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| Rais Dkt.Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete akipokea Maua kutoka kwa watoto waliokuja kumlaki katika uwanja wa ndege wa Kimataifa wa Bujumbura ambapo alianza ziara ya kikazi ya siku mbili. |
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| Rais wa Burundi Pierre Nkurunzinza akimkaribisha Rais Dkt.Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete katika uwanja wa ndege wa kimataifa wa Bujumbura leo jioni.Rais Kikwete yupo nchini Burundi kwa ziara ya kikazi ya siku mbili ambapo anatarajiwa kulihutubia Bunge la Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. |
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| Rais Kikwete na mwenyeji wake Rais Pierre Nkurunzinza wa Burundi wakipokea heshima wakati nyimbo za Taifa za nchi zao zikipigwa |
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| Rais Kikwete na mwenyeji wake Rais Pierre Nkurunzinza wa Burundi wakikagua gwaride liloandaliwa na jeshi la Burundi. |
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| Rais Kikwete akiwa na Mwenyeji wake Rais Pierre Nkurunzinza wa Burundi jijini Bujumbura jana jioni. ***************** Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Mheshimiwa Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete jioni ya Jumatano, Machi 18, 2015 amewasili nchini Burundi kwa ziara ya kikazi ya siku mbili nchini humo. Kwenye Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa mji mkuu wa Burundi wa Bujumbura, Rais Kikwete amepokelewa na Rais wa Burundi Mheshimiwa Pierre Nkurunzinza na pamoja na mamia kwa mamia ya wananchi wa Burundi. Rais Kikwete ambaye amewasili Burundi akitokea Dodoma ambako alikuwa katika ziara ya kikazi pia leo Machi 19, 2015, atahutubia Bunge la Nchi Wanachama wa Afrika Mashariki (EALA) katika nafasi yake ya Uenyekiti wa Mkutano wa Wakuu wa Nchi Wanachama wa Jumuia ya Afrika Mashariki (EAC) katika hotuba ya The State of the East African Community Address. Saa chache baada ya kuwasili Bujumbura, Rais Kikwete amehudhuria chakula cha jioni ambacho ameandaliwa na Rais Nkurunzinza kwenye Hoteli ya Panoramique. Wabunge wa Bunge la EALA pia wamehudhuria chakula hicho cha jioni. Rais Kikwete ataondoka Burundi mara baada ya kuhutubia EALA kurejea mjini Dodoma kuendelea na ziara yake. ============================================================
ADDRESS
BY H.E. JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, CHAIRMAN OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AND THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, TO THE MEMBERS OF THE EAST AFRICAN LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
(EALA), BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI,
19TH
MARCH, 2015
Honourable Daniel Fred Kidega, Speaker of the East
African Legislative Assembly;
President of the Burundi National Assembly;
President of the Burundi senate;
Vice President of the Republic of Burundi;
Former President of Republic of Burundi, H.E.
Ntibantinganya and Ndayizeye;
Invited
Speakers;
Honourable
Chairperson of the Council of Ministers;
Honourable
Ministers;
Honourable Members of the East African Legislative
Assembly,
Distinguished
Guests;
Ladies
and Gentlemen;
Let
me begin by thanking you Honourable Speaker for the invitation to grace this
Fifth Meeting of the Third Session of the Third Assembly. I also thank you for the kind words you have
said about me and the EAC. Your speech
combined a number of useful ideas. I wish I received it in advance so that I
could respond in my speech. I also thank
our host, His Excellency President Pierre Nkurunziza for the warmth of
reception and gracious hospitality. You
have received us so well and kept us very warm. Indeed, we feel very much at
home.
I sincerely congratulate you,
Honourable Speaker on your election to this esteemed position of leadership
both in the East African Legislative Assembly and in the East African
Community. We all look into you for
leadership and wisdom to steer the affairs of this House to greatest heights
possible. I wish you the best of luck
and assure you of my personal support as well as that of the Government of the
United Republic of Tanzania in discharging your noble duty. Whatever way you
think I or we can be useful please let us know.
