Dar es Salaam. Leaders from the opposition party, Chadema, said they do not recognise the decision by the Speaker of the National Assembly Anna Makinda to dissolve the Public Organisations Accounts Committee because it was taken contrary to Parliamentary Standing Orders. Speaking at a rally in the city yesterday upon returning from Dodoma Chadema leaders also said the dissolution of the Poac charged with overseeing the efficiency of the more than 200 public organizations, was a blow to accountability and war on corruption in the country.

Chadema Secretary General Dr Willibrod Slaa told thousands of supporters that the Ms Makinda ignored the standing order number 152 (3) that obliged her to consult the Parliamentary Standing Orders Committee before dissolving any committee.

“She did not make any consultations. She made a unilateral decision that contravenes Parliamentary orders. And as far as we are concerned the Poac still stands, until when the proper procedures will be followed,” Dr Slaa said. Dr Slaa also challenged Ms Makinda’s assertion that her decision to dissolve the committee was also based on the fact that no other country in the world had such kind of committee.

“She is lying.” Dr Slaa quipped. “I was part of MPs who travelled to Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Mauritius to learn how their public organization committees work.” Efforts to reach Madam Speaker for comments were futile as her cell phone was switched off.

But Zitto Kabwe a Chadema MP from Kigoma north, and who was the chairman of Poac said, in a statement he sent earlier to media houses, that all East African regions and other countries in the world following the Commonwealth Parliamentary system have committees that oversee the management and efficiency of public organizations.

“In Kenya and Uganda it is called Public Investments Committee and State Corporations Committee respectively. In India it is known as Public undertakings Committee. South Africa has even a Ministry of Public Enterprises,” Mr Zitto, who also attended yesterday rally said in the statement.

The Poac committee was dissolved when Ms Makinda performed a routine exercise, always done during the 10th Parliamentary meeting, of reconstituting Parliamentary committee, reshuffling members and appointing new chairmen to lead the committees.

In doing so Ms Makinda dissolved Poac, saying the Public Accounts Committee will take over its functions. Poac was created in 2008 upon a request by the controller and auditor general who warned of massive embezzlement in public organizations.

Tanzania has about 258 public organization that are worth Sh10 trillion.

Poac existed in the past when parastatals ran the centrally planned economy. As the government embarked on economic reforms public organizations were lined up for privatisation and the Poac was dissolved in 1997, according to Mr Zitto’s statement.

To oversee the privatization process the Parliament formed the Standing Committee on Parastatal Organisations (SCOPO), which was established upon the recreation of Poac in 2008.

“When we started working in the Poac we sadly discovered that public organizations were the centre of corruption and embezzlement by government officials.

Because of their sheer number it was difficult to effectively oversee their accounts annually,” Mr Zitto said.

He noted that shifting functions of Poac to PAC was useless because PAC had a lot on its plate. “It is very difficult for PAC to find time to go through the accounts of 200 organisations, plus the accounts of government ministries and regional authorities and government agencies. Even we, could not go through the accounts of all public organizations in a single year,” Mr Zitto said in the statement.

Speaking at the rally yesterday Mr Zitto told supporters that Ms Makinda’s decision to do away with Poac could be a sinister move to hide some of the government’s raw deals.

He noted that his committee has been wounded up while waiting for the contract on the construction of the of Mtwara-Dar gas pipeline that has been the subject of recent protests by Mtwara residents.

“The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation promised to table the contract to the committee, which would then table the contract to the House in April for debate. Sadly the committee has been dissolved by the Madam Speaker, and the public will never get to see what was inside the controversial contract,” he stated.

Yesterday’s rally was preceded by a massive procession that started at Ubungo at around midday.

Chadema legislators who came from Dodoma where they were attending the 10th Parliamentary meeting were received by hundreds of supporters, who proceeded in a long motorcade to Temeke grounds.

At the Tazara area the motorcade stopped and the MPs, other Chadema leaders and supporters marched on foot for several kilometers to the Temeke ground where a massive rally was held.

Police escorted the party motorcade from Ubungo to Tazara and subsequent procession from Tazara to Temeke grounds.

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