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TLP congress invalid, says Tendwa
2005-05-16 08:14:20
By Timothy Kahoho
Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) Chairman Augustine Mrema yesterday convened an extraordinary national congress to save the party from being deregistered, but the Registrar of Political Parties said the meeting was invalid and time-barred.
Delegates from upcountry regions and Zanzibar attended the meeting called at short notice at Friends Corner Hotel in Manzese, Dar es Salaam.
Mrema told The Guardian that he was forced to convene the meeting after the Registrar, John Tendwa, threatened to deregister the party for allegedly not abiding by the Political Parties Act.
'I have been compelled to call an extraordinary national congress following a letter from the Registrar of Political Parties which threatens TLP with deregistration.
He said we must abide by the Political Parties Act if we are to continue being recognised as a legitimate political party,' he said.
But Tendwa told The Guardian on telephone that the Congress was 'illegal' and his office would not recognise those who would be elected at the meeting.
He said the meeting was supposed to have taken place a 'ong time 'ago' and that calling it hurriedly would not change his stance because it was 'too late'.
The Registrar also said TLP’s letter informing him of today’s meeting was sent to his home at Kibamba in Dar es Salaam on Saturday evening and was handed over to a watchman, adding that this was contrary to laid-down procedures.
'They were supposed to wait until tomorrow (today) and bring the notification to my office.
This is the proper procedure and they know it,' he said.
Tendwa also said TLP did not bother to reply a letter he wrote to the party last Friday directing its leaders to state why the party should not be deregistered for operating contrary to the law.
He gave the party four days from today to respond to the letter.
But Mrema said Saturday was not a working day and taking the letter to Tendwa’s home was the only way to ensure that it reached the Registrar.
He accused Tendwa of going out of his way to see that he was barred from contesting the Union presidency in the October 30 general elections.
Some 300 delegates were expected to attend yesterday’s congress.
Mrema said the meeting was expected to elect the party’s vice-chairman (Zanzibar), secretary-general, three deputy secretary-generals, national treasurer, publicity secretary and planning and economic affairs secretary.
Several members of the party’s National Executive Committee, who resigned in recent months, were also to be replaced.
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