By The guardian reporter
Kangi Ligora (MP) takes the floor at Parliament in Dodoma during
debate on a report by the Parliamentary Stand Committee on Land, Tourism and
Environment on findings on �Operation Tokomeza�.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda told a charged legislature late evening yesterday that he had consulted with the president about the situation, and agreed that the matter be given the political weight it deserves, and thus agreed to rescind the ministers appointments, those directly involved in that operation, as well as the rather indirectly involved Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries.
Of the sacked ministers, only Natural Resources and Tourism minister Ambassador Khamis Kaghasheki stood up to take responsibility before the House, while his Livestock Development counterpart Dr Mathayo David Mathayo put up strenuous defence of his action and that of the ministry during that operation.
Premier Pinda accepted most of the defence put up by Dr Mathayo, but told the House that inn his view as well as that of the president, the ministry was at the centre of operations though it did not control the security organs whose members conducted the various reported atrocities.
Earlier, in their contributions, MPs had urged for the entirety of government to take political responsibility, touting the resignation of the prime minister as required in the circumstances.
The lawmakers accused the PM of failure to take action against the four ministers whose subordinates in the ministries involved in the operation brought detrimental effects including fatalities of innocent people in areas where it was conducted.
The legislators’ call on the PM’s resignation followed a special investigative report on the implementation of Operation Tokomeza revealed horrible incidents of human rights violations, including raping, sodomy, seizure of property, false cases in court and other abuses resulting into deaths and trauma especially among pastoralists.
The report by the Standing Committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment under the chairmanship of James Lembeli (CCM-Kahama) tabled his report alongside a special investigative report that reveals the bad outcome of the performance of the operation earlier ordered to be carried out in the country by President Jakaya Kikwete.
The report has revealed that, people were tortured with horrible forms of unspeakable humiliations such as forcing some to hang upside down, some people forcefully ordered to play sex with animals, their relatives and some forced to have sex with trees, an aspect that has caused psychological perception among the victioms.
After tabling the report, Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai was forced to temporarily suspend its normal session for half an hour after Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma North-Chadema) asked for Speaker’s guidance to let MPs obtain a copy of the report.
Legislators who contributed to the report and their concern over the PM’s resignation are, Lekule Laizer (Longido-CCM), Kangi Lugola (Mwibara-CCM), Said Mkumba (CCM), Abdul Karim (CCM), Kabwe Zuberi Zitto (Chadema).
Others are James Mbatia (Nominatged NCCR-Mageuzi) and Peter Msigwa (Iringa Urban-Chadema) who urged political responsibility of the four ministers, including the prime minister.
The ministers whose ministries have been implicated are Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi (Home Affairs), Shamsi Vuai Nahodha (Defense), Ambassador Khamis Kaghasheki (Tourism and Natural Resources) and Dr David Matayo (Livestock Development and Fisheries).
Legislators have mentioned Dr. Mathayo whom they want to be held responsible for negligence as his ministry did not take action when it reported that soldiers from the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces (TPDF) had killed over 50 heads of cattle belonging to one pastoralist in Arusha region.
This is the second time MPs have called for the resignation of the prime minister during this 14th session.
Two weeks ago, there were similar demands as MPs castigated the PM for failure to curb thefts in various district councils, underlined by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG).
The committee report urged the government together to hold accountable the responsible ministers whose departments were tasked to organize the operation, including security forces such as the police, army and game warders.
The Tokomeza Operation lasted for two months and suspended following claims of systematic violations of human rights and not just curbing poaching activities. It mainly targeted pastoralists holding large herds of livestock within or close to national parks.
Critics were of the view that the prestige of the ruling party was at stake in the matter, compelling political responsibility to a considerable extent, which means it had to touch one or more cabinet ministers.
Yet it is evident that land-related conflicts are becoming more intense in many parts of the country, in which case the violence of the security forces removing livestock herders is just one aspect of the problem, not the problem itself.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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