Tanzanians still split over union
Twaweza head Rakesh Rajani addresses a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday on the constitutional review.With him is Twaweza researcher Elvis Mushi. PHOTO | michael matemanga
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The section which gives the green light to citizens to oust their Member of Parliament provided that he/she fails to undertake his/her duties to his constituents enjoyed the popular support from respondents, 91 per cent of them said they are in favour of it.
Dar es Salaam. Public opinion is still deeply divided over the structure of the Union months after constitution assemblies meetings which hotly debated on the proposed three-tier system.
According to a new study by Twaweza, 51 per cent of respondents from 1,708 households across Mainland Tanzania supported three governments while 48 per cent were not in favour of the system.
The organisation classified the data using four parameters of strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree where both those who strongly agree and strongly disagree collided at 26 per cent. 25 per cent agree with the proposed structure while 22 per cent disagree.
According to Mr Elvis Mushi, a researcher with Twaweza, the difference in percentage is minimal and it calls for further national debate. “When the ‘strongly agree’ and the ‘strongly disagree’ share the same percentage it confirms that the issue is contentious yet important, we need to cool our heads and ponder the best way forward,” he said.
Addressing the Zanzibar municipal constitutional forum in July, Constitutional Review Commission chairman Joseph Warioba said his team faces an uphill task handling the proposed structure of the Union, since public opinion divided over the structure that would best promote harmony and prosperity.
The report titled Drafting the Law of the Land; Reflections of Citizens in Mainland Tanzania on the Draft Constitution found among other issue that after more than a year of constitution drafting process only 48 per cent of the respondents heard of the mother law and can explain what it is. 29 per cent have heard of it but cannot explain what it is all about, and 23 per cent have never heard of the constitution.
The section which gives the green light to citizens to oust their Member of Parliament provided that he/she fails to undertake his/her duties to his constituents enjoyed the popular support from respondents, 91 per cent of them said they are in favour of it.
Presidential age limit came in second whereby 84 per cent of the respondents supported the draft constitution that a presidential candidate should be at least 40 years old. The data were research was conducted through Sauti za Wananchi (Voices of Citizens), Twaweza’s national mobile phone survey in Mainland Tanzania.
