As Bunge House goes into lockdown mode, pundits warn stringent parliamentary procedures adopted by the Constituent Assembly may actually hinder free and fair dialogue during the ongoing Katiba Summit.
The past few days have seen security tightened in
and around Parliament House, with strict procedures governing right of
access and in many cases, preventing citizens from having direct access
to their Katiba representatives.
The common Mwananchi is – effectively – barred
from Parliament grounds, unless they’re willing to jump through the
hoops for a bit of limited access. Envoys are safely tucked inside the
building, shielded from prying eyes.
Local non-profits are outraged by this little arrangement.
“During earlier debate we’d agreed that [we] won’t
allow the use of the regular police on Bunge grounds – we’d stick to
Parliament ushers/guards,” says Markus Alban of local NGO Citizen
Parliamentary Watch (CPW).
“Now they’ve authorizes the use of any security
personnel – we’ve effectively turned Parliament grounds into a
battlefield,” he told The Citizen.
Gema Akilimali of NAKONGO/Legal and Human Rights
Centre (LHRC) chimes in: “Just think – [they’re] doing this to
Tanzanians, within these grounds.”
“What else will they do?” she asked.
0 comments:
Post a Comment