AfricaPress-Tanzania: TWO members of parliament of the main opposition party CHADEMA have ditched it over what they termed as violation of MPs rights by its leaders.
The announcement by the duo comes hardly four days after Kilombero MP on Chadema ticket, Mr Peter Lijualikali, accused its Chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe, of violating the party’s constitution.
Susan Masele and Joyce Sokombi, both special seats MPs, announced the move on Friday, noting that they would join NCCR Mageuzi at the end of the ongoing Bunge meeting.
“When this 11thBunge meeting comes to an end, we will collaborate with the NCCR women to work for the nation,” said Ms Masele, noting that they made the decision after the party failed to obey and observe justice among MPs and other members.
Ms Masele mentioned some of the reasons as lack of adherence to the party’s rules, lack of democracy and transparency in the party’s financial resources.
“Every month we, special seats MPs, contribute 1.5m/- each to the party, meaning that every MP has contributed 62m/- up to now, making a total of 2.2bn/-for all the 37 MPs,” she said,adding despite having contributed the money, MPs are not allowed to question the expenditure of the contributed money.
She also mentioned other reasons for ditching the party as unfair expulsion of fellow MPs, sexual harassments targeting female Chadema women MPs, among others.
Last week, CHADEMA Chairman Freeman Mbowe expelled four chadema MPs, namely Anthony Komu (Moshi Rural), Joseph Selasini (Rombo), David Silinde (Momba), and Wilfred Rwakatare (Bukoba Urban) without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves.
However, Mr Komu and Mr Selasini had already announced that they would leave the party immediately after the Parliament is dissolved on May 29, this year.
It marks the deepest division in the main opposition party in recent years as the quartet lawmakers ignored the chairman’s order to boycott the ongoing parliamentary sessions in fear of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only four days ago, Mr Lijualikali spilled the beans in Parliament, exposing malpractices masterminded by Mr Mbowe.
Speaking while tears streaming down his cheeks, Mr Lijualikali said it was sad that despite loving the opposition party, its leadership despised him for allegedly not being very valuable.
While contributing in Parliament Mr Lijualikali said he had been degraded, disregarded, even as his money was being chopped off by CHADEMA to contribute for the existence of the party.
According to him, he started his career five years ago when he had only six million, but the salary allowances that he was receiving was being chopped by his party, as all elected MPs were forced to make monthly contributions of 500,000/- to the party from their salaries but without being allowed to question its expenditure.
He told the House that he was ready, if the House Speaker gave him an opportunity, to decamp to the ruling CCM even if he could become a sweeper in the party’s offices.
