11th October 2015, THE GUARDIAN TANZANIA ON SUNDAY
Minister for Energy and Minerals, George Simbachawene
The
government plans to establish a mineral bank that will, among other
things, provide financial support to small-scale miners in the country.
Minister
for Energy and Minerals, George Simbachawene, told The Guardian
yesterday that the bank will aim to support artisanal miners who lack
access to bank loans to enable them become large-scale miners.
He said a number of banks operating in the country were unwilling to support mining sector operations.
“The
mineral bank will have experts in the mining sector aware of its
demands and nature,” he said, adding that the bank will also help miners
secure markets because it will know the market for various minerals.
Speaking
on the sidelines of granting contracts to small-scale miners who benefited from government loans through the Tanzania Investment Bank [TIB], the minister said
the government was committed to helping small-scale miners.
The bank is to be housed in the yet to be built Arusha-based Madini House.
The
building site and plan are already in place, with the construction
designed to allow choppers to land on its rooftop to enhance security to
mineral traders.
Madini House will also accommodate government agencies including Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). Tanzania
has approximately four million miners with only 1500 to 1700 of them in
the mainstream mining activities, thus the need to have plans to assist
the remaining group.
Establishment of
the bank is the government’s response to an earlier appeal from the
Federation of Miners Association of Tanzania (FEMATA) for the state to
help in the establishment of the bank and construction of the house.
The bank to be established, according t the minister, will also help regulate the prices of precious resources.
FEMATA
President John Bina said here that Tanzania should borrow a leaf from
countries such as Ghana and China who had such facilities.
Earlier, the miners had asked the government to allow them to have an annual mineral celebration, such a a Mineral Week or Day.
Mid
this week, some 111 artisanal miners, through the Multi-Stakeholder
Partnership Initiative (MSPI) launched last year by the government and
the World Bank Group (WBG), received Sh7.2bn support from a local bank,
Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB), to support mining-related activities
countrywide.
BY ABELA MSIKULA, THE GUARDIAN on sunday, TANZANIA, 11/10/2015.
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
Hitch caused by `poor`construction material
Part
of the rooftop of Terminal-III building, which is still under
construction at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es
Salaam, crumpled last week, posing a security threat to the workers on
site.
It was the first incident of its kind since the two-phased
project kicked off in January, last year, but Director General of the
Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA),Eng. Suleiman Suleiman, described it
as “too minor to deserve public attention.”
However, he has
reportedly given the contractor, Bam International Construction Company,
a two-week ultimatum to release a report over the 6-metre affected
area, amid fears that the crash might entirely destroy the 75,000
square-metre terminal structure.
Pending results from a probe
team while the non-affected portion has already been inspected by a team
of engineers as required by the terms of contract, Engineer Suleiman
suspected faulty bolts as the cause of the collapse, noting that the
detected hitches would be communicated back to the manufacturers and
suppliers.
“Usually, samples from all imported building
materials are tested to ensure they are up to required standards. It
might be that the failed bolts were not tested since not all materials
are taken to the testing site,” he said.
“It is up to the
contractors to take appropriate measures against the manufacturers and
suppliers of the substandard construction material.
What we need
is the handover of a perfectly accomplished project according to the
terms of the contract,” said the TAA chief in response to a question as
to what would happen if the construction materials were of poor
quality.
“That’s why the contractor is paid only after
completion of the project and with the approval of construction
experts,” he noted, adding that the terms also required the contractor
to remain in the country a year after handing over the project.
The
Guardian on Sunday had responded to a tip-off by a concerned worker
who, like others, feared for his life following the collapse in a
situation they alleged was short of social security as they even had no
insurance cover.
But it was later established that Bam had
adhered to all basic safety standards, including provision of safety
gear, and placement of instruction banners across the site.
“They
don’t have to be worried for their safety. The working environment is
safe, information well-communicated and the situation closely
monitored,” said the TAA boss, while pointing at a temporary Safety Unit
building and a stand-by ambulance at the site.
Bam officials declined to comment as they directed the reporter to TAA for any information.
Terminal
3, a 75,000-square-metre complex five times bigger than Terminal-2,
will be served by 40 counters, equipped with 18 air bridges and designed
to dock gigantic A380 Airbus planes.
