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Mrema: JK govt can hardly eschew the Kadhi courts issue
2007-11-13 10:00:39
By David Mambo
The Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) Chairman, Augustine Mrema, has said the fact that President Jakaya Kikwete approved the 2005 CCM election manifesto, which brought him to power, there is no way he can distance himself from it and equally from the Kadhi courts issue.
Mrema said this at a media meeting yesterday in Dar es Salaam in what appears to be a counter statement to Kikwete`s clarification on the establishment of the Kadhi courts and the procedure that the ruling CCM followed in preparing its election manifesto.
Mrema said: “I understand there are principles, guidelines and regulation of CCM hindering the presidential candidate from involving himself directly in the preparation of party Manifestos as an individual. Kikwete however, received and approved the 2005 manifesto for use in his campaigns.”
Mrema explained that during the election campaigns, the President did not tell the people that he was not involved in the preparation of the manifesto, but went on to campaign nationwide promising people that he would re-introduce the Islamic courts, among other things.
When addressing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania consecration gathering on Sunday in which Bishop, Alex Malasusa was installed as the new Head of the Church, President Kikwete said according to the principles, guidelines and regulations of CCM, no presidential candidate is involved in the preparation of the party’s election manifesto as an individual.
He also informed that the 2005 CCM manifesto was prepared the whole year ahead of the elections, meaning that he was not involved in its drafting or fine-tuning in his individual capacity.
Kikwete said the manifesto was prepared by a special commission and a copy handed over to him by the party’s National Chairman, then President Benjamin Mkapa, during its launch.
He also said, usually the election manifesto is prepared even before the party’s presidential candidate is known, therefore issues like the Kadhi courts, were essentially not his ideas, but were the makings of his predecessors.
Regarding the reintroduction of the Islamic courts idea, Kikwete told the ELCT clerics and believers that it is Mrema, who raised it for the first time when he was the Temeke Member of Parliament.
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