Membe upbeat following CCM questioning in Dodoma city
Former Foreign Affairs Minister and CCM member, Bernard Membe speaks to journalist after his meeting with his party’s ethics in Dodoma yesterday. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI
What you need to know:
The former minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Bernard Membe, was interrogated by the Ethics Committee of the Chama Cha Mapunduzi (CCM) in Dodoma yesterday.
Dodoma. The former minister for Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Mr Bernard Membe, said in Dodoma yesterday that his grilling by the Ethics Committee of ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has indeed strengthened his peace of mind.
Mr Membe - who was among the top five contesters for the ruling party nominations for the Presidency in the 2015 general election - was grilled for five long hours by the committee at the party’s headquarters (White House) in the capital. He arrived at the place at around 9:10am when the questioning started in earnest - and ended at 2:43pm.
Speaking after the questioning, Mr Membe, who was accompanied by his wife Dorcas, said he was given a chance to explain various issues on which his political party wanted to know about. “We had five hours of discussions on our party and our country. I am happy because I got the chance to deliberate and dialogue about national and party issues,” he said.
“I can just tell you that my journey to Dodoma was fruitful for me, my party - and my country at large. Other issues will be revealed later.”
He and his wife later headed for an unidentified hotel for lunch before starting the return journey to Dar es Salaam.
Mr Membe is among the three CCM heavyweights who were lined up for questioning after being accused of violating party’s procedures and norms. The other two party members who are also lined up be grilled by the party’s ethics and security committee are former party secretaries-general, Mr Abdulahman Kinana and Mr Yusuf Makamba.
Asked by a local TV Station a day before questioning on whether or not he would accept any and all decision(s) reached by the committee, Mr Membe answered: “it all depends...”
“I believe the questioning would be led by the party vice chairman (Mainland), Mr Phillip Mangula, and will be open. My hope is that journalists would be allowed to be in the hall,” he said the day before yesterday.
“I want to tell Tanzanians that tomorrow (Thursday) will be an important day, and I have been waiting to meet the committee. I thank God for all this, because I will be able to tell the committee what they did not know,” he said, somewhat enigmatically.
CCM executive committee met in December 13 last year, and directed the questioning of three members. Today is the turn of former CCM Secretary General Abdulrahman Kinana.
