State House reacts

[BAK]

State House reacts
By The Citizen Team

State House yesterday reacted to the opinion poll conducted by the Research and Democracy Education in Tanzania (Redet), saying the people had spoken, while Opposition leaders described the findings as "a reflection of the actual political situation".

Speaking to The Citizen by telephone, State House director of communications Salva Rweyemamu said, "The people have expressed their views about the Government, and it is good to know what they think.

"I cannot comment further, but we have taken note of these findings," he said, adding that the Government would work on the report.

On Tuesday, Redet released results of an opinion poll showing that Tanzanians' confidence in the Government had declined in the past year.

Meanwhile, the Redet findings drew mixed reaction from the business community with one school of thought calling for the President to be given enough time before assessing his performance, while others expressed their concern.

Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (TCCIA) president Aloys Mwamanga said it was too early to accuse the Government of performing poorly.

"The problem is that people want to see immediate results, but I believe that the Government has clear goals in building the economy let's give him enough time," he told The Citizen in a telephone interview.

Mr Mwamanga, who recently took over as TCCIA president from Elvis Musiba, said Tanzanians should work closely with the Government instead of rushing to accuse it of failing to deliver.

Tanzania Association of Tour Operators executive secretary Mustapha Akunaay echoed Mr Mwamanga's views, saying it was wrong for people to expect to see instantaneous results, adding that developing a nation such as Tanzania was a time consuming process.

He added, however, that some Government decisions were hurting the business community.

An entrepreneur, Daniel Masanja, who is managing director of Kijima Construction Company, supported the findings, saying the Government had lost direction on various key economic issues. Reacting to the findings, the national vice-chairman of the ruling CCM, Mr Pius Msekwa, said it was up to the party to decide whether or not to discuss the findings.

He added that CCM had its own way of discussing issues through regular meetings within the party. "I think you have to let people develop their own interpretation on this survey as Redet did it professionally," he said.

But Prof Mwesiga Baregu described the findings as 'a very interesting report which reveals the actual political situation in the country'.

"What we are seeing here is that the popularity of the entire Government is coming into question, and it looks like Tanzanians are disappointed by the way their Government has been performing during the past two years," the political scientist said.

Prof Baregu said the Government's plummeting popularity as well as that of President Jakaya Kikwete was 'alarming'.

"In 2005, the President got an overwhelming mandate, polling over 80 per cent of all votes�in October, last year, Redet findings showed that his popularity was 67.4 per cent, and one year later it has dropped to 44.4 per cent.''

Tanzania Labour Party chairman Augustino Mrema challenged President Kikwete to tell Tanzanians what had caused the sharp decline in confidence that Tanzanians had in his Government.

He, however, said the development could be attributed to serious corruption allegations levelled against the Government in recent months.
Mr Mrema also said the President Kikwete's 'huge' Cabinet was a burden on the Head of State.

"President Kikwete is trying to push his development agenda, but his Cabinet is failing him you can't have a big Cabinet like this and expect it to deliver," he said.
Mr Mrema, who was a powerful deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs minister in former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi's government, said the Cabinet must be pruned to 'manageable levels' to make things go forward.

"This move should be accompanied by the appointment of ministers who have the integrity and credibility needed to serve this nation in a selfless manner."

Mr Mrema added that Tanzanians had lost confidence in Parliament because the august House had been reduced to a committee of the ruling party instead of being an institution that was there to serve public interests.

A political scientist from the Open University of Tanzania, Roida Andusamile, expressed her confidence in the President. She said: "To be honest, I have confidence in President Kikwete, but I doubt the credibility of some of his ministers�they are letting him down."

"Just take the example of the Ministry of Minerals and Energy it has become the source of all these problems. There are other ministries which have also lost their integrity and credibility," she added.

Ms Andusamile said the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau should be independent if the war on graft was to be won, adding that it was wrong for PCCB to be working under Government supervision.

"If PCCB is strong and effective, why do we have the Richmond Probe Committee or the Mining Review Committee?" she asked.
Reporting by Pius Rugonziba, Mkinga Mkinga and Samuel Kamndaya

 

[BAK]

Posted Date::12/6/2007
Baraza la Mawaziri mzigo kwa Kikwete
*Ashauriwa kulisafisha kabla mambo kuharibika

*Wapinzani wasema walimwambia hayo mapema

*Slaa achekea pembeni Bunge kuporomoka

*Asema ni onyo kwa wabunge wanaoikumbatia serikali


Na Waandishi Wetu
Mwananchi

VYAMA vya CUF, Chadema, TLP na NCCR-Mageuzi na wanazuoni, wamemtaka Rais Jakaya Kikwete kulivunja Baraza lake la Mawaziri na kuliunda upya kwa madai kwamba, limekuwa ni mzigo kwake katika kuboresha maisha ya Watanzania.

