Any decision pertaining to East African Community (EAC) affairs that would be reached by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda will not be recognised by Tanzania, East Africa Cooperation Minister Samwel Sitta told the National Assembly.
Minister for East Africa Cooperation, Mr Samuel Sitta
Mr Sitta said that Tanzania is keen to ensure that its interests are fully safeguarded in the Community and it has already recognised the ‘dirty game’ that is orchestrated by the three respective head of states.
He insisted that the government has been closely following up the ‘isolate Tanzania’ machinations to the end before it gives out its stand. The minister said that Tanzania will not even take place in any meeting which is organised by the so called ‘coalition of the willing.’
“Tomorrow (today) there is a meeting to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, but there won’t be any minister from Tanzania who will participate because it coincides with the coalition of the willing summit,” Mr Sitta said.
He added that only the Permanent Secretary in the East African Cooperation Ministry will participate in the meeting and is expected to brief Tanzania over what the summit discussed.
Mr Sitta was responding to the question raised by Ms Rukia Ahmed (Special Seats -CUF), who wanted to know the government’s stand over Community issues which are discussed without involving Tanzania.
Ms Ahmed said that the recent meeting held in Kenya during the opening of Mombasa Port also discussed various issues, including business in the Community, infrastructures and political federation in the absence of Tanzania, thus creating fears that the country had already been ‘divorced’ in the Community.
Mr Sitta said that in the EAC Council of Ministers meeting held in Arusha on August 31, this year, Tanzania had demanded clarification from the chairman of the ministerial meeting (Uganda) over the isolation.
“The EAC Council of Ministers Summit to assess and evaluate the matter is expected to take place in the second week of November,” Mr Sitta insisted.
He said that when Tanzania is convinced with the hidden agenda that is perpetuated with these three head of states and reaches at a point of pulling out membership, the government would seek Parliament approval.
However, Mr Sitta stated that what is taking place at the meantime in the Community is just a normal challenge which he believed wisdom and high level of understanding if applied could instantly become things of the past.
All the MPs who aired their opinion on the matter, including Ms Anne Kilango (Same East – CCM), Mr John Komba (Mbinga West – CCM), Mr Ahmad Rashid Mohamed (Wawi – CUF) and Ms Ahmed, demanded to know why the government was taking that long without giving its stand over the isolation.
Mr Komba reached a point of saying that forming a community within a community was something dangerous that needed immediate intervention.
He said that it was wise for Tanzania to pull out from the Community and form another one with DR Congo and Burundi, which he described as serious states that would help foster development in the region.
In response, Mr Sitta said Tanzania was not ready to wait for the ‘divorce certificate’ from the Community and would seriously act instead after mastering the move and discovering the hidden agenda carried by Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.
Recently, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Bernard Membe, was quoted as saying that Tanzania was just waiting an official statement from the Community on isolation before deciding on the next move.
By CHRISTOPHER MAJALIWA, Tanzania Daily News
