Hon. Samuel Sitta
* Says currently Mainland meets most of cost in running Z’bar
By Tobias Nsungwe,
Dodoma
A senior Cabinet minister, Samuel Sitta yesterday said in Parliament here that people calling for a three-government system are only explaining a good way of killing the Union. Samuel Sitta who is Sitta, who is currently acting leader of Government business of the House this week, said at the moment the Union is financed by one part only.
He said:”Now if we allow a three Government system, the Union will automatically die because the Tanganyika government might refuses to share running costs of the Union government which will be by then a toothless bulldog. The idea of three governments is irrelevant,” he said amid mixed reactions from legislators.
He sais the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar will be engulfed in a black cloud of uncertainties and close to collapse if the proposal to have a three-tier of government system is to be endorsed.
Sitta was responding to queries from various MPs who contributed in the debate on the Budget off the Vice President’s office for the year 2011/12 and warned that allowing the Tanganyika government to emerge would automatically kill the Union.
Sitta said the best way of preserving the April 1964 Union was to remain with the current system of two governments. He said if the Tanganyika and the Union governments are to be formed Zanzibar will be required to share the costs hence more competition on the Isles part.
Under the current system Zanzibar enjoys free supply of electricity whereas the Union government owes Tanesco over 50bn/-.
Sitta who is also the Minister for East Africa Cooperation in the Union Cabinet, explained about the Vice President’s post saying the post was removed from the Zanzibar President to avoid the possibility of Tanzania having the Union President, the VP and the Zanzibar president all coming from the Isles.
He said there was a possibility of the Union president to come from Zanzibar and having foreseen that the VP post was taken and that the situation doesn’t undermine the Zanzibar president’s power.
Sitta also spoke about the oil exploration in the Isles saying the matter was mutually agreed to include in the Union list because the sedimentary rocks within the Indian Ocean lie on the boundary between the two sides. The former Speaker said the area where oil is said to be found, lie between Tanga and Pemba.
Sitta also said minerals could be shared because economy was not part of the Union matters. Most of the Zanzibar MPs who contributed to the debate on Wednesday and yesterday complained that Union was favoring one side. They said the prevailing social, economy and cultural call for change. CUF and Chadema legislators are calling for a federation.
Source: The African