Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Tanzanian Government: You make me sick!

The following is a story that was published by Uhuru on June 13, 2006:
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Halmashauri zilizopo migodini kuneemeka

Serikali yaagiza migodi ilipe sh. milioni 240 kwa mwaka Ni kulingana na mikataba iliyofikiwa kwa pamojaNa Lauden Mwambona na Simon Mkina, Dodoma.
SERIKALI imeziagiza kampuni zote za madini nchini kulipa dola 200,000 sawa na sh. milioni 240 kila mwaka kwa halmashauri zilizopo maeneo hayo ili kutekeleza mikataba kama ilivyoelekeza siku nyingi.Waziri wa Nishati na Madini Dk. Ibrahim Msabaha alisema hayo alipokuwa akijibu swali la nyongeza James Lembeli (Kahama-CCM) aliyetaka kujua kama wananchi walio karibu na migodi wanafaidikaje na migodi hiyo.
Dk. Msabaha alisema agizo hilo lilitolewa na Waziri Mkuu Edward Lowassa alipokutana na wamiliki wa migodi mbalimbali nchini hivi karibuni. Alisema, kimsingi, agizo hilo lilikuwepo, lakini wenye migodi walikuwa wanazembea kutoa fedha hizo ambazo zipo kwa mujibu wa mikataba. Pamoja na agizo hilo, serikali pia inatarajia kukutana na wamiliki wote wa migodi ya madini kuanzia mwanzoni mwa mwezi ujao ili kuwafafanuliwa zaidi mipango ya serikali. Dr. Msabaha alisema mkutano huo utafanyika kuanzia Julai Mosi hadi Julai 2 na kwamba serikali itatoa msimamo wake juu ya suala la madini.
Kuhusu swali la msingi la Lembeli aliyetaka kujua mipango ya serikali kuhusu kuwalipa fidia wananchi wa maeneo ya Mwime kata ya Mwendakulima ambao maeneo yao yamegundulika kuwa na dhahabu na uchimbaji unatarajia kuanza, Naibu Waziri wa Nishati na Madini, Lawrence Masha alisema, kampuni iliyogundua madini bado haijapata leseni na kwamba wakiamua kuanza kazi lazima watalipa fidia kwa wananchi. Masha alisema serikali kwa upande wake kupitia Halmashauri tayari ilishaunda kamati ya kushughulikia kazi ya kuwafidia wananchi wa eneo hilo itakapoanza.
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If I was among wananchi who like to be emotionally carried away when our Tanzanian leaders give a speech that appears to be full of hope, I could have just zipped it up and kept my mind shut. Nonetheless, this story is a depiction of how irresponsible our government is.
The admission by Dr. Msabaha that the mining companies were not paying, as per the contract, the sum of $240m/- to Halmashauris is just a sad story. My questions would be:
1. Who is responsible for enforcing the terms of the contracts to ensure that the mining companies are adhering to those terms?
2. What are the penalties for failure of the mining companies to honour the contracts?
3. For how long have these annual payments been outstanding? Is the government going to force the mining companies to pay ALL the outstanding amounts?
Wandugu, I don't know about you. Nevertheless, I get sick to the stomach when stuff like this happens. This just shows that what we have is not REAL poverty, but an ARTIFICIAL proverty resulting from ignorance and irresponsibility of our leaders. With a guarantee of revenue stream of Tshs. 240m annually, I can only visualize a very economically advanced Kahama township, given the funds would be properly utilized.
Jamani, mimi roho inachefuka kwa haya mambo ya kienyeji ya bongo..

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Metty'z,
I have been following your blog for a while now, quietly. I think you have an objective mind, which would play well as a columnist for any of the newspaper back in Bongo.

So try to send your regular comments to the print media, private to be exact.

In other words, and seriously now if you compare the quality of journalism just between a third world country like Kenya's print media and TZ, ours is absolutely pathetic, low grade, horrendous journalism.

It is really a shame, because even IPP could use a much much better quality in its product.

Progressive as you are, your work requires a bigger audience, and precisely at home. People in bongo need to enlightened, educated, fired up, do all of us fellow progressive a favor, do a column for any willing Bongo print media. That is if they agree to print your colums at all.
Apeche Alolo
NYC

Jaduong Metty said...

Alolo,

Thanks alot for your compliments. I have thought for a while about submitting my thoughts for printing in Tanzania.

As a matter of fact, a buddy of mine in Canada, who happens to be a journalist, interpreted one of my articles in Swahili so that the entire Bongoland can read my thoughts. The problem is, the editor messed the whole article up to the extent that you couldn't clearly get my original thoughts.

