The Opposition yesterday lashed out at Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda following his declaration that people caught killing albinos should also be killed.
The Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament, Mr Hamad Rashid Mohammed, said there was no way the Opposition was going to let Mr Pinda go unpunished for the remarks, which, he added, were in total disregard of the rule of law.
He said the Opposition would agitate for the resignation or sacking of Mr Pinda, possibly by a tabling a private motion calling for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
Mr Mohammed, who is the CUF MP for Wawi, said the Opposition would also push for a parliamentary resolution for a major review of the constitution by tabling a private motion to that effect.
He said the remarks by Mr Pinda were contrary to the Constitution, and could have far-reaching ramifications.
"The Opposition will challenge the Prime Minister, who is a trained lawyer, during the current parliamentary session to clarify his remarks which are in direct contravention to the Constitution, which he has sworn to safeguard and uphold," Mr Mohammed said.
He said killing somebody who has been caught in the act of committing a criminal offence amounted to mob justice, adding that it was only the courts that were empowered to try and punish offenders in accordance with the law.
The Opposition has lent its voice to the chorus of condemnation that greeted remarks Mr Pinda made in Tabora last week.
With many Tanzanians convinced that the media had misquoted Mr Pinda, The Citizen on Monday sought clarification from the Prime Minister, who confirmed that he uttered the remarks, adding that he meant what he had said.
Mr Pinda told The Citizen on Monday that people who were condemning his remarks did not have an idea of the senseless brutality being wrought upon albinos by killers who were after their body parts.
He said his remarks were in line with the urgency and seriousness with which the Government treated the wave of albino killings in some parts of the country, and reflected its commitment to putting an end to the atrocities once and for all.
Mr Pinda added that his statement would not have shocked anybody who knew the extent of suffering the killings had caused.
"It may be an unusual statement by a prime minister, and I wish to confirm that I made the remarks to send a clear message to albino killers they should know that if they are caught, they will have to face the fate they had hoped their victims would suffer," he said in an exclusive interview with The Citizen.
Mr Pinda said he and the Government would no longer tolerate the senseless and brutal killings of human beings just because they happen to be of a different colour.
Speaking at yesterday's press conference in Dodoma, the deputy leader of the opposition in Parliament, Dr Wilibrod Slaa (Karatu-Chadema), said the Prime Minister's statement depicts failure by the Government to enforce the rule of law.
"Something somewhere within the Government machinery must be seriously wrong. This is an indication of a system that is about to collapsed," he said, noting that the Opposition would never allow this to happen as it could lad to anarchy.
The Opposition leaders also took issue with remarks made by President Jakaya Kikwete when he visited Pemba last week. The president said the Opposition should forget about wresting power from CCM in the isles.
On the Constitution, Mr Mohammed said the current statutes were outdated and in need of a major overhaul.
He added that the Opposition was planning to table a private motion seeking a parliamentary resolution for the review and amendment of the Constitution.
The opposition leader said the current Constitution gave the President vast powers, adding that this was not healthy for national development.
Mr Mohammed said their intention was to have a new Constitution in place before the 2010 General Election.
He said, for example, that it was time independent entity such as parliament vetted and endorsed key presidential appointments.
Mr Mohammed said another shortcoming was the executive's supremacy over Parliament in matters concerning the management of public resources.
"The current constitution, for example, does not empower Parliament to punish leaders who abuse public office-people such as those who enter into bad contracts on behalf of the Government.
"We would present the private motion and push for a parliamentary resolution on this. And if the ruling party uses its majority to block our motion, we will resort to people's power," he noted.