High profile politicians and foreigners involved in poaching -Msigwa

As the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism battles the escalating wave of poaching in the country, Shadow Minister in the same docket Rev. Peter Msigwa has dropped a bombshell, saying high profile politicians in the country, including MPs are involved in the illegal business. The Chadema legislator (Iringa Urban) went further to include foreigners and some State House officials as one of the entities involved in the illegal business. However, when quizzed by reporters yesterday in Dar es Salaam to name individuals involved in such illegal business the opposition MP fell short of explanation, maintaining that his observations and findings were general. According to the shadow minister, researches showed that a quarter of tusks and rhinos’ horns impounded in various corners in the world originate from Tanzania. He told a press conference that various reliable information sources in the country confirms that about 23,000 elephants from various national parks in the country are indiscriminately killed every year, this number is equivalent to 67 elephants per day. According to him, the killing trend indicate danger for natural species and other resources and also it endangers the inheritance of the country’s natural resources. “As an MP for Iringa urban constituency, I have the mandate to stand for the government in defending our natural resources and effectively curb the increased poaching activities which takes place in our national parks” he said. He said that, due to the increased acts of corruption among stakeholders and the continued poaching network activities in the country, he has seen the need to submit the issue to the parliament and to enforce the government in taking stern legal measures which would ensure the safety of the country’s natural resources. In view of this, the MP will present his personal views about the matter before fellow members of parliament during the tenth parliamentary session scheduled to start on 29th January this year. Msigwa is also intending to inform the Chairperson of the National Assembly to establish an independent probing committee which would investigate the matter into details and come out with a clear solution. According to him, he is sure that the parliamentary probing committee to be formed would run smoothly with its activities in probing the matter as it would contact any suspected individual regardless of their high ranking positions and it would work free and fair to establish how far the truth is with the matter. Msigwa is optimistic with the facts that, once his views is presented before fellow members of parliament regardless of their political affiliations would be interested to discuss it without resistance as it’s their obligation to defend country’s wealth for the benefit of the nation. Narrating how he started to work on the issue, he noted that on 31st December 2012 he submitted an intended letter to submit a personal idea in parliament in relation to the continued illegal acts of poaching which takes place now and then in our national parks. The objective of his ideas is to request the government of the United Republic of Tanzania to defend the country’s constitution for the implementation of the constitutional rights for the people’s needs. This is in line with the government’s obligations in defending country’s resources and people’s rights to ensure their active participation in defending the country’s natural resources. According to him, he has already received a formal letter written by the Secretary of the National Assembly instructing him to submit his personal views to the Chairperson of the Parliament Anna Makinda so that it should be discussed in the coming parliamentary session later this month.