Ushauri huo umetolewa na vyama hivyo kwa nyakati tofauti jana, siku moja baada ya Mpango wa Utafiti na Elimu ya Demokrasia (Redet) wa Idara ya Sayansi ya Siasa na Utawala ya Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam (UDSM), kutangaza matokeo ya utafiti ilioufanya kuhusu utendaji kazi wa baraza hilo, Bunge na taasisi za serikali.

Katika ushauri huo, vyama hivyo vimemtaka Rais Kikwete kuunda upya baraza hilo likiwa na muundo mdogo wa wataalamu watakaoweza kumshauri vizuri katika utendaji wake wa kazi.

Mwenyekiti wa TLP, Augustine Mrema alisema Baraza la Mawaziri, ni kubwa mno hali ambayo alidai inawezekana hata rais mwenyewe hawajui mawaziri wote kwa majina.

Tangu mwanzo alipoliunda, tulimwambia kuwa baraza hili ni kubwa na hawezi kulidhibiti. Lakini hakutusikia. Sasa, afadhali wananchi wenyewe wamesema kwa rais. Cha kufanya, ni kulivunja na kuliunda upya katika muundo mdogo wa wataalamu ambao wataweza kumsaidia katika utendaji wake,� alisema Mrema na kuongeza kuwa:

"Ni vigumu kwa rais aliyeingia madarakani kwa vishindo kwa asilimia 81 ya kura ndani ya miaka miwili anaporomoka hadi kufikia asilimia 44.4 ya wanaoridhika naye," alisema Mrema.

Alisema kutokubalika kwa mawaziri wa serikali Rais Kikwete, ni ishara kuwa hata yeye akae chonjo kwani Baraza la Mawaziri, ni serikali, hivyo, hali hiyo itamuweka katika wakati mgumu wakati wa Uchaguzi Mkuu wa mwaka 2010.

Naye Katibu Mwenezi wa NCCR-Mageuzi, Joseph Selasini alisema taarifa ya Redet si kitu kipya, lakini akasema kuwa huenda itamsaidia rais kuelewa maoni halisi ya Watanzania kuhusu utendaji wake kuliko kudanganywa na viongozi wake.

Selasini alisema tangu mwanzo Baraza la Mawaziri lilipoundwa, halikuonyesha kuwa lingemsaidia rais katika kunyanyua hali za maisha ya Watanzania.

Baraza la Mawaziri la Rais Kikwete ni kubwa na la kishkaji tu lililolenga kulipa hisani kwa wanamtandao ambao walimsaidia kuingia madarakani wakati wa kampeni za uchaguzi Mkuu,� alidai Selasini.

Mkurugenzi wa Haki za Binadamu na Mahusiano na Umma wa CUF, Mbaralah Maharagande alisema matokeo ya utafiti wa Redet, yameonyesha uhalisia zaidi kuliko yalivyokuwa yakionyesha katika nyakati za kampeni ambayo yalikuwa yakichanganywa na mikono ya kisiasa.

Maharagande alisema Baraza la Mawaziri, ni kubwa mno wakati hakuna ulazima wa kuwa na baraza lenye mawaziri 60 kwa nchi maskini kama Tanzania kwani kulihudumia kwake kunahitaji fedha nyingi.

Kutokana na hali hiyo, alisema suluhisho pekee la kuporomoka kwa utendaji kazi wa Baraza la Mawaziri, ni kwa Rais Kikwete kulivunja na kuunda baraza jipya ambalo litakuwa na muundo mdogo na lenye wataalamu litakalomwezesha Waziri Mkuu kufanya nalo kazi kwa urahisi zaidi.

Kuhusu kwamba, Watanzania bado wana imani na Rais Kikwete, Maharagande alisema waliotoa maoni hayo, wanajidanganya akidai kwamba, rais ndiye Mwenyekiti wa Baraza la Mawaziri, hivyo, haiwezekani kumtenganisha na baraza lake kwa kumfanya kuwa mtukufu na kuwafanya wengine kuwa wabaya.

Katibu Mkuu wa Chadema, Dk Willibrod Slaa, alisema amefarijika na matokeo ya utafiti huo kwani ni ukweli usiopingika kuwa katika kipindi cha miaka miwili ya uongozi wa serikali ya Rais Kikwete, umaarufu wake pamoja na wa serikali yake, umeporomoka.

Dk Slaa ambaye pia ni Mbunge wa Karatu (Chadema), alisema hali hiyo inatokana na serikali kutosikiliza matatizo ya wananchi na kwa hiyo, kwa sasa inavuna ilichopanda.

