Published on Thursday, 9th January, 2020:
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| President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania |
The Africa Arguments,
an online news outlet, on January 8th, 2019, published, once again, an opinion
article by a Tanzanian opposition MP, Zitto Kabwe, titled thus: “Tanzania elections: Life has got Worse under
Magufuli. We need change.”
The first and the last lines of the title, in
literal semantics terms, speak volumes on understanding the sheer motive of the
opposition politician; presenting and twisting some facts for and in favour of
his political agenda towards the forthcoming October, 2020 elections in
Tanzania.
Whilst I respect the MPs opinion, I’m writing
not to attack his persona or perception, but to share my experience
on some of the contentious issues he raised especially on the inference “Life Has Got Worse under Magufuli.”
Contrary to what the MP contends in the
analysis that lacks facts but political propaganda, social, economic and
political transformations happening in Tanzania under President Dr. John Pombe
Magufuli must be understood against the backdrop of a pragmatic situation that
existed hitherto in Tanzania.
He came into power in late 2015 at a time the
country was in shambles (for lack of another better word). Politics were on top
of any developmental issues-violent demonstrations all over the country,
strikes across public sector and Universities.
Corruption was widespread and considered
common practice even by and among Members of Parliament: poor services or
non-existence of the services in some quotas like health; energy; and water were
a normalcy.
Government’s ability to collect revenue and fund
its significant projects was trifling, resulting in expanding donor dependence,
thus a no aid-no-development syndrome. Additionally, public servants were busy
in hotels inside and outside the country attending seminars, workshops, graduation
or birthday parties and endless unnecessary meetings.
The cities like Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha
and Mbeya became famous for bursting noises from generators due to rampant
power cuts. Tanzanians became "second citizens" of India as they
frequented hospitals in the Asian economy to get treatments due to a waning
healthcare system at home.
Equality and rule of law were a non-committal;
if you are a wealthy person or someone from the ruling or political elite you
could do anything you wish and escape the law.
The media could just tarnish the image of
anyone they chose to or sponsored to, the courts would let free anyone they
feel so; the city-militia would grab any property from any petty businessperson
and vanish with it, you had nowhere to complain to; it was the poor masses who
suffered most. The opposition branded the government as “weak.”
In the past four years in power, President
Magufuli has done wonders (again for lack of another better word); he has
rescinded everything-from protecting rights of the petty-traders in cities and
towns who are now untouchables, to making everyone follow the laws, including
the media, the politicians, the government officials and everyone across the
ladder.
Respect is back on one another, to the public
service and to each class of the society. It is predictable, if you complain
over an issue, necessary actions are taken.
In the social services, to start with, known
for his great love for mega projects that have a trickle-down effect to
transforming lives of the poor, the President dished out billions of money to
electrify about 9,000 villages by December, 2019, from a merely over 2,000
villages in 2015. Projections are, by 2021, Tanzania can attain a universal
power connection record to focus on other issues!
The implementation of the 2.9 billion US
dollar Mwalimu Nyerere Hydro Power Project, a 2,115 megawatts and fourth
biggest project in Africa, using taxpayers money, is yet another seemingly an
impracticable delivery that President Magufuli has worked hard and against all
odds to implement. It is almost 20 percent now to completion.
That’s not enough for Magufuli: last year he
finalized a 240 megawatt gas powered turbine and another, a 185 megawatt gas powered
plant, will be completed in early 2020, both in Dar es Salaam. The country now
enjoys full power assurance as industrialization is booming. No longer power
cuts now in Tanzania, no generators! Only on a standby basis, if one wishes.
Furthermore, Tanzania is currently using own
taxpayers money to implement Africa’s largest Standard Gauge Railway
project-stretching from Dar es Salaam to the new Capital of Dodoma.
The first lot costs a staggering 3 billion
USD. Connections to DRC, Rwanda and Burundi are part of the design of the
railway; opening up infrastructure will boost the economy and the country’s
strategic position.
The President also moved to revamped the once
ailing Air Tanzania with efficient management, capital injection and additional
8 new planes (3 three others on the way). The once owner of a depleted one
plane, Air Tanzania, is now back and rocking the skies of several domestic
routes and some African as far as Asia routes.
How can someone, a prospecting future leader,
just get out, write an article to foreign audiences, blasting on everything as
if nothing is happening in his own motherland? Are these changes not
transforming lives or the economy?
Are people’s lives getting worse by efforts to
assure them with power connections, employment in the revamped Airliner,
equality before the law etc?
If that is not enough, since November 2015,
the government of President Magufuli has established the free education policy
for both primary and secondary education to ensure all children are accessing
education in the country.
In this regard, the government is allocating
more than tsh 23.8bn/- every month to serve the purpose. The policy has put the
primary school enrolment up at 35.5 per cent and secondary school at 201.1% per
cent respectively.
More money is timely channeled for loans in
higher education and students are busy focusing on theoretical and practical
aspects of their college life, not time to engaging in violent
strikes.
On the ailing health sector; in the past four
years, the government of President Magufuli has increased the health budget
from tsh 31bn/- from 2014 /2015 FY to a staggering tsh 270bn/- in 2017/2018
financial year only for equipment and necessary drugs.
