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Pinda discusses TICTS, Richmond
2008-05-13 09:28:16
By Guardian Reporters
Prime Minister Pinda, in his first three months in office, met media editors for the first time yesterday in Dar es Salaam and dwelt on a number of issues.
``I have spent these three months to acquaint myself with the new position to which I had been appointed. I am now better placed to carry out my work,`` he said.
Among the issues touched on by the Prime Minister, were the implementation of recommendations made by the House Select Committee on the Richmond power generation contract, the Dar container terminal lease contract of TICTS, reception of leaders who resigned after being implicated in bribery scandals and alleged heckling of former President Benjamin Mkapa.
The most revealing aspect was the fact that the government had owned up to the fact that the TICTS contract was lopsided.
``The Government has already given notice to TICTS for terminating the contract in the year 2010 and the remaining two-year contract period would be pegged to performance.``
He said the government had come to the conclusion that the 15-year extension of the TICTS contract after 2010 was wrong, and had notified TICTS to that effect.
``The government has rejected the 15-year TICTS contract extension. We have said no. We said we have to go back to the original terms of contract,`` said Pinda.
``The two parties to the contract (TICTS and the government) are now discussing the agreement,`` he added.
On the Richmond now Dowans contract, the Premier said they had already started implementing the various recommendations of the Bunge Select Committee.
He said the government had appointed a committee of experts to review the contract with a view of terminating it, an area he said the government had to tread carefully.
He said it was next to impossible to terminate the contract just like that in spite of numerous shortcomings spotted by the parliamentary watchdog.
``We cannot simply revoke the contract. There are steps to be followed before terminating it,`` said the Prime Minister.
``The responsible ministry has been tasked to study the performance of Dowans, the possibility of terminating the contract and its implications. If termination of the agreement will have huge repercussions, they will come back to the government to seek our advice,`` said Pinda.
He said it was the government that would make a final decision on how to face the implications of contract termination.
Speaking about bad contracts, the Prime Minister said one way of protecting national interests when negotiating major contracts was to appoint ad hoc committees of experts to review the proposed contracts, identify loopholes and make recommendations to the relevant ministries.
``The ministries would then forward their own recommen
dations and those of the independent ad hoc committee to the Attorney General`s Office for further processing until when the proposals would be presented to the cabinet for a final decision,`` the PM said.
On the alleged arrest of persons who had heckled former President Benjamin Mkapa, the Prime Minister said he was not aware that it ever took place, but said in his view, if such incident really occurred, it should not be condoned because the retired president was still entitled to his basic rights and respect as a former head of state.
He said if people had grievances of any sort, there were legal procedures to be followed.
On grand receptions accorded to leaders implicated in major corruption scandals, the PM said the situation arose because the people in the villages, as they were so far away, had no proper information on the circumstances which prompted to the resignation of those leaders.
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