Alisema pia amefurahishwa na matokeo ya utafiti huo kuonyesha kuporomoka kwa Bunge kwani wabunge wengi wamekuwa wakifanya kazi na serikali, kitendo ambacho kimeonyesha kuwachukiza wananchi.

"Ukweli umedhihiri. Sasa kama Rais Kikwete anasikiliza maoni ya wananchi, avunje Baraza la Mawaaziri," alisema Dk Slaa.

Naye Mtaaalamu wa Masuala ya Siasa na Uongozi wa UDSM, Dk Benson Bana, alisema serikali ina jukumu la kujipanga upya ili kurejesha imani yake kwa wananchi.

Akizungumza na Mwananchi kwa njia ya simu, Dk Bana alisema matokeo ya utafiti huo, ni funzo kwa serikali, hivyo, iwapo inataka kurejesha imani hiyo ni lazima yawepo masahihisho ya wazi yatakayowaridhisha wananchi.

Hayo ni maoni ya wananchi, suala muhimu kwa serikali kwa sasa ni kuyapitia kwa makini na kuyafanyia kazi kwa haraka kabla mambo hayajaharibika zaidi, mabadiliko yaliyopo kwenye taarifa ya utafiti wa mwaka jana na wa mwaka huu ni makubwa, hali hii si nzuri kiutawala, alisema Dk Bana.

Aliongeza kuwa vyombo vikuu vya utendaji ndivyo vinavyokutana kila siku na wananchi na vinatakiwa kuwa mkombozi, hivyo suala la wananchi kupoteza imani na vyombo hivyo inaashiria kutotendewa haki, hivyo kupoteza matumaini yao kwavyo.

Alisema katika kurejesha imani hiyo, ni vyema Mawaziri na wakuu wa Vyombo vikuu vya Utendaji vya serikali vinavyoonyesha udhaifu wakiwajibishwa, kwa kuwa kuendelea kuwakumbatia kutasababisha kuzidi kuporomoka kwa utendaji na kuathiri zaidi uhusiano wa vyombo hivyo na wananchi.

Tukubali kuwa kuna milima na mabonde, lakini kwa hali ilivyo milima inaonekana kukua siku hadi siku, kuna vizingiti hapa, inavyoonekana serikali haitakiwi kuendelea kukaa kimya, ni vyema iyafanyie kazi maoni hayo ya wananchi, haiwezi kukaa kimya halafu ikategemea miujiza,� alisisitiza Dk Bana.

Imeandaliwa na Salim Said, MUM, Tausi Mbowe, Andrew Msechu na Muhibu Said.

 

[Mpaka Kieleweke]

Wananchi sasa wameanza kuona na kusema ukweli juu ya serikali ya JK kama wao wataendelea kufanya propaganda shauri yao kwani hilo litawaumiza wao wenyewe.

JK has to take actions now,

 

[Koba]

hapo Bush angekuambia sifanyi kazi kwa opinion polls...next question!

 

[Idimi]

Ikumbukwe kwamba ni kura hizi hizi za maoni walizozitumia na Profesa Mkandala mwaka 2005 kuinyanyua sisiemu, sema tu kuwa huu wa sasa ni upande wa 2 wa shilingiile ile baada ya miaka miwili. Ni chungu lakini dawa, waimeze tu. Hakuna jinsi!

 

[Gembe]

Wananchi sasa wameanza kuona na kusema ukweli juu ya serikali ya JK kama wao wataendelea kufanya propaganda shauri yao kwani hilo litawaumiza wao wenyewe.

JK has to take actions now,

tafakari chukua hatua.2010 si mabali!

 

[Rwabugiri]

Ikumbukwe kwamba ni kura hizi hizi za maoni walizozitumia na Profesa Mkandala mwaka 2005 kuinyanyua sisiemu, sema tu kuwa huu wa sasa ni upande wa 2 wa shilingiile ile baada ya miaka miwili. Ni chungu lakini dawa, waimeze tu. Hakuna jinsi!

Yes Idimi,
Hapa CCM (aka chama cha mafisadi) ndipo wanapo shangaza! leo hii wanatoka na tamko la kupinga repoti ya REDETI, lakini ilipo pika data na kuwanyanyua haaaaa... hadi juzi tu baada ya kutangaza fisadi mwenye yanga, bado walitoka kifua mbele kusema chama chao kinakubarika na kuinukuu redeti hii hii ambayo sasa wanaona haikufanya utafiti vyema??

Tena hapo redti imejitahidi kweli kuipolish repoti yake ndo ikatoka hivo, je wangeitoa ile halisia??

Kalaghabaho!

 

[Pdidy]

Halisi Kwani Mukandala Apoteze Kitumbua Chake:::::::::jamani
Hawa Dawa Ni Kuwaweka Mikononi Mwa Mungu Tu Kibinadau Ni Ngumu