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Wednesday, 15 October 2014
We’ve given up on Kikwete, Mbowe declares
“He is a man who does not honour binding agreements and cannot therefore be trusted,”
MRFREEMAN MBOWE, CHADEMA CHAIRMAN
By Florence Mugarula, The Citizen Reporter
- Mr Mbowe was speaking during the opening of a two-day party Central Committee (CC) meeting to discuss the proposed Katiba and the forthcoming local government and general elections.
Mr Mbowe was speaking during the opening of a
two-day party Central Committee (CC) meeting to discuss the proposed
Katiba and the forthcoming local government and general elections.
He told the CC members that Chadema and other
members of the Coalition of Defenders of the Peoples’ Constitution
(Ukawa) who teamed up to push for the draft constitution--as proposed by
the Judge Warioba Constitution Review Commission--have given up hope
that President Kikwete will initiate meaningful national dialogue and
deliver a result that will unify the people.
Mr Mbowe said he was disappointed that President
Kikwete failed to keep his word and honour agreements with opposition
leaders that were negotiated earlier.
“We have given up on President Kikwete,” Mr Mbowe
said. “He is a man who does not honour binding agreements and cannot
therefore be trusted.”
If Mr Mbowe is to be believed, the Head of State
has wavered several times under pressure from his party. “It is
difficult to reach consensus with President Kikwete,” he added. “He is
not static on agreements. He acts in the interest of his party and not
the public.”
The Chadema boss accused President Kikwete of
saying one thing in public and another in private. They would agree on
something, he added, only for the President to change his tune the next
day. Members of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy reportedly met
President Kikwete to discuss issues related to the Constituent Assembly
stalemate and agreed that there should be no referendum until after 2015
general election. But the ruling party stands accused of going back on
its word and making approvals without consulting partners, including the
proposed constitution.
According to Mr Mbowe, the document in hand does
reflect the will of the majority of Tanzanians. On Saturday, President
Kikwete challenged those opposing the proposed constitution to show him
their version of an ideal constitution. He was speaking in Mwanza, where
he was on a three-day tour of the Lake region.
The President argues that the proposed mother law
has accommodated the views and interests of virtually all sections of
society. A constitution of such quality cannot be dismissed out right,
he adds.
Yesterday, Mr Mbowe maintained that the remarks
made by President Kikwete and other CCM members are clear evidence that
the government is looking for loopholes to conduct the exercise after 84
days of receiving the proposed constitution. “It is now clear that CCM
is looking for an excuse to hold the referendum before the 2015 general
election, but I can assure you today that Chadema is going to oppose any
move related to forgery,” he said.
TCD and President Kikwete agreed that local
government elections be held in February 2015 but Prime Minister Mizengo
Pinda announced a few days later that the elections would be staged in
December. “Mr Pinda announced a new schedule six says after our meeting
with the Head of State,” Mr Mbowe said. “This means our meeting and
discussions were pointless.”
According to him, the proposed constitution that
was handed to President Kikwete last week was slanted in favour of the
ruling party and some individuals. “There are some people in this
country who think they are better and more deserving than others. They
believe that CCM has the power to decide on behalf of others but it
cannot act in isolation in this matter,” he added.”Every mwananchi,
including political parties, are stakeholders.”
The Chadema boss warned that should chaos erupt in the country,
CCM and its leaders will be held responsible by virtue of not honouring
agreements and ignoring consensus.
He also accused the government of coming up with
local government election rules that are not easily understood,
presumably in anticipation of rigging the local government polls. “The
voters are required to write the names of the candidates, their
political parties and draw political party logos,” Mr Mbowe said. “This
is unfair and shocking.”
Likewise, the candidates are expected to fill
forms stating their names, political parties of choice, party logos,
district council logos and many more details. Difficult conditions have
been set to disqualify some candidates, according to Mr Mbowe,
especially those in the opposition.
