By Zitto Kabwe
Our Parliament
For the last two weeks there has been a fierce debate on allowances given to members of parliament fuelled by recent revelations by two leading dailies Mwananchi and The Citizen. The revelations were first denied by the Clerk of the National Assembly but later in a swift move confirmed by the Speaker.
Members of Parliament herein referred as MPs are entitled to various allowances in conducting their affairs. According to the National Assembly administration act these are subsistence allowance, travel allowances, constituency allowance and for those holding parliamentary portfolios a responsibility allowance.
Sitting allowance is paid to MPs everyday he or she attends a committee meeting or parliamentary debate. However this allowance is not mentioned in the law. Currently an MP receives TZS 70,000 ($40) a day as sitting allowance.
A member of Parliament in Tanzania receives a monthly salary as a renumeration for the legislative, representative and oversight role he or she does. On top of that he or she is paid for sitting! Sounds ridiculous for sure.
During the 5th session of Parliament which ended in November 2011, MPs lobbied for an increase in allowances claiming that costs of living have skyrocketed. MPs are paid per diem to cover costs of living, but in an interesting move the Parliamentary service commission passed a resolution to increase a sitting allowance to TZS 200,000 ($130) a day.
Sitting allowance doesn't address the challenge of cost of living, it is subsistence allowance that is pegged to costs of living. I asked one of my colleague who serves in the Parliamenatary Service Commission about this and she said, per diem applies to all civil servants so an increment to it would mean an increment to all civil servants so it must be avoided. And they did avoid and went ahead directing The Clerk to effect new rates.
The Clerk refused as the law requires that the President of the United Republic approve the new increment in writing. Hence the divided stand between the Clerk and the Speaker. When the news reached investigative and news hungry editors of the media the difference between them was all out and the public outcry was huge.
The President hasnt approved the new increment so far, some credible sources say that Speaker didn't even attempt to send the requests to the President. The Parliamentary Service Commission met over the weekend and revoked their proposal.
Media has played its role and the public won. A senior parliamentary staff told me the other day, that the whole matter was a hoax. MPs pressured the Speaker to increase allowances and even threatened her that she will be relieved from her post.
Speaker in turn pressured the Clerk to pay new rates contrary to the laws and regulations. Public through media pressured both of them and the President did not dare increase the sitting allowances rate. So far the public has won.
Is it a temporary victory? Definitely yes.
The highest prize is scrapping sitting allowances regime altogether. Paying an MP for sitting isn't justified. The public, NGOs/civil society organisations and the media should campaign towards this to the very end. The allowances culture is killing our Nation as it misdirect public funds from public investments to current spending.
It kills our working culture as public office holders keep attending meeting after meeting to earn sitting allowances instead of working.
Our country faces mountain of challenges, it requires us to work and create an enabling environment for economic activities that create jobs, add value to our produce, increase our exports, produce more food and generate more electricity. Otherwise no one will call us a nation.
Scrap sitting allowances, create jobs to the people.
Hatimaye nguvu ya umma imeshinda tena kwa kishindo, mimi napongeza sana huu utandawazi....mambo yanaanikwa wazi na kwa haraka sana. Basi ni vyema tukautumia huu utandawazi kujikomboa dhidi ya hawa watu wasio na uchungu na nchi hii. Tumewaona na tunawasubiri kwenye uchaguzi mkuu 2015. Lazima tuwawajibishe. Wapepatwa na aibu.
ReplyDeleteThanks brother, I real appreciate if at all there is a good will behind the opinion.
ReplyDeleteMnyonge myongeni na chake chukueniii....that's how bitter it sound to be a regular mwanachi, mpiga kura, na mlalahoi. THE MAJORITY CITIZENS...
ReplyDeleteMsikae mdanganya watu kwa kuondoa sitting allowance. Hayo marupurupu yanasaidia watu kuongeza mboga nyumbani. Mishahara ya kibongo kwa sekta ya serikali ni midogo sana haitoshi hata kula chakula chenye lishe iliyotimia. Wafanyakazi wengi ni wezi tena wanaiba kwa kushirikiana ndio maana hakamatwi mtu. Ughaibuni hakuna sitting allowance kwa sababu mishahara yao ni mikubwa inatosha kununua nyumba, gari, nguo, na kwenda holiday.
ReplyDeleteNchi ina jila yenyewe muandishi ume zidi tufungua masikio lakini baadhi ya watu hukuwatendea haki tafadhali watendee haki wa akina maimuna nao wasome hiyo waone nchi inavyoliwa na hao wizi wa fadhilia
ReplyDeleteBrother Zitto.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have just said is very true. However, the country seems to be in a very bad scenario of crossroads of which the Fisadis are running the show at the expense of the have-nots!
Can I request your party to sit and form a task-force to think and present to the people solutions to end all scenarios which are at cross roads including lack of jobs, corruption, allowances, infrastructure, affordable housing etc.
Well Wisher
Waw? That is an informative piece of work, keep it up Zitto!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good piece, but as noted by an anonymous 07:01:00 it may well have an even more impact if it can be read and understook by all, in Swahili, u need a bigger audience for this sort of argument (good argument) to get support.
ReplyDeletemchangiaji uliyesema mh Zitto hajawatendea haki akina Maimuna,unamaanisha nini? kwanini usiseme hajawatendea haki akina Anna?
ReplyDeletenapenda sana viongozi kama zitto wenye uwezo wa kujitokeza hadharani na kutoa misimamo yao, tunahitaji kelele za pamoja kuondokana na hizi posho si kwa wabunge tu bali hata taasisi zingine na jamii kuishi katika utamaduni huo
ReplyDeleteuncle mwambie jamaa aiandike kwa lugha ya taifa ili habari iwafikie watanzania wote tuwe wazalendo na lugha yetu ni hayo tu............
