Dar es Salaam. Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi has urged Tanzanians to continue pushing for a new constitution, describing it as the foundation for broader governance reforms and stronger protection of citizens' rights.
Speaking on Friday, July 24, at the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) General Assembly in Dar es Salaam, Dr Nchimbi said the country's priority should be securing a constitution agreed upon by all key stakeholders, arguing that it is the supreme law upon which all other reforms depend.
"If I were asked as the Vice President to tell Tanzanians only one thing, I would say: fight to get a new constitution. A constitution that has the agreement of all stakeholders, a constitution built on national consensus," he said.
He said a new constitution would provide the legal framework for addressing governance challenges because any laws inconsistent with it could be amended or repealed.
"When you get a new constitution, all existing laws that conflict with that constitution will die on that very day. That is why the constitution is greater than any other law," he said.
Role in CCM manifesto
Dr Nchimbi said the demand for a new constitution emerged as one of the key issues raised during nationwide consultations conducted by a CCM manifesto committee when he served as the party's secretary general.
He said he advised the committee to include the issue in the party's election manifesto, noting that the party's presidential candidate was expected to assume office and should commit to implementing it.
"When they came to tell me that, I told the chairman of the committee and his colleagues that the issue was important. We already had a presidential candidate and expected him/her to become President. It was important for him/her to assure us," he said.
Dr Nchimbi said he later discussed the matter with the then CCM chairperson, who was also President, to establish whether the proposal should be included in the manifesto.
"I told the chairperson that the manifesto committee had informed me that one of the major issues raised by citizens was the need for a new constitution. I asked her whether she was willing to include it in the CCM manifesto.
"She replied: 'Secretary General, the Commission on Criminal Justice that I established also found that Tanzanians want a new constitution, and I promised that I would implement it. I cannot abandon my promise,'" Dr Nchimbi said.
He said the response underscored the importance of political will in advancing major national reforms and noted that the process requires the participation of all stakeholders.
Four decades of debate
Dr Nchimbi said efforts to secure a new constitution have continued for more than 40 years, with calls intensifying after Tanzania reintroduced multiparty politics in 1992.
He reminded human rights defenders, civil society organisations, political parties and citizens that the constitution is the country's supreme law and cannot be overridden by any other legislation.
The first important thing is for human rights defenders, civil society organisations, political parties and Tanzanians to understand that the supreme law of the country is the constitution. No law can invalidate the constitution," he said.
He said significant progress was made during the Fourth Phase Government following the establishment of the Constitutional Review Commission and the Constituent Assembly, but the process later stalled.
Dr Nchimbi urged reform advocates to focus on the most important issue capable of delivering wider change.
"We may have 40 things to fight for, but in any strategy you must choose the biggest issue. If you listen to many people's demands, they may list 10 things together. To win that battle, you must choose the one issue that can carry the rest," he said.
He said a new constitution would strengthen the foundations of good governance, safeguard human rights and dignity, and support inclusive national development.
"Tanzania needs a constitution that will guide the country for the next 50 years and one that makes every citizen proud to identify themselves as Tanzanian," he said.
