CCM forms top advisory committee

Dodoma. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) yesterday got its first ever Elders’ Advisory Council, which is made up of retired senior members of the ruling party that has been in power since independence.

The Council, comprising retired national leaders who served as CCM chairmen and vice chairmen, immediately got to work and elected former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, as its chairman and former speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Pius Msekwa, as its secretary.

The Council is mandated to advise the ruling party on national issues and the two governments in the Union on sensitive and important issues, CCM secretary general Abdulrahman Kinana said at the ceremony to launch the organ.

Other members of the Council are, former President Benjamin Mkapa as well as former Zanzibar presidents, Mr Amani Abeid Karume and Dr Salmin Amour.

All of them, with the exception of Dr Salmin, attended the launch. According to Mr Kinana, Dr Salmin could not make it due to health complications.

Meanwhile, the Council got its first assignment after CCM national chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, welcomed them to attend the ruling party national executive committee (NEC) meeting which transformed itself into a constitutional forum, to go through CCM members’ views on the Draft Constitution.

In his speech to launch the organ, Mr Kikwete said the formation of the Council would give the retired leaders ample opportunity to advise the ruling party and the two governments over issues of national importance.

He said the old system, where the elders were invited whenever the party held its top organs meetings, was cumbersome and burdensome to the elders.