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Firing Ballali positive move, says CUF
2008-01-14 09:02:08
By Guardian Reporter
The opposition Civil United Front (CUF) hs described the decision by President Jakaya Kikwete to fire Bank of Tanzania (BoT) governor Daudi Ballali as a positive move in ending high-profile graft in public offices.
CUF secretary general Maalim Seif Hamad said on Friday that the decision has restored public confidence in the president`s determination to discipline officials involved in grand corruption and massive embezzlement of public resources.
Hamad said in a press statement that he personally commended the president for acting tough on the long-awaited and much-talked about scam, which he said was deeply-rooted in government circles.
The opposition leader asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the Attorney General to speedily conclude their investigations as directed by the president and take appropriate action against officials implicated in the scam.
CUF urged President Kikwete to press ahead and continue pinning down corrupt officials involved in the BoT scam and others found embezzling national resources elsewhere.
``The crackdown should spare nobody, regardless of status, position or prominence,`` he said.
``CUF will continue supporting Kikwete`s long-term endeavours to rescue the country`s resources and instill discipline in the public sector,`` said Hamad.
The opposition party expressed special appreciation to the opposition leader in Parliament, Hamad Rashid Mohamed, for his boldness and aggressiveness in helping the government uncover corrupt practices and related social ills to protect interests of Tanzanians.
``I hope, the government will continue to cooperate with the opposition camp to protect the interests of the people regardless of political inclination and ideological differences,`` CUF leader commented.
He called on the general public to cooperate with members of Parliament, opposition parties and the government to uncover people bent on siphoning national coffers.
``If possible, you should come out with relevant evidence to prove these allegations and accusations. CUF is ready to extend a helping hand to the Parliament, government, and patriotic individuals to clean-up our country from corruption,`` Hamad said.
Meanwhile, a local non-governmental organization involved in governance, Centre for Governance and Development in Tanzania (CEGODETA), has praised President Jakaya Kikwete for the measures against all those suspected for their involvement in Bank of Tanzania (BOT) External Payments Accounts (EPA) scam.
The Executive Chairman of CEGODETA, Thomas Ngawaiya, expressed shock over the alleged loss of over 133bn/- from EPA involving 22 companies.
Ngawaiya has advised law enforcers to extend its investigation to Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA) and other banks.
``The concerned companies collaborated with their bankers during their financial transactions with BoT after obtaining certificates of registration and licenses from BRELA,`` observed Ngawaiya.
He said the investigation should begin with BRELA regarding authenticity of the companies involved in the EPA scam.
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