As
the constitution review commission begins its second phase of collecting people’s
views on the new constitution this week, the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) has reminded
lawyers in the commission to be keen in capturing people’s views in the rural
areas saying although some views were minor or not important to them, but they had
meaning and reflected their real problems in their local settings.
The
TLS said rural communities faced many challenges such as infringement of their
rights, corruption, diseases, lack of water, education, gender violence, health
issues, roads, infrastructures, agriculture, mining, land and investments issues
which the lawyers and other commission members should carefully study and capture
them all, and translate in a simple legal language that would be understood and
address their problems in the new constitution.
Speaking
in an exclusive interview with this paper, the Society’s Acting Chief Executive
Officer Stanslaus Nyembea, said that because many
Tanzanians were ignorant of the current constitution, the lawyers should not
only rely on the views that criticize the current constitution, rather, they
should pay attention to problems and grievances faced people in their
respective areas and break them down, in simple language that every body will
understand without infringing their rights and compromising our peace and
harmony.
He
said the rural communities would mention everything they experienced whether
good or bad, and that it was the obligation of the lawyers to fine-tune them in
a manner that would enhance their development in all spheres of life without
infringing their rights.
“For many years, the rural communities have
been underprivileged and left behind in many fronts of life, but they have no
body to defend them or address their problems. This is
their time. The lawyers in the commission should leave no stone unturned” he
said
In
another development, he also said that the TLS was aware that many people faced
problems to access legal assistance and that his society had opened doors for
such assistance.
For
his part, TLS legal Officer Alphonce Gura, called on women and other marginalized groups not
only in rural communities but also in urban and townships to come in big number
and give out their views saying it was a unique opportunity that would not
happen again in the near future. .
According
to the commission’s Chair Justice Joseph Warioba, in the
first phase of collecting peoples views, the commission successfully conducted
386 meetings in Coastal Region, Dodoma,
Manyara, Tanga, Shinyanga, Kagera , Unguja South, and Pemba South.
The exercise started on July 2 to July 30 during which a total of 188,679
were reached.
The
second phase that started on 27 August will end on Sept 28, and would involve seven
regions of Mbeya, Morogoro,
Lindi, Ruvuma, Kigoma, Katavi, and Mwanza.
The
new constitution is supposed to be ready by April, 2014 before the general
elections slated for October 2015.
Ends.
By
Mwiga Mtavya
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