JK: Mugabe Is Not Our Problem

I strongly believe in being a good neighbor. I also believe in being a good brother. Nonetheless, I don’t believe in just losing my sleep , especially when my brother's issues are self-imposed. I think the most responsible thing to do is to rebuke my brother when he is messing up. My point is this: I know Mr. JK is trying to be a good brother with regards to the Zimbabwean saga, but that will be wasting Tanzanians’ precious time.

Mugabe knew this was coming. He deliberately chose to drive Zimbabwe through a concrete wall. Honestly, I am struggling to find justification for supporting a guy who thinks there is nobody else worthy of being Zimbabwe’s president. That is insanity.

As I have pointed out earlier, I am not one of those who advocate blaming the African situation entirely on colonialism. Unfortunately, sticking to the blame-the-west bandwagon seems to be the most popular position in the minds of most Africans. I tend to think that is due to mental laziness and failure to own our problems.

Apparently, a writer/journalist by the name of Hillary Joseph thinks the west is responsible for the sinking of Zimbabwe. I don’t think so.

While the effects of colonialism are there and true, this is almost 27 years since Zimbabwe got independent. Mugabe could have been ideal for the Zimbabwean situation in 1975, but the question is this: is he still relevant in 2007? Has he evolved and changed to face the free market economy? Has evolved to lead young Zimbabweans who can't relate to the "independence fight" ideologies? We live in a very complex world that require uncommon wisdom and tactics. Nonetheless, it appears to me that Africans are so predictable. It seems that as long as an African points a finger at Westerners (while begging for their money) that makes a good policy.

I know this is not a popular position to take, because for such a long time Africans have never taken ownership of their problems, but I strongly believe this is a new direction that we should take. Essentially, when stuff happens, we should ask this question: what could we have done better instead of finding a scapegoat. Development will not be handed over to us. We have to fight for it!

Given that there are success stories (relatively speaking) in other African countries such as Uganda (who, by the way, had civil war for ages), Botswana etc, the colonialism argument is irrelevant. It is about a desire to make strides. The question is: when Tanzanian leaders, for instance, would rather buy expensive (and unnecessary) cars instead of building hospitals, could we blame that on the long gone British? At some point, we have to stop this foolishness and face a very tough world.

If we have to herald Mugabe as some kind of an African hero, can anyone tell me the contribution of Zimbabwe in science in technology in the past twenty years? Nada. Zero. And that is the point. If Zimbabwe was doing much better ten years ago than today, then that is regression. I cannot, in my sane mind, praise that. What has he done lately for Zimbabweans? Clubbing them for opposing his views? Is that what we think is patriotic, cool, and worthy of our support?

I am glad that the Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa is being realistic. I am glad he is being my type of African. He is the only president to recognize that Zimbabwe under Mugabe is a sinking Tinatic.

I wonder if our guy, Mr. JK has the same guts. But even if he did, I don’t like for my president to be playing Foreign Minister, while there are tons of local issues to deal with. Mugabe’s fate is not our business. Besides, Mugabe rode the boat deliberately on the iceberg.

I am glad also that other writers, such as Adam Lusekelo, are not allowing themselves to be pushed into thinking inside the box. I really liked his position on the Zimbabwean saga. The question that I have is this though: how many folks out there really understand what people like Lusekelo, Mwanawasa and I are talking about? I am not sure if it is the majority.

It stinks to see that Africans themselves are killing Africa. It is sad that Africans have not fully come to grip with realities of our contributions to the demise of the continent. So I get amazed when I see writers such as Bilal Abdul-Aziz trying to paint Zambian President as some sort of a western puppet. That is shortsightedness and I could not just help but wonder where this level of ignorance is coming from. Assuming that the Zimbabwean conflict stems from land policy alone will be an oversimplification. That would be undermining the opposition , which happens to have black Zimbabweans. Besides, when they got beaten up, were they demanding for the return of land to the whites?

It bugs me when some Africans assume that if you don't support African self-destruction, you are some sort of a western puppet.

My position is this: despite that typical African political rhetoric from Mr. Joseph and Abdul-Aziz, no politics will EVER save Zimbabwe. No amount of pep talk will revive the situation in Zimbabwe unless Mugabe just bows down and walk. I know most African folks don’t like what Levy Mwanawasa said, but that is the honest assessment: Mugabe stinks.

So when it comes to Zimbabwe I would not like to see Mr. JK playing hero. You can never resuscitate a dead body. Unless the President and other Africans like Hillary Joseph and Bilal Abdul-Aziz are in denial. Besides, Zimbabwe is not our problem. Let him who messed it up fix it

I hope I won’t be regarded as a lesser of an African because I hold a different point of view.

Apology

In trying to tweak some things about this blog, I inadvertently block everyone from submitting comments. I apologize for that. Nonetheless, I am hereby informing you that I have made necessary modifications and you can now share what is on your mind.

Losing The Moral Battle

You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that one of the many factors that are dragging Tanzania down is lack of quality leadership. We have plenty of figures that we call leaders, but in my opinion they are nothing more that opportunists and career politicians. Relatively speaking, we have made progress since independence, but given all the resources we have, it could have been much better.

I could blame Nyerere for setting up the wrong stage as far quality leadership is concerned. That is because we recognize him as the Father of the Nation. Given that fact, corruption, irresponsibility, self-righteousness, abuse of power and all the negative things that we note with regards to Tanzanian leaders, are attributed to him. I know, I know, folks would say that he did what he could, given a few educated folks he had at his disposal. That is fine and I respect that, but that was in 1961. In 1985 when he left office (twenty-four years later) certainly he could have set the stage for more educated and responsible folks to take the leadership reigns.

My point is this: a responsible father leaves his house in order. And Nyerere didn’t.

I just wanted to bring that historical perspective, so that we can understand why we have leadership problems in Tanzania. I don’t believe that problems started when Nyerere left office. Most of the folks in the leadership ranks in Tanzania have been recycled ever since I was born. The leadership decay and crisis in Tanzania started way back. Think I am kidding?Just read this.

And this was way back in 1982. So all of a sudden Nyerere became a champion of a fight against corruption after his presidency? Please. If anything, that is hypocrisy, given that he had failed to fight the same.

If he was serious, why didn’t he sack anyone? Beats me and I guess we will never find out. So we can’t start shooting AHM or BWM for all the evils. Nyerere simply didn’t have the guts to do anything during his tenure. He just talked. He gave very good speeches, but no action was taken. So is anyone surprised the “recycling” tradition is still going on? Or could it be that his “boys” knew Nyerere’s own evils, such as having cable TV at his residency, while denying the entire country the privilege of having a TV station? I am sure they knew about some skeletons in Nyerere’s closet.

Given what we know, Nyerere was not justified to accuse Mwinyi of running a corrupt government, while his own government was full of crap.

It is not surprising then, that over the years; the concept of good leadership has escaped the minds of most Tanzanian “leaders”. Honestly, the majority of MPs, for instance, stink of evil. How could anyone elected through the influence of takrima boast of being a “good” leader? I am sure they would content that it doesn’t matter as long as the said MP is capable of “working hard” for the people. You will see that in a minute.

It appears that the requirement that good moral standing be a must for our leaders is being thrown out of the window. I guess the only prerequisite for being appointed to stand election by any political party is loot in one’s pockets. A classic case of the deterioration of our moral standards as a country is the story about the MP for Buchosa, Mr. Samuel Chitalilo. In a nutshell, the dude “cooked” his educational qualification, but thinks it is no big deal.

In Mr. Chitalilo’s mind, which I believe is a representative of that of many in the CCM camp, failure to be of a good moral character is not something that a leader should be penalized for. Surprisingly, he confessed that even CCM, collectively as a party, would not penalize that. What I am gathering out of that is this: tumekwisha. I understand that based on the Laws of the land, Mr. Chitalilo didn’t commit any offense. But that does exonerate Mr. Chitalilo from moral charges, which holds him accountable for even higher standards.

And think that guys is right. The legacy that Nyerere left behind does not call for accountability on violation of moral rules. So Mr. Chitalilo must be aware of the extent to which dirty things are within CCM and the entire system. Besides, wasn’t it CCM that ratified takrima, which is bribe in principle? I am sure when they start pointing fingers at Mr. Chitalilo, he would have his own finger pointing to do. Are you surprised that CCM has remained mum on this? I am not. It is all dirty in that house.

