BY EDITOR
4th July 2015
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In fact for about a year and a half, the National Assembly has been notorious for childish altercations which do not bode well with the people they are supposed to represent.
Sometimes, fingers point at the opposition in the House for seemingly trying to object to anything tabled in the House by the government. At other times the ruling CCM party members in the House are said to be faulty for trying to use their superior number to force everything down the throats of the opposition members regardless of validity of the opposition’s arguments.
This time around though, it is the government itself which is seen to be trying to force the legislators pass controversial bills into law, virtually turning the Parliament in a rubber stamp against the expectations of the people.The bone of contention this time is the tabling of three crucial bills by the government under the certificate of urgency and the subsequent rejection by Members of Parliament, especially from the opposition camp who refused to be cowed by the huge number of CCM members in the House, forcing the Assembly Speaker to postpone the sessions. The bills in question are Petroleum Bill 2015; Oil and Gas Revenue Management Bill 2015; and the Tanzania Extractive Industry (Transparency and Accountability) Bill 2015. These are three important areas of the national economic development.
The government argued that the bills were sent under the certificate of urgency because of their importance to the nation, saying they were at the negotiation stage before signing contracts with companies and the process was stalled because there were no laws to guide them.
Minister for Energy and Mineral, George Simbachawene is quoted as saying the government wanted this Parliament to debate the bills because the MPs have been trained well enough on oil and gas issues having been taken on learning tour to various countries like Norway, China and Trinidad and Tobago; therefore pushing the bills to the next Parliament in November will need retraining for the new MPs.
On the surface of it this argument carries some weight, but the fact that these bills are so important to the national economy, as the government admits, the need for thorough involvement of various stakeholders overrules the certificate of urgency. What is the point in passing a bill today into law and repealing it tomorrow for deficiencies that could have been spotted had there been wider education awareness and enough debating time?
Again, was it a deliberate move by the government to table the bills at this time when the quorum in the House is suspect, and for well known reasons?
Most MPs are in their constituencies canvassing for their return to Parliament, and even those in the House have their attention divided between the matters at hand in House and their chances of being re-elected or even appointed under the various seat categories.
We think the government should listen to voices of the people, at least for once, considering that bills concern Tanzania’s economic life line. Party politics have no room here.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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