TLS general election steals limelight as AGM kicks off
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) opened here yesterday, with the anticipated general election and a debate whether Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs be chucked out of the Bar Association or not, hogging the limelight.
The meeting roared into life in Arusha, without the usual distinguished guest of honour and with hundreds of legal practitioners in attendance being reminded of other more important issues apart from the highly-anticipated TLS general election, today.
The President of TLS, Advocate John Seka, said the TLS elections taking place today will run smoothly and that the legal body will elect highly respectable personnel to lead the society.
“But, for the whole of the preceding week we have been addressing other important matters affecting our profession, members and national development,” said Mr Seka.
This year’s TLS Annual Conference and General Meeting (AC-AGM) as usual is taking place at the Simba Plenary Hall within the Kilimanjaro wing of the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) here, with delegates having arrived in the city five days earlier.
Throughout the week, the TLS Secretariat has been conducting series of ‘Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars prior to the Annual Conference and General Meeting.
These CLE Seminars ran for four days, from 13th to 16th March 2017. While the controversy surrounding the legal body’s general election seemed to take more focus, attention and interest of the nation, other more important issues pertaining legal profession and matters sensitive to the country’s development were addressed during the CLE seminars.
The events covered, among other issues, the review of some burning issues in Labor Law Practice in Tanzania; Best Practices in Avoiding Money Laundering Incidences; Regulation and Protection of Brands and Trademarks; Reflections on the Local and International Perspectives and the Value Chain in Oil and Gas Industries plus where exactly can local lawyers fit in.
“The TLS will always advocate good governance and leadership that respect the rule of law and national constituency and the ongoing development projects as well as the country’s transformation will be taken into account when lawyers conduct their activities across the nation,” said Ms Eva Hawa, one of the advocates attending the conference.
The debate on whether Dr Mwakyembe’s membership should be revoked or not was based on his recent threats to scrap off the TLS, citing political involvement by some members.
Former Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Lawrence Masha, was the first to propose that Dr Mwakyembe be thrown out of the Bar Association, some members supported him but the majority booed him down, saying the move was against the legal profession.
“Dr Mwakyembe is a lawyer and one of the lecturers at Institutions of Higher Learning which means he knows what he is doing and does not rush to make decisions; when caught between defending the government which he serves as Minister or advocating the association in which he has membership, he needs to prioritise the nation in patriotic ways,” said Professor Josephat Kanywanyi.
Prof Kanywanyi warned the lawyers to desist from attacking single personalities based on issues that are not yet clear; instead they need to focus on more important issues.
Dr Mwakyembe was supposed to be the Guest of Honour during the meeting but the minister did not show up.
Advocate Eve Hawa Sinare reminded her fellow learned friends that the issue of Dr Mwakyembe was not the main agenda of the meeting and that their legal profession, the country’s development issues and the rights for ordinary people to access judicial pillar unhampered should pivot their discussions.
Dr Rugeremeleza Nshalla, appealed to members of the Bar Association to steer away from unnecessary arguments and confrontations especially those targeting fellow lawyers as it does very little to serve their mission.