CHAMA Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has no plans to muzzle some of its outspoken members of parliament (MPs), President Jakaya Kikwete (pictured) said yesterday. Fielding questions from the public during a special programme last night, President Kikwete said there was more transparency within and outside in the National Assembly and the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
He said CCM legislators were also free to express their views on matters of national interests, including condemnation of graft, embezzlement of public property and other evils in the society.
The president, however, expressed concern over what he described as mistrust among some MPs in the ruling party, saying the trend was worrisome and needed to be rectified.
He said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Central Committee (CC), met in Dodoma recently to deliberate on the political situation in the country, including some controversial remarks by some legislators in the two legislative houses.
Mr Kikwete explained that there were heated debates during NEC and CC meetings in Dodoma, but the sessions ended well.
He said former presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Benjamin William Mkapa and a seasoned politician, Mr Abdulrahman Kinana, were assigned to conduct a thorough assessment of the party and present a report on the situation to NEC at a later date.
“Much as we are encouraging transparency and freedom of expression, the legislators must act responsibly by presenting constructive criticism and avoiding remarks that may end up sowing seeds of discord,” he said.
“Some legislators, for example, suggested dissolution of the Union, claiming that it is a form of daylight robbery, while others said it is a new type of colonialism. Such remarks are unhealthy and dangerous,” he observed.
Mr Kikwete also encouraged CCM legislators and other leaders to use party forums to express their discontentment, instead of using newspapers and other media that were prone to misinterpretation.
He said CCM leaders and its governments were always ready to listen and find solutions, where there were genuine problems.
“We are ready and willing to hear from the people about our mistakes or what we have failed to deliver, so that we can do better,” he further explained. Mr Kikwete, who is also the CCM National Chairman, dismissed claims that there was rift in the party.
Daily News
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