More MPs appeal for Lowassa clearance.

Former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa.

In what seems to be a sustained move to clear former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, the Simanjiro Member of Parliament, Christopher Ole-Sendeka yesterday called for the government and parliament to recognise contributions of the immediate former premier in the fourth phase government.

 

Ole-Sendeka said while the current government gets praise and recognition, mainly by the ruling party members of parliament accomplishing most of the developments, it is important to remember what the former premier did.

 

“The former Prime Minister is part of the success mentioned here and we should not forget this” he told the parliament.

According to the Simanjiro MP, no one can dispute the great work that Lowassa did in his two years in office as prime minister.

 

Ole-Sendeka becomes the third Member of Parliament to publicly declare support for the former premier within one week since the budget session commenced.

 

On Wednesday the Kigoma-Urban Member of Parliament, Peter Serukamba (CCM) faulted the government’s decision to clear six former top officials for their involvement in the controversial Tegeta Escrow Account and the anti-poaching operation scandals.  

 

While he did not mention the former minister, he stressed that all other ministers who were forced to resign after parliamentary investigations, could have faced the same procedure.

 

He said the treatment must go back to the time when former PM Edward Lowassa and several ministers resigned over the Richmond scandal.

 

He said the trend of clearing others may send a signal that those who have not been cleared are dirty and thus they do not deserve to vie for positions in the coming general elections.

 

He accused the government of discrimination and added that the selective treatment meant there was a sinister motive for those not benefiting from the amnesty.

 

 The officials are former Energy and Minerals Permanent Secretary Eliakim Maswi and four ex-ministers - Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, who was manning the Defence ministry,  Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi (Home Affairs), Hamisi Kagasheki (Natural Resources and Tourism) and David Mathayo (Livestock and Fisheries) and Prof. Sospeter Muhongo (Energy and Minerals).

The former energy PS who was suspended last December for allegedly facilitating the payment, transfer and withdrawal of about 306bn/- from the Tegeta Escrow Account, the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) was early this month ‘cleared’ by a probe team formed by the government.

 

The government declared ‘clean’ the four ex-ministers who were forced to resign for their role in government anti-poaching operation christened ‘Operation Tokomeza Ujangili’ despite gross human rights abuses reported by a parliamentary select committee then.

 

Debating the Prime Minister’s budget estimates for 2015/16, the vividly irritated Serukamba demanded that another judicial inquiry committee should be set up to probe other scandals that have happened in the nation so as to ‘clear all government officials who were held accountable’.

 

The Kahama MP, James Lembeli who chaired the parliamentary enquiry team on operation tokomeza also blamed the government on what he termed dirty trick to cleanse some politicians.

 

He asked: “Why did the government fail to apply the same procedure on other people, including former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa?”