Issues that top the Chadema CC agenda include
appointing members of the board of trustees and district and regional
secretaries. The way forward on the Katiba process will be up for
discussion as will be the Controller and Auditor-General’s report on
party finances. A review of the state of politics in and outside the
country is also on the cards.
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
BBCtrending: The police officers fired for a kiss
When
is it OK to kiss a colleague? Two Tanzanian police officers, whose kiss
was widely shared on social media, have prompted a discussion about
just that - and both have also lost their jobs.
A relationship with a colleague can throw up any number of
complications, but the two young police officers in the picture may not
have thought it would end their careers. The photograph - taken in
Kagera, north west Tanzania - shows the pair kissing whilst dressed in
their work uniforms, and was considered grounds for dismissal. Residents
of the country have taken to social media to voice their dismay.The image was uploaded to the internet by a third officer, who also took the photo, and drawn to the attention of the authorities at the Kagera police force. Henry Mwaibambe, the regional police commander, spoke to the BBC about the steps taken, and defends his department's decision. "We followed all disciplinary procedures to make sure that they were given a chance to defend themselves," he says. "The officer looking at the case was convinced there was compelling evidence against them, and that they had breached police code of conduct. That's why they lost their jobs." In this case it wasn't the kiss itself that led to their dismissal, but the fact that that it happened in public, whilst in uniform, and was subsequently posted online. Indeed, the officer behind the camera also lost his job over the incident.
The story was picked up by the local press last week, and news of the punishment has surprised many on social media. Most believed the response was disproportionate. "They should have been reprimanded, sacking them is extreme, huuh!" posted one on Facebook. "I once saw a pic of former US President the late Reagan kissing his wife in the Oval Office... and nobody called for his impeachment," said another. "Police couple kissing taken more serious than bribery," wrote a third on Twitter.
Masoud George, a lawyer at the Tanzania Legal and Human Rights Center says that as severe as the punishment seems, the decision is unlikely to be illegal. "It is according to their code of conduct, so from a legal point of view we can't say their dismissal was unfair."
Reporting by Sam Judah
Ebola outbreak: UN health worker dies in Germany hospital
The Ebola patient was being treated at St Georg hospital in Leipzig
A UN medical worker infected with Ebola has died at a hospital in Germany.
Doctors at the hospital in Leipzig said the man, 56,
originally from Sudan, died despite receiving experimental drugs to
treat the virus.More than 4,400 people have died from the outbreak, mainly in West Africa.
The rate of new cases at some of the "epicentre" areas has slowed down, the World Health Organization says, but the number of cases in the capitals of the worst-affected countries is rising.
Senior WHO official Bruce Aylward told reporters on Monday that the outbreak was also continuing to spread geographically to new districts in the capitals of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Elsewhere:
- The US and UK are among countries to have introduced scanning at airports
- A Spanish nurse remains in critical condition after becoming the first person to contract the disease outside of Africa last week, although doctors say there are signs of improvement
- UN Ebola mission leader Tony Banbury has called for massive support from governments worldwide, saying: "We need everything. We need it everywhere, and we need it superfast."
Proposed new law to escalate looting, Chadema claims
Lissu alleges Draft has more shortfalls than 1977 law
By Patty Magubira, The Citizen Reporter
- Lissu says Tanzanians should emulate Kenya and Zimbabwe whose constitutions allowed them to sue their sitting leaders in case they sleep on the job
Entrusting the President alone with the duty of
disciplining leaders as proposed in the draft law was tantamount to
licensing them to become lousy, corrupt, and natural resource looters.
The Chadema lead lawyer, Mr Tundu Lissu, said at
the weekend that the draft law was fraught with more shortfalls than the
1977 Constitution.
Mr Lissu, who was educating leaders and members of
the main opposition party on the difference between the 1977
Constitution and the Draft Law, said cosmetics changes imposed on the
new proposed constitution intended to please wananchi only.
It was time Tanzanians emulated Kenyans and
Zimbabweans whose constitutions allowed them to sue their leaders in
case they goofed, Mr Tundu Lissu said.
