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

Mr Speaker
The Westminster inheritance
The Tanzanian political system is based on the Westminster model,
although with some variation. This is an historical legacy but, on
balance, it forms a good base from which each country can adapt to its
own conditions. You can’t copy it wholesale, because that simply
doesn’t work.
In our case, for example, we also copied some aspects of the
American system of government, in terms of having an executive
president. The president sits outside parliament, but it is the president
who calls the shots. The prime minister is the leader of government
business in the House, but he does not have the final say in running
the country.
Parliament is a good reflection of our society. It represents the whole
spectrum of Tanzanians, of who we are. There are farmers, trade
unionists, ordinary workers, teachers, health workers, executives and
so on. The calibre of members of parliament tends to be good, in the
sense that each constituency elects somebody who at least has had
high school education. In the current parliament, 49% of MPs are
university graduates.
Not all members of parliament are elected. The president can nominate
up to ten MPs in order to bring in missing talent or include
under-represented constituencies, such as the disabled or academics.
Few constituencies would be prepared to elect someone who is deaf or
cannot walk, for example. It is very difficult for disabled people to stand
as candidates and to win elections.
Ministers are appointed from among the MPs, as in Westminster, but
this can cause some difficulty. In America, the legislature is more
27