Why speaker Makinda defends the government through National Assembly

SPEAKER of the National Assembly Ann e Makinda has reiterated her commitments to continue defending the house standing orders saying that they have been imposed not only to keep going parliamentary debate procedures, but also to make sure that, the Parliament being a supreme legislative house in the country plays its role to defend the welfare of the government in power. Her call was monitored this week on Monday evening when addressing Members of Parliament during the resumption of the normal sessions after she had suspended the morning sessions due to contravention of laws that governs the house procedures. The suspension of the morning sessions came into being following the speech by the opposition camp which she said had some quotations in pages from 2 to 14 which was full of sedition, thus noting that the paragraphs were shaming the government’s dignity. A 54 paged speech which was being read by a Shadow Minister and a legislator of Mbeya urban (Chadema) Joseph .O.  Mbilinyi popularly known as ‘Sugu’ when contributing to the budget estimates for the Ministry of Information, Youths, Culture and Sports, and to the surprise of most Parliamentarians it was stopped abruptly. She said that, the National Parliament is an institution which must stand to defend all government’s directives in everything possible as it is responsible to make sure that the national peace is attained at every cost among people of the United Republic of Tanzania. Ironically, critics have it to say that speech by the opposition camp was somehow humiliating and sometimes interesting as in one way or another, it highlighted major issues that journalists have been facing numerous problems while executing their duties, and more painful it reminded media stakeholders of their fallen heroes such as David Mwangosi who died while on duty. The speech also quoted some government’s leaders who are involved in inciting people into causing chaos. It also described some issues such as the government’s involvement in kidnapping journalists and torturing them without a cause. More painful to the government is when the opposition legislators mentioned in the report that, the government should be blamed for its failure to protect journalists saying the country has been mentioned in the list of shameful nations where journalism is taken as a dangerous profession for those who uses  it as employment. However, these were the factors which had angered speaker Makinda who immediately could not allow the report be continued in Parliament and claimed that, according to the house standing orders, any issues which have been tendered in court seeking legal action, should not be debated upon in parliament. She cautioned however in contradiction as this is against the house rules, an aspect which later on she ordered the Parliamentary ethical committee members to sit down and review the report with a view to omit unnecessary quotations which are a threat to the safety of the government. The call by Anne Makinda brought confusion among legislators from the opposition camp who seemed to have been annoyed by what was clarified by her when interviewed by this paper and said that, are not ready to be suppressed in every movements that is linked to spearheading democracy which governs freedom of expression.