He cited charges of crimes against humanity which
President Uhuru Kenyatta of the neighbouring country is facing at the
International Criminal Court.
Most of the changes imposed on the Draft though
seemed pleasant to women, farmers and pastoralists could neither be
implemented nor enable them to hold leaders accountable, he said.
The Chadema leaders and members supported their
party’s decision to zoom around the country to educate people on the
contents of draft law ahead of the referendum.
They, however, called on leaders of the Coalition
of the Defenders of the People’s Constitution popularly known in its
Kiswahili acronym as Ukawa to unite for the sake of Tanzanians.
LAKE ZONE: Madaraka: Very few leaders honour Mwl. Nyerere’s legacy
By Midraj Ibrahim and Emmanuel Chacha,The Citizen Reporters
- Madaraka said the two or three govt structure did not bother him much but he said it was necessary to follow majority opinions as gathered by the CRC
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BUTIAMA.Madaraka Nyerere, the
sixth child of the late Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere,
has said 15 years after his father’s death there are very few leaders
who still honour him and follow his legacy.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Citizen
at the weekend, Madaraka also said if he were a member of the
Constituent Assembly (CA) he would vote NO for the proposed
constitution, saying it fell short on some essential issues like
leadership integrity and ethics.
“Very few leaders honour the late father of the
nation…as most of them just respect him by mere words but not in a
practical way…nowadays it is allowed for civil servants to double as
businesspeople. During Mwalimu Nyerere’s leadership it was impossible
for a public leader to engage in business. They had to choose between
remaining as public leaders or being businessmen,” he stated.
He added; “I once heard President Kikwete saying
public leaders should not engage in business but his ten years of
leadership are almost over and nothing has been done to address this
challenge.”
Commenting on the ongoing public debate on the
proposed constitution, Mr Nyerere said he did not pay adequate attention
to the Katiba Assembly sessions.
However, he noted that there were some basic
issues that ought to have been included in the document including
leadership ethics, saying they were significant for the prosperity of
the nation.
On the Union structure, Mr Nyerere said two or
three governments did not bother him much but he said it was necessary
to follow majority opinions as gathered by the Constitution Review
Commission (CRC) led by Judge Joseph Warioba.
He added that Judge Warioba, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim
and Joseph Butiku were close allies of his father, noting that he hoped
that the trio clearly knew Mwalimu’s vision of the country.
“I believe that they can’t betray him and perhaps
what they are trying to suggest especially the re-establishment of
Tanganyika government represents Mwalimu’s view,” noted Mr Madaraka.
He further defended Warioba’s commission from the
current wave of criticism over the ongoing Katiba process, saying the
ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was the one to be blamed for it
remained silent when the Zanzibar Constitution was being overhauled
despite knowing that it contradicted the constitution for the United
Republic of Tanzania.
Mwalimu Nyerere died on 14th October at St. Thomas Hospital in London, the United Kingdom.
EDITORIAL: Why Dar city must have modern passenger train
By The Citizen
- The project, aimed at reducing traffic jams, is to be rolled out by Shumake Rails, a private American company.
The project, aimed at reducing traffic jams, is to
be rolled out by Shumake Rails, a private American company. The
Transport ministry through Tanzania Railways Limited will extend the
metre gauge tracks from the city centre to the airport and operate under
the public-private partnership.
Upon its launch, the train is expected to ferry
between 800 and 1,000 passengers per trip. It should also be noted that
this won’t be a subway or an underground speed train as misconceived by
some people. It will be a modern passenger train with luxury coaches
plying the Dar city-JNIA route.
Though the project has been criticised in some quarters, we at The Citizen
believe that the anticipated service is what Dar es Salaam City needs
to lessen its maddening traffic snarl up that beleaguer the road to
JNIA.
Think about these facts: It takes three-plus hours
from the city centre to the airport during peak hours. During that
time, a plane will have taken off at JNIA and landed at OR Tambo
International Airport in Johannesburg. One that left for Mwanza will
have landed and flown back!
