Rufiji
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- Jun 18, 2006
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Tanzania, long seen as the obstacle to a fast-tracked political union of the East African Community partner states, has finally broken out of isolation as prominent voices in the region break ranks with politicians to urge a more gradual and people-centred process.
Questioning the viability of creating a political federation exclusively driven by politicians and bureaucrats while citizens are given a ringside role, retired judge of the Ugandan Supreme Court Prof George Kanyeihamba says that the EAC in its present form is at best a gentleman's agreement between the leadership elites of the respective states with little, if any, input from citizens.
Alongside dons from Tanzania, Prof Kanyeihamba was speaking during a high level policy dialogue on regional and socio-economic integration in the East African Community organised by the Advocates Coalition for Development (ACODE) in Kampala earlier this month.
Kenya was not represented at the Kampala dialogue.
"The campaign for the East African Community and a possible EA federation are the preserve of the ruling classes in the region. It can be said therefore that the EAC is the result of a gentleman's agreement between the leadership of the respective states with little, if any, input from the people of East Africa. I question the sincerity and viability of creating a political federation," said Prof Kanyeihamba.
Authoritarian approach
In a heated debate between scholars, the EAC Secretariat staff and legislators of the EA Assembly, the top-bottom approach to achieve the political federation - which was said to be authoritarian in the first place - came under attack, with the Tanzanians warning that they would abandon the Community altogether.
"Downplaying or ridiculing the concerns of some people or partner states on certain aspects relating to the establishment of the East African Federation should stop. For instance, when you ask Tanzanians to choose between the EAC and SADC, the answer is obviously SADC because it was Nyerere's brainchild.
There are no East Africans in the EAC and they won't be created by a treaty," said Prof John Kabudi the Dean of the School of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam.
"It appears the five countries are not ready for the political federation yet we continue to invest our resources in that process. We should invest somewhere else. Let's focus on co-operation instead of this federation business, Prof John Mugabe from Uganda reiterated.
Prof Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a lecturer in History and Development Studies at Makerere University, said, "There is no common ideology in East Africa. The issue of fast-tracking political federation should therefore be halted. In history a federation has never succeeded without the use of force, apart from Israel."
Analysts have observed that a political federation would be unattainable until issues of ethnicity in partner states, discrepancy in economic benefits, a conducive environment for acquisition of land and free movement of people and capital within the region have been addressed.
"Most of the fighting is about how much one is selling. We should review the Kampala agreement and move away from trade integration to production integration. Our integration should be more out of necessity than a choice, gain or power," Prof Mwesiga Baregu of the University of Dar es Salaam's Department of Political Science observed.
Civil society groups have also asserted that the continued disregard of a people-centred principle enshrined in the Treaty in the campaign for the federation has denied the process legitimacy.
Source: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/830986/-/view/printVersion/-/7698p3/-/index.html
Questioning the viability of creating a political federation exclusively driven by politicians and bureaucrats while citizens are given a ringside role, retired judge of the Ugandan Supreme Court Prof George Kanyeihamba says that the EAC in its present form is at best a gentleman's agreement between the leadership elites of the respective states with little, if any, input from citizens.
Alongside dons from Tanzania, Prof Kanyeihamba was speaking during a high level policy dialogue on regional and socio-economic integration in the East African Community organised by the Advocates Coalition for Development (ACODE) in Kampala earlier this month.
Kenya was not represented at the Kampala dialogue.
"The campaign for the East African Community and a possible EA federation are the preserve of the ruling classes in the region. It can be said therefore that the EAC is the result of a gentleman's agreement between the leadership of the respective states with little, if any, input from the people of East Africa. I question the sincerity and viability of creating a political federation," said Prof Kanyeihamba.
Authoritarian approach
In a heated debate between scholars, the EAC Secretariat staff and legislators of the EA Assembly, the top-bottom approach to achieve the political federation - which was said to be authoritarian in the first place - came under attack, with the Tanzanians warning that they would abandon the Community altogether.
"Downplaying or ridiculing the concerns of some people or partner states on certain aspects relating to the establishment of the East African Federation should stop. For instance, when you ask Tanzanians to choose between the EAC and SADC, the answer is obviously SADC because it was Nyerere's brainchild.
There are no East Africans in the EAC and they won't be created by a treaty," said Prof John Kabudi the Dean of the School of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam.
"It appears the five countries are not ready for the political federation yet we continue to invest our resources in that process. We should invest somewhere else. Let's focus on co-operation instead of this federation business, Prof John Mugabe from Uganda reiterated.
Prof Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a lecturer in History and Development Studies at Makerere University, said, "There is no common ideology in East Africa. The issue of fast-tracking political federation should therefore be halted. In history a federation has never succeeded without the use of force, apart from Israel."
Analysts have observed that a political federation would be unattainable until issues of ethnicity in partner states, discrepancy in economic benefits, a conducive environment for acquisition of land and free movement of people and capital within the region have been addressed.
"Most of the fighting is about how much one is selling. We should review the Kampala agreement and move away from trade integration to production integration. Our integration should be more out of necessity than a choice, gain or power," Prof Mwesiga Baregu of the University of Dar es Salaam's Department of Political Science observed.
Civil society groups have also asserted that the continued disregard of a people-centred principle enshrined in the Treaty in the campaign for the federation has denied the process legitimacy.
Source: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/830986/-/view/printVersion/-/7698p3/-/index.html