ReplyDeletenapenda sana viongozi kama zitto wenye uwezo wa kujitokeza hadharani na kutoa misimamo yao, tunahitaji kelele za pamoja kuondokana na hizi posho si kwa wabunge tu bali hata taasisi zingine na jamii kuishi katika utamaduni huo
ReplyDeletemchangiaji uliyesema mh Zitto hajawatendea haki akina Maimuna,unamaanisha nini? kwanini usiseme hajawatendea haki akina Anna?
ReplyDeleteHUYU ANONY NAFIKIRI AMEZALIWA JANA.HOJA YA MAJINA SIO ISSUE HAPA.
Nice of u Zitto. Anyway!talking about all the shit that is happening in our country gonna cost u a lot of calories. Kwa mtizamo tu, hayo ndo madhara ya kupeleka std 7 bungen, eti ndo waichallenge govt, ndo watutungie sheria, ndo watutetee na mbaya zaidi ni maskini wa fikra na kipato. Tunachoona sisi ni watu kulala bungeni, na wale walio macho ni kupigana vijembe, kususia vikao then chukua allowance yako, beba malaya au watoto wa CBE, UDOM nenda club 84 au Maisha club wait for another day to come. Kwa sisi tunaoishi Dom ndo tunayoshuhudia. Kuna vijana ambao wako very constructive but everything is naked for all to see. Vijana wanashindwa soma, then you spend 64 bn kuadhimisha failures tulizonazo, you cant think kwamba tuna watu wa maana katika higher positions za kufanya maamuzi.
ReplyDeletemcangiaji wa 08:28 Am usiwe na udini sana.Aliyetumia jina kina maimuna hakuwa ni nia mbaya, hii ilitokana na tangazo la miaka ile la hakielimu maimuna alikuwa haelewi kingereza. i hope so. Big Up Mh. Zitto.
ReplyDeleteNapenda kumjibu ananymous wa NNE kutoka juu, anaesema mishahara ya kibongo hususani serikalini ni midogo hivyo marupurupu yanasaidia kununua mboga.
ReplyDeleteJibu moja kwa wafanyakazi wa serikali( I do not mean to offend anyone here), tambueni kuwa unapofanya kazi kwa bidii ina maana uzalizhaji utaongezeka na hii direct itakuwa ina positive impact into your income.
Tatizo serikalini, uwazi usiofichika kuna uzembe wa hali ya juu katika sekta zake nyingi. Mtu akiingia ofisini, mpaka aaanze kazi masaa kadhaa yamepita. Atakunywa chai, atapiga porojo, atasoma gazeti mara saa 4 imefika...saatano na nusu anainuka eti anaende lunch akirudi anashika magazeti tena halafu saa 8 eti siku imeisha. Sasa kwa mtaji huu hela ya kukuongezea wewe mshahara itatoka wapi???..Kazi hufanyi unataka hela? This is total nonsense.
Watanzania tujitafakari na tufanye kazi. Tusiwe wanafiki, sehemu zenye uzembe zinajulika wazi, kwa nini hatuzikemei??? Tunaishi kwa kulindana, tunalindana kwa faida ya nani???
Wote tufungue macho na tukifikirie kizazi kijacho , tupunguze usaniii.
Ni pale tutakapotambua wajibu ndivyo tutakavyosonga mbele.
Sio siri marupurupu, posho zimeharibu nchi yetu kwa kiwango kikubwa. Tuachane na hii dhana na tufanye kazi ili tusonge mbele.
Hamjiulizi kwa nini private sectors zina ufanisi wa hali ya juu. Kwenye hizi sector muda wa kazi hauchezewi ovyo2, na kila mtu anajua anapofanya kazi kwa bidii mwishowe ineleta positive impact kwenye income zao.
Big Up Zitto, uwazi wa hivi ndio muhimu kwa maendeleo ya taifa.
dawa ni kila mbunge kudumu kwa vipindi viwili kisheria.wengi wao wataacha kujijengea himaya za kifisadi kama hii ya kuongeza posho.
ReplyDeletekatiba mpya inakuja, Ubunge lazima uwe na kikomo chake kama ulivyo Urais na nafasi nyengine, labda itasaidia kupunguza ubinafsi na biasha ya siasa.
ReplyDeletelazima wahusika wawajibishwe kama wao wabunge wanavyo wasakama wenzao, na haya yametokea karibuni katika vikao vya Bunge vilivyopita.
Sharia ni Msumeno, nyuma mbele kata.
Suala la posho sawa. Lakini tuende mbali zaidi na kuchambua maslahi mengine ya wabunge kama mikopo nk. Je, hatuwezi kupunguza na huko? Hawa watu wanapata mikopo mikubwa sana, wakati huyo huo wanasema wanatetea wananchi!
ReplyDeletekweli kabisa miaka kumi (10)inatosha kuiba na kuku sanya utakachobarikiwa.
ReplyDeleteSitting allowance is standard. Kwa umaskini wetu bila hizo nch itasimama. Tusidanganyane kabisa. Serikali haina uwezo wa kulipa watu mishahara yao.. kwahio kupunguza maumivi itabidi tu allowances ziwepo maana hizo hazina budget.
ReplyDeleteKiujumla Mheshimiwa Zitto kama kawaida anasema kupata pointi but ukweli ni huo. Huwezi kuondoa allowances bila kuja na alternative na hio sio eti watu wafanye kazi kuzalisha zaidi.
Tukubaliana na hali ya maisha na tutafute solution za ukweli..sio za kuscore points kisiasa.