STRONGER ECONOMIC BLOC: EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Daniel Fred Kidega and a section of Members (Chapter Chairs) address the press conference at the Zanzibar House of Representatives this morning. EALA commenced the 2nd Meeting of the 5th Session of the 3rd Assembly this morning in Zanzibar.
Ladies
& Gentlemen of the Press
Good Morning! On behalf of
the Assembly and on my own behalf, I welcome you to the Press briefing convened
to notify you of the commencement of the 2nd Meeting of the 5th
Session of the 3rd Assembly which takes place here at the Zanzibar
House of Representatives from today, October 10th, 2016 to October21st,
2016.
This is the first time for the 3rd Assembly to
hold its sessions in Zanzibar, a number of years after the 2nd
Assembly, held its 4th Meeting of the First Sessionin Zanzibar
(December 2007). We are therefore very pleased to be back.
On behalf of the Assembly
and on my own behalf, I thank the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the
Revolutionary Council, H.E. Dr Ali Mohammed Shein, for granting us this
opportunity to meet in Zanzibar and according us honour to address the House tomorrow.
The Assembly is also
grateful to the Speaker of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, Rt Hon Zubeir
Ali Maulid, for extending to it the use of the Chambers during thetwo-week period. This is certainly, a sign of warm cordiality.
Notable business for
consideration during the two-week session shall include:
1.
Official opening by the President of
Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, H.E. Dr Ali Mohammed Shein.
The Official opening takes place here, tomorrow, October 11th, 2016
at 2.30pm.
2.
Debate and possible enactment ofthree key
Bills. The Bills are the EAC Gender Equality and Development Bill 2016, The EAC
Counter-Trafficking in Persons Bill 2016 and the EAC Polythene Materials Control
Bill 2016.
3.
Consideration, debate and approval of
various Reports of the Committees of EALA.
4.
Briefings by the EAC Executives to the
Assembly for consideration.
Members of the Assembly
shall also find an opportunity to network with a number of stakeholders from Zanzibar
and the EAC region as we maximize the two-week stay here in Zanzibar.
As alluded to earlier, the
EALA Sittings are held on a rotational basis in the Partner States. The Assembly holds a total of 6 Sittings in
the Partner States – one of which is held in Arusha as per the requirement of
the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC.
In the scheme of things, one other Sitting takes place in the United
Republic of Tanzania, while the rest are held in the other Partner States.
Through the rotational principle, EALA intends to take the Assembly to as many citizens
of the EAC as is possible.
I wish to inform you that
the laws enacted by EALA once assented to, take precedence over the national laws
of the Partner States on similar matters within the purview of the
Community. To date, the Assembly has
passed over 70 pieces of Legislation. Over
two-thirds of the laws (49) have been assented to while the rest are still in
the process of assent, which is undertaken by all the EAC Heads of State in
accordance with Article 63 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC. EALA has also passed a number of Resolutions
and Reports which are all pertinent to the integration process.
The Assembly is keen to see
EAC laws and Protocols effected, enforced and the timelines adhered to so that
benefits of integration are enjoyed. The
Customs Union which came into place in 2005, is now fully-fledged. Once the
Single Customs Territory is in full force, the port of Zanzibar stands to be a
major entry point into the hinterland for the entire region. With enhanced performance, this is one of
the opportunities that Zanzibar and the United Republic of Tanzania can tap
into.
As an Assembly, we are also
very supportive of the recent decision of the Summit to delay the signing of
the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) until such time that all concerns of
Partner States are addressed. Consensus
is a key attribute of the Community.
Under the Common Market
Protocol, there are still a number of bottlenecks especially with regards to delays
in its implementation especially that of schedules of movement of workers. All
East Africans need to reap the benefits of the Common Market. We envisage a
situation where all Zanzibaris are able to freely move into the other Partner
States, offer their expertise and to take advantage of the opportunities.
You may be aware the region
embraced the Monetary Union having by signing the Protocol in 2013. While the
single currency is based on the ten-year roadmap of the Monetary Union, it is
vital for Partner States to stay the course when it comes to the deliverables
of the pillar.Partner States need to maintain monetary and financial stability in order to
facilitate trade and economic integration. We look forward to the establishment
of the EAC Central Bank and the related institutions. EALA shall be ready to
enact the relevant pieces of legislation.
With regards to the Political Federation, we hope
Partner States shall in due course agree on the model and commence modalities
of putting in place necessary building blocks.
On
matters of democratization, I commend the Government and people of the Zanzibar
for exercising peace during the elections late last year.
The
Republic of Uganda also held peaceful Presidential
and Parliamentary elections in February 2016.
The Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Rwanda are expected to go to
the polls next year. We wish them well
as they commence their preparations.Elections are a key constituent and measure
of democratization and the Partner States should strive
for free, fair and credible polls.
Peace
and security are important components of development. The Assembly is keen to see stability in all
the Partner States of the region. There
are regional measures in place to see stability realized especially in the
Republic of South Sudan and Republic of Burundi. Such should be consistent and
strengthened.
EALA
congratulates the Republic of South Sudan for its full accession in to the EAC
and urgesthe country to adhere to full tenets of democracy and good governance as
enshrined in Article 6 of the EAC Treaty.
There are a number of
challenges which the EAC is facing now with the major constraint being funding.
We continue to appeal to the Partner States to remit the contributions in a
timely fashion to enable the EAC to meet its obligations. At the same time, modalities on alternative
funding mechanisms should be finalized.
I want to thank the Summit
of the EAC Heads of State for the guidance towards strengthening the
integration process. I assure the Summit of our unequivocal support as
representatives of the people and of our commitment to play the part in delivering
results.
Finally, I call on you, the
Media to attend and fully cover the events of EALA over the next two
weeks. I also invite East Africans of
all walks of life to closely follow the proceedings of the Assembly closely
during the period.
I thank you all for your
kind attention.
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