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MPs fault govt over handling of grand corruption culprits
2008-07-01 10:43:29
By Hannah Mwandoloma, Dodoma
The government has been asked to uphold principles of good governance by taking legal action against public officials implicated in corruption regardless of their positions.
Contributing to budget estimates debate for the President`s Office (Public Service Management, and Good Governance) yesterday, shadow minister Grace Kiwelu (Special Seats-Chadema) said legal action should not discriminate culprits according to their positions in government.
``The scandals regarding the Richmond power generating contract and the External Payment Account (EPA) of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) have shown weaknesses in good governance because those implicated have not been taken to court while ordinary wananchi suspected of stealing chickens are thrown in jails,`` said Kiwelu.
Kiwelu said the EPA scam had divided the country into two groups - one demanding serious disciplinary measures against people implicated in the scandal and those who defend the culprits.
She said the opposition did not see the reason why the government should plead with criminals to return stolen money which belongs to the state while there was a law on the matter.
Wilson Masilingi (Muleba South-CCM) said the gravity of corruption allegations should not make state organs act differently against those involved, adding that one who took a thousand shillings as bribe in order to stop doing what was right could cause as much damage as one who stole billions of money.
Contributing to the corruption issue, Dr Zainab Gama (Kibaha Urban-CCM) urged the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to make a follow-up whenever they got tips about corruption.
``You might treat such reports as gossip, but in most cases they turn out to be true. I ask you to investigate when people volunteer to give you information, or even when you just hear people complain over certain issues,`` she said.
Kigoma North MP Zitto Kabwe (Chadema) said there was confusion in the PCCB management system, something that brought a big challenge to their duties.
``Those who work in districts do not get cooperation from their leaders, and if there is no teamwork in an organ that is charged with the prevention of corruption, how can a country succeed in fighting it?`` he wondered.
Earlier on, when presenting her ministry`s budget estimates for the 2008/2009 financial year, Minister of State in the President`s Office (Public Service Management) Hawa Ghasia said that PCCB would continue to investigate 1,888 existing allegations and that priority would be given to grand corruption in big contracts, government expenditure and other allegations.
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