Legislative Roadmap Captures Headlines

Pact Tanzania, and the Tanzanian Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT), recently unveiled a two-part guide for civil society organizations Parliamentary advocacy, entitled Legislative Roadmap. The booklets, published in English and Kiswahili with funding from USAID, are the first ever to describe the legislative process and how to influence public policy making n Tanzania.

"This is an unprecedented publication," noted Michael Owen, the U.S Embassy charge d'affairs in Dar es Salaam. "The guidelines explain in no-nonsense terms how Tanzanian democracy works. Once people understand more clearly what to expect, they can become more effective advocates." Owen was speaking at the official unveiling of the Roadmap, which was held at the office of Pact Tanzania. Over 60 NGO leaders, donors and civil society representatives attended.

Release of the guides has been given an unusual amount of coverage in the local press, including full serialization in The African, an English daily newspaper, and the Mtanzania, a daily national Kiswhahili paper, both published in Dar es Salaam.

"Pact sees the guides as informative materials for people who have had little or no exposure to national government. More importantly, we hope they will serve as a stimulus for people to begin talking about governance issues and the role of citizens and civil society in government," said Pact Country Representative Dan Craun-Selka.

After eight years of democracy Tanzanian citizens have yet to participate fully in their own governance and the country's balance of power remains tilted toward the executive branch.

The booklets will be distributed through governmental and nongovernmental channels nationwide. While written specifically for Tanzania, they can be used as a model for guides in other countries as well.

For more information contact Dan Craun-Selka, Pact country representative, at dan@pacttz.org