Uraia wa Nchi Mbili (Dual
Citizenship) Tanzania
25/06/2010
The law to allow Tanzanians to hold dual citizenship should finally
be enacted by the end of the year, Foreign Affairs and International
Co-operation minister Bernard Membe said yesterday.
Speaking in Dar e s Salaam at an International
Organisation for Migration (IOM) meeting, Mr Membe said research
conducted on the proposal had established that the new law would not
harm the country.
"The government is
regretting locking out Tanzanians overseas during the 49 years of
our Independence, while some African countries have been granting
dual citizenship to their people," Mr Membe said.
Tanzanians living abroad will receive the news with
jubilation, as they have for many years campaigned for the
introduction of such a law to enable them to belong to both their
host countries and their motherland.
Many have
complained that lack of such a law disadvantages them, as it denies
them opportunities they could access if they were citizens of the
countries where they work. Yesterday, Mr Membe explained that the
issue had taken many years to conclude because the ministry did not
wish to "rush such a sensitive issue".
He added: "We decided to conduct a thorough research
before introducing this law, which deals with the basic rights of a
person."
The research had
enabled the government to establish that dual citizenship "is not
bad, as some people were trying to depict it".
The minister went on: "On the contrary, there will more
benefits for the country and the individuals, if we to adopt the law
to enable our fellow Tanzanians living abroad to market our country
as well."
During the
research, it had been found that Tanzanian experts working abroad
had been contributing immensely to their host countries. Therefore,
he said, the enacting of the law would enable them to also assist
their motherland without any hitch.
Mr Membe said the ministry had already started to move
to tap the great economic potential of the Tanzanians overseas.
After receiving the report, the ministry established a special
department to deal with the affairs of those in the Diaspora.
"Everything
regarding how to deal with the Tanzanians living abroad is almost
ready. We need to fully utilise their skills and wealth to push
forward our development agenda," he said.
The Dual Citizenship Act, the minister added, would give those
abroad the right to adopt the citizenship of their host countries
while maintaining their Tanzanian nationality. Under the current
law, a Tanzanian who adopts the citizenship of another country is
automatically stripped of his nationality.
Minister Membe said they had directed all the country's
embassies and high commissions overseas to register all Tanzanians
to enable the government to have full information and data on the
nationals living abroad.
Speaking to reporters at the meeting, which brought
together experts from various ministries, embassies and some
Tanzanian experts working in the UK, Mr Daniel Mwasandube, a
quantity surveyor based in Britain, said many Tanzanians had opted
to leave the country in search of better lives.
He said most of them "are very patriotic but lack of
supportive laws", such the one granting dual citizenship, has
blocked them from serving their country better.
"Many Tanzanians cannot land high paying jobs abroad,
though they have the qualifications, simply because employers look
for people who hold the passports of those countries," he said.
In preparation for the introduction of dual citizenship, the Law
Reform Commission was tasked to conduct a national study and gather
the public's views.
In 2006,
the commission recommended amendments to the relevant laws so that
Tanzanians can also enjoy dual citizenship.
According to the 'Final Report on the Introduction of
Dual Citizenship in Tanzania', the commission chaired by Judge
Anthony Bahati, said the issue deserved "a positive and
forwarding-looking consideration".
The commissioners said it
was high time Tanzania adopted dual citizenship because in a
globalised world, the country could not develop without interaction
with other nations.
Dual citizenship, according to the commission, was desirable as it
conferred benefits both to the country and nationals desiring to
hold the citizenships of other countries.
"A person with dual citizenship has greater flexibility
in his choice of where to live and/or work," reads part of the
report.
But the members of the commission also recommended that
national identity cards be issued first before adopting the system.
Once it becomes law, Tanzanians will no longer have to
renounce their citizenship, and the same will apply to foreigners
wishing to take up Tanzanian citizenship, if their countries of
origin allow that.
Source: Sheikh Hassan Mbamba
GLOBAL ADVANCE TANZANIAN NETWORK
|
|
| www.zenjydar.co.uk - Since 2007
©