Africa-Press – Tanzania. SOME members of the Chadema’s Central Committee have hit out at their national chairman Freeman Mbowe for orchestrating the new constitution campaign, arguing that ‘charity always starts at home’.
They argued it was improper for Chadema leaders to push for a new national constitution while the party’s constitution was autocratic and needed major reforms.
At a press conference held in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Chadema cadres slammed their chairman for engineering a movement for a new constitution for his own interests while overlooking party interests.
Head of Chadema database for Coast zone, Mr Deogratius Shilinde, noted the opposition party never agreed on the new constitution movement but its Central Committee resolved that there should be mechanisms to build the party from the grassroots.
“Charity always starts at home…before we dwell on the country’s constitution it would be wise if we show a good example within our party by changing our own constitution which has many weaknesses,” Mr Shilinde stated.
Shilinde pointed out that the party’s constitution gives the room for the national chairman to hold the position permanently, thus limiting power transfer.
“What we are doing is not right, we should first clean our own house, that is looking at our constitution so that we get justification of going to the public to demand for the new national constitution,” he stressed.
He added: “If our constitution doesn’t recognise the important aspect of power transfer, how can we have the guts to go outside there and demand for the new constitution, which after all is not one of the resolutions reached by the party’s central organ.
Our chairman Mbowe has emerged with his personal movement, which is not right.”
Mr Shilinde said President Samia Suluhu Hassan is attentive and has shown readiness to sit with all political leaders to discuss the way forward on building national unity for the country’s development.
The Chadema cadre went on to allege that the new constitution movement was Mbowe’s personal agenda meant to strengthen his businesses rather than pursuing broader party interests.
Shilinde’s sentiments were echoed by the party’s secretary for Temeke District, Martin Kalugendo, who called for Chadema leaders to dedicate more efforts on addressing problems affecting the party and its members.
He picked holes in the current Chadema constitution, saying it denies members the right to query about the party’s revenues and expenditure.
Addressing editors and journalists at the State House in Dar es Salaam last month, President Samia underlined the need for concentrating on the country’s economic goals before dealing with the constitution.
Recently, during interviews with the ‘Daily News’, some experts played down an ongoing campaign on a new constitution, supporting the sixth phase government’s priority to stabilise the country’s economy.
They were of the view that the president shouldn’t be compelled into rewriting a new constitution, instead, she must be given time to expedite the development agenda, for the country to have a strong economic base.
Professor of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Humphrey Moshi said the economy of the country relates directly to people’s welfare, it should therefore be given priority.
Prof Moshi observed that people are entitled to their basic human rights including access to food, shelter, good health among other things which can result in a stable economy.
“Again, true democracy can be reflected on addressing the basic human rights and other factors can follow,” said Prof Moshi.
He pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the world into the deepest global recession in living memory which will have lasting effects on economies and public finances, the reason many countries are focusing on the recovery of their economies.
Ms Rachel Yusuph, a lecturer at the Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College (TUDARco), meanwhile suggested that while building the national economy, the focus should be improving key productive sectors.
She noted that demand for development should be given priority before reviving the new constitution agenda.
“The economy should come first because all we need is a good life, and it won’t be attained without assurance to basic needs such as food, clothes, and shelter,” she noted.
