The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
George Sembony
25 April 2011
Korogwe — Tanzanians should not clamour for a new constitution while most do not have even a hazy idea of what the present one says about them. This has been said by several young people in Korogwe District, Tanga Region, as the constitutional debate rages on.
They made the remark while contributing to a debate on the withdrawn Constitutional Review Bill. The debate was organized by the Tanga Youth Development Association (Tayodea) with financial support from the Foundation for Civil Societies (FCS) and held at the Mamba Hall in Korogwe.
A student with the Korogwe Teachers’ Training College, Shauri Sylvester, said stakeholders were dwelling on the need for a new constitution when over 80 per cent of Tanzanians did not even know anything about the current constitution.
“It is important for people to have at least a hazy idea about what the current constitution says in order to decide whether there is a need for change or not,” said Mr Sylvester.
Another contributor, who identified himself only as John, said there was a danger of the few people who understood the current constitution shaping the new one along their interests and bulldozing others along with them.
“There are people who need the new constitution for their own interests. Are our major problems centered on the constitution only?” he asked.
The debate moderator for that day, Ms. Greats Mabula, of the Lushoto-based Institute of Judicial Administration, agreed at a separate interview afterwards that understanding of the current constitution was paramount if stakeholders wanted to see active participation in the debate and quest for a new constitution.
“A majority of the people here do not even have the zeal to know the present constitution, let alone having a copy of the document, and this is a problem. How would they contribute to the debate?” she wondered.
Ms Mabula said for people, like lawyers, it is a document which one must have according to the nature of their profession. “I started learning it after beginning my studies at the Institute. What about someone who does not hope to use the document anywhere?” she wondered.
Most of the over 200 discussants spoke harshly against the ten ‘untouchables’ which include the Union, the Judiciary, the Presidency and elections.”These are the most controversial issues today. How does the government bar the people from discussing these important issues?” queried Hashim Shaaban, also a student at the Korogwe TTC.
Other issues hotly discussed were the ‘immense’ powers of the President with some suggesting he be stripped of the power to nominate members of the Constitutional Review Team.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Continued here:
People Ignorant of Constitution – Claim