Our MPs ought to keep election-time promises

By Editor

 Members of Parliament face a challenging task in fulfilling their core and at times conflicting responsibilities within government and society. They are expected to provide a voice for the people for example represent their constituents' interests and views within the national government.

 

They are also expected to provide services to improve lives and livelihoods within their constituencies. In addition, MPs are expected to legislate that is draft and enact new laws, and amend and improve existing laws. And finally,

 

MPs are expected to provide oversight of the executive branch of government  the President, the Cabinet and the government bureaucracy).

 

Tanzanians want their voices to be heard, and expect their MPs to listen to them and represent their views in the National Assembly in accordance with the principles of popular sovereignty. 

 

Now that President John Pombe Magufuli has finally appointed Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa as Prime Minister and that the Parliament has endorsed his name, all is set now for the august House to conduct business for a term of five years.  

 

We have seen in the past that at times it was difficult for Members of Parliament to provide checks and balances on presidential power.

 

It has been reported that population growth of the country is now at 2.7 per cent a year  and is said to be one of the fastest in the world. 

 

Adding 1.2 million people per annum, the country’s population grows ever younger. This means that the country will witness an  increased number  of underemployed, and unsatisfied youth if measures are not taken. 

 

All political parties must have witnessed during the election campaign how the youth were eager to know their representatives will now tackle the unemployment problem.

 

Tanzania’s impressive economic growth in the last decade has failed to translate into meaningful improvements in human development, according to many experts.

 

The common assumption that economic growth would “trickle down” to all groups of society has failed to materialise. 

 

To enhance human development an economic transformation has to comprehensively produce greater wealth that fulfils individual and collective needs by expanding human capabilities. 

 

While economic growth does increase wealth, it often fails to share wealth equally among society.

 

Increasing employment opportunities and higher wages for those in work is thus necessary for an inclusive and poverty reducing economic transformation.

 

The Tanzanian agricultural sector has grown at a low 4.3 per cent in average over the last decade. This means that the agricultural productivity has been consistently low for many years. 

 

Correspondingly, the methods of agricultural production remain largely unaltered: agriculture still occurs mainly on smallholder farms that rely on family labour. 

 

Moreover, the use of technological inputs remains remarkably low compared to other countries. For example while Tanzania uses an average of 9 kilogrammes of fertilizer per hectare, Malawi uses 27 kilogrammes and China even 279 kilogrammes. 

 

We bank on parliamentarians to assist President John Magufuli in his endevours to transform Tanzania into a prosperous country.

 

As Tanzanians now wait for the President to name the Cabinet many academics and political analysts have expressed optimism that President Magufuli will appoint a versatile cabinet able to realise people’s expectation. Let us give him a helping hand.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN