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BY CORRESPONDENT
10th October 2011
Academicians have recommended that the country's new constitution should have a provision whereby ministers apply for the jobs, and only those with the required qualities get hired.
They said the current constitution whereby authority to appoint ministers was vested in the president provided loopholes for the appointment of people with little expertise on issues pertaining to respective ministries.
The academicians who were contributing to a public debate on constitutional reforms conducted by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) in Mwanza over the weekend, said the present system was the major cause of poor performance by some ministers, including entering into dubious contracts that cost tax payers money.
Kumbukeni Kondo, a student at St Augustine University said:
"Ministers should apply for the jobs just like everyone else and undergo interviews to determine whether they qualify for the posts before they can be hired, with a provision to be fired if they failed to perform, just like any other civil servant."
Another St Augustine University student, Paskazia Anastaz said the new constitution should stipulate that ministers must resign once parliament is dissolved.
"Most of them use government resources to campaign during elections. Let them resign to enable them campaign like other citizens," said Anastaz.
Makody Samson was of the view that the new constitution should contain a provision on how to hold accountable legislators who underperform instead of waiting for five years.
He said there was need to involve legislators from areas with natural resources in signing all contracts related to the nation's wealth to ensure people in the surrounding areas get maximum benefits.
"Legislators are the ones who know which resources are around. Let the new constitution allow them to append signatures to the said contracts," said Samson.
Professor Chris Peter Maina from the University of Dar es Salaam stressed the need for the new constitution to put in place machinery to ensure that the state does not enter into bad contracts.
"The state must always ensure it enters into contracts that benefit and not ruin its people," he said, adding: "Wananchi have the right to know the content of contracts entered into by the government because whatever the nation does is done on behalf of its people," said the university don.
Among flaws cited during the debate was on what would happen to the Union should an opposition party come into power, with some of the speakers noting that it could mean whatever party gets into power could question its validity.
The debate brought together university students from Mwanza and nearby regions, religious leaders, lecturers, members of civil societies and ordinary people.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
They said the current constitution whereby authority to appoint ministers was vested in the president provided loopholes for the appointment of people with little expertise on issues pertaining to respective ministries.
The academicians who were contributing to a public debate on constitutional reforms conducted by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) in Mwanza over the weekend, said the present system was the major cause of poor performance by some ministers, including entering into dubious contracts that cost tax payers money.
Kumbukeni Kondo, a student at St Augustine University said:
"Ministers should apply for the jobs just like everyone else and undergo interviews to determine whether they qualify for the posts before they can be hired, with a provision to be fired if they failed to perform, just like any other civil servant."
Another St Augustine University student, Paskazia Anastaz said the new constitution should stipulate that ministers must resign once parliament is dissolved.
"Most of them use government resources to campaign during elections. Let them resign to enable them campaign like other citizens," said Anastaz.
Makody Samson was of the view that the new constitution should contain a provision on how to hold accountable legislators who underperform instead of waiting for five years.
He said there was need to involve legislators from areas with natural resources in signing all contracts related to the nation's wealth to ensure people in the surrounding areas get maximum benefits.
"Legislators are the ones who know which resources are around. Let the new constitution allow them to append signatures to the said contracts," said Samson.
Professor Chris Peter Maina from the University of Dar es Salaam stressed the need for the new constitution to put in place machinery to ensure that the state does not enter into bad contracts.
"The state must always ensure it enters into contracts that benefit and not ruin its people," he said, adding: "Wananchi have the right to know the content of contracts entered into by the government because whatever the nation does is done on behalf of its people," said the university don.
Among flaws cited during the debate was on what would happen to the Union should an opposition party come into power, with some of the speakers noting that it could mean whatever party gets into power could question its validity.
The debate brought together university students from Mwanza and nearby regions, religious leaders, lecturers, members of civil societies and ordinary people.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN