War against grand corruption: Govt should get much tougher - Speaker Sitta
-Delivers blunt rejoinder to presidential address
THISDAY REPORTER
Dodoma
THE Speaker of the National Assembly, Samwel Sitta, yesterday urged President Jakaya Kikwete to adopt a tougher approach in dealing with serious allegations of grand corruption in the country, saying there should be no let-up in the fight against graft.
Giving a vote of thanks on behalf of members of parliament as a whole after the presidents marathon address to the House, Speaker Sitta delivered a blunt message; The government must become extra-brutal in tackling high-level corruption in the corridors of power.
It appears that more importance is being placed on individual rights than national interests. There is no such thing as the human rights of an individual involved in economic sabotage being violated, he said.
The Speaker noted that some countries in South-East Asia had succeeded in making more progress in economic development by tackling corruption upfront and with an iron fist.
He stressed that the individual rights of people responsible for the massive looting of public funds are of little importance in the fight against grand corruption.
Citing various grand corruption scandals such as the external payment arrears (EPA) account embezzlement at the Bank of Tanzania, the Commodity Import Support (CIS) scam, and the purchase of an overpriced military radar system, the Speaker said lawmakers in the current Parliament are likely to become even more insistent in demanding government action.
These allegations may appear quite difficult to tackle because of the various loopholes in government procedures, regulations and legislation. But they are all within our (parliamentary) jurisdiction to deal with, he said in his frank rejoinder to President Kikwetes speech.
If you (Mr President) were to become a little more strict in these issues, we (MPs) are ready to support you in this, he added, asserting that the House is anxious to see President Kikwetes government tackling corruption with unyielding resolve.
According to Speaker Sitta, the ordinary man or woman in the street would find it hard to comprehend if individuals known to be behind the massive looting of billions of shillings in public funds are ultimately allowed to walk away scot-free.
He said Parliament is at the full disposal of the government to enact tough, new legislation that gives relevant authorities more teeth to tackle corruption allegations in the higher echelons of public leadership.
He said despite good progress made by the Kikwete administration in enhancing good governance and the rule of law, serious flaws still exist in the implementation of many government promises.
Promises made by the government inside and outside Parliament are not always kept as a result of the weaknesses of some government officials, the Speaker stated, warning that some government officials may be deliberately delaying implementation of important decisions.
On the fate of the ongoing debate on the Union and the shaky Zanzibar political reconciliation (Muafaka) talks, he said more seriousness is needed to tackle this problem.
It is our hope that this problem will be fully resolved by the government before the year 2010, he said, apparently referring to the next general elections.
Meanwhile, reacting to yesterdays presidential address, the Leader of the Official Opposition in the National Assembly, Hamad Rashid Mohamed (Wawi-CUF), said the speech had touched on the main concerns of Tanzanians today.
He said the wananchi are now waiting to see how the various pledges made by President Kikwete in his speech will be implemented.
Hamad Rashid especially called on President Kikwete to address the problem of the stalled Muafaka talks sooner rather than later, in order to prevent a further deterioration of the political situation in Zanzibar.
However, Kigoma North MP Zitto Kabwe (CHADEMA) expressed reservations about the presidents comments regarding the EPA embezzlement scandal.
For example, he did not exactly say what action will be taken against the EPA suspects after they return the (stolen) money, noted Zitto.
He added: If there is to be a presidential pardon or amnesty to the EPA suspects, proper procedures should be followed and Parliament must be officially notified about this decision.