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Dropped ministers speak as others sworn in
2008-02-14 11:08:34
By Bilham Kimati and Angel Navuri
The new cabinet was sworn-in yesterday during a colourful ceremony officiated by President Jakaya Kikwete at Chamwino State House on the outskirts of Dodoma.
The first minister to be sworn-in was Mohamed Seif Khatib, minister of State, Vice President`s Office (Union Affairs), who stepped on the red carpet, walked confidently towards the podium, received the oath document on his left hand and the Holly Quran on his right hand.
He was followed by 25 other ministers and 20 deputy ministers. One deputy minister, Ezekiel Maige, was absent for reasons that were not given.
The new ministers for Livestock Development and Fisheries, John Pombe Magufuli and Minister of State in the Prime Minister`s Office Stephen Wassira, were cheered by the audience, inviting a broad smile from the President.
The Guardian also interviewed some of the ex-ministers who were not reappointed after the cabinet had been dissolved.
Dr. Juma Ngasongwa, former minister for Economy Planning and Empowerment, recalled the time he was forced to resign in 1996 when serving as minister for Natural Resources and Tourism after the Warioba Commission allegedly accused him of violating the law by granting hunting permits to foreign professional hunters.
“Being an economist and regional planner, I will now have more time to engage in other activities, including teaching in higher learning institutions if necessary,” he said.
Ritta Mlaki, former deputy minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development said the President had done the right thing to cut down the number of ministries in order to increase efficiency.
She said Tanzania had built a culture of shared leadership, adding that it was proper to give others the opportunity to make their contributions to the nation in their varied capacities.
Asked to comment on any difficult moment that she would not forget, Mlaki said: “Some bureaucratic procedures hampered my determination to realize national objectives. I took personal initiatives to make sure that more than 3,000 villages were surveyed. In fact, I needed to do more but I experienced some hurdles,” said Mlaki, without clarifying.
She said there was always time to work closely with voters in her constituency. “But this time around, I will have more time to work closely with my people in Kawe constituency”, she said.
Zakia Meghji former finance minister appeared in a jovial mood, hugging friends and relatives.
She said the fact that she was not appointed by the President in the new cabinet had nothing to do with the ongoing Central Bank investigation.
“The President has appointed the right team. I believe I will continue working for the nation with fellow legislators,” Meghji said.
Joseph Mungai, immediate former minister for Home Affairs, said he became minister for Agriculture the first time in 1972. “By then I was the youngest minister.
I was only 28,” he said, adding, “I have served this nation in various capacities including minister for Education, Agriculture, Home Affairs and as regional commissioner,”
He said he would not forget the time he was compelled to resign in 1982 following a Parliamentary debate, when he was accused of being behind hiked sugar prices.
``Since December last year, I indicated my ambition to retire. Just after the President had dissolved the cabinet, I asked him to exempt me from a ministerial post,`` said Mungai.
However, he was proud of the achievements recorded in the education sector through Primary and Secondary Education Development Programme-which he pioneered-that opened doors for more pupils to have the opportunity to go to school.
The former minister for Livestock Development, Anthony Diallo said he had also asked the President to relieve him of his duties so that he could run his businesses.
He said his intention was to improve the performance of the media and supervise his other projects.
Diallo owns a radio and TV station and a newspaper.
``Being left out of the cabinet does not imply that I had made any blunder.
I want to concentrate on my business more closely in compliance with leadership ethics which demand separation of politics from business,” Diallo said.
Zabein Mhita, former deputy ministry of Natural resources and Tourism appeared calm and said she was not at all offended by the President’s choice.
Abdisalam Khatibu, the former deputy minister of Finance, said he had served the nation in the third and fourth phase governments and had left the office without being implicated in any scam.
``I asked the President to exempt me from cabinet work so as to allow me work with my electorate and push on with development issues,`` he told The Guardian.
Andrew Chenge, who was reinstated as minister for
Infrastructure said he honoured the decision made by the President and was prepared to serve the nation, adding that the idea of his resignation was not the issue.
``I am prepared to continue serving this nation in this capacity (minister for Infrastructure). I cannot stop helping the President and resign on the basis of gossip,`` said Chenge.
The Speaker of the National Assembly Samwel Sitta said he was proud of the degree of maturity shown by the entire government, adding he believed the newly sworn-in ministers would work diligently to avoid such a complicated situation that transpired in the recent past, leading to resignation of the former Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa.
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