Tanzania's EALA members against removing Speaker

Tanzania members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have withdrawn their support to the motion censuring the assembly’s speaker saying it’s not beneficial to the country and is against the spirit of the regional integration.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the chapter’s chairperson Adam Kimbisa said the motion has an inherent ‘hidden agenda’ of serving the narrow interest of a few partner states in the block.

“As members, after careful consideration and thoughtful deliberation we established that the allegations of favoritism, arrogance and perceived misconduct posed against the speaker Margaret Zziwa are unsubstantiated and trivial,” he said.

Kimbisa cited repeated attempts by some members of EALA and a section of EAC secretariat officials to use coercion to try preventing the EALA members from Tanzania from withdrawing their signatures in support of the motion as a ‘testimony of hidden agenda’.

He explained during the heated debates in the House on the divisive issue EALA members from the Tanzania sought the path of compromise and consulted fellow members of EALA from other partner states on how best to resolve the matter for the greater interest of the East Africa region.

He said it was unfortunate that such efforts proved futile.
“We appeal to our fellow EALA members from all partner states and to EAC Secretariat officials not to side with those who are still harbouring a ‘hidden agenda’ to remove from office the EALA Speaker” he said.
According to him, members of the East African bloc deserve better than confrontation and divisive politics.

EALA Member of Tanzania Chapter, Legal counsel Twaha Taslima said the withdrawal of signatures in support of the motion by some members of the EALA from Tanzania was in line with rule 9(2) of the Rules and Procedure of the Assembly which states: “A motion for a resolution to remove the Speaker from office shall be signed by at least four elected members from each Partner State and submitted to the Clerk.”

He said the motion to censure the speaker was not tabled in the Assembly within seven days of its receipt by the Clerk and the fact that the motion lacks at least four signatures of support from each partner state after EALA members from Tanzania withdrew their support means that this motion is null and void.

EALA Tanzania Chapter Secretary Shy-Rose Bhanji said: “It’s true that I was among the members who were in the frontline to support the removal of the EALA’s speaker with due reason that she has weakness…but after considering the agenda behind the debate we discovered that it has no interest to the people of Tanzania”.