Despite those minor drawbacks, I have a plan in the pipeline. If all goes well, I will team up with some folks to establish a strong, objective, an analytical magazine for the Tanzanian readers.

I concur with you. There is not magazine/newspaper in Tanzanian that paints an objective picture of what is happening. It is one thing to report that the President said this and that, and it is another thing to break down the impact of what the president says.

Hopefully, our magazine will fill that void.

But again, thanks for your encouragement.

Metty.

Anonymous said...

Metty'z
Fantastic idea, but till then just keep sending them your articles, in its entirety. Hopefully someone will do something about it.

E.g. here is a link to IPP:

http://ippmedia.com/ipp/mail/feedback.html

Apeche

I think what could be done is to state your intention about contributing as a columnist, free of charge.

Now here is the trick; the DISCLAIMER - state the fact they would use your comments "as is" because changing them could expose them(IPP) to some legal ramifications. This way is a win- win situation.(As long as they use some kind of disclaimer at the end of the each column, to the fact that "the opinion you state are of your own, and in no way reflect the view of IPP media" they can't be liable for printing them.

Your articles are objective while remain entertaining, thoughtful and provocative, but without being insulting. That is a damn good mix bag to have as a writer, and that's what makes you unique.

Anonymous said...

Here is another headline fresh of PANA-PRESS to really stir you up....

Sham US firm leaves Tanzania in the dark

Juma Kwayera
Posted Wed, 11 Oct 2006

Dar es Salaam - United States authorities raised a stink over Tanzania's power equipment procurement procedures with revelations on Tuesday that an American incorporated firm that won a $172mn contract to supply 100mW capacity emergency generators was "a mailbox company".
The revelations followed growing concerns over delays in the delivery and installation of the generators that have caused panic over imminent further power cuts after the company, Richmond Development Company, failed to deliver the first consignment of generators on October 8.
Richmond cited freight schedule changes that had led to delayed shipping of the equipment from North Carolina, Texas in the United States.
After many months operating in the shadows, the secretary of North Carolina, William Pate, said the firm did not exist.
Pate said: "The secretary of (Texas) state is supposed to receive filing notices of the companies that do business in Texas. It would be odd for a legitimate company not to comply with this requirement." Richmond, he said, had never done that before going on to question the firms creditworthiness.
Pate's disclaimer threw open possibilities that the state-funded power firm, the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), was engaged in underhand dealings with briefcase firms that seek to dupe gullible and corrupt government officials.
Revelations that Richmond Development Company was a "mailbox firm” came as a slap in the face of President Jakaya Kikwete, who during a recent tour of Tanesco premises assured the country that power generation would be stepped up from October 8, the same day the firm was supposed to deliver a 40mW capacity generator.
President Kikwete's assurance snapped the growing criticism, with critics angry that his frequent foreign trips had shifted attention from the economy, which they fear was tottering on the brink of collapse.
Richmond's address was given as Houston, Texas and its directors' names as Tanzanian-born Mohammed Gire and Pakistani Mohammed Huque, a. Pate's report denies the existence of the addresses.
Gire's kin, Naeem Gire, said on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam that the firm was unable to secure a cargo plane to airlift the turbines to Dar es Salaam. "The equipment is already there in North Carolina. We are only having problems with the freight company that keeps changing its schedules," Gire said.
Richmond's financial inability to meet its contractual obligations first came to light October 9, when it was revealed that the central bank had turned down an application for $10mn as down payment "to lease and airfreight the turbines" to the East African nation.
The revelation about Richmond's hazy background coincided with Tanesco's announcement on the same day that it planned to shut down its main hydropower plants – Mtera, Kihansi and Kidatu - in the south after water dropped further to critically low levels this week.
The three dams were currently generating a total of 78mW against their installed capacity of 460mW. Eighty percent of the current power generation capacity was being met by overstretched thermal plants, which were producing slightly above 100mW. The shortfall has resulted in a crippling 12-hour seven-days a week load-shedding schedule.
A senior official in the ministry of energy and minerals, Arthur Mwakapugi, confirmed the looming crisis, saying, "The only way out is to install emergency generators as soon as possible."
He added, "We will not be able to supply power to towns in the north of the country. A 40mW capacity should be installed there as soon as possible and there is also a need for additional power generators as soon as possible." Most of the country's agro-based industries are in the north, where tourism is also a key component of the economy.
As the government grapples with the deepening power crisis, Tanesco managing director Adriaan van de Merwe warned on Tuesday that the country would plunge into total darkness from around October25, when the hydropower options would be exhausted. -panapress

Apeche