Finance and Economic Affairs minister Mustafa Mkulo has countered the recent assertion by his parliamentary shadow counterpart, Mr Zitto Kabwe, that the spiralling inflation that had persisted over the past six months had caused a six per cent budget deficit.Mr Mkulo argues that there is no significant relationship between the two variables, but in a quick rejoinder, Mr Kabwe (Chadema-Kigoma North) expressed amazement at the minister’s reaction.Speaking to this paper yesterday from Kigoma where he is on end-of-the-year holidays, he remarked that “the ministry is out of touch with the basics of the economy”.
Chama hicho juzi kilifanya mkutano wa kuwatambulisha wagombea wake wa nafasi ya urais, Yemba anayewania urais wa muungano na mgombea mwenza wake Said Miraj Abdullah, pia alitambulishwa Hamad Rashid Mohamed, anayewania urasi wa Zanzibar. Yemba kwenye mkutano huo alisema anaufahamu uwezo wa Lipumba katika siasa, ujasiri na uvumilivu wake, hivyo hatakuwa na kinyongo kufanya naye kazi ya kusukuma mbele gurudumu la siasa za upinzani.