ZIRPP Monthly Lecture : "The Adverse Effects of the Proposed Constitution on the Rights and Status of Zanzibar"

Abstract: As you are all aware, the Constituent Assembly has duly completed its work on 4 October 2014 in Dodoma by coming up with the Proposed Constitution that is expected to be Approved or Rejected by the people in a referendum next year.

Apparently, Tanzanians have received the Proposed Constitution with mixed feelings; i.e. there are those who find the proposed Law of the Land to be quite adequate in addressing people's interests and aspirations; but there are also those who find the document not reflective of the true expectations and aspirations of the Tanzanian people.

On the other hand, a significant number of Zanzibaris have expressed some serious concerns, especially so with regard to the document's impact on the Rights and Status of Zanzibar and on how some of the provisions in the Proposed Constitution will have the adverse effects of increasingly eroding Zanzibar's sovereignty in matters that are already within its jurisdiction and, therefore, compromising the status of Zanzibar as one of the two equal and independent founder States/Partners of the Union.

In his presentation, Muhammad Yussuf will seek to make a comparative analysis (in the format of a Matrix) of the Proposed Constitution in the context of other documents, such as the Articles of the Union of 1964; The Constitution of Tanzania of 1977; The Zanzibar Constitution of 1984; The First and Second Proposed Draft Constitutions of the Warioba Commission; and the Sitta-Chenge Proposed Constitution, with the view to identifying contentious areas of disagreement and make some concrete recommendations on the way forward.