Dar es Salaam:  A lecturer of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has pointed at a number of pitfalls which frustrate the government's ambition to improve good governance. Dr Mohamed Bakari from the  Faculty of Arts and Social Science was presenting a paper at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) validation workshop yesterday. He said the major problems are enshrined in the country's constitution which has not been updated accordingly.

In a paper on the Country Self Assessment Report on governance issues which was conducted under APRM team, he said many politicians belonging to opposition parties believe, for instance, that the multiparty system is being conducted under the single party system's constitution. Dr Bakari said this was among a list of challenges that the government should address if it wanted to clean its good governance record.

He said constitutional problems have been a source of discord among members of various political parties as manifested through the confrontation of their members during by-elections held in Kiteto and Tarime. On the other hand, Dr Bakari said, the problems have pitted the state against its citizens, citing the infamous Zanzibar killings of demonstrators in January 2001 as one of them. He said there were also problems with the Union regarding the status of Zanzibar against its structure.

Dr Bakari said various laws in the country laws curtail the freedom of association as they bar politicians from merging their parties.  As an example, he said, the political parties act No 5 of 1992 does not allow them to form electoral alliances as it wants them to first dissolve their parties. Such a situation, he explained, was a big obstacle to opposition parties which are weak compared to the ruling party.

On Union matters, Dr Bakari said though the government has taken steps to solve Union problems, their lasting solution has been elusive for many years now.  "People have been asking about the structure of the Union. They are asking what was in the founders' minds when they crafted the merger; was it two, three or one government?" he wondered.

On corruption, he said many people believe that the majority of civil servants were corrupt.   People also do not regard the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) as doing its work diligently, he noted.  He said through the PCCB the government has been accused of focusing on petty corruption cases, ignoring those concerning grand corruption. He said the capacity of PCCB to handle cases was limited in relation with the magnitude of the tasks at hand.

Dr Bakari said the situation whereby the PCCB has been placed under the President's Office is also a big challenge as it puts its autonomy to question.

Opening the seminar, the minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, said Tanzania decided to subscribe to the APRM as an indication of its willingness to adhere to good governance standards.  His speech was read on his behalf by ambassador Francis Malambugi from the ministry.