Honourable
Speaker;
I
thank you, for affording me this rare opportunity to address this august
Assembly. This is the fourth time in the
past 6 years I do so. It has always been a pleasure and an honour for me to
share my thoughts with the distinguished Members of the East African
Legislative Assembly about the East African community and the East African
integration process.
Let me state at the outset
that when one looks back through the tunnel of history one clearly appreciates
the momentous achievements made by the East African Community todate. A lot of
progress has been made both in building the institutions of the Community and
in integrating the region. No doubt the East African Community has become a
very strong institution both in terms of its organizational and institutional
set up and in the functioning of its various organs and institutions. With regard to the integration process, a lot
of ground has been covered and successfully so.
Status
of Regional Trade
Honourable Speaker;
As you may recall, in the
Charter establishing the East African Community, it was agreed that the entry
point in our integration process will be the Customs Union, followed by the
Common Market, later the Monetary Union and ultimately the Political
Federation. The Customs Union which started in 2000 involved two things.
Firstly, the free movement of goods produced in any EAC member state and secondly,
a common external tariff. Goods are supposed to move freely across the borders
of member countries without tariffs being charged and not encumbered by Non
Tariff Barriers.
It is heartwarming, indeed,
to note that implementation of the Customs Union which started in 2000 up to
2005 has been a success. Indeed, goods which meet the criteria of rule of
origin have been moving across borders without paying taxes however non tariffs
barriers remain a challenge. Progress
has been made but the matter has not been resolved fully yet.
These challenges notwithstanding,
intra East African Community trade has registered phenomenon increase in this
short period of 10 to 15 years. Trade is now at 23 percent, over and above intra African trade figure of 12 percent. There has been a 300 percent increase in the value of trade from, 2 billion US Dollars in 2005 to 6 billion US Dollars in 2014. These numbers, coupled with the combined EAC GDP
of 110.3 billion US Dollars with an
average annual rate growth, of 2.6
percent makes our region a formidable trade and economic block in Africa. At
the same time government revenues have recorded an increase year after year
from 89.55 percent of the target in
2010 to 96.86 percent of the target
in 2013. During the discussions on the
establishment of the Customs Union, the loss of government revenues was among
the leading fears. It has turned out
different. One can, indeed brag to say, the EAC is next to none on the African
continent.
We envisage more increased
revenues when the Single Customs Territory becomes fully operational in the near
future. So far, the piloting exercises are
progressing well in all member states. Indeed, it has proven helpful in
reducing encumbrances to importers and in discouraging dumping and diversion of
transit goods. Ultimately, it will be an effective tool of promoting trade and curbing
revenue loss to governments.
Non
Tariff Barriers
It
is incumbent upon us, therefore, to ensure that all remaining non-tariff
barriers to trade are removed in the East African region. We all admit that we have done very well in
eliminating tariff related barriers, we must resolve to do away with the
remaining non-tariff barriers. Commendable work has been and continues to be done
to address the transport related ones such as road blocks, weigh bridges and
other check points on the roads as well as customs red-tape at ports and exit
points. The progress made so far, at the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam and,
on the Northern Corridor with regard to road blocks shows that it is possible to
eliminate these non-tariff barriers. Measures
are being taken in earnest to reduce road blocks on the Tanzania side of the Central
Corridor. I am sure in the next few months we will notice a huge improvement.
Honourable Speaker;
I am happy to inform this
august East African Legislative Assembly that Police check points have been reduced
from 15 points to 6 point. Our aim to reduce them to none
except when need arises. Tanzania Revenue Authority checks from 3 to 0. Weighbridges have remained 8
but our plan is to reduce them to 3.
We are introducing weigh-in-motion technology. One is already done at Vigwaza,
two are on their way for Manyoni and Nyakahura. I am told with the current
improvements alone, for a container to move from the port of Dar es Salaam to
Kigali takes 3 days from the
previous 8 days. It takes three and
a half days to Bujumbura from the previous 8
days.
