The budget session of parliament began on June 18. Some 600 questions had been tabled by MP’s. The following information comes from the Daily News reports on the session:
Because of increasing cases of BANDITRY AMONGST RWANDAN REFUGEES IN AND OUTSIDE REFUGEE CAMPS in Kasera, 400 policemen had been sent there equipped with 20 Landrover Defenders and a number of lorries. 628 refugees had been arrested in connection with crimes. 169 guns had been seized. Out of 52,640 BURUNDIAN REFUGEES in Kasulu, Kibondo and Kigoma, 257 had been granted citizenship.
There had been a delay in swearing in Zanzibar President Amour as a member of the Union cabinet due to problems in interpreting the constitution. He had now been sworn in.
Some 4,160 people, mostly businessmen, had been arrested under the March 1993 operation against ECONOMIC SABOTEURS. Many had been cleared subsequently and those who were keen to follow up their cases had been compensated.
The government had saved Shs 11.1 billion under the civil service RETRENCHMENT SCHEME. 56,727 workers had been laid off since the programme began in 1972. All workers had received retirement benefits.
Persons wishing to become CITIZENS of Tanzania had to be proved to be beneficial to the nation, be conversant with English or Swahili, have good conduct and have stayed in the country for five years.
165 patients had been TREATED ABROAD between 1993 and last year at a cost to the government of Shs 1.9 billion. The acquisition of a computerised scanner at the Muhimbili Medical Centre in Dar es Salaam would reduce the number of patients for that particular diagnosis facility.
Measures being taken to ease the problem of SHORTAGE OF MAGISTRATES included the recruitment of retired magistrates and the opening in October of the Judiciary Department’s new Lushoto Law School.
The government had increased SECONDARY SCHOOL FEES in boarding schools from Shs 15,000 to Shs 40,000 and in day schools from Shs 8,000 to Shs 20,000 per year. Primary school contributions had been increased from Shs 200 to Shs 1,000. Next year boarding school fees would go up to Shs 60,000 and in day schools fees would be Shs 30,000.
Tanzania had earned over Shs 1.8 billion from its diplomatic missions between 1990 and 1994 from VISA FEES. The receipts were used for economic development. Tanzania now had 25 embassies.
AND IN THE ZANZIBAR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES it was stated
that 127 teachers including 3 headteachers had ordered their pupils to participate in the boycott of classes in March in Pemba. The Deputy Minister of Education said that the boycott, which had affected 52,000 pupils, had been politically motivated; the three headteachers had been removed and the cases of the other teachers were being examined.
HESELTINE IN TANZANIA
British Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine chose Tanzania for his holidays this year. He arrived on August 2 and spent almost three weeks visiting a number of game parks and Bagamoyo.