BY EDITOR
16th November 2014
Editors present at the meeting narrated quite a few areas where the media did its work and met with stony reactions or denials from the government itself, including its apparatus such as police, only to be proved right a few days later, in a tragic manner.
It was the subject of governance and accountability on the part of public officials that editors dwelt on mostly with the Vice President Dr Bilal listening attentively.
Issues of increasing crime in banks, poor public healthcare services, emergence of various scandals related to embezzlement and theft of public monies in various sectors such as transport, tourism and energy were touched upon.
Others are poaching and illegal trading in ivory, conflicts pitting farmers and pastoralists and the sale of public property at a throw away price to so-called investors were just some of the issues mentioned by the editors to the VP.
It was during this meeting that editors raised their voices with sentiments that showed that the government appeared to show little or no concern at all on the state of affairs in the country.
Take example of crime in banks. It has now become normal for a person withdrawing cash to be attacked by people even at the bank’s doorsteps.
These incidents are rampant and more often they go uninvestigated unless they touch public figures, as in that case they will embarrass the government, only then.
Perennial conflicts between farmers and pastoralists and situations of open warfare in certain areas also provide an indication of government failure to keep law and order, to ensure that all sections of the population obey the law.
A clear symptom of this failure was the exchange in Parliament between Deputy Speaker Job Ndugai who is also MP for Kongwa, and Home Affairs minister Mathias Chikawe. While the MP was emphasizing that there is no government in Kongwa and Kiteto districts, the minister urged ‘the political class’ from the area to meet and discuss.
Two or three months back there was a short-lived debate in the newspapers when an MP said that the country needs a dictator so that things go forward. Much as he was shouted down, and everyone knows the world does not take kindly to dictators at the moment, there are dangers of going down that road.
Lawlessness is habitual during election periods in the country, as it was also the case in the twilight months of the third phase government, but now it seems to have started woefully too early. At that time it was top operatives looking worried; now cabinet itself is in disarray.
While we salute Vice President Bilal for sounding out fairly informed opinion on what the public thinks is the problem, taking up concerns that have been widely expressed both in the legislature and media, it is hard to actually provide advice.
In the legislature some people are gunning for the skin of current premier Mizengo Pinda, whose declaration as contestant for the nomination next year may have added to the confusion.
While it is up to the president to estimate the needs of the situation, he could imitate second phase president Ali Hassan Mwinyi, clear the table of nomination contestants and place a technocratic cabinet for the final year. The government must wake up!
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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