AfricaPress-Tanzania: CHADEMA Members of Parliament (MPs), have continued defying their chairman’s order to boycott parliamentary budget sessions for the second day, as some of them said it was improper to betray Tanzanians.
The decision sends shocking waves in the political stance of the country’s main opposition party as the next General Election scheduled for this year nears.
Rombo MP, Joseph Selasini said he was unaware of the party’s chairman, Freeman Mbowe’s directive.
However, Mr Selasini said the parliament is guided by standing orders and regulations and that other directives could not hold water.
“As opposition MPs, we are part of the parliament; We are not betrayers; We need to stay in the House, talk to the government so that our ideas can be heard and addressed,” he noted. He questioned the grounds for some Chadema MPs to boycott the sessions,” said Mr Selasini.
Moreover, in what appears to be yet another political rift within the political party, Momba MP David Silinde said yesterday that he had written to his party Chairman informing him of relinquishing his leadership positions within the party.
Last week, Mr Mbowe who is the leader of the opposition in Parliament and Hai MP cautioned CHADEMA legislators against attending the session as the country battles Covid-19 pandemic.
The opposition party chairman asked its lawmakers to stop attending sessions and isolate themselves after three MPs died of different causes.
Last month, the parliament announced that one MP had tested positive for the virus.
“We regret to continue receiving news of the deaths of Tanzanians caused by the Covid-19 infections,” Mr Mbowe said in a statement as he called on parliament to suspend its business for at least 21 days and test all MPs, parliament staff and their families.
“We believe more strict measures are needed to protect the lawmakers as well as the wider Tanzanians,” he said.
However, since Monday, over ten Chadema lawmakers continued attending Parliament’s budget session despite the party’s call for all its MPs to boycott the meetings in response to Covid-19 threats.
Mr Mbowe was however quoted by one of the English dailies on Tuesday as saying that the MPs had violated the party’s joint decision- and that the relevant party organs would discuss and decide on the issue accordingly.
“When it reaches that point, it is no longer an individual’s decision but rather the party’s decision,” Mr Mbowe was quoted as saying.