Completion of the ambitious
project will see JNIA playing the role of Tanzania’s main international
gateway as passenger annual turn out will be increased to 6 million.
The
construction of Terminal 3 is done in two phases including the Sh293bn
phase one scheduled for completion in 2016 to handle 3.5 million
passengers annually, and the Sh225bn phase two scheduled to accommodate
2.5 million travelers on its completion in 2017.
The project is
in place thanks to the Dutch-government guaranteed loan from HSBC Bank
through Export Credit Agency and 15 per cent financial involvement from
the local CRDB Bank.
Tanzania charges Chinese 'Ivory Queen' smuggling suspect
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala
October 9, 2015 10:34 AM
.
View photo
A customs officer arranges confiscated elephant tusks before a news conference at the Port Authority …
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - A Tanzanian court has charged a
prominent Chinese businesswoman, dubbed the 'Ivory Queen', with running a
criminal network responsible for smuggling tusks from more than 350
elephants, court documents seen by Reuters on Friday showed.
Yang Feng Glan, 66, was accused in Tanzania's commercial
capital, Dar es Salaam, this week of smuggling 706 pieces of ivory
between 2000 and 2004 worth 5.44 billion Tanzanian shillings ($2.51
million).
Glan, a Swahili-speaker who has been in
the east African nation since the 1970s, is secretary-general of the
Tanzania China-Africa Business Council and owns a popular Chinese
restaurant in Dar es Salaam, according to police sources.
Reuters was unable to reach the lawyer for Glan who was not allowed to enter a plea until the case resumes.
She is being held at the city's Segerea maximum security
prison until an Oct. 12 bail hearing. If convicted, she could face more
than 20 years in jail.
In the court documents,
prosecutors said Glan "intentionally did organise, manage and finance a
criminal racket by collecting, transporting or exporting and selling
government trophies" weighing a total of 1.889 tonnes.
The East African nation's elephant population shrank from 110,000 in
2009 to a little over 43,000 in 2014, according to a census released in
June, with conservation groups blaming "industrial-scale" poaching.
Demand for ivory from fast-growing Asian economies such as
China and Vietnam, where it is turned into jewels and ornaments, has
led to a spike in poaching across Africa. Conservation of African big
game has also been in the international spotlight in last few months
since the killing of famed Zimbabwean lion Cecil by an American dentist.
China, the world's biggest consumer of elephant tusks,
announced in February a one-year ban on the import of African ivory
carvings, but conservationists say corruption is fuelling poaching in
Tanzania.
The Elephant Action League, a U.S.-based
conservation group, said it believed Glan to be "the most notorious
ivory trafficker brought to task so far".
"It's the
news that we all have been waiting for, for years," Elephant Action
League founder Andrea Crosta said in a statement.
"Finally, a high profile Chinese trafficker is in jail. Hopefully she
can lead us to other major traffickers and corrupt government officials.
We must put an end to the time of the untouchables if we want to save
the elephant."
($1 = 2,167 Tanzanian shillings)
(Editing by George Obulutsa, Ed Cropley, Anna Willard)
Scientists: Major coral bleaching crisis spreads worldwide
By SETH BORENSTEIN
, 9/10/2015
.
View gallery
.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The bleaching of colorful coral is
spreading into a worldwide, devastating crisis, scientists say, and they
predict it will likely get worse.
Triggered by global warming and the El Nino, record
hot ocean water is causing fragile coral to go white and often die,
threatening picturesque reefs that are hotspots of marine life, experts
say.
The spread of sickly white started more than a year ago in
Guam, then devastated Hawaii, infected the rest of the tropical Pacific
and the Indian oceans and has now infested Florida and the Caribbean. On
Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
international reef scientists pronounced it a global coral bleaching
event, only the third in recorded history.
No place with coral has
been spared, though some regions — such as Hawaii — have been hit
harder than others, experts said. Excessive heat stresses the living
coral, which turns white and then becomes vulnerable to disease.
