Tanzania: Gov’t rejects speeding up East Africa federation

(SomaliNet) The fast-tracking of the East African political federation has suffered a major setback after Tanzanians overwhelmingly rejected the plan.

The ultimate goal of the process was to have one federal President and Parliament by 2013.

According to Dr. Ibrahim Msabaha, Tanzania’s minister of East African cooperation, the views gathered from 18,321 respondents indicated that 76% objected to the fast-tracking, while 21% supported it.

“The Government has studied the views and opinions of Tanzanians and noted that the fast-tracking of the East African political federation was overwhelmingly rejected,” Msabaha told the Council of Ministers on Friday.

“The government considered the reasons given for the refusal and found that there was no ground for fast-tracking the federation.”
The minister stated that his government would respect the people’s views.

“Tanzania will not do anything that could contradict the majority views of the Tanzanians,” he asserted.

The reports on the fast-tracking process in the three original member states, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, will be discussed at a Heads of State summit, scheduled today at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha.

In contrast, the majority of Ugandans (75%) said they supported the fast-tracking process. Kenya’s findings will be announced today, as will the views of the East Africans in the Diaspora.

Tanzania’s decision comes at a time when the East African Community has been expanded with the entry of Rwanda and Burundi.

The Treaty, which set up the East African Community, stipulates that there should be consensus on all matters. The treaty further requires the integration process to go through four stages: a customs union, a common market, a monetary union and a political union. But at a special summit, held in August 2004 in Nairobi, the heads of state agreed to fast-track the political federation.

The national consultative process on the fast-tracking process was launched simultaneously in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda on October 13, 2006.

Today’s summit will also discuss the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. This agreement is supposed to replace the Cotonou agreement, which grants preferential trade terms to former European colonies.

A proposal to amend the Treaty to accommodate the new member states is also on the agenda.

The summit will be addressed by Presidents Yoweri Museveni, Mwai Kibaki (Kenya), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi). The President of Zanzibar, Amani Abeid Karume, and the Aga Khan are also expected to attend. –New Vision