And that is pathetic. It is pathetic because this is a party of members who could not even uphold its own constitution (please see chapter 2, section 8, subsection (6) of CCM’s constitution, which outlines character requirements for a member). You can view the constitution from CCM’s own website.

Despite Nyerere’s failure to leave a good foundation for good and quality leadership behind him, we can’t dwell on that for the rest of our lives. Our generation has a responsibility of building and sustaining a culture that values good and quality leadership. Because if we don’t, we will be losing a moral battle, which those currently in power have stopped or failed to fight.

Photo: Darhotwire

That's Moving Foward...

As most bloggers and writers would agree, there is a temptation to reflect or write on controversial topics to garner attention. Getting comments or feedback from your readers is certainly a nice way of knowing whether your writing is meaningful or a waste of time. I believe that all human beings like the attention. It is natural, so don’t even try to front that you don’t like it. That is true whether you are just an average Joe or a celebrity. I think the only bad thing would be if you were obsessed with the notion to the extent that you get depressed when you get less or not attention at all.

I like to get the attention. I mean, this is some a personal media if you will. Try to imagine having a newspaper without a readership or a television station without viewers. That would certainly suck. That would stink. I can see some folks starting to question whether I do this for attention (the selfish type of attention) or other ulterior motives. I don’t. I do this to get your positive attention. I want us to go on a journey that would enrich us both.

That being said, I would like to express my appreciation for the comments that I have been getting on this blog and for those who signed by guest book. Honestly, there is nothing more encouraging than that. The more I hear from folks, whether they agree with me or not, the more I get fired up to do this. The most wonderful thing though, is the fact that the more I read, I get a common thread out of it: we both desire for a positive change in Tanzania. May be the only difference is that we differ in the way we want to achieve that. You know what? We see things differently and that should be the case.

The best reward about this whole writing thing for is when I see what I write about being implemented. That is not to say that decision-makers are reading this blog as their source of information, but it is certainly refreshing to see that decision-makers can apply the principles of common sense. Honestly speaking, I don’t think I bring anything new to the table. I have only tried to reflect on issues in Bongoland in connection with what general common sense would contend.

I was happy that Young Africans Sports Club finally got their heads together, given that I had previously blogged on them. So this week I decided to not become like most Tanzanian’s journalists who hardly do their research. Of late, they have been many talks about the media and freedom of information bills to be tabled by the government. I decided to take a personal look at the bill’s draft (the freedom of information) to see the contents. Honestly, I was impressed. Take a look.

As I said before, I am not a genius by any imagination. Nonetheless, I feel pretty good knowing that I blogged on this and it happened. Again, I am not saying the government acted on my blog post, because it is very possible the draft was prepared even before I blogged, but it feels good to know that Tanzania is certainly making positive progress in certain areas.

I will praise when praise is due. If this bill is implemented (and followed to the final dot), then we should expect things to change. The truth is that corruption is bred when only a few individuals have access or hold public information. I am sure this bill will put a dent into certain corrupt schemes. Would this help eradicate grand corruption? Probably not, but it would certainly help with nuisances of petty corruption that bugs wananchi on a regular basis. I know the majority still don’t even know their basic legal and constitutional rights, hence raising question of the effectiveness of the bill, but we can appreciate the conception and (hopefully) the eventual implementation of the bill for now.

This bill is certainly a good thing. Imagine this: You apply for a passport and the guys at the Immigration office are giving you a painful run around. Guess what? Under this new Act, you will be able to file for the release of the information pertaining to your passport application so that you can see the stage of your application. If some government office mess you up some 25 years ago, guess what? You can retrieve all the information and know what transpired. Isn’t that cool?

And that is moving forward.

Note: I understand that some folks visiting this blog have been questioning and wondering about the impact of our mindset on everything that we do. Well, courtesy of one of the esteeemed readers of this blog, Mbwana, I am hereby posting a link to another blogger who's "preaching" on the mindset issue. Go here and enjoy!

Photo: Mpoki

On The Brink Of Breakout

The last comment I received as a response to my last post went like this: “Too much critics stinks!!! Change your attitude brother”. Obviously, from the comment I am gathering that the reader construes my writings and reflections as too critical. Well, I can’t deny that. I know it. I do it deliberately. Nonetheless, I don’t do it for fun. I don’t do that for kicks.

There are over 80% of Tanzanians living in rural areas with no running water and electricity. There are over 80% of Tanzanians without adequate healthcare, while the big shots take trips to Germany for regular check-ups. That is unacceptable. Someone fortunate enough to see the light has to represent them. Someone has to act as a big brother, since those they have trusted have only ended up abusing them.

On the other hand, I understand that Tanzanians (generally speaking) have been battered for so long mentally that they have lost the courage to ask critical questions. It is no wonder the voice such as mine, sounds strange. I have read comments on this blog that suggest I only say what I say because I have been influenced and mentally colonialized by the Western world. Really? How many readers out there truly know my background to come to such a conclusion?

Just for the record: I have had the guts to critically think and question things way back before I landed on the United States of America’s soil. There are plenty of Tanzanians in the United States of America, but how many of them do what I do or say what I say? Some things are just a personal calling, and regardless of where you are, you will always do what you were born to do. There are critical thinkers in Tanzania such as Generali Ulimwengu. Do they say what they say because they live in and are influenced by the Western world? Hello?

The principles of justice, hard work, right attitude, critical thinking, intelligence, ethics, morality, etc, are universal. They are applicable everywhere. Why then would one think that Africans are exempt? Seriously, if we think that, then Africans must be very stupid compared to other human races. Given that it has never been proven that other races are intelligent than the Negroid, I will not make that conclusion. We are smart enough. I am assuming that my readers are intelligent enough to grasp my goal and the context in which I am addressing Tanzanian issues. It is disheartening to see that not all of us are blessed to see the light.

I believe that the comments from the anonymous reader that I have quoted above are representative of the majority’s sentiments. I am not very worried about those sentiments, because I believe in my calling. I believe in my responsibility to help a few Tanzanians who through access to the Internet could frequent and read my posts. If I veer away from that course, then I am good for nothing. I know the above anonymous reader is of the opinion that I am very critical or very pessimistic. The truth of the matter is that I am very optimistic about the Tanzanian future.

I believe that we are just a change in attitude away from getting there. As such, I have to press in. We have plenty of resources. We have folks who are eager for change. The other day, another reader asked me to provide alternative strategies instead of talking about an attitude change. You know what? Just read MKUKUTA and MKURABITA documents. Those are good strategies. We are not executing those wonderful strategies because we lack commitment – which is a question of attitude. I just don't understand why people would downplay the importance of attitude (Mbwana, I apologize in advance for bringing the attitude issue again)

The call for a change in African’s outlook on the reasons for our situation is just not coming from me. The more I look into this attitude thing, the more I realize it is a phenomenon that most progressive Africans, such as Ali Mufuruki, are talking about seriously considering. Just take a look at this article from Arab News and you will understand what I am talking about.

I would not like to force anyone into embracing my thinking. I believe that each one of us is given a fundamental right to formulate and hold his or her own opinion. Nonetheless, that does not eliminate the fact that there have been a few opinions and visions that eventually come true. As such, I don’t mind being viewed as a lunatic. There are scientists who contended that the earth was flat, ridiculing those who believed otherwise. We know that those who believe the roundness of the earth won in the end.

My point is this: Tanzania is changing. Some of the forces are from within (deliberate) and others are external. From my point of view, I see a very prosperous country. I see a country that has plenty of potential. I see a country on a brink of coming out economically. But that will only be achieved if we tweak some things a little. One of those things we have to change is our attitude and how we view ourselves in a wider scheme of things. Nonetheless, it is funny and sad that some of us have chosen to embrace the old, traditional, political thinking that is not fitting in our current world. I just don’t like for one day to come back and write another article titled “ I told you so”.

Smart people understand what time it is. Smart folks change with time. Some of the comments I read on this blog make me wonder if people are really getting the season and times in Tanzania. The good thing about change is this: if you don’t change, you become obsolete. You don’t change you find out that your neighbors are holding Umoja Unit shares while you still insisting on lining up for sugar at a “Duka la Ushirika"

Fools In Expensive Suits…

Honestly, I think the Mr. JK is “cool” in terms of social skills, but as far as getting down to having a full of grasp of critical issues, I don’t think he is my type of guy. Anapwaya, if I had to borrow a leaf from Swahili. Na anapwaya vibaya mno. May be he is a victim of a rotten system that made him. May be his hands are tied. May he just doesn’t have the guts. And that is a big issue, because changing Tanzania requires an extraordinary visionary. Kasi Mpya? Yeah right, the guy looks and sounds tired already.

So our beloved President thinks that the reason Tanzania entered into numerous stupid contracts is because the country lacks professionals with trade skills (I didn’t mean to steal your thunder, Mr. Msangi,I just had intended to reflect on this some more). I am not sure what the president had for dinner the previous night, but that is one stinking rationale. It is simply ridiculous.

We both know that that the core issue is the love for 10% and lack of seriousness in the Tanzanian government. If the issue was lack of professional with trade skills, how did Mr. Kikwete himself pull off a contract review agreement with Barrick Gold? Did he accomplish that through some sort of a Norwegian expert? By just listening to his talk with Tanzanians in the UK, nothing magical was done to convince Barrick, except by revisiting some financial fundamentals. Which should be done all the time. No foreign experts needed.

This is 21st century and the reality is that Tanzania is still a developing country. That being established, it is also an undeniable fact that Tanzania has plenty of resources and great years ahead of her. Nonetheless, the country’s potential could only be exploited and fully utilized for the benefit of all if we have a President and leaders who possess not only the right attitude, but also an intellectual capacity to understand the cause and effects of certain relationships.

The 21st century leadership must move Tanzania away from the old rotten mindset that has gotten us nowhere. Part of that thinking is this notion of being powerless, and that we have no control and responsibility over our problems. We must have a leader who feels equal to foreign countries that are our development partners. I am not sure if Mr. Kikwete understands that. If he did, he would have not termed the Swedes and the European Union as “wakubwa” in his
recent talk with Tanzanians residing in the United Kingdom. I can understand the use of that word in the Tanzanian context, because it is somewhat similar to words such as mheshimiwa, mkubwa, mkurugenzi, etc, that are used in social circles meant for interaction. Nonetheless, it is different when the head of state refers to other countries as wakubwa.

We typically speak of what we understand, feel and perceive. I can’t make any assumptions and conclusions on what Mr. JK was thinking, but clearly his choice of words was a clear indication of the mentality that these “waheshimiwa” carry with them to the international meetings. Could it be that we have been beggars for so long that we can’t even lift our heads up and feel dignified? Could it be that we have been psychologically wounded for so long that we can’t even visualize ourselves as successful and powerful? I have no answers to that.

Sad enough, Mr. Kikwete demonstrated such a negative attitude when he held talks with Norway's Minister for Development and Cooperation, Erick Solhein. I am not sure how the conversation about the inability of Tanzania to negotiate and sign equitable contracts with foreign entities came up or what other topics were covered. Nonetheless, given that Mwaura Mwingira, the president’s reporter made this the main story, I am justified to assume that this was the highlight of the conservation between the President and Mr. Solhein.

The major problem with the begging mentality is that it impairs one’s ability to think straight. I mean, of all developmental issues that the President could have discussed with Mr. Solhein, how did the president select the issue of contracts as a major topic? What about expanding market for Tanzanian products? What about asking for more scholarship opportunities? Do we have adequate divers since the MV Bukoba accident, just to name a few areas? How did the president ended up begging for experts that we really don’t need? Could it be that when beggars are given an opportunity to beg, they end up begging for ANYTHING, even if it is useless?

Mr. President, please hear me out: The cure really, is not the importation of Norwegian experts, but changing our own attitude. I don’t think that Andrew Chenge is that dumb. I don’t think that Dr. Msabaha is stupid. The problem is within the system that condones irresponsibility. Which brings us to this question: It is true that the Norwegian expert that the President so admired had more skills than Tanzanians or that the expert simply had the right work ethic and an attitude that would now allow stupidity to go through?

