It will have skilful, ethical and devoted ministers
Chadema walk-out as JK promises to repair rifts 
President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday promised to form a cabinet of skilful, ethical, hardworking, and devoted ministers.
Inaugurating the 10th Parliament here, President Kikwete said he needed a cabinet that could lead the country in the right direction in implementing development plans as spelt out in the CCM election manifesto.
“I need a strong cabinet that comprises of people who can implement development priorities outlined in the manifesto,” said Kikwete, who is due to announce cabinet line-up.
“I want people who can serve Tanzanians and move them out of poverty and problems,” he added.
He explained that he wants a cabinet to consist of people who will remove all forms of bureaucracies and red tape in the government.
The president stressed he wanted ministers who “will be closer to the people and who will collaborate well with the members of Parliament regardless of their political affiliations.”
However, Kikwete said the 2010 General Election created serious rifts among the people especially on the mainland, which needed to be healed as soon as possible, before the situation became worse.
He called on Tanzanians to maintain unity and love, adding that with all the problems that Tanzanians faced and regardless of their tribal, religious, political affiliation and the areas where people come from, they still lived in peace and harmony.
“I assure you of my readiness to collaborate with fellow politicians, religious leaders and those of the community to find a solution to the problem,” said the president.
He stressed that it was not wise to leave the problem to grow, adding: “We are going to kill this nation,” said Kikwete.
On democracy, the president said it is his hope that in five years to come, democracy will prosper for the welfare of the people and to give them opportunity to give their views. He also said that freedom of the press would continue to be respected.
“In 2005, I promised that the government will ensure that democracy prospers, and that good governance, the rule of law and respect of Human rights are followed. We have done our best in the last five years and I expect to do better in the coming five years,” he said.
On the economy, he said the government was planning to expand and improving Dar es Salaam port to enable more cargo to pass through. “We are also going to do the same for Mtwara, Tanga, Kigoma, and Mwanza ports and we shall improve Kasanga, Mbamba Bay, Lindi, Musoma and Bukoba ports,” he said.
On prisons, the president said he aimed to reduce congestion of prisoners. He said he meet with officials of the Prisons department and seek a solution to the problem.
“I have visited all prisons. I have seen how prisoners are suffering. In some prisons, four people share a bed and faced a host of other problems. I am going to work on this so that they also live like human beings,” he told the House.
Earlier, as the president began to deliver his maiden speech to the 10th Parliament speech, he was forced to pause at the podium for a while, as the main opposition (Chadema) legislators staged a walk-out.
The planned walk-out sought to demonstrate the opposition’s stand of not recognizing the presidential results and the elected President.
Some analysts and academics said the opposition party MPs had exercised their freedom of expression as entrenched in the country’s Constitution.
Commenting on their walk out, President Kikwete said those who left had nowhere to go, and would come back. He said he was the only president and all will have to seek support from him.
For her part, Speaker of the National Assembly, Anne Makinda said she will do all she could to lead the National Assembly well on the basis of rules and regulations to implement its legislative and oversight duties.
In his vote of thanks, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said he has received what the president has soutlined as the tasks of the government and that he and his colleagues in the cabinet to be formed would diligently implement them.
He said most of what has been said is in line with Mkukuta, Millennium Development goals and Vision 2025.
“We do not want to allow any individual, a group of people or any political party to distort the peace and harmony that we have always enjoyed. Some of the parties are showing signs that they are not going in the right direction,” he said.
The PM adjourned the parliament to February 08, 2011.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN