Arusha. The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) continued to be plagued by crisis yesterday when Tanzanian legislators walked out, a day after their Rwandan counterparts staged a temporary boycott.
The regional legislature was for the second day running adjourned and will resume at 2.30pm today when it starts debating a motion on the rotation of sittings which was finally tabled during yesterday’s brief session.
“We have walked out to protest the way the Speaker was humiliated yesterday (Tuesday),’’ Mr Abdallah Mwinyi after leading four other Tanzanian members out of the chamber about 20 minutes after the session started.
He said the Tanzania Chapter of the regional assembly had been dismayed at the way Speaker Margaret Zziwa was “humiliated” after Rwandan members walked out in protest at Ms Zziwa decision not to allow a motion on rotation of Eaala sitting among East African Community (EAC) member countries.
Another Tanzanian legislator, Ms Shyrose Bhanji, said: We condemn what happened yesterday. We didn’t do justice to the Speaker.”
She warned if such boycotts were allowed to continue the integrity of the assembly would be grossly undermined.
Other Tanzanian members fo walked out were Mr Twaha Taslima and Dr Nderakindo Kessy. Mr Makongoro Nyerere remained in the chamber.
Mr Mwinyi said Tanzanian members had no problem with the motion on the rotation of Eala sittings, and only wanted to express their supported for the Speaker’s insistence that laid-down procedures should have been followed before it was tabled.
The motion sought to object the desire by the Eala Commission, a newly reconstituted body previously known as House Business Committee, to have all sessions of the Parliament held in Arusha, the headquarters of the EAC.
Under Eala regulations, the House cannot conduct any business if there are less than three MPs from any country in the chamber. The other Tanzanian legislators – Ms Angela Kizigha, Ms Mariam Ussi, Mr Adam Kimbisa and Mr Bernard Murunya have not been attending the sessions – as they are outside Arusha.
The Speaker was forced to temporarily adjourn the House at 3.08pm to allow various parties to consult on the stalemate. The four Tanzanian MPs insisted to the journalists outside the chambers that they won’t go back because they were dismayed by what took place on Tuesday. The House reconvened at 3.23pm during which a roll call established that there was only on Tanzanian legislator from Tanzania and had to be adjourned again at 3.28pm and will reconvene today when the motion is expected to be debated.
Unlike the Tuesday’s protest, the Tanzanian walkout was not supported by Eala members from the other EAC partner states – Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. They remained in the chamber, but eventually had to leave as business was paralysed. source The Citizen
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