WRITE THE NEW CONSTITUTION IN FULL: Liundi urges

MR. George Liundi has underscored the need for the current constitution to be written afresh because it does not correspond with the current social, economic and political situation of the country. Mr Liundi, who was among key participants in the writing of the current constitution in 1977, said he was not satisfied with it as it contained a lot of irregularities that did not provide equal rights to all citizens of the country. “Although I participated fully in the drafting of this constitution, I currently do not support it and I think we now need a constitution that reflects the real situation at times and which considers the interest of each person,’’ he said. The retired judge giving his key note address at  the Gender Festival-2011, which ended at the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) grounds, Mabibo yesterday. Judge Liundi hailed TGNP for participating fully in the civic education going on at the festival, saying many Tanzanians had no idea on various issues including their own basic rights, which needed more education to sensitize them. Presenting on the 'need for constitutions' that reflect the interest of citizens in the African continent, the Constitution Forum (Jukwaa la Katiba) chairperson Deusi Kibamba, said the current constitution does not give Tanzanians the mandate to own land. “The land issue is in the discretion of the president as opposed to article 8 of the constitution, which insists that all the powers belong to all the citizens,’’ Kibamba said. In their testimonies, different participants at the festival said the current Constitution needed complete overhauling because it worsened their lives,which mostly depended on agriculture.