next year’s general election.

 

Mbatia also revealed that Chadema together with other opposition parties forming Ukawa have not been invited to the handover ceremony today.

 

 “Neither Ukawa nor my party (Chadema) has been invited so we  don’t know what is going on,” he said.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN