BARELY a day after President John Magufuli unveiled his line-up of new permanent secretaries and their deputies, his appointments has received a massive vote of confidence from a cross-section of analysts, members of civil society organisations and the general public.
In separate interviews with the ‘Daily
News’, the majority of those interviewed said the president had
considered professionalism and gender balance without leaving aside a
group of people with disabilities.
University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM)
Lecturer of Political Science and Public Administration Richard Mbunda
said looking at Dr Magufuli’s team; one would not doubt that he
appointed experienced and professional high profile personalities who
were able to effectively and efficiently discharge their duties.
“For example, Dr Laurian Ndumbaro, who
has been appointed Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office, Public
Service and Good Governance, was a lecturer in our department. We know
him as an expert in public service and that he will surely deliver,’’ he
said.
According to the lecturer, in the
previous governments, many people, regardless of their professions, were
being attached to ministries that required expertise but Dr Magufuli
observed sobriety when preparing his team.
“He has made sure that there was gender
threshold -- and for the first time in our nation and considering people
with disabilities, he has appointed Mr Amon Mpanju as Deputy Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs. Mr Mpanju
is a visually-impaired person.
Dr Magufuli completed his high-profiled
appointments on Wednesday evening, retaining Ambassador Ombeni Sefue as
Chief Secretary (CS).
The president also appointed Mr Eliakim
Maswi as Acting Deputy Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue
Authority (TRA) while at the same time revoking the appointment of Mr
Lusekelo Mwaseba as the revenue body’s Deputy Commissioner General. Open
University of Tanzania (OUT) Lecturer Emmanuel Mallya remarked: “For
the first time, we have seen a president appointing the best team.
Therefore, those who have been appointed
should work hard to ensure that they do not let down the Head of
State’’. The OUT lecturer insisted that Dr Magufuli had considered
people who are educated enough to lead their various ministries and that
there is no doubt that they will deliver.
UDSM Lecturer of Political Science and
Public Administration, Mr Bashiru Ally, noted that for the first time,
Dr Magufuli has appointed more than one permanent secretary to the same
ministry; a move that he said was somehow confusing because one may fail
to understand who will be giving directives to the other.
“It is a good move, however; provided
that they will deliver accordingly because some ministries that were
independent in the previous administration have been merged,’’ he said
adding:
“For example in the previous government,
the Ministry of Agriculture and that of Livestock and Fisheries
Development were separate but they have been now merged and in my view,
it is fair to have two permanent secretaries in one ministry provided
that they will deliver and achieve to the president’s expectations.’’
The National Coordinator of the Tanzania
Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said
the president has appointed keen and capable people. He insisted that
such high appointment should avoid selection on the basis of friendship
but should rather focus on the best candidates who will be able to
deliver the required goods.
Mr Olengurumwa punched holes on the
appointment of Mr Eliakim Maswi as Acting TRA Deputy Commissioner
General, considering the fact that the former Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Energy and Minerals had been suspended over the Tegeta
Escrow scam.
However, Mr Maswi was later cleared of
any wrongdoing following the outcome of an investigation. The Chairman
of the CEOs Roundtable, Mr Ali Mufuruki, hailed the appointments,
wishing the new team success in their day-to-day operations
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