KIKWETE APPOINTS MPS JUST THREE MONTHS BEFORE HOUSE IS DISSOLVED

President Jakaya Kikwete

President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday appointed two  Members of Parliament for the United Republic of Tanzania bringing the number of appointed MPs to ten, the maximum the President is allowed to appoint.

 

A statement circulated to the media by the Directorate of Presidential Communications said the President has appointed Dr Grace Khwaya Puja and Innocent Sebba.

 

The statement says the President has made the appointment in accordance to the power vested in him by the country’s Mother Law Article 66 (I) (e) that allows him ten appointments. 

 

The previous eight are Prof Makame Mnyaa Mbarawa, Prof Sospeter Mwijarubi Muhongo, Dr Asha Rose Migiro, Janet Zebedayo Mbene, Saada Salum Mkuya, Zakhia Hamdani Meghji, Shamsi Vuai Nahodha and James Fransis Mbatia.

 

Commenting, Dr Ally Bashiru of the University of Dar es Salaam – Political Science Department – said if it is provided in the constitution, there is no problem with the new appointments but insisted that “…the issue of giving powers to the President to appoint MPs should not be contained in the new Constitution.”

 

“With the multi-party system there is no need to give powers to the President to appoint MPs,” he said.

 

“This is because the authority at times does so based on personal and political reasons,” he told The Guardian yesterday.

 

Saint Augustine University of Tanzania don Prof Mwesiga Baregu, was of the view that; “As much as this is a Constitution matter, there is no need for the President to appoint more MPs since there are only three months before the Parliament is dissolved.”

 

“It is obvious that the newly appointed MPs won’t have time to contribute much by the end of the three months,” said Baregu (Chadema).

 

Patmos Charles a resident of Morogoro was of the view that : “If you consider the remaining time – three months – before the Parliament is dissolved, there is no need for the appointment, it would be better that their salaries be channeled to buying more agricultural inputs or medicines for the hospitals. These two new MPs will automatically get pension for serving only three months, this is unfair,” said the concerned citizen.

 

Defending the appointment, the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Secretary for Ideology and Publicity Nape Nauye said: “Even if there is only one day before the Parliament is dissolved there is no problem with the President appointing MPs provided it is in line with the Mother Law.”

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN