BY THE GUARDIAN REPORTER
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) Zitto Kabwe said the parliamentary resolutions were jointly agreed by legislators through consensus, and that they don’t belong to PAC, Controller and Auditor General (CAG) and Prevention and Combation of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).
“We didn’t want to be unfair to anyone…we did this with patriotism,” said Zitto insisting to leave the matter to ‘wananchi’. Kigoma MP, David Kafulila wondered why the President has failed to remove from their respective positions the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo and his Permanent Secretary, Elikiam Maswi who were at the centre of the scandal.
“The President has gone against the parliament resolutions,” said the MP adding that what Kikwete has done is double standards.
Kafulila said they were expecting Kikwete to act as when implementing the parliamentary resolutions reached during ‘Operation Tokomeza’ whereby all the ministers responsible were ordered to step down after investigations.
“There is no need for investing escrow culprits…these people are guilty according to available reports,” he said adding that Kikwete would have used yesterday’s meeting to hold them accountable.
He said the President was to remove them from office for the public interest. He said this shows how the government is weak in taking stern measures when it comes to national issues.
Contacted, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Ideology and Publicity Secretary, Nape Nnauye said he wasn’t in a position to comment on the matter because he didn’t follow the President’s speech. “I cannot say anything…I don’t know what is going on because I am outside the country”.
For his part Ubungo Member of Parliament John Mnyika said none of the eight Parliament Resolutions has been fully worked on.
The Chadema legislator said the President Jakaya Kikwete has used investigation and the laws as scapegoats to take tough decisions.
“For instance, Kikwete said in his address that minister for Land, Housing and Human Settlement Prof Anna Tibaijuka will give us way to appoint another minister. He could have said he has removed her from the position.
Secondly there is no problem to keep on investigating Minerals and Energy minister Pro Sospeter Muhungo and his Permanent Secretary, Eliakim Maswi but why investigating them while they are still in the office. He is supposed to have suspended them to pave way for fair investigations otherwise they are still tempering with the investigations,” noted Mnyika during a telephone interview with this paper.
The Legislator said Kikwete has been illogical by saying that the Bank of Tanzania Escrow Account funds belonged to Independent Power Tanzania Limited and at the same time the funds were put in the said account due to unresolved capacity charges.
“It is illogical to say that all the funds in the Escrow Account belonged to IPTL and at the same time saying there has been a case in court over the past seven years over capacity charge. How can he say the funds belonged to IPTL and why paying the funds to IPTL before the case is concluded,” queried Mnyika.
The Chadema legislator said the President needed to take tough decisions on the resolution including that which talks of nationalising the IPTL plant.
According to him, the nationalisation cannot scare the foreign investors but rather teaching them a lesson to other unscrupulous investors.
He said investors can only shun the country if they are treated unjustly but not as per Bunge’s resolutions.
Late last month, the parliament came up with eight resolutions, one of which called for top government officials implicated in the controversial withdrawal of over 306bn/- from the Tegeta escrow account to be stripped off of their leadership positions by their relevant appointing authorities.
Those whose appointments are earmarked for revoking are the minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo and his Permanent Secretary, Eliakim Maswi, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development, Prof Anna Tibaijuka and Attorney General Frederick Werema who voluntarily resigned last Wednesday on grounds that his advice on the matter was misunderstood.
When Prof Tibaijuka held a press conference on Thursday last week, she vowed to stay in office, confidently saying that she was innocent, despite having received 1.6bn/- from James Rugemalira.
Prof Tibaijuka was quoted as saying she received the money ‘in good faith’ as it was meant for donation to support Babro Johansson School after the Joha Trust that runs the school requested the money from Rugemalira.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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