"We
may be looking at losing somewhere in the range of 10 to 20 percent of
the coral reefs this year," NOAA coral reef watch coordinator Mark Eakin
said. "The bad news for the U.S. is we're getting hit
disproportionately just because of the pattern of the warming."
He
called bleaching a crisis, especially with worsening global warming
forecast for the rest of the century: "If that's not a crisis, what is?"
Eakin said he's especially concerned about Hawaii, which already suffered through bad bleaching in 2014.
"Hawaii
is getting hit with the worst coral bleaching they have ever seen,
right now," Eakin said. "It's severe. It's extensive. And it's on all
the islands."
In one part of northwestern Hawaii, "the reef just
completely bleached and all of the coral is dead and covered with scuzzy
algae."
This photo provided by the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, taken in February 2015, shows coral after bleac …
Florida started getting hit in August. The middle Florida Keys
aren't too bad, but in southeast Florida, bleaching has combined with
disease to kill corals, Eakin said. It has also hit Cuba, Haiti and the
Dominican Republic and is about to hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands, he said.
Warm water causes bleaching and ocean
temperatures are at record high levels, partly because of steady manmade
global warming and partly because of the El Nino, which is an
occasional warming of the central Pacific that changes weather
worldwide, Eakin said. Add to that Hawaii's "blob," a pool of warm water
that has stagnated in the northeast Pacific.
The last super El Nino, in 1997-1998, was the first global bleaching event. A smaller El Nino in 2009-2010 was the second.
So
far the 1998 bleaching was worse, but that was the second year of an El
Nino and we're in the first of two years now, Eakin said.
Oceans
worldwide are by far the warmest on record — August 2015 was four-tenths
of a degree warmer than in August 1998. Next year, he said, may be as
bad as this year or even worse.
NOAA produced forecasts of
bleaching that show it as a giant red blob moving across the globe
again. And what worries marine ecologist Gregor Hodgson, who heads the
group ReefCheck, is the forecast that the blob will hit the Great
Barrier Reef in Australia next spring.
The computer model forecasts "this horrendous dramatic" impact on the Great Barrier Reef, Hodgson said. "It's truly terrifying."
This
isn't just a problem for divers and fish; coral reefs are crucial
globally, Eakin said. Coral reefs protect shorelines, produce tourism
dollars and help provide food for 500 million people around the world,
he said.
Even though coral
reefs are one-tenth of 1 percent of the ocean floor by area, they are
home to 25 percent of the world's fish species, Eakin said.
"You kill coral, you destroy reefs, you don't have a place for the fish to live," Eakin said.
Ms. Davis, the Rowan County, Ky.,
clerk, spoke at a rally after she was ordered freed, saying: “I just
want to give God the glory. His people have rallied, and you are a
strong people.”
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS on Publish Date September 8, 2015.
Photo by Ty Wright/Getty Images.
Watch in Times Video »
GRAYSON, Ky. — After five nights in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses
to same-sex couples, Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, walked free
Tuesday to a roar of cheers from thousands of supporters, but she and
her lawyer would not say whether she would continue to defy court orders
and try to block the licenses.
Outside the jail here, a planned demonstration by people who, like Ms. Davis, say that same-sex marriage
violates their religious beliefs turned buoyant when she was released,
the sense of triumph mixed with a dose of presidential politics.
She
walked onstage to thunderous applause, the song “Eye of the Tiger”
playing on loudspeakers, her hands held aloft by one of her lawyers,
Mathew D. Staver, and Mike Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate
and former Arkansas governor. Another Republican presidential
contender, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was also in attendance but largely
overshadowed.
Ms. Davis broke down in tears and spoke only briefly, not addressing the issues in her case.
News ClipsBy REUTERS00:26Lawyer Discusses Kim Davis’s Release
Mathew D. Staver, the lawyer for the
Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, spoke on Tuesday about his client’s release
after she was jailed for defying a court’s order that she issue same-sex
marriage licenses.
“I
just want to give God the glory,” she told the crowd, some waving white
crosses. “His people have rallied, and you are a strong people. Just
keep on pressing. Don’t let down. Because he is here.”
