Chadema Secretary General, Dr Wilbroad Slaa (right) stresses a point during a press conference in Dar es Salaam on Thursday. Left is Kigoma North MP, Mr Zitto Kabwe. (Photo by Yusuf Badi)
Opposition Party – Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) – has faulted government policies, saying they have failed to tackle the country’s economic woes.
This was said by the party’s Secretary General, Dr Willbrod Slaa, at a press conference at Chadema’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.
“The government lacks innovation when it comes to solving Tanzania’s economic problems. Rather than looking for solutions, they have, instead politicized all problems.
“We are tired of hearing the government giving simple answers to sensitive issues. Take, for instance, the problem of sugar shortage in Kagera Region, the ruling party has focused on letting the local government officials distribute it leading to corruption,” he stated.
Dr Slaa said that his party thought that the best way of tackling economic problems was through increase in production.
The Secretary General also cited the ‘Kilimo Kwanza’ programme which focuses on increasing the country’s food production and also create employment which he claimed has failed.
“Imagine about 5,000 students graduated in agricultural courses last year but they are still jobless, yet we want to promote agriculture,” he said.
Dr Slaa claimed that the government would slash about 50 per cent of employment opportunities this year, a report he declared he had.
He said that Chadema would continue criticizing the government in a bid to push for development.
“We will continue speaking out. If students at universities strike, the government should look at the root of the crisis rather than causing more problems,” he noted.
Dr Slaa also said his party was not satisfied with the way the government was handling the disputes between pastoralists and farmers and the land rows between big agriculture investors and small scale farmers.
He urged the police to stop interfering in their peaceful demonstrations as they were the main cause of violence.
“It is our constitutional right to demonstrate. It should be noted that on most occasions, it is only when the police interfere that violence erupts,” said Dr Slaa.
Before the beginning of the press conference, the party’s members and audience had a moment of silence to remember the people who died in last year’s protests in Arusha.
By JULIUS BWAHAMA, Tanzania Daily News