The JNIA is currently undergoing expansion and it
is certain there will be more traffic as global airlines increase their
frequencies to our city.
Railway transport is always among the best ways to
curb traffic jams in major urban areas worldwide. It is our belief that
the envisaged plan will make movement of the people in Dar es Salaam
faster and revitalise our economy, not only of the city, but that of the
country as a whole.
KAFUMU: Nyerere wanted democracy that protects peace, unity
- Multiparty democracy has only nurtured hate and divisions, and building economy is no longer a priority
We continue to cherish the Father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, because of his wisdom and love to his people. Now 15 years after his death, the nation still cries as they remember the leader who assured peace and protection for the poor and disadvantaged majority.
Today national interests and values which Mwalimu
upheld are vanishing. Mwalimu didn’t believe in multipartyism, for he
knew it would divide Tanzanians.
When asked about single and multiparty democracy,
he had this to say: “...Democracy is not a bottle of Coca-Cola which you
can import. Democracy should develop according to that particular
country. I never went to a country, saw many parties and assumed that it
is democratic. You cannot define democracy purely in terms of
multi-partist parties...”
Many scholars also agree that it is not proper to
simply take Western models of democracy and paste them over African
countries. Africa needs some type of democracy that will encourage unity
so that as the economic level of Africa grows, democracy grows too to
propel people to a brighter future. Democracy must gradually develop, it
must not be imposed.
Indeed as the Indian historian Ramachandra Guha
wrote in his book “Makers of Modern India” a democratic revolution
should be a staggered process that must be preceded by nationalism where
nationhood and unity of a nation are built and strengthened, followed
by economic revolution where industrialisation and urbanisation must
take place.
Guha cites US which proclaimed its national
independence in the 18th Century, urbanised and industrialised in the
nineteenth century, and became democratic only in the 20th century,
after women and African Americans were allowed to vote, and on the other
hand, Europe that was a continent broken up into many different
nationalities, the pace of these different revolutions towards democracy
varied greatly across countries.
Crucially in every European country the
nationalism and economic revolution preceded the democratic revolution
by several decades or more.
On democratisation of Tanzania and Africa in
general; and without a strong economy and nationhood Mwalimu commented:
“...Multiparty democracy is alien, it is a Western thing, a luxury
Africa could not afford and it will create opposition among us, this is
an imperialist dogma...”
Yes, Mwalimu was right. Building multiparty
democracy in a poor country is synonymous to nurturing division and hate
between the opposition and the ruling parties; between different
communities with different cultural origins such as tribes and clans who
in most cases create political parties to secure their interests.
The fulfilment of Mwalimu Nyerere’s vision on the
danger of multiparty democracy in Africa and Tanzania is today unveiling
before our eyes when democracy becomes a source of conflict among the
people of nations in Africa.
This situation creates a political imbalance that
destabilises most African countries trying to build a democracy.
Practising Western democracy in Africa is now a fragile endeavour.
Africa has witnessed the West trying to forcefully institute democracy
in relatively peaceful countries.
Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia are countries that
looked economically better and harmonious under their limited democracy
and sometimes dictatorship; today hate and division and fragmentation
are a real threat to these once tranquil countries. In the name of
democracy these nations are falling apart.
Countries south of the Sahara like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania
are also not spared either, where we see the effects of Western
democracy at work in a poor country, creating hate and division among
its citizenry.
According to Mwalimu Nyerere: “... Tanzania,
divided up into 112 distinct ethnic groups, is not a fertile ground for
multiparty democracy. Tanzania is not ready for multiparty democracy as
would descend the country into tribal and regional infighting...”
Although Mwalimu did not believe in multiparty democracy but the power
and grip of imperialism forced him and the ruling party to embrace
multiparty system against the public views that rejected the system by
80 per cent. The global political wind of change was too much for
Mwalimu and he surrendered.