Mr. President, you can’t import attitude. It has to come from within. And you are responsible for causing and driving a change in attitude in Tanzania.

So I am just wondering: What was the Norwegian Minister for Development and Cooperation, Erick Solhein, truly thinking given what he knows about irresponsible, begging Africans? I’m sure he just nodded, smiled and shook Mr. Kikwete’s hands in expression of diplomacy. Nonetheless, I am certain deep inside he was just laughing out aloud, knowing that he has just logged on another day with a shortsighted, begging African in an expensive European suit.

Lack of experts with trade skills is not the reason for signing stupid contracts. It was not the issue behind the radar purchase. It was not the reason for engagement of RDC or IPTL. It was due to rampant corruption. Mr. Erick Solhein knew that. We both know that.

I just don’t like to see my president making a fool of himself. That is because what you ask for or say really tells the story behind your intellectual capacity. This is 21st century. Mr. Kikwete should strive to be a 21st century type of president. Nonetheless, he cannot accomplish that unless he transforms his thinking and perception about a lot of things.

Stinking Thinking (3)

This is my blog. This is my home. This is my territory. As such, I am obligated and privileged to drive its direction. That being said, it does not mean that I am sort of a dictator. I like to hear what others have to say. I like to get a fresh perspective on issues that I reflect on. Nonetheless, when comments on various subjects are downright personal, such comments have to be deleted.

I am not forcing anyone to agree with my perspective. I only comment on the way I see and interpret what I see. I very much welcome opposing views so that we can enrich each other. However, when comments are not bringing anything intelligent to the table, such comments have to go.

Which brings me to this question: if you feel that a blog is not meeting your intellectual needs, why make a constant visit and drop cheap, personally attacking comments? Is that a sign of fixation? What is it about this blog that gets this Anonymous contributor so ticked off?

Let’s leave that alone.

I have once said this; drastic situations require drastic measures. Our Tanzanian situation requires tackling with a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, we aren’t showing signs of running. We are acting like people talking a walk in the park. We behave as if we have worked so hard and now we are enjoying retirement. We act like we have made it. All that is just a question of our attitude.

Today, I received an email. The email had an attachment that had the following message (I’m only chopping the last part). It went like this:
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The difference between poor countries and rich ones is not the age of the country. This can be shown by countries like India and Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old and are poor. On the hand, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries.

The difference between poor and rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources. Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture and cattle raising, but it has the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa, but has the best chocolate of the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil for 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order and labor, which made it the world’s strong safe.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference. Race or skin color are also not important: Immigrant labeled lazy in their country of origin are the productive force in rich European countries.

What’s the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by education and culture.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich and developed countries, it is found that the great majority follows the following principles in their lives:
1. Ethics, as a basic principle
2. Integrity
3. Responsibility
4. Respect to the laws and rules
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens
6. Work loving
7. Strive for saving and investments
8. Will of super action
9. Punctuality
In poor countries, only a minority follows these basic principles in their daily lives.

We are not poor because we lack natural resources, or because nature was not cruel to us. We are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich and developed societies.
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For those who want very much to kill me, those ideas didn't come from me.

I guess what is killing Tanzanians is the fact that our attitude is engrained in our culture. As has been evidenced with furious comments that have questioned my call for a change in attitude, it is apparent that calling for a change in attitude is equated to attacking the Tanzanian culture. I can understand that fear, given that culture defines what a people are.

The truth of the matter is lack of the right attitude is so rampant in the Tanzanian society. Even the president is not exempted. What would one say when the president resorts to shift the blame, continue to beg than build capacity? At what point will Tanzanians understand that when you need something, you make it happen? At what point will it get in our leaders' heads that building capacity and making strides is our responsibility? Isn’t the begging mentality a sure sign of stinking thinking?

I know I am ticking some Tanzanian conservatives off, but our outlook and our attitude has to change. Progress is not just about money, it is also about intellectual, cultural, and spiritual transformation.

Photo: Michuzi