Speaker Samuel Sitta has vowed to maintain his principled approach, and declared that he is still very strong.He has furthermore called on his well-wishers to pray for him, so that he may have better health and remain steadfast in his patriotism-driven activities.
The sentiments were among the highlights of a nearly 25-minute address Sitta gave to a huge crowd that had earlier given him a tumultuous welcome after arriving in Urambo Constituency in Tabora.
He told the audience comprising mainly people in his constituency, that his record as MP over the past four years was impressive, one of its manifestations being facilitating a Sh60billion road construction.
However Sitta didn’t directly speak about what transpired during the just ended NEC meeting in Dodoma.
“I am still strong…just pray for me so that God gives me better health, to enable me work for you and our country,” Sitta told hundreds of cheering supporters yesterday evening. Earlier, Urambo residents led by a traditional leader, Lameck Kabuda, presented a shield and spear to Speaker Sitta as a symbolic acknowledgement of his unrelenting resolve to fight grand corruption.
At Tabora airport, Speaker Sitta was received by four priests who drove from his Urambo constituency to welcome him in the region. Conspicuously absent were government and ruling party officials.
A failed mission
They secretly planned a mission to oust him, triggering sharp criticism from the public, opposition and the some religious leaders. Putting their hopes on the money’s deceit, the group of three prominent politicians believed to be behind the failed mission had at least 90 percent assurance that the end of their political enemy Samuel Sitta has arrived.
Banking their hopes on how Maalim Seif Shariff Hamad and Abdul Jumbe were cornered by top party’s organs before being forced to resign from their positions, anti-Sitta’s group failed to understand one thing that the political environment of two decades ago is quite different from the current situation.
Although the group used an example of how South Africa’s ruling party ANC kicked out Thabo Mbeki, and still scored a landslide victory in this year’s general election, to cement their motion the events that have followed this week after the conclusion of NEC meeting have proved that ‘their mission was ill-conceived.”
Though at the short-run the group might has emerged as a winner in the long standing political battle, at the long-run Speaker of the National Assembly is gaining momentum politically sending an alarming message that ‘their botched mission was nothing but just a ladder to promote Sitta politically’.
Two top CCM leaders, Yusuf Makamba and Tambwe Hiza, have strongly tried this week to calm what they described as negative and distorted media reports about what transpired.
However, their move has totally failed to change the political wind as Sitta continues to enjoy a very strong support from the people.
While Makamba made it clear that the party has the full authority to discuss as well as to question the way Sitta was managing the Parliament, Hiza on his side cried foul, insisting that the media has totally distorted what transpired.
But their clarifications didn’t make any difference as the political wind continues to blow in favour of Sitta.
In his constituency, the Speaker received a heroic welcome, as thousands of his supporters came out in multitudes to receive on Saturday.
As Sitta a lawyer turned politician continues to enjoy the massive support, to his opponents, the wind has changed dramatically as news about a fifty million shillings mission continue to unfold this week.
While first, it was thought that the move to crucify Sitta was a strong agenda planned by the ruling party, the fresh versions of majority of NEC members who attended the just ended meeting show that ‘it was just a an attempt by a small faction of members’ who attempted to use the authorized meeting to oust the Speaker.
According to media reports quoting some NEC officials, about 30 NEC members mainly from Zanzibar were paid up to Sh2million per person to execute the deal with a promise of being paid another amount after successfully completing the mission.
Although it failed to takeoff as expected, Sitta and his group were taken by surprise when their rivals launched massive attacks, calling for his resignation as well as surrendering of his membership card.
Just few hours before the meeting, The Guardian on Sunday team contacted Mr Speaker asking him whether he was aware about the mission, but the man seemed very clearly that ‘he wasn’t aware.”
“This cant be true…I should have known earlier” Sitta told The Guardian on Sunday few hours before the series of Central Committee and National Executive Committee meetings in Dodoma last week. With nearly 14 months before the 2010 general election, the battle for the control of the key political groups within the ruling party is expected to widen , as every faction attempts to ‘install’ a leader of their choice starting with the election of lawmakers.
Never apologized
The Speaker of the National Assembly Samuel Sitta never apologized as reported by some section of the media this week, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt.
Contrary to media reports quoting inside sources within National Executive Committee, Sita told his accusers, “I have heard you; let us forgive each other…I am a matured person and have heard you all.”
“I was in the meeting and witnessed everything that transpired…but I was shocked to read on the newspapers next day that Mr. Speaker apologized,” one NEC member from Lake zone regions told the Guardian on Sunday yesterday.
The NEC member who declined to be named citing the sensitivity of the subject queried, “Is this an apology or just misinterpretation of what Sitta said?”
“Some of us where shocked to hear what the Speaker was being accused of; that he wanted to overthrow the president…but finally at the end we were able to understand the growing rift within our party.” The NEC member added.
Another member of NEC told The Guardian on Sunday this week that some ‘planted’ members from Zanzibar went beyond the mark accusing Sitta of muzzling the presidential powers, under the umbrella of managing the parliament in a modern way.
“There is nothing else bad and dangerous in politics than being accused of grabbing control of the State through Parliament. This is equal to treason whose punishment is either death or life imprisonment,” the source said. Inside information had it that it seemed NEC members from Zanzibar were planted by some individuals with ill-mission against the speaker since it was the ones who spearheaded the agenda.
“First the agenda on speaker was not on the list, but it was suddenly brought by some members; what was even surprising is that NEC members from Zanzibar appeared to spearhead the matter during the meeting, something that hinted the possibility that they were prepared by those seeing Sitta as their political enemy.” He said
But CCM spokesman John Chiligati denied reports claiming Speaker Sitta was at the centre of the subject during CC and NEC meetings. He blamed the press for reporting the case without conducting thorough investigation, a factor that distorts the truth.
“Among other things discussed, the meetings examined the situation in the party, including finding a better way to restore party discipline among our party members that now appears to be withering away,” he said.
He added: “People should understand that our meetings were not centered on speaker because he was not part of the agenda meetings. What transpired is that Speaker Sitta was discussed as a CCM member just like any other CCM members in relation to the conduct of CCM legislators within the Parliament and in the House of Representatives,”
He said of relate a strange behavior has emerged within with the party whereby every party member has turned out to be a spokesman despite the presence of special people with such responsibilitie
No comments:
Post a Comment