I pledged during the 16th
Summit that during my time as a Chair of the EAC I will give due attention to
elimination of Non Tariff Barriers in the East African Community. I intend to
follow up on this pledge. I would appreciate the partnership and support of
East African Legislative Assembly in this endeavour. We must make the EAC
region the best place to do business.
State
of Regional Infrastructure
Honourable
Speaker;
We
must do everything within our power to reduce infrastructure related costs at
the shortest possible time. These are
responsible, in a big way, to the high cost of doing business in our
region. It is estimated that, cost of
transport in our region are 4 to 5 times
higher compared to the developed countries. It is estimated that it accounts
for about 30 to 40 percent of the price
of goods in the landlocked countries. Investing in better and efficient ports,
railways, roads, aviation services, energy and telecommunication are things we
must continue to do.
As you may recall, at the 2nd
East African Community Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure Development and
Financing held in Nairobi on 29th November, 2012, we undertook to close
the infrastructure gap by 2020. I note with a deep sense of satisfaction, the ongoing
work, both in the Northern Corridor and the Central Corridor in this regard.
The East African Legislative Assembly should regulary request member states to
report on progress being made on the implementation of the outcomes of the retreat.
Let us be reminded that the
full integration of the East African Community region very much depends on the
success of these efforts. We must also
know that the world we are in, and that ahead of us, has no place for
fragmented markets, isolated industrial value chains and inadequate in country
or cross border infrastructure. Work with the Council of Ministers to devise ways and means
to secure investments and funding for East African infrastructure programs and
projects.
The
State of the Common Market
Honourable
Speaker;
As
stipulated in the Charter establishing the East African Community, the Common
Market is the next stage after the Customs Union. As you may recall, the Common
Market Protocol was signed in 2009 and came into force in 2010. This Common Market is what answers the very
question about movement of people, capital and services within the region. The feedback from the East African Community
Common Market Score Card 2014 presented at the last East African Community
Summit in Nairobi shows that progress is not good enough. For example, with regard to the Free
Movements of Services, 63 measures
out of 500 key sectoral laws and
regulations of partner states were identified to be inconsistent with the
Common Market Protocol. 73 percent of these are exclusively
related to professional services.
With regard to movement of
goods, a lot has been done apart from non tariff barriers related to sanitary
and phytosanitary measures. In terms of
movement of capital, only 2 out of 20 capital operations are free of
restrictions in all partner states.
These two are related to external borrowing and repatriation of proceeds
from sale of assets.
Honourable Speaker;
The
score-card reminds us that partner states are behind schedule in reviewing and
amending national laws in accordance with the Common Market protocol. It
impedes progress in the implementation of the Protocol and the East African
integration process. We agreed at the recent Nairobi Summit that we should do
more in our respective member states on the implementation of the findings and
recommendations of the score-card. I
appeal to this august House to join hands in raising awareness and support for
the speedy implementation of the findings and recommendations. We should help
overcome embedded resistance and nationalistic sentiments.
I appreciate the fact that, there
are before this Assembly Bills that will help advance the building of the Common
Market. I have in mind the East African Community Cross Border Legal Practice
Bill (2014); the East African Community Electronic Transactions Bill 2014; and
the East African Community Competition (Amendment) Bill (2015). I hope you will treat them with the urgency
they deserve.
Peace, Security and Stability
Honourable
Speaker;
Ours
is a regional integration undertaking derived from historical lessons of the
defunct East African Community (1967 – 1977). Also, from the gains made by the
Tripartite Commission on East African Cooperation (1996-1999). We all know what contributed to the demise of
the previous EAC. It is not my intension
to dwell on the narration or the reasons and circumstances of its collapse.
When conceiving the new
Community we all agreed that we should not repeat the mistakes of history
neither be prisoners of it. We also agreed
to move cautiously making every step we take the building block of the next. Indeed,
we started with the Tripartite Commission on East African Cooperation in 1996
and later in 1999 graduated into the East African Community.
