The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Rodgers Luhwago
26 June 2008
The chairman of the parliamentary select committee on the Richmond scandal yesterday denounced attempts by some MPs to undermine its recommendations and challenged Parliament to nullify the report.
Dr Harrison Mwakyembe took the tough stance in the National Assembly in Dodoma, incensed by the apparent criticism of the report on the floor of the august House.
The Kyela MP said that some of his colleagues had been trying to defend individuals implicated in the scam, in which the Government lost $172 million (Sh223.7 billion) in a suspect emergency energy generating contract, claiming that Parliament did not do justice to them.
Speaking emotionally, Dr Mwakyembe said that to clear the matter before the public, Parliament may have to annul Sections 53 and 54 of the Parliamentary Standing Orders that bar MPs from going back to issues already decided by the House so that the report can be discussed afresh.
"Honourable chairperson, there are some MPs who have been technically criticising the decisions reached by this august House after the committee tabled the report and even trying to cleanse individuals involved in the matter," Dr Mwakyembe told an attentive National Assembly.
Said he: "Tanzanians are not fools If we think justice was not done, let's annul those sections in the Standing Orders so that MPs can again deliberate on the report."
On February 6, the select committee stunned the National Assembly as well as the entire nation when it implicated former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa in the controversial $172 million (Sh223.7 billion) Richmond Development Corporation contract.
Mr Lowassa became the first Prime Minister to be implicated by a parliamentary committee in any fraudulent deal since independence 47 years ago.
Other big shots who were forced to resign from their posts over the multi-billion shilling scandal that rocked the Kikwete Government were the then East African Affairs minister, Dr Ibrahim Msabaha, and Mr Nazir Karamagi, who held the Energy and Minerals portfolio.
Dr Msabaha was the minister for Energy and Minerals when the controversial deal was sealed in early 2006.
He was later transferred to the ministry of East African Affairs, paving the way for Mr Karamagi to head the portfolio.
The Mwakyembe committee also concluded that the Government was "conned" by Richmond through what it described as forged documents showing it had the backing of a leading US company, Pratt & Whitney.
Yesterday, contributing to the 2008/2009 the Prime Minister's office (PMO) budget speech, Dr Mwakyembe said it was "amazing" to see that some MPs from the same Parliament that passed the Richmond resolutions, have taken a new stance, defending those implicated in the report.
Dr Mwakyembe, who was recently admitted to Tumaini Hospital in Dar es Salaam, after he was taken ill in Parliament, said if it would be proved that the committee did not do justice, then all its members would resign from their parliamentary seats.
"We cannot be speaking about Richmond every day in this House and in the Press.
We are grown-ups If it will be proved that we didn't do justice to the affected individuals when we presented the report to Parliament, we as members of the committee will resign from our parliamentary seats," Dr Mwakyembe said.
The other committee members were Special Seats MP (CCM Nominated) Stella Manyanya, Nzega MP Lucas Selelii, Muheza MP (CCM) Herbert Mntangi and Mkanyageni MP (CUF) Mohammed Habib Mnyaa.
Dr Mwakyembe also challenged individuals implicated in the scandal to resign from the parliamentary seats if it will be confirmed that the committee did not err in its decision.
"Some of us here have been trying to cleanse people affected by the decisions reached by Parliament," he said.
If the matter was sent back to the House for fresh deliberations, he said, the "MPs who did not get an opportunity to say what they are saying now will get the chance to speak what they have in mind now with regard to the report and the decisions reached.
"If this matter comes back into this House for fresh deliberations, we as members of the committee, will also get the chance to say what we didn't say last time just to protect integrity of the Government," he told the House.
The chairperson of the session, Ms Jenister Mhagama (CCM- Peramiho), and the other MPs followed his contribution attentively.
There have been reports that some individuals implicated in the Richmond scandal are now waging war against members of the select committee and Speaker Samwel Sitta on what is described as a plan of revenge for their political downfall.
Before contributing to the budget debate, Dr Mwakyembe allayed the public fear over the status of his health, saying that he was fine.
He also thanked those who prayed for his quick recovery.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
I commend Dr Mwakyembe and the strong stand he has taken on these orchestrated attempts to undermine the Bunge's decisions on the Richmond Fraud. He is a true leader and TZ is fortunate to have such a patriotic son willing to stand up to his corrupt and immoral colleagues using Parliament as a personal tool to 're-write history' Thank you Mwakyembe, you have given your colleagues the options they have to open upb the debate on Richmond in line with the Bunge procedures and try and reverse the decisions taken. We await with anticipation to see which MP will propose… [Read Full Text]