The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
7 February 2008
editorial
The country's road to good governance was cleared in Dodoma yesterday as millions of wananchi followed with enthusiasm the unraveling of a power generation scandal during a national crisis over a year ago.
The damning report presented by a select committee of Parliament under the chairmanship of Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, named names of those said to be linked to the multi-million dollar 100MW contract.
It revealed shocking details, suggesting deliberate initiatives to swindle public funds. Ironically, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau had given the deal a clean bill.
Therefore, what was laid before the House on the same issue was utterly shocking, as the anti-corruption body's report has turned out to have been inaccurate.
Hit by prolonged drought - leading to serious power shortages never seen before in the past two decades - all eyes were on the fourth phase Government, which had just assumed power, to save the nation.
From economic activities to social services, the almost year-long power shortage left millions desperate and rather helpless.
But as the nation sought ways to get out of the hardships, it seems some "clever" personalities had a different mission: To seize the opportunity to get richer.
And, with the report coming out shortly after the Sh133 billion looting at the central bank, there could be just one message to such people - enough is enough.
Actually, the message is loud and clear. It not only highlights wrong things people holding public offices can do, or have been doing, but it also reminds them that no one is above the law.
However, after the Bank of Tanzania external payment arrears (EPA) account, and now the scandalous awarding of the emergency power generation project to Richmond Development Company, wananchi expect firm action to be taken by relevant authorities.
As American leader George Bush told his Tanzanian counterpart, President Jakaya Kikwete, some time last year as the "List of shame" rocked the nation, there are two important things of dealing with allegations.
One, if people holding public offices are accused of misusing State resources, a thorough investigation must be conducted. Only then can a good leader be in a position to take decision remedial action. And act he must.
Let public office bearers at all levels understand that the march towards embracing good governance is on and there is no looking back.
This is the only way we can ensure that resources allocated to social economic development initiatives are used for the intended purposes.
Gone are the days when embezzlers of public funds strutted around like peacocks, while millions of women trekked miles away in search of health services.
Gone are the days when major projects of national interest were awarded in the dark, with contracts having clauses that simply showcase an insult to the intelligence of all of us.
For instance, it defies logic for a Cabinet minister of a poor country like Tanzania to enter into a contract requiring a company failing to generate power to pay the Government $10, 000 a day, but when the former cannot consume the product it has to pay the former $100,000.
All Tanzanians must support the President's initiatives to combat corruption in the public sector, without fear or favour. But as they do so, they expect more action at all levels of public offices, especially in the local governments where the majority of wananchi expect timely and efficient services.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Surely the country is heading the right direction as the government's corruptions are being notified to the people.
However, some of the ministers who have resigned along with Lowasa are the ones who tried to build an economic stability for the better of Tanzania's society and losing their knowledge and guidance can leave our president(Kikwete) inexperienced on what he should do to try to resolve matters that will be occuring.
If somebody out there believes that my view to the issue is invalid, then I would like them to prove me elsewhere.
Prince Chenge
I am so proud of Rais Kikwete, the new chairman of the AU. He is becoming the champion, the "Julius", that we all thought he would be. The mice are scurrying because he is fighting for the people. Corruption is the cheese. He is catching the mice.