But her release came with a stern warning from Judge David L. Bunning
of Federal District Court, who on Thursday sent her to jail and
directed five of her deputies to issue licenses without her approval. In
a two-page order on Tuesday, he wrote that he was setting her free
because her office was “fulfilling its obligation to issue marriage
licenses to all legally eligible couples,” but that he would respond to
any further defiance.
“Defendant
Davis shall not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the
efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally
eligible couples,” he wrote. “If Defendant Davis should interfere in any
way with their issuance, that will be considered a violation of this
order and appropriate sanctions will be considered.”
Last
week, one of Ms. Davis’s lawyers signaled in court that Ms. Davis would
not consent to her office’s processing marriage licenses under existing
guidelines. On Tuesday, reporters asked repeatedly if she would abide
by the latest court order. Ms. Davis remained silent, and Mr. Staver
said, “She’s not going to violate her conscience.”
The
central issue for Ms. Davis is that the licenses say they are issued by
the Rowan County clerk, and she, as the clerk, will not authorize them.
If that feature is eliminated, Mr. Staver said, she will not stand in
the way of granting licenses. “The court order did not resolve the
underlying issue,” he said.
He
called once again on Gov. Steven L. Beshear, a Democrat in his final
year in office, to change the wording of the licenses. Mr. Beshear has
said he does not have that authority and will not intervene in “a matter
between her and the courts.”
Photo
The demonstration turned buoyant with Ms. Davis’s release.Credit
Ty Wright/Getty Images
The
Legislature could change the law on marriage licenses to accommodate
objections like Ms. Davis’s. But the governor has said he will not call a
special legislative session this year, which he said would be a waste
of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mr.
Staver says licenses issued by Ms. Davis’s office without her approval
are void, possibly signaling another legal fight. The Rowan County
attorney and the state attorney general say they are valid.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
Ms. Davis said her Apostolic Christian faith prevented her from
approving such unions, so her office stopped issuing marriage licenses
to any couples, same-sex or opposite-sex.
After
Judge Bunning ruled last month that she must issue the licenses, a
federal appeals court and then the Supreme Court declined to stay his
order, pending her appeal. When she maintained her resistance, he held
her in contempt and sent her to jail.
Her
argument and incarceration have resonated deeply among Christian
conservatives who say they fear an erosion of religious liberty, and
transformed an obscure local official in a rural corner of Kentucky into
a national symbol of unyielding resistance to same-sex marriage.
Of
the two presidential contenders who attended the rally, it was Mr.
Huckabee, making his second White House run, who grabbed the political
spotlight. Before Ms. Davis appeared, Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Staver took
the stage to tell the crowd, in unison, “Kim Davis is free.”
When
Mr. Cruz, who met with Ms. Davis, exited the Carter County Detention
Center, a throng of journalists beckoned him toward their microphones,
but an aide to Mr. Huckabee blocked the path of the senator, who
appeared incredulous.
Soon
after, Ms. Davis emerged, apparently wearing the same clothes she had
worn in court Thursday. Mr. Huckabee stuck close by her side, along with
Mr. Staver and her husband, Joe, as they approached the reporters and
cameras. Ms. Davis remained silent, letting Mr. Staver and Mr. Huckabee
do the talking.
Mr.
Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, cast the dispute as a matter of
religious freedom threatened by overreaching courts, while Mr. Cruz
stood to the side, keeping an unusually low profile.
“If
you have to put someone in jail, let me go,” Mr. Huckabee told the
crowd. “Every one of us will have to decide whether we want to keep this
great country or whether we want to surrender and sacrifice it to
tyranny.”
Ms. Davis said, “Thank you all so much; I love you all so very much.”
This
small town near the West Virginia border, population 4,200, swelled
with people arriving for the rally, along with a smaller group
supporting same-sex marriage, bringing traffic to a crawl. One
entrepreneur offered parking spaces for $20 each.
Many
demonstrators, few of them expecting that Ms. Davis would be released,
brought lawn chairs. On one side, there were signs with Bible verses and
one comparing the Supreme Court to the Islamic State, while a man with a
megaphone urged people to repent. On the other, people waved signs
saying “God Loves!!!! Period!”
