RAI: CHADEMA: No politicking

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• Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 11:32
• Local News, Rai

BY HAFIDH KIDO

THE Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) lawyer, Mabere Marando, said his party was not seeking political cleavage on the killings of five people in Africa Barrick Gold North Mara Goldmine in Tarime recently.

The people were killed in the alleged attempt to steal gold from the mine.
CHADEMA is accused of hijacking the ongoing agenda on the killings by immediately promising to help victims’ relatives in legal findings, as well as burial ceremonies, and thus denying the government role to perform its duties to the people and the subsequent outcomes. Marando denied and said: “… by the virtual of being political party, it is our duty to concern on people’s life. We (CHADEMA) are always after citizens problems because they are our future voters and we do not want to lose them.

“There is not any political party in the world which will be able to lose such opportunity to crush the existing Government whenever it goes contrary to expectations. I want to remind you that in Tarime there are many CHADEMA supporters than any other place in the country reflected by consistent win by its candidates in elections.

“They always come to us whenever they face problems like that. Just ask yourself, how many political parties are in Tarime? Why CHADEMA is the only one among them which confront the Government about this?” asked Marando.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Marando said he was still investigating the killings, while family members of the deceased and all people who got injuries in the process are collecting factual evidences of the action, soon they will handover to him to study and will open the civil or criminal case against the Government.

“Government is going to pay a lot on this case. It is clear that they have jumped into this and decided to guide police officers who shot dead our fellow Tanzanians. I will not hesitate to say that Government has embarrassed itself to praise the killing of people and pretending to say they were thieves.

“They were just Tanzanians who were surviving from collecting the dumped gold wastes and it were a trend for years. They were not thieves; in fact police officers often asked for bribe to allow them to get in the goldmine’s yard,” said Marando.

Following CHADEMA’s intervention, some of the party’s cadres and members as well as journalists have been detained in Mara alleged to incite and conduct sedition, a serious felony in the penal code.

The detainees include East Singida Member of Parliament, Tundu Lissu, Member of Parliament Special Seat Ester Matiko and Tarime Counsellor, Chacha Heche and it is alleged the DPP has allowed the MPs confinements by stripping them of immunity.

Others are The Citizen newspaper reporter Beldina Nyakeke, and Channel Ten and Nipashe newspaper reporters. According to CHADEMA all journalists have been detained in order to gag the press and stop them from reporting what is happening in Mara.

Moreover, police in Tarime/Rorya Special Zone has stopped CHADEMA members who wanted to burry ‘their beloved’ brothers in a respectable funeral after demonstration from the hospital to the Sabasaba Stadium.

Contrary, it has been reported that police decided to take the dead bodies and handed them over to their respective relatives.

On the other hand, former chairman of CHADEMA and among the pioneers of multiparty systems in Tanzania, Edwin Mtei, said Government should act responsibly about this and not to erupt without keen investigation.