TANZANIA: CCM MEMBERS TO SIT AS KATIBA TEAMS

CCM members will sit as constitutional councils to discuss the first draft of the constitution unveiled recently by the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).

They will be guided by the ruling party’s views and stand on issues. Publicity Secretary Nape Nnauye said here that the party’s Central Committee (CC) of the National Executive Committee (NEC) that met late on Monday, instructed members to align themselves as constitutional councils and discuss section by section the first draft of the constitution by considering the party’s stand on issues raised in the draft constitution.

“The CC has instructed all party members to get prepared to discuss the first draft, section by section as constitutional councils and should bear in mind the party’s views issued earlier and its position on a number of issues,” Mr Nnauye told reporters.

He said CCM’s affiliate organisations, Youth; Women and Parents, would also sit as constitutional councils to discuss the draft constitution. Mr Nnauye said the participation of CCM members in discussing the draft constitution would begin from the branch to district, up to regional levels.

The long-awaited draft constitution was unveiled early this month proposing, among other things, a change of the structure of the Union to a three-tier government from the present two-government system.

The draft recommends that there should be a federation form of government to oversee Union matters while Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar will also have their own governments that will be charged with affairs that are not related to the Union.

"The structure of the Union between Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar was the hardest thing to decide on," the Chairman of CRC, Judge Joseph Warioba, told the gathering at the launching of the draft to what will be the country’s basic law.

However, the suggestion of a federal union of three governments is contrary to CCM’s stand of a two-government set up of the Union. Mr Nnauye said the views of party members would be adopted as reflecting the party’s position.

“What our members are going to decide is what will be adopted as our position,” he said. Mr Nnauye said the CCM-NEC would ask the CRC to conduct more education and sensitisation programmes on the new constitution process.

He said that would help the people become better informed about the process and eliminate contradictions that have greeted the unveiling of the draft.