I love Tanzania because of the light, colours and life in almost every scene. Especially at dawn: the rising sun floods the cool grasslands with gold, school children walk along the roadsides and vendors set out their wares. And when nature surrounds you, there is exuberance everywhere: the largest of animals mingle with the most minute; birds of every size and colour soar and sing; trees and plants burst with flowers; landscapes are colourful and diverse. Mostly, though, it’s because of the equanimity, charm, dignity and welcome offered by so many Tanzanians. ….Mary Fitzpatrick (Writer)
We must thank Mr. Nowrang Persaud for sharing with us a BBC report on recent developments on the political front in Tanzania following the swearing in of John Magufuli as President. Mr. Persaud has requested as much publicity as possible since these developments have important lessons for many countries, including Guyana. This article has been developed using the information he has provided as well as based on further information gleaned from the Internet.
Brief background
information
The name Tanzania was coined from those of two former British colonies – Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Following Independence in 1961 and 1963 respectively, the two countries merged in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Three of Africa’s Great Lakes are partly within the borders of Tanzania: Lake Victoria – the largest lake in Africa; Lake Tanganyika – the continent’s deepest lake at 1,155 feet below sea level at its deepest point; and Lake Nyasa. The highest point in Africa is also located in Tanzania at Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet above sea level.
Tanzania has an area of 364,900 square miles and a population of 47.6 million, 68% of which live below the poverty line of US$1.25 per day while 16% of children under five years of age are malnourished. The country has been ranked 159 out of 187 on the UNDP Human Development Index report for 2014 and has a GDP per capita of US$955.10. Transparency International has also rated the country at 20 out of 100 on the 2015 Corruptions Perceptions Index. Tanzania is the second largest aid recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the Guardian newspaper, international donor agencies had suspended $480 million of general budget support in 2014 after it was revealed that Ministers had siphoned off $180 million from the Central Bank using an energy company escrow accounts. It further stated that “The corruption is endemic: a government census released in June showed that Tanzania is at the centre of Africa’s ivory crisis, losing 60% of its elephants in just five years. Between 2009 and 2014 the number of elephants dropped from 109,051 to 43,330. When an annual birth rate of 5% is taken into account, the number of dead is 85,181”.
Enter John Magufuli, nicknamed “the Bulldozer” for his energetic road-building drive while he was Interior Minister. He is a graduate from the University of Dar es Salaam with a Ph. D in chemistry, and is an industrial chemist by profession. After winning the national elections, Dr. Magufuli assumed the office of the Presidency on 5 November 2015. A day later, he made a surprise visit to the Finance Ministry and was shocked to notice that most workers had not reported to work. He is reported to have issued the following warning: “I am telling government officers who are lazy and negligent to be prepared. They were tolerated for a long time. This is the end.” The President immediately began to initiate a number of actions aimed at: not only controlling public expenditure but also reducing it; ensuring the country lives within its means; reallocating resources to areas where there are most needed; cutting waste and extravagance; and reducing corruption.
Restrictions on
overseas travel
On his visit to the Ministry of Finance, the President found thousands of requests for overseas travel by government officials. Two days later, he announced a virtual ban on all foreign travel by government officials, and instructed them to instead make regular visits to rural areas to learn and help solve problems facing residents. All tasks that required officials to travel abroad would be carried out by High Commissioners and Ambassadors. He also restricted overseas travel by first and business classes to the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister only. In addition, the President instructed that a delegation of 50 officials about to embark on a tour of Commonwealth countries be reduced to four.
Cancellation of
Independence celebrations
Tanzania’s Independence was always celebrated on 9 December. The President, however, decided to forego the 2015 celebrations and declared 9 December 2015 as a national day of cleanliness and sanitation. He ordered that the funds earmarked for the celebrations be used towards the cleaning of the streets. Citizens were also urged to clean their yards and surroundings in an attempt to arrest the spread of a cholera outbreak. The President felt that it was inappropriate to expend large sums for the Independence celebrations at a time when people were dying of cholera. He was photographed as having participated in the cleaning-up exercise.
Reallocation of funds for entertainment
expenses to healthcare
The President witnessed first-hand the deplorable conditions of the Muhimbili Hospital where patients were lying on the floor or were sharing beds and where many had complained of not seeing doctors for days. He dismissed the governing board of the hospital and replaced it with a new team. He also ordered 90% of the budget earmarked for the State Dinner to mark the opening of Parliament to be used, among others, for the purchase of hospital beds. A few days later, 300 beds were delivered, and the broken MRI was fixed.
Instead of travelling by private jet some 600 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma to officially open Parliament, the President journeyed by road for this important event. He reportedly told parliamentary leaders that the people of Tanzania wanted him to solve their problems and not to make speeches. Accordingly, the President demanded his presence and that of his Prime Minister including his speech be restricted to a maximum of 30 minutes. He made it clear that it would not be business as usual under his leadership. The President also reduced his inauguration party expenses from $100,000 to $7,000, and reallocated the rest to the hospital. He promised to cut public spending, fight corruption and enhance accountability in public service, and declared that it was time for Tanzanians to walk the talk.
Reduction in the
size of Cabinet
Prior to his appointment of Cabinet Ministers, the President issued a warning that he would not tolerate corruption and bureaucratic government officials, and that Ministers would have to work tirelessly along with him to serve the Tanzanian people. On 10 December 2015, he announced his Cabinet comprising 19 Ministers, eleven less than the previous government. Some Ministries were merged as a cost-saving exercise.
Ban on workshops/seminars
at expensive hotels
The President instructed that there would be no more meetings, workshops and seminars in expensive hotels. Instead, the boardrooms of the various ministries would be used for these purposes.
Tightening up on
revenue collections
The President suspended the Tanzania Revenue Authority’s chief and other officials pending investigations after a visit by the Prime Minister to the port of Dar es Salaam found 350 containers missing. This has resulted in lost revenue estimated at $40 million. He also suspended two senior immigration officials following allegations of impropriety and financial malfeasance, mismanagement and poor revenue collection. According to the Director of Information: one of the suspensions was in line with the promise that the President had given that he wanted leaders who are clean and ethical and who can perform; and when there are allegations of corruption, the President tries to take action immediately.
The State-run Daily News reported that Magufuli’s anti-waste measures were already beginning to pay off, with monthly revenues rising from 900 billion shillings to 1.5 trillion shillings a 67% increase (US$1 = 2,184.15 Tanzanian shillings).
100 days into office
A poll conducted by the independent newspaper, the Citizen, gave the President an approval rating of over 90%. The President received only 58.46 per cent of the votes cast at the October 2015 national elections. However, the survey results showed that if elections were held today (100 days into office), the President would win by a resounding 70 percent. The Daily News also reported that most of those interviewed said that the President was a man of his word and has walked the talk without mincing words.
In other African countries, Magufuli’s approach to government has been a source of admiration so far. Uganda’s The Insider newspaper reported that while the President is not perfect, “… it can be said to go without saying that his style of no-nonsense, results-oriented leadership has won him droves of supporters… Nevertheless, he also has his critics. Although most Tanzanians have been yearning for a ‘tough president’ to fix the country, some leading opposition leaders in the country say the Magufuli administration has already displayed some authoritarian tendencies, pointing to the banning of a weekly tabloid, halting of live television broadcasts of full parliamentary sessions, and demolitions of illegally-built houses countrywide”.
The Guardian newspaper reported Donald Mmari, research director for Research on Poverty Alleviation, as having stated that Magufuli is serious about tackling corruption. “He is cutting unnecessary spending, focusing on delivering essential public services, and has issued a directive to enhance revenue collection,” he said. “Now he will have to make sure that he appoints individuals who have the competence and credibility to help him achieve his aims.”
The newspaper also reported Rolf Paasch, Tanzania country director for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung political foundation, as having stated that Magufuli’s personal interventions are an encouraging sign, but they would not solve the problem of corruption on their own. “In Swahili there is a saying, ‘If you want to sweep the stairs, you have to start from the top’, and I think that was missing before,” he said. “There was impunity at all levels. Now it’s different. But the president can’t keep going personally to the main hospital to clean it up. He and his new cabinet will need to complement these laudable actions [with] a more systematic approach.”
Dr. Magufuli’s approach to government has resulted in the coining of a new word: “magufulify”, meaning to render assistance or declare an action faster or cheaper; deprive public officials of their capacity to enjoy life at taxpayers’ expenses; or to terrorise lazy and corrupt individuals in society.
So far, increases in public sector wages and salaries to boost morale and to encourage accountability are yet to be dealt with, though at the moment public servants appear to be highly motivated by the President’s initiatives.
