Tanzania is writing a new chapter in its contemporary history as the Constituent Assembly begins its work on Tuesday by electing a temporary chairperson at the debating chamber of Parliament.
National Assembly Clerk, Dr Thomas Kashililah
Briefing journalists, the National
Assembly Clerk, Dr Thomas Kashililah, said a notice has been issued to
all constituent assembly members who feel that they have the required
qualifications for the position to fill in forms, giving their basic
details together with 10 referees from within the special assembly.
Dr Kashililah, who was flanked by a representative of the Zanzibar
House of Representative Clerk, said the forms should be returned to his
office by 11 am today so that they can prepare a list of prospective
chairpersons before 2pm when the special assembly officially begins.
Dr Kashililah and his Zanzibar
counterpart, who are the returning officers, will conduct a briefing
session in the morning for the constituent assembly members, which will
include giving a geographical description of the assembly and the
sitting arrangement.
In the afternoon, when the constituent
assembly starts, Dr Kashililah and his Zanzibar counterpart will lead
the constituent assembly by selecting one of the constituent assembly
members to supervise the process of electing the temporary chairperson.
“We will walk into the parliament in the
company of the National Assembly Sergeantsat- Arms and take our regular
seats. We are not allowed by law to take up the seat of the
chairperson.
Our job will be to help in the process of getting the temporary chairperson,” Dr Kashililah explained.
According to Dr Kashililah, once the
temporary chairperson has been elected, he or she will oversee the
formulation of regulations that will guide the constituent assembly
through the whole process of deliberating and writing up the new
constitution.
The regulations once approved by the
constituent assembly will also guide in appointing the chairperson and
the deputy chairperson on Friday, who will oversee the deliberation and
writing up of the new constitution.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the
constituent assembly will meet at St Gasper Hotel to prepare the draft
constituent parliament regulations, which will be passed on Friday.
On the same day (Friday), the constituent assembly will elect and swear in the chairperson and deputy chairperson.
According to the constitutional review
act, the constituent assembly chairperson and the deputy will be elected
based on the principle that if the chairperson hails from one part of
the United Republic, then the vice-chairperson should hail from the
other part.
Both must possess a university degree,
have proven experience and competence in chairing public assemblies or
forums, has not been convicted by any court in the country and sentenced
to a term of imprisonment exceeding six months for any offence
involving dishonesty and moral turpitude.
According to the constituent assembly
authority structure, if the national assembly clerk, Dr Kashililah is
appointed the constituent assembly clerk, then his Zanzibar counterpart
becomes the deputy clerk and vice-versa.
Swearing in of the constituent assembly
chairperson and his/her deputy and the constituent assembly members will
be conducted on Saturday and continue through to Sunday and the morning
part of Monday next week before the official opening at 4pm by
President Jakaya Kikwete.
Meanwhile, Dr Kashililah has refuted
some of the reports published in some local newspapers on the allowances
being paid out to the constituent assembly members.
He said the constituent assembly members
are being paid a per diem of 80,000/- once they report in Dodoma and
another special allowance of 220,000/- for attending assembly meetings.
“Other than the two, the members are not
being paid any other allowance…..what was reported in the media is that
they will be paid a sitting allowance of 300,000/-.
The special allowance will only be paid if they participate in the constituent assembly meetings,” Dr Kashililah explained.
A constituent assembly member, Ms Maria
Sarungi Tsehai, said the allowance is not as much as the public has been
made to believe; adding that with living expenses for members and their
aides, the remaining amount will not be much.
She said it would have been better if
the payment process was more transparent, such as how much will be spent
on stationeries and other expenses related to the constituent assembly
so that the public can have a correct picture.
“The allowance that we the members of
the constituent assembly are being paid is not something that can make
us rich as it has been portrayed.
For instance I came with my driver. I am
supposed to pay him. I am staying in a standard hotel where I pay
70,000/- per day — and that is just to mention a few of the expenses,”
she explained.
She urged for discussion to centre on
how the new constitution will help remove the difference between the
haves and the have-nots to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor
in the country.
By ROSE ATHUMANI, Tanzania Daily News
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