Tanzania: Why Ndugai’s Downfall Was Inevitable

PUNDITS have issued mixed views over the resignation of the National Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai with some saying they saw it coming and he made the right decision.

Mr Ndugai yesterday tendered a resignation letter from his seat to the Secretary General of the ruling party CCM, Daniel Chongolo and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Nenelwa Mwihambi.

Commenting on the move, a lecturer of Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam, Prof Humphey Moshi said he wasn’t surprised with Mr Ndugai’s resignation.

“I saw it coming since he uttered statements that were unhealthy for the country based on his position in the parliament, country and his party, CCM,” he told the Daily News in a tele- phone interview yesterday.

Prof Moshi said, before uttering such, Mr Ndugai would have consulted economists and other experts on the financial sector for his speech to be free from errors.

“With his position, the Speaker was entitled to have assistants to help him prepare such a speech based on expertise and experience,” added Prof Moshi.

He further said, “Mr Ndugai erred and that stepping down from his position was a must.”

Elaborating, the senior lecturer expressed the optimism that the coming Speaker will be engaging experts before making any comments especially those of national interest. His views were seconded by the political analysts Goodluck Ng’ingo, who was of a view that suppose Mr Ndugai wouldn’t have resigned, then he would have been removed from the office by the Members of the Parliament through a vote of no confidence.

“There was no way that Mr Ndugai would have survived this, he blundered and he de- served to step down and leave the seat to another one person, who will create a good link with the government,” he said. According to Mr Ng’ingo, quarreling with the decision of the president in public was a clear indication that there was no mutual understanding between the head of the Legislature and the Executive.

He has the views that since the two pillars work together in executing development programmes, then it wasn’t easy for the executive to work with the legislature after losing confidence in him, yet he is in charge of the Parliamentary affairs.

The Speaker of the Parliament is one of the few top officials who have access to crucial meetings, which plan and supervise development plans.

“He sits in the Central Committee of the ruling party CCM, on top of that, he has access to talk to the President directly, he would have used such platforms instead of blasting the president publicly,” noted Mr Ng’ingo.

Expounding further, he said the coming speaker should first familiarize him/herself with the position and its sensitivity to the country, and make better use of the office for the interest of the country at large.

“The coming speaker should use the right channels to advise the president on different issues,” he urged.

However, the University of Dodoma lecturer Dr Paul Loisulie and Rachel Yusuph of the Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College (Tudarco) said Mr Ndugai’s decision has come unexpectedly since he had already apologised.

“I didn’t expect this since he had already apologised for the comments he issued recently,” said Dr Loisulie, whose comments were in line with what was said by Ms Rachel.

Earlier, there was pressure from the public including some Members of Parliament (MPs), politicians and religious leaders, suggesting that Speaker Ndugai step down for the greater inter- est of the country.

Some of the MPs who were pushing for Ndugai’s resignation are Livingstone Lusinde (Mvumi), Bishop Josephat Gwajima (Kawe) and Mrisho Gambo (Arusha Urban).

On different occasions, the MPs suggested that Mr Ndugai should resign for the sake of protecting his image as well as restoring the trust between the two pillars.

By  Daily News.