Linda
Clark, 40, an opponent of same-sex marriage from Olive Hill, Ky., said,
“We’re happy for God to raise an army for what the majority of people
want.”
A
number of other local officials in several states, including two other
county clerks in Kentucky, have taken stances similar to that of Ms.
Davis. Chris Jobe, the president of the Kentucky County Clerks
Association, has said that half of the state’s 120 county clerks said
they objected on religious grounds to issuing licenses to same-sex
couples, though most of them have not said they would defy the courts.
“It’s
time for all God-fearing Americans to take a stand for truth, just like
Kim Davis,” Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council,
said at the rally.
But
Ria Mar, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought
the primary case against Ms. Davis, said in an email that the courts
had spoken clearly. “To the extent any other clerks are still refusing
to follow the law and treat everyone equally, there is simply no basis
for further delay,” she said.
Sarah
Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, a major gay
rights group, said her main concern was that Ms. Davis and others in her
position could start to treat license applications differently. “She
might start issuing licenses to opposite-sex couples and making her
deputies issue licenses to same-sex couples,” Ms. Warbelow said.
For
Republican presidential candidates, Ms. Davis’s situation has become a
litmus test of commitment to religious freedom. Those who are relying on
the support of social conservatives have ardently backed her cause.
Others have expressed respect for her views while saying the law must be
heeded
Senator
Rand Paul of Kentucky and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana have also
criticized Ms. Davis’s jailing. Some have suggested finding alternative
ways to avoid standoffs in cases where elected officials say they are
being required to act against their religious beliefs; Gov. Chris
Christie of New Jersey said Tuesday that Ms. Davis should be moved into a
different role so that her religious freedom was protected while
government continued to function. Carly Fiorina, a former chief
executive of Hewlett-Packard, said last week that the rule of law should
be paramount and that Ms. Davis might want to consider changing jobs.
Donald
J. Trump did his best not to offend evangelical Christians who have
been strong supporters of his candidacy. He called it a “sticky
situation” and said he saw both sides of the issue, before adding that
ultimately, “we are a nation of laws” and that someone in the clerk’s
office must issue the licenses.
Correction: September 11, 2015
An article on Wednesday about the release from jail of the
Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, misstated, in some editions, part of
the name of the hometown of Linda Clark, a demonstrator outside the
county jail where Ms. Davis was housed. It is Olive Hill, Ky., not Olive
Hall.
Alan Blinder reported from
Grayson, and Richard Pérez-Peña from New York. John Mura contributed
reporting from Grayson, and Alan Rappeport from Washington.
* Kutoka Kagera, Katika Mkutano Mkuu wa Mwaka wa Wauguzi (Annual General Meeting). Leo tarehe 30 Sept. 2015
* MADAKTARI, WAUGUZI, WAFAMASIA NCHINI WAUNGA MKONO RASMI VUGUVUGU LA MABADILIKO NCHINI.
Taarifa Maalumu Kwa wadau wa afya nchini (Wataalamu wa afya na wananchi wote). MUHTASARI:
Ndugu
wananchi, na wadau wa afya nchini sisi viongozi wa Jumuiya ya
Madaktari, nchini (MAT), Jumuiya ya Wauguzi nchini (TANNA) Jumuiya ya
Wafamasia nchini (PST), na Association of Medical Practitioner of
Tanzania(AMEPTA) nchini, tumekutana na kujadiliana mambo kadha
yanayohusu mstakabali wa maendeleo mahususi ya sekta ya afya Kama wadau
wa maendeleo,
AJENDA YETU: Afya kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu.
Tumechukua
hatua hii madhubuti Kwa nia njema kabisa tukitambua kuwa sekta ya afya
inakabiliwa na changamoto nyingi na zinahitaji hatua ya dhati kuinusuru
sekta ya afya kuendelea kutoa huduma isiyokidhi viwango, kwani
tunapojadili mstakabali wa afya za watanzania, tunajadili mstakabali wa
harakati za taifa letu kujikwamua kutoka hatua hii ya maendeleo
tuliofikia kwenda hatua nyingine iliyo bora zaidi, Kwa kadiri ya dira ya
maendeleo nchini na duniani kwa ujumla.
