AfricaPress-Tanzania: HARDWORK and commitment to issues of national interest are among the key reasons on why Kassim Majaliwa was re-appointed the Prime Minister of Tanzania, Members of Parliament (MPs) and analysts say.
Mr Majaliwa, Member of Parliament for Ruangwa constituency in Lindi Region, was appointed by President John Magufuli on Thuursday before his name was endorsed by lawmakers to serve the seat for the next five years.
MPs heaped praises on Kassim Majaliwa’s re-appointment as Prime Minister on Thursday, highlighting that he had exhibited “total, unshakeable confidence and valuable quality” to do a great job.
Speaking shortly after the Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai revealed the presidential decree, the MPs, majority from the ruling CCM gave a whirlwind of supportive comments, saying the Ruangwa MP is “best fit” the position of premier for additional five years.
“He has the qualities to execute the vision of the president,” said David Silinde (Tunduma, CCM).
“Majaliwa, who had held the post between 2015 and 2020, helped unite parliamentarians regardless of their political backgrounds. He holds qualities of good leadership and helped ease presidential duties,” added the Tunduma lawmaker.
According to some legislators, the re-appointment of Majaliwa did not come as a surprise.
“We had high expectation he will be re-appointed,” said Special Seats MP Fakharia Shomari Khamis (CCM).
She detailed that the Mr Majaliwa has unshakable confidence to do a great job. Citing some official visits across the country as part of his performance during his first term as premier, Ms Khamis said Mr Majaliwa had worked with all classes.
Salma Kikwete (Mchinga, CCM) and January Makamba (Bumbuli, CCM) showered praises to President John Magufuli for re-appointing Mr Majaliwa, noting that the premier who received 100 per cent approval from the lawmakers had endless details of good qualifications.
He is tolerant, respectful and humble, said Mama Kikwete, the ex-First Lady-turned politician in the National Assembly. She believes Premier Majaliwa has been able to face tough responsibilities and will do much greater duties for his second term as Prime Minister.
Giving their comments, the lawmakers also said the president had shown confidence in the premier. They acknowledged that he is responsive, humble, just and hardworking. They said he will handle his position fairly.
Isimani MP Wiliam Lukuvi (CCM), who served as Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development in Dr Magufuli’s first term, explained that the two leaders, President Magufuli and Majaliwa, had matched having managed to help push forward the country’s development agenda.
According to Mr Lukuvi, the premier outperformed majority’s expectations when he was first appointed in 2015.
“Without hypocrisy, Majaliwa has done great things,” Mr Lukuvi said. He received similar sentiment from George Mkuchika (Newala-Urban, CCM) who said Mr Majaliwa helped revive the country’s economy, especially putting much emphasis in improving underperforming cash crops such as cashew nuts, cotton and sisal.
Mr Mkuchika noted that the premier’s field trips across the country helped understand the country’s problems and advised the president on the best approach to address the problems.
Several analysts also commended Dr Magufuli for his decision to re-appoint Mr Majaliwa as Prime Minister, describing him as a hardworking person and patriot to the development of the country.
“This wasn’t a surprise to me, as I expected Mr Majaliwa to be reappointed to serve the seat again, basing on his record and performance he demonstrated for the past five years,” Dr Lucas Kisasa, a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam told the ‘Daily News’.
According to him, Mr Majaliwa is also a good listener, responsible and all the decisions he makes are bold with greater impact for the country’s interest.
Mr Majaliwa was first elected to Parliament from Ruangwa constituency in the 2010 General Election on CCM ticket; he was Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) from 2010 to 2015.
Dr Kisasa’s views were supported by a lecturer at the University of Dodoma (Udom), Dr Paul Loisulie, who said Mr Majaliwa is a hard working person with a strong commitment to seeing the country’s progress.
“He also managed to cope with the philosophy and speed that President Magufuli is on to; as a result, it was obvious that the head of State would maintain Mr Majaliwa for the next five years,” he said.
“As the chief minister, Mr Majaliwa has managed to oversee public funded projects across the country as a result of the improvement of service delivery to all people from grassroots level,” he added.
Speaking shortly in the parliament after his endorsement, Mr Majaliwa pledged to work closely with all members of the parliament regardless of the minimal representation of the opposition parties.
Mr Majaliwa also appreciated the support that he had received for the past five years, assuring to continue with the same working spirit for the sake of bringing development in the country.
“I’m thankful for the trust that this house has shown me, this is the debt that I will have to pay back by working hard putting forward the greater interest of our country and its people,” he noted.
