MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) yesterday passed a resolution against Controller and Auditor General (CAG) Mussa Assad, threatening the job of the public finances overseer.
Majority MPs overwhelmingly approved the proposal by the Parliamentary Privileges, Ethics and Powers Committee against working with the current CAG.
The Committee Chairman Emmanuel Mwakasaka, presenting the committee findings in the house, vowed that the august House will never work with Prof Assad, after proving beyond reasonable doubt that he had issued utterances that humiliated and tarnished the house image.
He was tabling the committee’s report after House Speaker Job Ndugai ordered the committee to probe Prof Assad’s remarks during his interview with a New York based radio station where he described the Tanzanian parliament as weak.
A frosty relationship between Prof Assad and the legislature started when the CAG appeared for the interview with the UN Kiswahili Service, claiming that his institution prepares audit reports which are supposed to be worked on by the parliament but quickly pointed out that there were weaknesses in handling the reports.
“If we produce reports–and no action is taken–to me, that’s the weakness of the parliament…I believe it is a challenge that should be worked on, the parliament is failing to effectively exercise its responsibilities,” Prof Assad reportedly said.
The CAG’s sentiments didn’t go down well with the house speaker who summoned him to appear before the parliamentary committee for intensive grilling to substantiate his claims.
The committee chairman told the house here yesterday that Prof Assad admitted before his committee that he issued the remarks and didn’t regret to have humiliated the house, saying the word “weakness” was normal in audit language, insisting that he will continue using the expression as per his profession.
“Prof Assad should understand that he was not speaking to accountants or auditors alone but the entire world, his defence therefore didn’t convince my committee,’’ said Mr c.
The committee proposed against continued working relationship between Prof Assad and the parliament, arguing that his statement had tarnished the house image and MPs will no longer accord him any working collaboration.
Legislators on CCM ticket overwhelmingly backed the proposal, which was strongly disapproved by opposition MPs during the debate. However, during voting to approve the resolution, majority lawmakers voted in favour of the proposal.
But, the resolution whose passing Deputy Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson presided over leaves unanswered questions as to who will table the CAG report for the year ending June 30, 2018.
Already, Prof Assad has submitted his audit reports to President John Magufuli. He was expected to table the same documents in the national assembly any time after the budget session kick off yesterday.
Now that the parliament has rejected Prof Assad, for MPs to receive the audit reports, the CAG may resign to pave way for the president to appoint his replacement because the president has no powers to revoke his appointment.