* Kwa nini tunachukua hatua hii wakati tuko katika kipindi cha kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu ifikapo tarehe 25/10/2015,
Jibu:
Ni kwamba tunatambua mustakabali na msingi wa mabadiliko ya kweli
katika sekta ya afya na hata sekta nyingine za umma umo mikononi mwa
Wanasiasa tunaoenda kuwachagua kuanzia madiwani, wabunge na raisi. Hivyo
tungependa(Wahudumu/Wataalamu wa afya na wananchi wote watambue
wanapoamua kuacha kupiga kura, au wanapopiga kura basi wanaamua
mstakabali wa afya yao katika kipindi cha miaka mitano(5) ijayo au
zaidi.
wote
nchini tusifanye makosa, tuamue afya yetu sasa, tuchague kwa makini,
tuchague mabadiliko ya kweli.
Aidha, TUNARIDHISHWA NA TUNAUNGA
MKONO VUGUVUGU LA MABADILIKO NCHINI Kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu ifikapo
tarehe 25/10/2015. "Afya bora Kwa wote inawezekana Tanzania" Tuamue
tarehe 25 Octoba. "Tuchague mabadiliko"
Zipo changamoto zinazoikabili sekta ya afya
1. Uhaba wa dawa na vifaa Tiba: Hii
inatokana na bajeti finyu ya sekta ya afya, hatuna viwanda vikubwa vya
kuzalisha dawa nchini vinavyomilikiwa na serikali, Tanzania kuna
msambazaji mmoja tu wa dawa nchini, yaani bohari kuu Kwa vituo vyote
nchini huku akiwa hana uwezo wa kutosha kumudu kazi hii muhimu sana. Hii
hufanya Wagonjwa au wateja wa huduma kulazimika kuandikiwa dawa ili
wakajinunulie kwingineko.
Aidha, watalamu wa afya wanalaani na
kuwasihi wanasiasa kuacha mara moja kueneza propaganda kuwa wahudumu wa
afya wanaiba dawa, hivyo kusababisha upungufu wa dawa nchini, wakati
inajulikana wazi upungufu wa dawa unatokana na ufinyu wa bajeti ya
serikali katika sekta ya afya na si vinginevyo, aidha, kauli hiyo
imewasikitasha na kuwapunguzia heshima na morali wa kazi wahudumu wa
afya nchini.
2. Uhaba wa wafanyakazi wataalamu wa afya Kwa
asilimia 56%, yaani chini ya nusu ya hitaji: Mfano Kwa mwaka 2014,
daktari mmoja alihudumia wagonjwa 20,000(1:20,000) badala ya daktari
mmoja kubudumia wagonjwa 5000(1:5000). Matokeo yake mzigo wa kazi
unakuwa mkubwa na unadhifu wa kazi unapungua.
3: Mazingira magumu
ya kufanya kazi, Miundombinu mibovu,
hadi Leo mwaka 2015 wapo watanzania
wanaolala chini hospitalini, na wengine wanaruhusiwa ikiwa hawajapona
vizuri ili kupisha nafasi Kwa wagonjwa wengine.
Je, watanzania ni kwanini tusitamani mabadiliko?
Mpango wetu;
Nafasi ya wananchi kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu
Sisi
tunatumia fursa hii adhimu kuwakumbusha watanzania wote, kama wadau wa
afya na wadau wa maendeleo wajue wanapopiga kura, au wanapoacha kupiga
kura basi, wanaamua afya zao, wanaamua hatima ya elimu yao, wanaamua
uchumi wao na ustawi wa taifa letu Kwa pamoja. Ni muhimu kila mtanzania
aliyejiandikisha ahakikishe anapiga kura, achague mabadiliko ili
kusaidia kupata viongozi bora watakaosaidia kutatua kero zetu Kwa pamoja
Kama taifa.
Matatizo mengi ndani ya sekta ya afya na hata sekta
nyingine zinaweza kupunguzwa au Kwisha kabisa, tukumbuke baada ya
uchaguzi huduma Kama afya, Elimu na nyingine nyingi hazitolewi Kwa
itikadi ya vyama, tusichague kiongozi kwa mazoea ya chama(chetu),
tuangalie je wanaweza kutusaidia Kama taifa?