Even though Tanzania embraced (against its will)
Western-type multiparty democracy in developing nations, I believe,
after two decades of practice; if Mwalimu was alive, he would have
continued believing that Africa wasn’t yet ready for this type of
democracy.
Look at Tanzania today: multiparty democracy has only nurtured hate and divisions, and building economy is no longer a priority.
Capitalistic freedom promoted by secular ideology
in which individuals became free to experiment whatever they want as
long as it is a fundamental human right is very dangerous. Free
democracy, free press, free everything, so free in a poor country only
erodes community and national unity and brings division and tension.
Mwalimu believed in the kind of democracy that
gives space to citizens to develop their nation. He wanted Africa to
embrace democracy in single-party systems or multiparty systems that
ensure governments of national unity, in which after any election
parties would bury their differences and take national interests to a
sweeter height. Keep the people together and work hard.
The kind of democracy practiced in China, Russia
and the Arab countries that forces people to build the economy by
instilling in the citizens the sense of nationhood, pride and upholding
taboos of that nation could build national unity and tranquillity.
As we continue to remember and cherish the Father
of the Nation Mwalimu Nyerere, let us uphold his good vision, hopes and
optimism on democracy to inspire us once again, nurture and keep our
unity as a nation and as a people.
Dr Dalaly Peter Kafumu, MP (Igunga-CCM), is a former commissioner for minerals
Monday, 13 October 2014
Local council boss arrested for raping mother-in-law
By Julius Ocungi
Police in Nwoya are holding an LC2 chairperson in
Pabit Parish, Purongo Sub-county on allegations of raping his 76-year-
old mother-in-law.
The suspect was arrested at the weekend at his home in Purongo Sub-county where his mother in-law was also residing.
The matter was reported to police by concerned
residents who overheard the old woman shouting in the evening. It is
reported that the suspect’s wife, children and other family members were
not at home by the time the incident happened. the suspect denied the
allegation.
Nwoya District police commander, Moses Okello in a
telephone interview with Daily Monitor over the weekend, confirmed the
arrest of suspect.
“We have detained him here, pending investigation
into the matter. From our preliminary findings, the suspect had over
time been asking the woman for sex, but she kept on turning his wish
down, until he forcefully raped her,” he said.
He said both the suspect and the victim were taken for medical examination at Anaka Hospital to check their health status.
“It’s a great shame that a leader in the suspect’s
capacity, can commit such a crime. As police, we condemn such acts and
upon completion of investigation, the suspect will be arraigned in court
of law and charged with rape.”
editorial@ug.nationmedia.comi
Poverty is responsible for domestic violence - minister
Gender minister Mary Karoro Okurut has observed
that poverty in Bushenyi is responsible for increased domestic violence
and early marriages.
“There is need for combined efforts to fight
poverty at family levels in order to reduce domestic violence. It has
remained a challenge in a number of families and is eating up people’s
lives,” Ms Karooro said.
The district Woman MP said this while distributing
coffee seedlings in Ibaare Sub-county, Bushenyi District on Wednesday.
She added that domestic violence in families has become rampant in the
country and it can only reduce if household incomes are improved.
“Local leaders should monitor government
programmes that are intended to reduce poverty among residents in the
district for overall prosperity,” said Ms Karoro.
Ms Karooro said the gender ministry is in the
final stages of enacting laws that will prosecute people who batter
their spouses. She gave 40,000 coffee seedlings to families in the
sub-counties of Kyabugimbi and Kyeizooba and distributed 10,000 others
in Ibaare Sub-county.
Forms of violence identified
Ms Faith Betega, the district gender officer, said the common forms of domestic violence in the district include physical, economic, emotional and sexual abuse all characterised by harassment, coercion and threats.
Ms Faith Betega, the district gender officer, said the common forms of domestic violence in the district include physical, economic, emotional and sexual abuse all characterised by harassment, coercion and threats.
The Ibaare Sub-county chairperson, Mr Emmanuel
Mbangirwoha, thanked the minister for giving them seedlings as an effort
to eradicate poverty.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
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