EALA lawmakers decry lack of policy on East African union

By Fariji Msonsa, The Citizen Reporter.

Dar es Salaam. Lack of a policy on regional integration makes it hard for Tanzania’s representatives in the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) to articulate the nation’s position, according to the legislators.

The MPs have also accused the Ministry of East African Cooperation of sidelining them in issues pertaining to the integration process. They expresed these sentiments yesterday during discussions with Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Committee.

One of the Eala members, Mr Abdul Mwinyi, said although Tanzania was signatory to the integration agreement, the country had not yet formulated the relevant implementation policy.

“Rwanda and Burundi, which joined the EAC a few years ago have already formulated their integration policies,” he said. Mr Mwinyi added that lack of a policy meant that Tanzania had not defined what its position was and what the country wanted.

“The major challenge that Eala members from Tanzania are facing is the fact that the country does not have an integration policy that defines its interests,” he said.

Ms Shy-Rose Bhanji said the East African Cooperation ministry was not cooperative, adding that they felt that the ministry had abandoned them.

She said the ministry was sidelining them from the integration process.Ms Bhanji added that the East African Cooperation deputy minister once said that the Eala members had nothing to do with the ministry, which was not obliged to consult them.

“We have not been told what we are supposed to do to safeguard the country’s interests. Even the ministry does not recognise us because the deputy minister once said that we are not under it,” she said.

The Eala members also complained that they had no official offices for carrying out their day-to-day duties. They added that they lacked research experts to help them deal with technical issues.

Reacting to the remarks, the committee’s chairperson, Mr Mussa Azzan, said the team would today meet East African Cooperation ministry officials and present the legislators’ grievances. He said the committee would also advise the ministry to complete drafting the integration policy.

Full East African Co-operation operations started in 1996 when the Secretariat of the Permanent Tripartite Commission was launched in Arusha.

Considering the need to consolidate regional co-operation, the East African Heads of State, at their second summit in Arusha in 1997, directed the Permanent Tripartite Commission to start the process of upgrading the Agreement establishing the Permanent Tripartite Commission for East African Co-operation into a treaty.

Source: The Citizen (21/03/2013): http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/29844-eala-lawmakers-decry-lack-of-policy-on-east-african-union