BY RICARDO JOHN
9th October 2013
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The alliance formed by opposition political parties to campaign against the Constitution Review Bill passed by the National Assembly last month has indefinitely suspended the Civil Disobedience Day that was slated for formation on October 10, this year.
The suspension is meant to give room for talks with the President whose office started communicating with leaders of the respective parties on Monday.
President Jakaya Kikwete, for his part, has already welcomed the leaders of the three political parties—Cjadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi—for talks which may be held either on Sunday or next Tuesday.
“Since the State House has shown interest to hold discussion with us, we have also decided to suspend the establishment of the Civil Disobedience Day and holding of public rallies that were meant to mobilise the public to disown the Constitution Amendments Bill 2013 until we evaluate the discussions,”
noted CivilThe suspension is meant to give room for talks with the President whose office started communicating with leaders of the respective parties on Monday.
President Jakaya Kikwete, for his part, has already welcomed the leaders of the three political parties—Cjadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi—for talks which may be held either on Sunday or next Tuesday.
“Since the State House has shown interest to hold discussion with us, we have also decided to suspend the establishment of the Civil Disobedience Day and holding of public rallies that were meant to mobilise the public to disown the Constitution Amendments Bill 2013 until we evaluate the discussions,”
United Front (CUF) national chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, at a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Prof Lipumba was speaking on behalf of the other party chairmen, Freeman Mbowe of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) and James Mbatia of NCCR-Mageuzi.
“Just as the statement from the State House on Monday says,” Prof Lipumba said, “it will be better if the meeting was scheduled for this Sunday October 13, 2013.”
He said it is very important to convene the meeting as quickly as possible in order to resolve the weaknesses that political parties have identified in the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2013 before the President assents to it.
According to Prof Lipumba, the bill has several pitfalls that need to be rectified before the signing.
The CUF national chairman said that the opposition parties are of the view that their demands on the bill will be put into consideration in the cause of the scheduled talks.
Since President Jakaya Kikwete on Friday extended an invite to the opposition leaders to negotiate on the controversial Bill the political parties said would only meet the President if he had not signed the bill.
However, some social media platforms claimed on Monday that the President had already signed the bill.
Refuting the reports, the State House came out on Monday saying the social media advocacies were mere allegations as the bill has not even landed at the President’s Office.
“First, the President’s office is yet to receive the bill, though it is possible that the National Assembly has already sent it. But if the bill has not reached the President’s Office it is obvious that it is not signed,” noted a Monday statement issued by the State House.
The statement further noted that when the bill lands on the President’s table, the Head of State will obviously sign it as per law.
It clarified that the signing does not close the doors for further reviews by Parliament if necessary. But the review will be done after the signing and this will not be the first time that such a thing happens in the country’s administrative procedures.
President Kikwete on Friday extended an invite to opposition leaders to sit and negotiate the controversial Bill to end the current logjam that has threatened to derail the new constitution-making process.
In his end of the month address to the nation, the President told political parties to bury the hatchet and threats of taking to the streets in protest when the matter can be resolved in Parliament.
In his speech the President did his best to dissolve the constitution review deadlock and dissuade the opposition Chadema, CUF and NCCR-Mageuzi from mobilising the people to oppose the Constitution Review (Amendments) Bill 2013, passed last month.
The three parties oppose the bill on grounds that some of its clauses give the President too much leeway on the appointment of members of the Constituent Assembly.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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