Honourable Speaker;
The principle of growth by stages
is well enshrined in the Charter establishing the East African Community. We have remained faithful to this principle.
We started as 3 members we are now 5, with provision to others to join if
they meet the terms and conditions. Among the terms include sharing a common
border with a member of the East African Community and subscribing to the
ideals of the East African Community. So far, South Sudan and Somalia have
applied.
Subscribing
to the ideals of the democracy, good governance, human rights and rule of law
are critical tenets of the East African Community. We all agree that better
governed member states contribute to a prosperous region. It is also true that badly governed member
states frustrate the integration process. It impedes trade, cooperation, as
well as movement of people, goods, services and capital. Moreover, it deters investment and makes the region
unfavourable destination for investment and trade.
Peace,
security and stability must and should continue to be high on our agenda. I am happy that as I address this House, our
region is peaceful, secure and stable.
Democratic values and institutions continue to take root and shape in
our countries. This year we will be
having elections in Burundi, and a Referendum on proposed Constitution and
General Elections in Tanzania.
The people of East Africa
should join hands in wishing these two countries success in these important
undertaking. Let the elections be
credible, free and fair which abide and respect the constitutions and the
relevant laws of these countries. Let them come out of these processes,
peaceful and united as a nation and a people.
Burundi
Honourable
Speaker;
To
my Burundi brothers and sisters, let me say that I am aware of the anxiety over
the electoral process ahead of you.
There are whispers and fear that this great country may lose the
prevailing peace and stability garnered over the last decade and a half. There
could be violence, some say. Honestly, that fear all of us and we dread the idea
of violence coming back to Burundi. God forbid.
In my view, there are ways of
doing things right and avoiding political instability and violence. The leaders and the people of Burundi should
do the following:
1)
Respect
the constitution of Burundi and the Arusha Peace Accord to the letter and
spirit. In the same vein respect the Electoral Laws of Burundi.
2)
Desist from resorting to violence to resolving
your problems. That may land your country into bigger problems.
3)
Use dialogue as much as you can. There are so many wise men and women and
institutions to enable you do that.
4)
Involve the laws of Burundi when you feel the
constitution or the electoral laws have been violated.
We all have trust in you that
you will rise to the current challenges and overcome them. You have been able to manage even more
challenging situations than this. I do
not see why you should fail this time.
Pluck up courage, muster political will, everything will fall into
place.
I want to assure you that the
EAC stands ready to assist. We will walk
with you all step of the way as we did in the past.
Honourable Speaker;
Our
region is not without security challenges.
The fact that we are surrounded by other countries and regions in
conflict, poses a security challenge to our region. Therefore, we cannot avoid keeping our eyes
on them and being of assistance when need arise. It is in this regard, our region is involved
in the DRC, South Sudan and Somalia. We
must continue to assist these two nations. It is in our best interest to do so
since all of them are potential future members of the Community.
Honourable Speaker;
Terrorism and transnational
crimes are security challenges facing our region which require a regional
response for effective control and success.
I am glad that efforts are ongoing at regional level to address these
challenges. There is closer cooperation between the defense and security organs
of our respective countries. They share intelligence and undertake joint or
coordinated actions. This is very much
welcome and we should encourage it. It is important that our region remains
seized with the peace and security agenda, for it determines the sustainability
and future of the EAC.
Role
of EALA
Honourable
Speaker;
This
esteemed House is one of the important pillars of our Community. It is the organ that carries the voice and
aspirations of our people. This is where
people’s interests are raised, aggregated and translated into laws. Since ours is a people’s integration, then
this House is at the heart of our integration endeavours.
I
commend the good work being done by this House. This is amply evident. The Bills passed by this House give life and
meaning to our integration aspirations.
It could not be possible for the EAC to achieve so much within this
short period of its existance or without the good work being done by the EALA.
Many of the Bills passed by this House and Resolutions adopted have contributed
immensely towards advancing the EAC integration process. I am glad to note that, in this session too, three
important Bills will be discussed which if passed will impact positively on the
facilitation of the Common Market and the Monetary Union.
