Mr Ndugai issued the warning, yesterday,
just few minutes after the Parliament passed a resolution to forgive
three opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) who were convicted of using
abusive and indecent language to the Speaker by the Parliamentary
Immunities, Powers and Privileges Committee.
The House further let off the hook the
Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Paul Makonda and Arumeru
District Commissioner (DC), Alexander Mnyeti who were summoned by the
Committee after they issued abusive language against the law makers.
The MPs who were forgiven are: Hai
legislator and leader of the official Opposition in Parliament, Freeman
Mbowe; Bunda MP, Esther Bulaya and the Kawe legislator, Halima Mdee, all
of them on Chadema ticket.
Parliamentarians suggested that the
three MPs, the Dar es Salaam RC and Arumeru DC be forgiven because they
had asked for forgiveness after they were summoned to appear before the
Parliamentary Committee for interrogation after issuing derogatory
statement against the Speaker as well as behaving in a manner that
disrupted National Assembly proceedings.
Presenting the Parliamentary Immunities,
Powers and Privileges Committee’s report on the blatant disregard of
the respect of the House, the Committee’s Deputy Chairman, Almas Maige,
said it had proved beyond reasonable doubt, after gathering enough
evidence that the three MPs and two presidential appointees were guilty.
However, the Committee said Mr Mbowe and Ms Bulaya were forgiven after
they pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness and so do the two
presidential appointees.
The Committee had suggested that Ms Mdee
be suspended from attending all the remaining parliamentary budget
sessions, because she kept on committing the same mistakes although she
had already been punished for such errors.
But, during their contributions, prior
to the endorsement of the Committee’s recommendations, virtually all MPs
pleaded to the Speaker of the National Assembly that the Kawe MP be
forgiven and later voted in her favour.
In their contributions MPs Joseph
Selasini (Rombo - Chadema), Kangi Lugola (Mwibara - CCM), Peter
Serukamba (Kigoma North -CCM) and Hawa Ghasia (Mtwara Rural - CCM)
supported the move to forgive Ms Mdee. But the Minister of State in the
Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour,
Employment, Youth and Disabled, Jenister Mhagama moved a motion to make
partial amendments on the resolution to ban Ms Mdee from attending the
remaining parliamentary sessions.
“I suggest that Ms Mdee be forgiven
under a condition that should she repeat the same mistake in Parliament,
her punishment should be implemented by the Speaker without subjecting
her to the Parliamentary Committee for interrogation,’’ she moved. All
MPs gave a nod to the Minister’s motion and they agreed that the Kawe
lawmaker be left to continue attending the remaining sessions.
However, her Bunda counterpart was given
a warning despite being forgiven. “Ms Bulaya will be served with a
warning letter as it has been suggested by the Committee,’’ said the
House Speaker.
Mr Ndugai, who visibly spoke with quite
an unusual tone to send a message to MPs that he was angry, came out
strongly yesterday that there will be no more business as usual,
insisting that he will not tolerate MPs who are issuing derogative
statements in Parliament.
“I support you in that we forgive the
MPs, who were quizzed by my Committee, but I want to state clearly that
in future I won’t tolerate them because we can’t continue that way,” he
stressed.
He further warned Parliament employees
who were writing speeches for the opposition to use decent language,
otherwise they risk losing their jobs. “You should remember that my
office is paying your salaries, even if you work from the opposition
offices … I am surprised to see you writing speeches that are accusing
me senselessly,’’ he added.
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