Bunge-Lenye-Meno-A-Parliament-with-Teeth-for-Tanzania-LAXNNAJ547

A Parliament with Teeth, for Tanzania
Personalities can be decisive. One insider estimates that about 40% of
MPs want change, 40% are loyal to the machine, and 20% undecided.
The balance is constantly shifting. Mr Sitta, for example, is a former
cabinet minister and veteran CCM insider. Few parliamentarians have
been more intimately involved in the old order. With most of his career
now behind him, the reform of Bunge will be his political legacy.
Among younger generations, Dr Mwakyembe is a professional lawyer
elected to parliament in 2005. He intends to stand for a second term,
but claims he has no long-term ambition to remain in politics.
The relative lack of careerism of such figures has been an incentive
for change.
The opposition presence remains tiny. In the three elections since a
multi-party system was adopted in 1992, opposition parties have won
successively fewer seats. Their combined tally in parliament stands at
55 MPs, against 274 for CCM. Of these, Civic United Front (CUF), the
largest opposition party with 32 MPs, campaigns primarily for greater
autonomy for Zanzibar. CHADEMA, focused on the mainland agenda,
has a mere 11 seats. Their high profile in recent parliamentary sessions
has led many commentators to speculate that the elections of 2010 will
return more opposition candidates to parliament, reversing the trend to
date. “We are small in terms of numbers, but we have fantastic
influence,” says Mr Cheyo.
As in Westminster, television cameras have changed the rules of
engagement. A high profile in Bunge makes an MP’s reputation far
beyond Dodoma, the political capital. Encouraged by a vociferous
independent press, an element of showmanship has entered proceedings.
In November 2007, Dr Slaa was accused of contempt by Mr Sitta after
reading aloud in parliament a “List of Shame”, naming public figures
allegedly implicated by corruption. The theatrical scenes are testament
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