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House Speaker wants `errant` MP counselled
2007-04-11 08:40:33
By Juma Thomas, Dodoma
The National Assembly will entertain no more debate on the saga involving Mkuranga legislatorAdam Malima and IPP Executive Chairman Reginald Mengi, House Speaker Samuel Sitta declared here yesterday.
He went on to ask House members to help their “ill-advised” Mkuranga colleague in whatever way they could.
“We have had enough of it.
This issue is now closed and I will not talk to journalists about it any more.
I also do not expect any MP to discuss it any further because I believe all legislators and members of the public are now sufficiently aware as to who is protecting democracy in the House and who is not,” the Speaker told a hushed House.
Last year, Malima claimed in the National Assembly that Mengi had been giving himself more airtime on his television station (Independent Television - ITV) than was given to the President and other government leaders.
The allegations prompted the IPP Executive Chairman to lodge official complaints with the House, asking that the MP substantiate his charges.
The Speaker subsequently forwarded Mengi`s complaints to the Parliamentary Privileges, Ethics and Powers Committee, which later ruled that Malima had lied to and therefore misled the House.
But in what was widely viewed as a conciliatory stance, a diplomatic Sitta later pleaded with Malima and Mengi to meet him in Dar es Salaam at a time convenient to all for an amicable resolution of their differences.
But yesterday the Speaker reported that Malima had flatly refused to meet Mengi and have their differences ironed out.
Sitta said that on February 27, this year he asked House Clerk Damian Foka to contact the MP so that they could agree on the modalities of going about the issue before they could involve Mengi.
“Foka called Malima and the MP agreed that he would come to my office on March 7, at 11.00 am. I eagerly waited for him. At about 11.40 am Malima called me saying he would come in the afternoon.
I stayed in the office waiting for him until 5 pm but he did not turn up,” explained the Speaker, adding that the next day they tried to reach the MP but his cellular phone was switched off.
“But I came to learn much later that he had already written a letter to Chama Cha Mapinduzi Secretary General Yusuf Makamba on the same issue,” said Sitta, adding: “Later Malima wrote a letter to me as well.
I would not like to go into the details of that letter, but I can only say that it left me a hugely disappointed man.”
The Speaker noted that the House Standing Orders gives three options of dealing with legislators flouting parliamentary rules - “the likes of Malima” - but in his wisdom he was convinced that the best way was to ignore the Mkuranga lawmaker.
“Parliament is a very powerful institution, and I believe that even merely ignoring Malima is enough.
I am sure that until now society knows what kind of a Speaker I am,” said Sitta, who was without his trademark jovial mood.
He went on: “We have been elected to help the President; let us help him.
Our people have no water and lack various other social services. Let us discuss ways to help them out.
Society will not understand us if we waste our precious time debating this issue.
“We have already spent a whopping 100m/- on this Malima-Mengi saga. I am disappointed with Malima because all that was awaited was for him to apologise to Mengi.”
In a solemn conclusive note, the Speaker said: “I would urge you MPs to help this young man. He is a nice man but I believe he was ill advised on this issue.
We should not punish him. Let us all help him. He needs counseling.”
As the words sank in, the Mkuranga MP could be seen wearing a reserved smile.
Special Seats legislator Halima Mdee had earlier expressed her intention to move a private motion on the saga but the Speaker asked her to exercise patience, saying he would rule on the matter after a while.
Malima refused to comment on the issue yesterday and would not even say whether he would continue seeking the ruling party’s intervention or not.
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