Honourable Speaker;
This
Assembly must continue to be people’s Assembly and their first point of
call. You must be seen to be spending
more time deliberating on issues of concern to the people of East Africa and
not otherwise. You must give prominence
to issues which are regional in character rather than trivial national
interests. We must see that East Africaness spirit in you. I appreciate the efforts you are doing in reaching
out to your respective National Parliaments, governments and various interest
groups. I am aware also, that during
this meeting you will meet with the EAC Ambassadors in Burundi and hold consultations
with the East African Trade Union Confederation (EATCU) and the East African
Employers Association (EAEA). This is the way to go. I urge you to do more of this all over East
Africa. This way, you will increase
people’s awareness and enhance the relevance of this Parliament and the
Community to them.
East
Africa Court of Justice
Honourable
Speaker;
I am glad to report that another historic milestone
has been laid with regard to the functions of East African Court of Justice. At the 16th Summit of Heads of
State of the East African Community held in Nairobi on 20th
February, 2015, we adopted and signed the Protocol to
operationalize the Extended Jurisdiction of the East African Court of
Justice. The extended jurisdiction
covers trade and investment matters, as well as issues associated with the East
African Monetary Union. This is yet another
important avenue to the East Africans to access justice and reap more benefits
from their Community. It consolidates the integration process.
Way
Forward
Honourable
Speaker;
Integration is not a one off event. It is
multifaceted. It takes time. As such,
patience and understanding is absolutely important. Otherwise, we may end up making mistakes
which could be avoided. We must remain steadfast and focused on deepening and
widening East African integration. Trade indicators and statistics confirm that
this is happening steadily. However, we must not be complacent. In my view we
need to do more in many ways. Allow me to mention two things of interest. One,
we must increase the pace of the implementation of decisions and agreements of
the various organs of the Community. Recent
report shows that, implementation of these decisions and agreements stands at 75.8 percent for Kenya, Rwanda at 75.7 percent, Tanzania at 66 percent, Burundi at 56.5 percent and Uganda at 48.1 percent. At the
last Summit we agreed to urge ourselves to ensure speedy implementation of the
decisions we make and agreements we sign. We also applauded the idea to institutionalize
mechanisms of tracking the implementation of decisions and agreements reached.
Second,
we must promote ownership of the integration process by the people of East
Africa. As a matter of fact, the future and sustainability of the Community
very much depends upon how far we succeed in making people of East Africa feel
that they benefit from the East African Community. The State of East Africa Report – 2013 by
Society of International Development (SID) provides us with some important insights. It suggests that the future of the region
will depend on how we make growth inclusive and on narrowing the inequality gap within nations and in the region. Certainly,
the answer lays in the deepening of integration and increasing investment and
trade which have proven to be good catalysts for promoting prosperity and
improving welfare of the people.
Integration is the best way forward, for no one country can overcome
these challenges alone. I urge this Assembly to make its requisite
contributions to advance the cause of integration.
Conclusion
Honourable
Speaker;
We are all witnesses to the
fact that a lot of progress has been made in our integration process. What we have been able to achieve in this
short period of time is truly amazing to us and the world at large. The pace and depth of our integration process
has been phenomenon. We have
demonstrated to the world that integration process can actually happen in
Africa. Therefore, the East African
Federation and United States of Africa are not a mirage or distant dreams. They
are possible and doable. For us
Tanzania, with 50 years experience of the Union between the then Tanganyika and
Zanzibar, we know it is possible and doable.
We believe in it, we are living it and we look forward to live as East
Africans in the East Africa Federation and, ultimately, as African citizens in
the United State of Africa. Let us remain committed and steadfast in pursuit of
these noble ideals. Nothing is impossible.
It can be done play your part.
With these many words, I
thank you once again Honourable Speaker and members of this Assembly for the
invitation. It is an honour I will always cherish. I thank you for your kind
attention.
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