Tukifanya makosa
viongozi wasiofaa wakashinda, basi kulala chini hospitalini kutatuathiri
wote, na kutaendelea daima, ilimradi tuko masikini. Ndugu zetu
wanafunzi wakitanzania kukaa chini darasani kutawahusu pia, (tuamue
sasa).
Tunahitaji viongozi wenye kuthubutu, Wenye dira, Maamuzi magumu, na Nguvu ya kusukuma mbele maendeleo yetu Kama taifa.
NIMEKUWA
nikiyasoma, tena na tena, makala ya Abdulrahman Kinana, Katibu Mkuu wa
Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), yaliyochapishwa Septemba 10 kwenye blogi la
gazeti la The Hill la huko Washington, Marekani. Gazeti
hilo si la kuchezewa wala kudharauliwa. Tangu liasisiwe 1994 limekuwa ni
muhimu na lina uzito katika siasa za Marekani na, kwa kiwango fulani,
za ulimwengu kwa jumla. Ni gazeti ambalo wanasiasa wa Marekani na wote
wenye kuhusika na siasa lazima walisome. Wakati wa msimu wa Bunge la
Marekani (Congress) linapokuwa linakutana gazeti hilo huchapishwa kila
siku. Huchapishwa kwa karatasi na katika mtandao. Ni
gazeti linalosomwa na wabunge wa Marekani na linaloandika mambo mengi
kuyahusu mabaraza yote mawili ya Bunge la nchi hiyo, yaani Baraza la
Wawakilishi (House of Representatives) na Baraza la Senate (Senate).
Taarifa nyingi za habari kuhusu Ikulu ya Marekani (White House), Bunge
la Marekani na taasisi za kisiasa za Marekani huchapishwa kwanza katika
jarida hilo pamoja na habari kutoka ofisi zenye kazi za kuwashawishi
wabunge zilizo katika Barabara ya K, jijini Washington. Hakuna
popote duniani penye barabara yenye uzito wa kisiasa kama Barabara ya K
ya Jiji la Washington. Huko ndiko kwenye ofisi nyingi zinazoajiriwa
kuwapigia debe wanasiasa, sera fulani na hata nchi fulani au viongozi
wao kwa lengo la kuwashawishi wabunge wa Marekani. The
Hill linajigamba kwamba ni la aina ya pekee na hakuna anayeweza
kulishinda katika kuchapisha habari madhubuti zisizopendelea upande
wowote kuhusu namna Bunge la Marekani linavyofanya kazi. Linajigamba pia
kwamba habari zote kuu kuhusu siasa za Marekani na biashara za nchi
hiyo huanzia gazetini humo. Gazeti hilo na jukwaa lake
la mtandaoni huwaunganisha wanasiasa, wachambuzi wa siasa na taasisi za
siasa. Kadhalika gazeti hilo ndilo linaloongoza ajenda ya kisiasa nchini
Marekani. Ndilo lenye kuamua nini cha kujadiliwa na lina ushawishi
mkubwa juu ya maoni ya wabunge kuhusu masuala mbalimbali. Kwa
hivyo, Kinana alipoamua kuandika makala yake katika gazeti hilo alikuwa
anawalenga wabunge wa Marekani na Rais wa Marekani akitambua wazi
kwamba makala yake yatamfikia Rais Barack Obama mwenyewe moja kwa moja
ayasome au yatamfikia kupitia wasaidizi wake na washauri wake kuhusu
mambo ya Afrika. Makala hayo ya Kinana yanatisha. Tena
yanakirihisha na yanaweza hata kukutapisha. Pia ni yenye kusikitisha.
