Who are the best and worst MPs?

BAK · 2010-02-10T11:33:13+00:00

2010-02-10 12:14:00 Who are the best and worst MPs? Spekear Samuel Sitta shakes hands with Mwananchi news editior Daniel Mwaijega as features editor Rashid Kejo looks on. Kejo and Mwaijega visited the Parliament yesterday..Research assess the level of participation of Members of parliament in formal sessions of parliament By Bernard James THE CITIZEN Chadema's Dr Willibrod Slaa is the most active Member of Parliament, according to a new report on performance in the National Assembly in the last four years. The MP for Karatu, who is also the opposition party's secretary-general, is followed by Chama Cha Mapinduzi veterans Mgana Msindai (Iramba East) and George Lubeleje (Mpwapwa) in second and third places, respectively. The report by the 'Uwazi InfoShop', a programme under 'Twaweza', a non-governmental organisation, which was made available to the media in Dar es Salaam yesterday, is the first major survey on the performance of MPs based on information posted on Parliament's website. The organisation says their work is aimed at improving access to information to enhance transparency and public accountability. Entitled, "Do they work for us?" the report covers 17 formal parliamentary sessions running from November 2005 to November 2009. According to the report, there are three kinds of interventions an MP can make. These are asking basic and supplementary questions, and contributions during debates. Dr Slaa, a former Catholic priest, who has taken the war on corruption to the government�s doorstep, was named the most prolific debater, "with 268 interventions and a total of 139 basic and supplementary questions". The Karatu MP is serving his second five-year term and is believed to harbour presidential ambitions. The burly and humorous Mr Msindai, the report says, made 256 interventions, asking 102 basic and supplementary questions, while Mr Lubeleje had 225 interventions, with 104 questions. Other MPs in the Top 10 list are Ms Diana Chilolo (Nominated- CCM), Mr William Shelukindo (Bumbuli-CCM), Mr Zitto Kabwe (Chadema-Kigoma North), Mr Godfrey Zambi (Mbozi-CCM), Mr Juma Kilimbah (Iramba West-CCM), Ms Jenista Mhagama (Peramiho-CCM), and Ms Susan Lyimo (Chadema-Nominated). Three CCM lawmakers, six Cabinet ministers and an ex-officio MP are listed by the NGO as the least active in Parliament and reportedly accounted for not more than five scores in all the three measures used to judge performance. Some did not make a single intervention. The poor show by most of the ministers and their deputies could be because, as government appointees, they can't make many interventions on the floor of the august House. East Africa Cooperation minister Deodatus Kamala and his education counterpart, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, top the list of the 10 most active ministers. However, Dr Kamala is ranked 163rd and Prof Maghembe, 167th on the overall list. Information minister George Mkuchika is third among the ministers, at position 196, and Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Membe is fourth and 202nd overall. They are followed by Mr William Ngeleja (Energy and minerals), Ms Sophia Simba (Good Governance) and Mr John Chilligati (Lands). Others are Health and Social Welfare minister David Mwakyusa, and the minister of State in the Vice-President's Office (Environment), Dr Batilda Burian. Prof Mark Mwandosya closes the list of the Top 10 of the 27 ministers. Among the deputies, Mr Aggrey Mwanri (Local Government) leads, followed by Mr Ezekiel Maige (Tourism and Natural Resources). Others are Mr Joel Bendera, Dr Makongoro Mahanga, and Mr Adam Malima. Others are Mr Christopher Chiza, Ms Mwantumu Mahiza and Dr Aisha Kigoda. The last two are Dr Cyril Chami and Mr Hamis Sued Kagasheki. According to the survey, the MPs jointly made 19,039 interventions, of which 3,922 were basic and 5,882 supplementary questions. CCM, which has 87 per cent of the total number of the 320 elected and Nominated MPs, is cited as the most active party. It made 15, 410 interventions, while Chadema and the Civic United Front (CUF), made 2,150 and 1,337 interventions, respectively. When the parties' strengths are compared, opposition MPs are rated as more active than their CCM counterparts. Chadema ranks first with an average of 53 questions per MP. Interestingly, even though the United Democratic Party (UDP) has only one MP, Mr John Cheyo, its average is above CCM's, whose MPs came last with an average of 12 basic questions, 17 supplementary questions and 26 contributions per MP. According to the study, 72 MPs, mostly belonging to CCM, have never asked a single basic question. Asking basic questions is considered the main vehicle an MP can use to initiate a debate on an issue affecting his constituents. CUF and UDP have one MP each who have never asked a basic question. The study shows that women were slightly less active than their male counterparts and elected MPs perform better than the nominated ones. MPs from the Zanzibar House of Representatives and those nominated by the President participate least in the main sessions of Parliament. Parliament is one of the most important institutions, which is reflected in the vast resources allocated to it. For the 2009/10 financial year, Parliament was allocated Sh62 billion. Part of Parliament�s job is to ensure that the country is well governed, that services are properly delivered to the citizens, and that money entrusted to the government is well spent and accounted for.

Thread starter BAK
Start date Feb 10, 2010

BAK

JF-Expert Member

Feb 10, 2010

Lemunyake

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Who are the best and worst MPs?

BAK

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Lemunyake

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