By Anthony Mayunga, The Political Platform Reporter.
Serengeti. A Roman Catholic parish priest Aloyce Magabe has condemned rampant hypocrisy among politicians, particularly Members of Parliament.

He observed that most of them were taking the electorate for a ride, as they pretended to defend members of the public while they were actually seeking justification to meet their selfish interests.

They often used provocative words to incite the electorate to foment chaos, as they threaten the government, including shedding blood, he said, querying: Whose blood would actually be shed?

Citing the recent Sh100 extra fare, which Works minister John Magufuli imposed on Kigamboni pontoons services, Father Magabe said he wondered to see MPs put aside their differences in their political ideologies to attack the minister on the pretext of defending the electorate.

Unlike the over Sh200 commuter bus fare the electorate paid, the pontoon fare directly went to the government coffers for provision of various social services.

Elsewhere the electorate paid over the Sh200 for pontoon services, yet the lawmakers neither raise their voices nor do they influence the people to revolt against the fare.

Father Magabe said he would understand the MPs if they persuaded the electorate to protest against the more than doubled rate of their sitting allowance in the National Assembly in Dodoma. By defending the new sitting allowance rate, the MPs indicated that their motive behind influencing wananchi to protest against economic hardships they face mainly was to set wananchi and their government at odds.

“Did they really mean what they preach; they would urge the government to use their hefty allowances for buying improving health and education services to prevent expectant mothers from sharing a ward bed or pupils from sitting on the floor while in class,” he said.  

This move would save Sh28 billion annually that could be spent on running pontoons countrywide and eventually subsidizing the fare.

“Poverty inflicts the majority of residents in Dodoma Region, but the MPs never bothered to defend them when the rate of their sitting allowances was increased,” he wondered.

The cleric called on politicians, including the MPs, to be sincere on economic hardships facing Tanzanians and consider cutting down their own lavish expenditure to support them.  

“Politicians are to blame for most of the problems wananchi are facing, as they forget the electorate’s quandaries once they are elected,” he said.

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