Opposition MPs free to attend House sessions, says Tulia

OPPOSITION lawmakers who have been marching out of the debating chamber whenever sessions are chaired by Deputy Speaker, Dr Tulia Ackson, are free to return since they were not chased from the House.

“Save for the opposition MPs who were suspended to attend the on-going budget session, the rest have been marching out at their will and can return as they wish,” the deputy speaker stated here.

Dr Tulia explained further that any MP who is not satisfied with decision of either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker can make use of Standing Order number five to make his/her case after which the matter in question will be forwarded to the Parliamentary Standing Orders Committee.

“The committee is chaired by the Speaker but the regulation stipulates further that if the Speaker is the one being accused then the Deputy Speaker will chair the meeting to discuss him/her and the same applies when the Deputy Speaker is being charged,” she explained.

Dr Tulia was prompted to make the clarification following a request by Kasulu Urban MP, Mr Daniel Nsanzugwako (CCM), to the leadership of the National Assembly to ‘pardon’ the opposition legislators to allow them make inputs in the ongoing debate on the budget estimates for 2016/17.

“I hereby request the chair to forgive our colleagues in the opposition camp to enable them participate in the budget debate; it is not healthy for us to continue discussing the financial plan in their absence,” the Kasulu MP charged.

However, as Mr Nsanzugwako was making the request, Mtera MP, Dr Livingstone Lusinde (CCM) stood on point of information and explained to the MP that the opposition MPs had decided to boycott the sessions on their will.

Earlier, Mr Lusinde claimed that a section of the MPs from the opposition had approached him with complaints that they wanted to participate in the debate but they have been allegedly barred by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Freeman Mbowe (Hai-Chadema).

Source:Dailynews