{THE latest appointment of cabinet ministers by President John Magufuli has been received with positive reaction, with commentators describing the new members as leaders who share ‘performance behaviour’ similarities with the president.}
In separate interviews with ‘Daily News’, political analysts and scholars commended the president for selecting a team of learned, experienced and hardworking people to assist him in running the government.
On Wednesday evening, Dr Magufuli appointed four ministers and one deputy minister to complete the list of 18 cabinet ministers and 19 deputies, the posts previously left vacant when he unveiled the new cabinet about two weeks ago.
In the appointment, Acting Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Commissioner General, Dr Philip Mpango, was endorsed as Minister for Finance and Planning. Dr Mpango has previously worked as the Executive Secretary of the Planning Commission.
Others are Professor Makame Mbarawa, who has been moved to the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation where he will be replaced by Engineer Gerson Lwenge.
The former Minister for Water in the Fourth Phase Government, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, bounced back as the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism while Hamad Yusuf Masauni made a debut as Deputy Minister for Home Affairs.
Another debut was made by former Executive Secretary of the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA), Dr Joyce Ndalichako, who was appointed Minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training.
“Dr Mpango is a visionary leader with vast of experience; he is the right person for the finance docket,” the Executive Director of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), Mr Godfrey Simbeye, remarked. He added that the private sector looked forward to working closely with the cabinet “in the hope that the minister will engage us in fostering development.”
A political analyst at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Professor Kitila Mkumbo, was as well pleased with the latest appointments. “Dr Mpango and Dr Ndalichako have been lecturers at UDSM and both are right persons for the respective ministries. The former has wide experience in planning and financial issues having worked in the government and at the World Bank.
“On the other hand, Dr Ndalichako is among the best brains this country has ever had. During her tenure at NECTA, leakage of exams was put to halt. She is the right person to spearhead improvement of the education system,” Prof Mkumbo stated.
The former President of Tanzania Insurance Brokers Association (TIBA), Dr Sebastian Ndege, said the new ministers will have to cope with ‘the foundation and pace’ set by President Magufuli.
“Dr Magufuli has himself proved that he is walking the talk and the ministers should thus follow suit. I have a lot of trust in the cabinet that they will not let down the president because they are all hardworking people,” Dr Ndege commented.
He went on to challenge the ministers to take deliberate efforts to ensure local entrepreneurs participate in the economy and benefit from resources the county is endowed with. A senior lecturer at UDSM, Dr Benson Bana, hailed the new selection by President Magufuli, which he said is made up of visionary and hardworking people.
“It is now clear that Dr Magufuli delayed to announce some of the ministers to give him ample time to select people to cope with his pace,” Dr Bana noted. For his part, UDSM Senior Lecturer Mr Bashiru Ally, urged the new ministers to “sufficiently inject intellectual content in policy process” to uplift the welfare of Tanzanians.
“Most of these ministers are learned people who acquired their tertiary education at UDSM; we are proud of them but they should put their knowledge to real practice,” he urged.
Over a fortnight ago, the president announced a cabinet of 18 ministries and 19 deputies. Unveiling the cabinet at the State House then, Dr Magufuli reserved appointment for four ministers who were eventually announced on Wednesday evening.
Source:Daily News:[Massive approval for latest Cabinet picks ->http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/45427-latest-cabinet-appointments-widely-hailed]
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