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- Feb 26, 2008
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Make register of leaders` property accessible
2009-04-28 13:00:42
By Lydia Shekighenda
The multipartisan Tanzania Centre for Democracy yesterday advised the government to make it easier for the public to access official documents with lists of public leaders` property.
Acting TCD chairman Ibrahim Lipumba told a stakeholders` conference in Dar es Salaam called to review the 1995 Public Leaders` Code of Ethics Act that existing legislation on the matter made attractive reading but was hazy on many issues.
``This law has many shortcomings which need to be addressed,`` noted Prof Lipumba, who is also national chairman of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF).
He said most people were in the dark on public leaders` assets and liabilities and the law was silent on how members of the public could access the documents.
Sophia Simba, State Minister in the President`s Office (Good Governance), had earlier opened the meeting by underscoring the importance of reviewing the law ``to make it suit current needs as directed by President Jakaya Kikwete``.
She said areas already discussed related to the benefits of separating business and public service as well as the routine inspection of the register in which public leaders declare their earthly belongings.
``I don`t think if the idea of separating business and public service means barring public leaders from owning assets they can use to generate income,`` observed the minister, adding: ``The issue is whether they (leaders) would manage to deliver services to the public without being affected by their private businesses.``
But she admitted that the issue called for further digestion, and called on political parties and civil society organisations to cooperate in educating and sensitising the people on the law.
She said it always paid for people to have a better understanding of the bases, themes and purposes of the Act and satisfy themselves that all people are indeed equal before the law.
Contributing to debate on the issue, Progressive Party of Tanzania Chairman Peter Mziray said there was a need to categorise businesses when setting out to separate business from public service.
He said that the law was contradictory because there were big and small businesses ``and by properly categorising them, people will be in a position to know which businesses public leaders could engage in and which they ought to avoid.
2009-04-28 13:00:42
By Lydia Shekighenda
The multipartisan Tanzania Centre for Democracy yesterday advised the government to make it easier for the public to access official documents with lists of public leaders` property.
Acting TCD chairman Ibrahim Lipumba told a stakeholders` conference in Dar es Salaam called to review the 1995 Public Leaders` Code of Ethics Act that existing legislation on the matter made attractive reading but was hazy on many issues.
``This law has many shortcomings which need to be addressed,`` noted Prof Lipumba, who is also national chairman of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF).
He said most people were in the dark on public leaders` assets and liabilities and the law was silent on how members of the public could access the documents.
Sophia Simba, State Minister in the President`s Office (Good Governance), had earlier opened the meeting by underscoring the importance of reviewing the law ``to make it suit current needs as directed by President Jakaya Kikwete``.
She said areas already discussed related to the benefits of separating business and public service as well as the routine inspection of the register in which public leaders declare their earthly belongings.
``I don`t think if the idea of separating business and public service means barring public leaders from owning assets they can use to generate income,`` observed the minister, adding: ``The issue is whether they (leaders) would manage to deliver services to the public without being affected by their private businesses.``
But she admitted that the issue called for further digestion, and called on political parties and civil society organisations to cooperate in educating and sensitising the people on the law.
She said it always paid for people to have a better understanding of the bases, themes and purposes of the Act and satisfy themselves that all people are indeed equal before the law.
Contributing to debate on the issue, Progressive Party of Tanzania Chairman Peter Mziray said there was a need to categorise businesses when setting out to separate business from public service.
He said that the law was contradictory because there were big and small businesses ``and by properly categorising them, people will be in a position to know which businesses public leaders could engage in and which they ought to avoid.
- SOURCE: Guardian
