Sitta seeks another stint as National Assembly Speaker

Dar es Salaam. Former Speaker of the National Assembly Samuel Sitta declared yesterday that he will vie for the seat again.

Mr Sitta, who led Parliament from 2005 to 2010, became the first high-ranking CCM member to declare his candidacy for the position following the October 25 General Election.

Mr Sitta’s spokesman, Mr John Dotto, said the former Urambo East MP believed that he still had the ability, energy and experience to lead the august House again.

“Mr Sitta believes that the competence and exceptional ability he showed when he was in charge of the 9th Parliament between 2005 and 2010 will work in his favour when MPs elect the new speaker,” he said.

Mr Dotto added that Mr Sitta was confident that he was the right person for the post following the election of Dr John Magufuli as Tanzania’s fifth president.

Mr Sitta’s entrance in the race is likely to intensify muted campaigns and intra-party canvassing ahead of the speaker’s election in Dodoma next week.

When he was the Speaker in 2008, a parliamentary committee implicated the then Prime Minister, Mr Edward Lowassa, in the Richmond scandal, leading to his exit from government along with two Cabinet ministers. This prompted President Jakaya Kikwete to dissolve the Cabinet and appoint a new one.

Mr Sitta, who was also the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, becomes the first high-profile politician to declare his intention to vie for Parliament’s hot seat.

Some political analysts, politicians and academicians who spoke to The Citizen yesterday said what the nation wants was an impartial speaker who would make Parliament effective in holding the government to account.

They said the next speaker should put national interests first instead of fronting and protecting the interests of his or her party, adding that the task ahead was not easy when the makeup of the incoming parliament was taken into consideration.

University of Dar es Salaam lecturer Zacharia Malima said the next speaker must be neutral when overseeing parliamentary business.

Kigamboni MP-elect Faustine Ndugulile (CCM) said the next speaker should strive to ensure that Parliament effectively performs its role of keeping the government on its toes. “We need a speaker who will steadfastly safeguard the interests of Parliament and, by extension, the people. We need a speaker who will stop at nothing to ensure that Parliament performs its noble duty of supervising the government. He or she should do this without fear of favour,” Dr Ndugulile said.

Bunda Urban MP-elect Ester Bulaya (Chadema) said Tanzanians want a non-partisan speaker, who will not cave in to pressure by political parties and other external forces.

“If the new speaker decides to favour CCM and the government, as has always been the case, then he or she will be in trouble because this time around things have changed. The majority of incoming MPs know that they will be in Parliament to represent their people, not narrow partisan interests,” she said.

Ms Bulaya, who defected to Chadema from CCM in July, added that many former MPs had a tough time when campaigning, with voters accusing them of abandoning them and representing their parties instead. “It won’t be business as usual in the 11th Parliament. We have learnt a painful lesson and are not ready to repeat mistakes made in the last five years,” the former CCM Special Seats MP said.

University of Dodoma lecturer Paul Loisulie said the next speaker should not be conservative, and must instead be ready to embrace change both inside and outside parliament.

“MPs must not be allowed to use Parliament as a platform on which to fight for the interests of their parties or the government. It is a place where Tanzanians’ collective interests should come first,” he said.

The next speaker will succeed Ms Anne Makinda, who led Parliament for five years from 2010.

Previous speakers were Chief Adam Sapi Mkwawa (1964-1973; 1975-1994), Chief Erasto Mang’enya (1973-1975), Mr Pius Msekwa (1994-2005) and Mr Samuel Sitta (2005-2010).