saidhorizons
Member
- Aug 10, 2009
- 37
- 4
The classic power struggle between the legislative and executive branches of government have come to a head in a spectacular confrontation between the PCCB Czar and the Speaker representing the executive and legislature respectively. The statement made by the Speaker to the press that seems to embrace multiple payments to MPs for their participation in the same meeting or seminar is incredibly bothersome to many of us and it may undermine the credibility of the Speaker.
The justification for multiple payments as publicly stated by the Speaker must not only seem to meet the narrow interpretation of the law, but it must also be seen to fulfill the broader spirit of the financial operating guidelines. I am afraid to state the obvious but African hospitality also known as takrima doesnt cut the mustard for many of us. The Speaker failed miserably on addressing the broader spirit of the financial guidelines and he knows exactly what I am referring to. The only consolation, if any, is that he is just playing word-games and semantics with our hard-earned tax shillings. But that may raise other questions in terms of his suitability for protecting the public trust in Parliament or worse, his ability to think clearly under pressure.
There is probably a general concensus in this Forum that the Speakers remarks on the PCCB matter they not only do not bode well for public accountability but more importantly, his public position on this matter does not give us any hope that he is willing or ready to implement the financial checks and balances that have been rightly demanded by the executive branch. The quickest path to finding a solution begins with a sober understanding and acknowledgement of the problem. The Hon Speaker does not appear to understand nor acknowledge the existence of a serious problem. The whole matter has been botched from the get-go.
If this blame game is allowed to play out, an already bad situation could become dire. It may turn the relationship between the executive and legislative branches on its head if it hasnt already, so we need to change the narrative. Instead of continuing the finger-pointing and accusations between the legislative branch and the executive arm of government, we should now turn our attention to finding the correct political and legal prescription going forward so we can allow our country to wiggle out of this looming crisis. Mr. Speaker, please wake up and heed the advice from the Prime Minister and the State House so we dont plunge our beloved Tanzania into an unnecessary crisis from which we may never be able to recover.
The justification for multiple payments as publicly stated by the Speaker must not only seem to meet the narrow interpretation of the law, but it must also be seen to fulfill the broader spirit of the financial operating guidelines. I am afraid to state the obvious but African hospitality also known as takrima doesnt cut the mustard for many of us. The Speaker failed miserably on addressing the broader spirit of the financial guidelines and he knows exactly what I am referring to. The only consolation, if any, is that he is just playing word-games and semantics with our hard-earned tax shillings. But that may raise other questions in terms of his suitability for protecting the public trust in Parliament or worse, his ability to think clearly under pressure.
There is probably a general concensus in this Forum that the Speakers remarks on the PCCB matter they not only do not bode well for public accountability but more importantly, his public position on this matter does not give us any hope that he is willing or ready to implement the financial checks and balances that have been rightly demanded by the executive branch. The quickest path to finding a solution begins with a sober understanding and acknowledgement of the problem. The Hon Speaker does not appear to understand nor acknowledge the existence of a serious problem. The whole matter has been botched from the get-go.
If this blame game is allowed to play out, an already bad situation could become dire. It may turn the relationship between the executive and legislative branches on its head if it hasnt already, so we need to change the narrative. Instead of continuing the finger-pointing and accusations between the legislative branch and the executive arm of government, we should now turn our attention to finding the correct political and legal prescription going forward so we can allow our country to wiggle out of this looming crisis. Mr. Speaker, please wake up and heed the advice from the Prime Minister and the State House so we dont plunge our beloved Tanzania into an unnecessary crisis from which we may never be able to recover.
