Escrow nightmare not over for PM, Muhongo

Ubungo MP John Mnyika addresses a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | SALIM SHAO

Dar es Salaam. The Tegeta escrow account nightmare is not yet over for Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and Energy and Minerals minister Sospeter Muhongo after an opposition MP said yesterday that he plans to table a private motion seeking to oust the premier.

Mr John Mnyika told a news conference in Dar es Salaam that he had prepared a raft of private motions, including one proposing a vote of no confidence in Mr Pinda, ahead of the next parliamentary sitting in Dodoma later this month.

The revelation by the Ubungo MP, who is also the Shadow Minister for Energy and Minerals, comes amid sustained pressure by activists and a section of politicians, who want Prof Muhongo to either resign or be sacked.

The Chadema politician said another motion he would line up during the sitting starting on January 27 would seek the postponement of the referendum on the Proposed Constitution scheduled for April 30 to a later date after the October General Election.

He added that the third motion would seek to compel the government to implement all resolutions on the Tegeta escrow account controversy as passed by Parliament last November.

“I have submitted the three motions to the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly so that they can be included in Parliament’s schedule of business for the next sitting,” Mr Mnyika said at Chadema headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

Mr Pinda almost faced a vote of no confidence in 2012 when MPs Deo Filikunjombe and Zitto Kabwe gathered enough signatures to table a private motion seeking to oust the premier.

He, however, survived to fight another and averted an imminent collapse of the cabinet when four ministers agreed to step down to take responsibility for serious allegations of dereliction of duty levelled against their dockets.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Mnyika’s bid would get solid support among MPs from the ruling CCM, who were split by the escrow account saga.

Mr Mnyika said yesterday that his intention was to rally other MPs’ support to make sure the government was serious in addressing problems bothering the people.

His stand, which is echoed by some MPs within the ruling party, is that Mr Pinda has failed to show effective leadership, particularly on matters that put the government’s credibility at stake.

“I will table a motion seeking a vote of no confidence against the prime minister…we will pick an influential MP to assist us in collecting signatures.  We want to see this government acting and responding to people’s problems,” Mr Mnyika said.

On the referendum, he said the time remaining before the vote was too short for all eligible voters to be registered and Tanzanians to prepare for the ballot.

“There isn’t enough time to register voters.  It would make more sense for the referendum to take place after the General Election.  MPs should reject the President’s directives on the referendum, which should be rescheduled so that the National Electoral Commission can register voters before the October General Election.

“This argument is based on the agreement between the President and members of the Tanzania Centre for Democracy that the referendum should take place after the General Election,” Mr Mnyika said.

Meanwhile political commentators and opposition MPs have cautioned President Jakaya Kikwete that any attempt to protect Prof Muhongo was unacceptable.

Parliament resolved last year that four top government officials, including Prof Muhongo, be sacked over the Tegeta escrow account saga, but the minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying there is no reason for him to step down.

High-profile casualties of the scandal so far are Mr Frederick Werema, who resigned as attorney general on December 16, and Prof Anna Tibaijuka, who was sacked as the minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development a few days later.  Energy and Minerals Permanent Secretary Eliakim Maswi has been suspended, pending an in-depth investigation into the controversy.

Ruaha University College lecturer Gaudence Mpangala told The Citizen that failure to discipline Professor Muhongo could turn into a political liability for the ruling party ahead of this year’s General Election.

“The situation is already complicated…the President should act now, otherwise he will be setting a wrong precedent. It will be proof that the government lacks political will to tackle corruption in the country,” he said.

“Tanzanians are no fools. Patience has its limits, and when the people are fed up, they could take matters into their own hands,” Prof Mpangala said.

Legal and Human Rights Centre Executive Director Hellen Kijo-Bisimba said it was unfortunate that there were people who were going out of their way to distance Prof Muhongo from the escrow scandal.

“Muhongo’s case was supposed to have been decided the same day Prof Tibaijuka was sacked, but the President has remained silent and some people are using the opportunity to try to shift the public’s attention elsewhere as well as exonerate Muhongo,” she said.

Dr Kijo-Bisimba said people who were implicated along with Prof Muhongo had either resigned or been sacked, adding that it was illogical that the minister was still in office.

“The government might like Muhongo, but he has to go…he was at the very centre of the scandal.”

Public Accounts Committee chairperson Zitto Kabwe said it was only a matter of time before Prof Muhongo was removed since the President had repeatedly told Tanzanians that he would implement all parliamentary resolutions.

“It’s obvious the President can’t afford to have Muhongo in the Cabinet when Parliament convenes for its next sitting.  I’m sure the President will act,” he said.

Kigoma South MP David Kafulila, who has been vocal about the scandal both inside and outside Parliament, said MPs would pass a vote of no confidence against the prime minister if the minister would still be around when Parliament meets again.

“When we were passing the resolutions on the Tegeta escrow account scandal, people were watching us as carefully and enthusiastically as they would a World Cup football match.  We won’t betray this trust and let Tanzanians down,” he said.

Prof Muhongo was adversely mentioned in Parliament as having lied to the House by stating that the money in the escrow account was not public funds.

Parliament noted that were it not for Prof Muhongo’s failure to verify certain issues, his ministry would have prevented Pan African Power Solutions from accessing the money