THE National Assembly has described the decision by Kigoma Urban legislator Zitto Kabwe to request the World Bank to postpone the approval of a $500million (1.5trl/-) education loan to the government as an act of “betrayal” to his nation.
The House has accordingly directed the Attorney General, Professor Adelardus Kilangi to see if there is an element of criminality in the MP’s unpatriotic decision, as it equally asked the immigration department to weigh and decide as to whether he deserves to own the Tanzanian passport or not.
The decision came on Friday after the morning’s question and answer session after Siha Member of Parliament, Dr Godwin Mollel requested the speaker’s guidance, by requesting that the scheduled business in the House be postponed temporarily to allow MPs to debate and decide what steps should be taken against the outspoken Kigoma Urban legislator.
Mr Kabwe who doubles as the leader of the opposition ACTWazalendo was quoted by the foreign media to have written to the Bretton Woods Institution to delay the education sector loan until pregnant girls were allowed to go back to school.
He also said that the loan should be postponed because this year, the country is scheduled to hold the next General Election, alleging that the money was likely to be misallocated.
Following the request by the Siha MP on Friday, National Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai agreed that business in the House be suspended for a while after the MPs motion received support from majority of lawmakers.
In their debate, MPs became bitter over the decision by Mr Kabwe with majority of them describing him as a traitor who lacks even a grain of patriotism for his country.
“What Mr Kabwe did was purely unpatriotic, and I don’t think if he really deserves to continue possessing the passport of our country,’’ said nominated MP Abdallah Bulembo.
Ileje MP Janeth Mbene (CCM) said Mr Kabwe was not well guided by his brains and that what he did was purely against the country’s interest.
“Mr Zitto has been very smart in doctoring facts in order to suit his own interests”, she remarked.
Chembe MP Juma Nkamia went further to describe Mr Kabwe’s action as ‘political prostitution’.
But Mbozi MP, David Silinde (CHADEMA) advised that it was not proper to punish the Kigoma Urban MP until the government issued a statement in the House regarding what was going on between the government and WB.