To his credit, he has constructed more
District hospitals in two years (90 by this year to be exact, work started in
2018) against only 77 built in the last 57 years of Independence.
He has employed more than 8,000 health
workers, more than 40,000 other public servants, built more than 480 modern
health centers at ward levels; are all these type of changes an abstemious MP like
Zitto would still remain adamant about? Aren’t they helping the people?
The MP goes on to assert that President
Magufuli, who was seen as a progressive Africa leader with a great vision, is
now cracking the opposition, media and civic space.
I’m not into politics, if it is only the
media, politicians or activists who are in court, how many of them are in the
dock now as opposed to those who continue to do their work peacefully? We may
need to distinguish between someone who commits personal wrongs and get charged
for that and one’s professional affiliation.
The author did not offer a critical analysis
of the reasons for instance, why he personally spent some time in custody and
what are his charges in the court now? Why he thinks it is politically
motivated?
How many politicians are there who are
opposition members, critical of the government but have never been to the
courts and are still doing their political work?
He is saying, once elected, his first major
task will be to revamp the Judiciary and free all inmates and the remanded who
were charged under what he calls “false pretenses.”
I’m wishing him well in his political
ambition, however, as a leader he needs to start learning administrative limits
now; not sure if a President can let free an accused person who is in court of
law, should we start to smell something fishy from this kind of opposition
politicians?
I argue, Journalists and other human rights
activists are not infallible; if someone has committed offences against laws of
the land; be it a lawyer, accountant, procurement specialist or a human rights
activist, the basic principle is, I underscore: no one is above the law.
I see a new tendency in Tanzania nowadays;
someone breaches laws to commit an offence and once charged, because he/she is
an activist, or a journalist, his fellows would flock to social media to
initiate “free him/her” campaigns.
This will not help, let everyone obey laws of the land and then see if a law
enforcement organ will just come your way.
This is why, contrary to some unsubstantiated
claims, human rights and governance situation in Tanzania under President
Magufuli are not as claimed by politically charged analysts like MP Zitto
Kabwe.
The country may have its challenges, like any
other nation, but not to an extent the MP proliferates to deceive those who
know less about this beautiful country and its history. Is it a tactic to
attract party sponsors and foreign financing?
The MP further writes, complaining that he has
been frequenting the prisons this year to visit friends; this surprises me the
big deal. Its common life in Tanzania for many years, in the mornings at police
stations and over the week ends in the prisons, people are assembling to meet
their relatives or friends who are remanded/jailed there for one reason or the
other.
Should all these relatives complain and vow, once
they get a higher political post, they will let free all their relatives? Regardless
the offences they are held for? Is this alternative justice system we should anticipate
from the MPs party if they win elections?
One thing that is not discussed in details,
that I believe creates much of these noises under the cover of human rights is
the explicit fact that President Magufuli is waging a hardnosed war against
both public and private officials in relieving the country out of corruption
that he believes to be the main source of poverty in the resource wealth
economy.
The struggle is paying off though people like
MP Zitto whose interests and “business” friends like the mining giant, Acacia,
have not been spared, are understandably unhappy.
Nevertheless, Magufuli’s track is on record
and gets positive recognition every day by international organizations.
Transparency International has ranked Tanzania
the second country in East Africa after Rwanda in the war against corruption.
The 2018 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) put Tanzania at 99th up from over
140th in the past 5 years.
On its part, the 2019 Transparency
International-Afrobarometer survey released in July last year also showed that
Tanzania was the most improved country in anti-corruption war beating more than
15 surveyed countries.
A US based Phew survey conducted among 41,953
respondents in 38 countries from Feb. 16 to May 8, 2017 across the world using
telephone and face-to-face interviews found that 88 per cent of Tanzanians are
satisfied with the way democracy is working in the country under the leadership
of President Magufuli.
What do we expect in
2020?
Tanzanians will elect their national leaders
in October, 2020 including members of the National Parliament. It is up to
politicians to prepare and outline their campaign manifesto based on issues and
not hallucinations.
Contrary to generalized fallacies like “things get worse under Magufuli,”
Tanzanians are very much able to see progress and transformation happening in
their own country and personal lives. They know what more they want in the
future.
Political propaganda, manipulations,
disinformation and pre-mature election campaigns to mudsling the government in
power or current elected leaders, are not only against electoral laws in any
country, may not be helpful.
My advice to the MP and all Tanzanian
politicians, if needful; the pragmatic changes are very conspicuously here with
us; the country is on the move.
Tanzanians do not need any other hypothetical
promises for change, for, they are witnessing transformation in healthcare,
energy, water availability, free education, infrastructure, protection of their
rights as well as a fierce fight against corruption and misuse of natural
resources.
Government revenues; tax and non-tax have more
than doubled. Government is delivering massive pro-people projects. Corrupt
officials are dismissed from public services; about 19,000 ghost workers were
expelled. I’m confident that this is the change that every Tanzanian had
dreamed about for years.
It is up to aspiring politicians, If they need
my advice, to focus on issues, instead of investing time to lure the people,
local or foreigners.
Let them recognize the pragmatic changes they
have achieved as a country and tell the people what more good one can bring to
the people, other than this is to render yourself seem to be just an out of
nothing lackadaisical.
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