MPs storm out over ferry debate

MPs walk out of Parliament’s debating chamber in Dodoma yesterday after Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai blocked debate on marine accidents on the grounds that Opposition Chief Whip Tundu Lissu did not follow procedure when moving a private motion. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI A section of MPs yesterday walked out of Parliament in protest over the deputy speaker’s decision to bar them from discussing the ferry accident that occurred off the coast of Zanzibar. So far, 70 people have already been confirmed dead as a result of the incident. MPs from the Opposition and the ruling CCM put aside their differences and demanded that Mr Ndugai suspends House activities to allow them to discuss the tragedy. The MPs who stood to request the chair’s directive included Mr Tundu Lissu (Singida East-Chadema), Deo Filikunjombe (Ludewa-CCM) and Moses Machali (Kasulu Urban-NCCR). It took the intervention of Chief Whip William Lukuvi and Attorney General Frederick Werema to give Mr Ndugai the confidence to take action. The intervention appeared to have given Mr Ndugai new vigour. He turned down Mr Lissu’s request, saying he had disregarded parliamentary Standing Orders. Yesterday, Chadema Secretary General Willibrod Slaa challenged Parliament to prioritize the issue of discussing the aftermath of the sunken ferry as among key issues in the ongoing session.Conveying a message of condolences on behalf of his party, Dr Slaa expressed his disappointment on how Parliament handled matters surrounding the tragedy.   “I’m not happy with how the deputy Speaker barred MPs from discussing the ill-fated ferry,” he said. Despite such protests, the ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives still unveiled a Sh237.624 billion budget for the 2012/13 financial year. The minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr Christopher Chiza, said Sh170.364 billion would be used as recurrent expenditure. According to Mr Chiza, the government plans to implement various development projects in the agriculture and cooperatives sector throughout 2012/2013 financial year. The minister said the projects would include the development of irrigation infrastructure across the country. The minister said more than eighty dams would be constructed in Tabora, Mwanza, Mbeya, Manyara, Musoma, Singida and Shinyanga. According to the minister, in the 2012/13 fiscal year, the government will also create 27 irrigation schemes. This would increase the area covered by irrigation schemes by 2,546 hectares. In a bid to improve agricultural productivity, Mr Chiza said, the government would collaborate with Japan’s Food Aid Counterpart Fund (FACF) to implement 21 irrigation schemes which would cover a total of 19,567 hectares. According to Mr Chiza, the government has also set aside Sh1.5 billion to purchase a plane which would be used for spraying pesticides. The minister said by using the plane to kill pests and other forms of insects, the quality of agricultural produce would be improved. In 2012/13, the ministry will also train more than 3,500 youths to increase the number of extension officers in the country, the minister told Parliament. According to Mr Chiza, his ministry would also complete the construction of strategic markets in Nyamaranga (Tarime), Murongo and Nkwenda (both in Karagwe), Kabanga (Ngara) and Busoka (Kahama). The minister added that the government would also be looking for a consultant in preparations for the construction of strategic markets in Kasulu and Mutukula (Misenyi). In efforts to ensure that farmers benefit from their agricultural produce, the minister said the government would continue with preparations to construct two cashew nut processing industries. The minister said the two industries namely Tanecu Ltd and Perfect Cashew Kernel would be able to process a total of 32,000 tonnes of cashew nuts. Currently, the minister said the country has the ability of processing a total of 31,000 tonnes about only 19 per cent of cashew nuts produced in the country. Additional reporting by Geoffrey Nyang’oro