News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo
A major sharp disagreement and split has emerged between several members states of the East African Community an economic unit bloc bringing together countries like Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The split emerged over the issues currently being negotiated under the Common Market for Eastern African region.
The differences pitting Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burindi on one hand and Tanzania on the other.
Four of the EAC countries are now pushing for the fast tracking of amendments to the EAC’s Treaty that set up the EAC to allow for majority rule to be used in decision-making instead of consensus. As currently provided in the Treaty.
The latest move was sparked off by what is widely seen as Tanzania’s double-speak on its commitment to the integration of the EAC as well as the country’s apparent refusal to agree with other partners states on critical provisions of the Draft Common Market Protocol such as free movement of persons, rights of establishment and residence, and permanent residence..
If the Treaty is amended to replace consensus with majority rule in decision making then Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi can move on with integration process even when Tanzania disagree with some decisions.
Tanzania, according to Kenyan participants at the Zanzibar meeting held two weeks ago, is reluctance overe the integration process and this became apparent during the fith round of negotiations on the EAC Common Market held in Zanzibar two weeks ago.
At the meeting Tanzania is reporte by a source among the participants to have consistently opposed nearly all the proposals by the other four member countries that citizens of the EAC countries be allowed to use their respective national identity cards as travel documents in the region instead of passports.
Tanzania is also reported to have told its partner states that it was opposed to the move and flatly refused to allow the inclusion of a clause that would allow East African citizens to acquire, access and use land in any member state.
Tanzanian government representatives had told the meeting in Zanzibar that it was committed to the integration process, but they had asked other partner states to go “Slow on the EAC integration process.”
The disagreement have forced the Council of Ministers of the EAC to extend the deadline for the conclusion of the integration in the EAC’s Common Market Protocol from December 2008 to April 2009.
Tanzania is expected to state its position on the bracketed issues by January next year.
Article 7 of the Treaty says that if a country is not ready to continue with the integration process, it can be allowed to pull out and rejoin the bloc later on at its own volation.
During the Zanzibar meeting, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi proposed to retain Article 6[5and6} of the Common Market Protocol as the basis for allowing East African citizens to use their national identity cards to travel within the EAC region.
The four countries argued that acquiring national passports is cumbersome and not easily accessible to the majority of the citizens.
They also argued that since all partner states are obliged to issue national identity cards in line with the Council decision of September 13 2004 and September 28, 2007, these will be available to all community nationals and should be used to facilitate their free movements within the Common Market.
The four nations further argued that the national identity cards will ease movement of people across borders previously used temporary movement permits which they are charged for each crossings sometimes forcing people to engage in illegal border crossings..
However, the Council of Ministers that elevating national identity cards to travel documents will not stop the use of the national of East Africans official passports.
But Tanzania , on it part, vehemently opposed the proposal, saying national identity cards are not internationally recognized as the standard travel documents.
They also argued hat the Treaty under Article 104 {3}[b} provides for partner states to maintain common standard travel documents.
Tanzania further dstated that there was no need to use IDs as travel documents as there already in place an East African passport which is acceopted as a common Market standard travel document in East cAfrica region as a whole.
Sources says Tanzania had stressed that given the size of the country and its porus borders, it could not allow the use of national identity cards as the standard travel documents for the public security.
Kenyans participants also reported that there was a tug-of-war between the four partner states and Tanzania over the clause thast allows citizens to acquire land and reside in any partner states.
These contentious issues are viewed by observerds as posing a serious thgreat to the existence of the EAC.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:05:08 -0800 [11/24/2008 06:05:08 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: MAJOR SPLIT IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY IS IN THE OFFING OVER THE PROPOSAL FOR THE FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND OTHER ISSUES