Special Seats MP Catherine Magige follows proceedings in Parliament in
Dodoma yesterday. The CCM lawmaker challenged the government to do more
to fight drug trafficking.
PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI
In Summary
Several other MPs also challenged the
government to name drug barons after some top government leaders,
including the President, declared that they have the names.
Dodoma. The government yesterday cautioned MPs
against pressuring it to name drug kingpins because some of them were on
the list of suspects.
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s
Office in charge of Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr
William Lukuvi, made the remarks in Parliament when responding to a
supplementary question by the Reverend Israel Natse (Karatu-Chadema).
Rev Natse wondered why the government was
reluctant to name those behind the thriving drug trade even after the
list of suspects was handed over to the President. “It is disheartening
that instead of dealing with the root of the problem the government is
dealing with the consequences. It should name the suspects here,” he
said. Mr Lukuvi admitted that various State agencies had the names of
suspects, but said it was too early to make the list public.
“We should understand that the government can name
the suspects only if it has concrete evidence to prosecute them. Also,
if we decide to make the names public many of us in this House will find
out that we are involved,” Mr Lukuvi said.
Mr Lukuvi urged MPs to stop putting pressure on
the government to name the suspects, adding that anyone who had adequate
evidence was free make the names public like the weekly Jamhuri did
recently.
Several other MPs also challenged the government
to name drug barons after some top government leaders, including the
President, declared that they have the names.
The lawmakers included CCM MPs Anne
Kilango-Malecela (Same East) and Catherine Magige (Special Seats). It
was Ms Magige who kicked off a flurry of questions on drugs when she
asked the government to state the extent of the problem in the country.
She also wanted to know what the government was
doing to deal with drug trafficking, saying the seizure in South Africa
of a large quantity of drugs that were smuggled out through Julius
Nyerere International Airport pointed to lax security at entry and exit
points in Tanzania.
“It is clear the Julius Nyerere International
Airport workers who were recently sacked were in cahoots with drug
dealers. Why doesn’t the government, through these workers, establish
who are behind the drug trade and make their names public?” she asked.
In a supplementary question, Mrs Kilango-Malecela
said the problem had attained critical proportions, adding that the time
had come for the government to name drug barons in Parliament. But Mr
Lukuvi said the government would name and prosecute the suspects only
after making sure that it had watertight evidence against them.
He also told Parliament that plans were underway
to boost the war on narcotics by amending the law on drugs. An area of
particular concern is the storage of seized drugs used as exhibits in
trials.
Mr Lukuvi said there were drugs that had been
stored for more than ten years because the law dictates that exhibits
should be kept until the cases are concluded.
“What we want to do through the amendments is allow the
tendering of a statement from the Chief Government Chemist verifying
that impounded substances are drugs that can be used in court as
evidence,” he said.
The drugs will be destroyed as soon as verification is received from the Chief Government Chemist.
Mr Lukuvi was responding to remarks by Ms Magige,
who said there was a shroud of secrecy on the destruction of drugs
seized from suspects. She said it was possible that some of the
impounded drugs were stolen and brought back into circulation by crooked
public servants.
source: The citizen
source: The citizen
