Constitutional draft under councils debate next week

The proposed three tier Union government can still be overturned if the public decides so through district constitutional councils which start debating the Draft Constitution next week.

The Chairman of the Constitution Review Commission and former Prime Minister, Judge Joseph Warioba

Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) Chairman, Justice Joseph Warioba said in Dar es Salaam on Friday that the proposal did not originate from the Commission, but the public through views collected in the past six months.

“This is simply a draft constitution which the councils will debate and therefore it is subject to change if public opinion perceives so through their representatives,” Justice Warioba said.

“The issue of the Union has been very controversial in the past three decades and it’s high time that it should be resolved once and for all,” Mr Warioba told a news conference as he okayed the constitutional council meetings due to commence next Friday.

He said people from both sides of the Union were in favour of the three tier government because Zanzibaris are afraid of losing their identity in a single Union government, but also want to have their own state with autonomy to decide on their economy and foreign policy.

The former Prime Minister, who fluffed feathers last month when he announced that the majority wanted a three tier Union government, said there is still room for the public to decide otherwise by briefing members of the district councils.

“It is illegal to interfere with proceedings of the councils in anyway but the public can still present their views to members of the councils who represent them,” Justice Warioba noted while warning different interest groups including political parties from interfering with the process.

Some 19,333 representatives from 177 districts which include 164 from the Mainland and 13 from Zanzibar will take part in the council meetings starting July 12 through to next September. Of the total, 18,174 members are from the Mainland while 1,158 members are from Zanzibar. Tanzania Mainland has 161 district councils which also constitute district constitutional councils.

However, for Dar es Salaam region, the Commission has established two councils in each district of the commercial capital. From the Mainland there will be 12,825 male members and 5,349 female members, while in Zanzibar 719 members are male and 440 are female.

The Commission will also run two special constitutional councils which will involve the disabled in Mjini Magharibi, Zanzibar and Dodoma municipality.

“These council meetings will be fully funded by the Commission and delegates are being chosen by unions of the disabled,” Justice Warioba said as he brushed aside opposition from civil society and opposition parties who faulted the composition of the councils as being based on religion and political affiliation.

By FINNIGAN WA SIMBEYE, Tanzania Daily News

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