Zitto wary of govt withdrawal from open government partnership
What you need to know:
- “I was told that President John Magufuli has written a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada over the seizure of Tanzania’s aircraft. I am afraid the country’s decision to pull out of the OGP would dismay Canada, which is one of the member countries from fully cooperating with Tanzania,” he noted.
Dar es Salaam. ACT Wazalendo leader and Kigoma Urban MP Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo) on Monday said he was worried about Tanzania’s decision to withdraw from the Open Government Partnership (OGP), saying it would frustrate Tanzania’s socio-economic relations with other OGP member countries.
“I was told that President John Magufuli has written a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada over the seizure of Tanzania’s aircraft. I am afraid the country’s decision to pull out of the OGP would dismay Canada, which is one of the member countries from fully cooperating with Tanzania,” he noted.
Mr Kabwe also said most of the nations that withdrew from the OGP, including Tanzania, their administrations were accused of operating like a "tinpot dictatorship".
“It is a bad image for Tanzania to be associated with countries that embrace dictatorship,” he said.
However, the government assured that Tanzania’s decision to revoke its membership from the OGP won’t interfere Tanzania’s partnership with other OGP member countries.
This was said by minister of State in the President's Office (Public Service and Good Governance) George Mkuchika during a questions and answers session in Parliament on Monday, November 13, 2017.
With or without OGP, Tanzania will continue cooperating with other nations, including Canada,” he noted.
Commenting further on Tanzania’s decision to withdraw from OGP membership, Mr Mkuchika stated said: “Tanzania is a free country, its decision to pull out of the OGP was not as a result of other nations’ influence. Let it be understood that it was the country’s decision,” he said.
