AfricaPress-Tanzania: NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai yesterday condemned Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament, Freeman Mbowe’s disrespectful behaviour towards the President and his office.
Mr Ndugai expressed dismay over the Chadema national chairman Mbowe’s ill-bred attitude and strongly implored him to stop acting mischievously and insolently against the Head of State.
He said Mbowe’s impromptu speech in response to President John Magufuli’s national address on his government measures to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact was uncalled-for.
The President is the Head of State, the speaker said. “He is our leader and his leader.
It’s good and it’s an honour and a pearl of great wisdom to respect him … he must give the President the opportunity to lead the nation,” the speaker said.
As an opposition leader, Mr Ndugai said Mbowe must look for the right time and opportunity to advise the government in which the parliament is his best platform.
President Magufuli addressed the nation on Sunday during which he cemented on the government’s measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.
He emphasized that lockdown wasn’t the best option for the country to fight the pandemic, saying the measure would restrict economic activities as well as the movement of people.
Immediately after his address during a Sunday service held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) Chato Parish in Geita region, Mr Mbowe spent much of his time challenging the government’s decisions.
The opposition leader appeared to commend other countries measures in which he cited Rwanda that had not recorded a Covid-19 related-death.
But Mr Ndugai rubbished off the claim, insisting no one should be blamed on the pandemic’s outcomes.
The speaker said death has been there before coronavirus and a sizable number of people are dying today, not because of coronavirus but other ailment and road accidents.
According to Mr Ndugai, imposing lockdown could paralyse the nation including affecting the planned general elections.
The Speaker said Mr Mbowe has been given sufficient privileges in the lawmaking body but he has often abused those privileges.
He noted, unlike other parliamentarians, Mr Mbowe was given an office, a senior office administrator, a driver, extra-allowance, a secretary, house and car to facilitate his activities.
“Unfortunately it remains to be the opposite,” he said, noting that the Hai legislator is a serial absconder of House sessions.
Mr Speaker urged the opposition leader to refrain from his dubious acts that include no-shows during parliamentary proceedings and blame games.
Mr Ndugai said it was on record that Mr Mbowe and other opposition MPs under his party have been voting against government’s proposals and decisions ever since he was elected a legislator.
“He bulldozes MPs regardless of matters that are suggested for their constituency … how we can sit down with this person whose ideas are crafted to oppose,” he said, wondering if the people vote for Mr Mbowe back to the House.
He went on accusing Mr Mbowe and his part of collecting over 5bn/- from Chadema parliamentarians in which the spending remains questionable.
He also asked Mr Mbowe to return over 2m/- he pocketed as an up-keeping allowance for MPs attending the ongoing parliamentary, budget sessions but he never attended after imposing what his party called self-isolation measure against the coronavirus.
In another development, the parliament has rescheduled the seating to end on June 19 instead of 29 this year after Finance Ministers from the East African Community (EAC) agreed to table their budget on June 11.