Ninasema hivi kwa sababu Kinana amejisahau na amesahau kwamba
anaowalenga ni watu wenye uwezo wa kutofautisha baina ya ukweli na
uzandiki. Baada ya kuyasoma makala ya Kinana
nilijiuliza: Dhamira yake ilikuwa nini kwa kuandika makala hayo yenye
maudhui ya kutisha? Hitimisho langu ni kwamba Kinana hakuwa na nia njema
kwa Tanzania, na hasa kwa Zanzibar. Huenda akawa anadhamiria kuuchimba
mchakato wa demokrasia nchini Tanzania. Makala yake
yalinikumbusha hotuba aliyoitoa mwaka jana huko Gombani ya Kale,
kisiwani Pemba. Hotuba hiyo ilinichochea kuandika makala katika gazeti
hili (“Hiki kiburi cha Kinana kina nini?”,Raia Mwema, Toleo la 351). Niliandika
kwamba hotuba yake ya Gombani ya Kale, ilikuwa ya kusikitisha na
ilikuwa na matamshi ya namna mbili: “ya uzushi mtupu” na “yaliyoubiruwa
ukweli”. Vivyo hivyo, makala yake ya majuzi kwenye blogi ya The Hill. Mna
mengi katika makala hayo yasiyo ya kweli. Kwa ufupi, yanashutumu kwamba
wale wasichana wawili wa Kiingereza, Katie Gee na Kirstie Trup,
walioshambuliwa kwa kumiminiwa tindikali huko Zanzibar 2013
walishambuliwa na wafuasi wa Jumuiya ya Uamsho na Mihadhara ya Kiislamu
(Jumiki), maarufu kwa jina la “Uamsho”; kwamba Uamsho ni “kundi la
kigaidi lenye funganisho zinazojulikana na Boko Haram” na kwamba kwa
msaada wa polisi wa Uingereza na Shirika la Polisi la Kimataifa,
Interpol, “wanachama” wa Uamsho walikamatwa kwa kosa hilo la jinai na
hivi sasa wameshtakiwa mahakamani. Kama huo si uzandiki basi ni nini? Tunaofuatilia
siasa za Tanzania tunajuwa kwamba viongozi wa Uamsho wamekamatwa kwa
sababu za kisiasa. Wametiwa ndani ili wasiweze kuendelea na kampeni
dhidi ya muundo wa sasa wa Muungano na kwamba uchaguzi utapomalizika
wataachiwa. Hii ni mara ya mwanzo ulimwengu kusikia
kwamba Jumuiya ya Uamsho ina uhusiano na Boko Haram, kundi la kigaidi
lenye chimbuko lake Nigeria. Hii ni shutuma ya kitoto na ni ya
uchochezi. Inastahiki kulaaniwa na wote wale wenye kufanya jitihada za
kijitu uzima za kupambana na ugaidi wa kimataifa. Vita dhidi ya ugaidi
ni mapambano yasiyo na utani, yanayohitaji busara, ukweli na moyo wa
dhati kupambana nao. Hii pia ni mara ya mwanzo ulimwengu
kusikia kwamba masheikh wa Uamsho waliokamatwa Zanzibar na kupelekwa
Dar es Salaam wanashtakiwa kwa kosa la jinai la mashambulizi dhidi ya
wale wasichana wawili wa Kiingereza. Kinana amesahau kusema kwamba
masheikh hao, wenye kuheshimiwa na waumini wa dini yao, wameyaambia
mahakama jinsi walivyoteswa na hata baadhi yao kulawitiwa wakiwa
kizuizini. Mark Trup, baba wa mmoja wa wasichana hao,
ameliambia gazeti la Evening Standard la London wiki iliyopita kwamba
maneno ya Kinana ni “upuuzi mtupu” au ameyasema kwa sababu za kisiasa.
Salum Msangi, kaimu mkurugenzi wa upelelezi wa makosa ya jinai huko
Zanzibar, amekanusha kwamba kuna watu waliokamatwa kwa shambulio hilo. Hii
ni aibu kubwa kwa kiongozi kama Kinana kuambiwa kwamba anasema uongo
hasa kwa jambo nyeti kama hili. Na ikiwa anathubutu kudanganya kwa jambo
kama hili tunawezaje kumuamini kwa mengine? Kinana
ameendelea kuandika kwamba Jumuiya ya Uamsho ina historia ndefu ya
kuwalenga wageni na hata viongozi wa kidini wa Kikristo na wa Kiislamu
“wasiounga mkono lengo lao la kuuvunja Muungano wa Tanzania kwa ugaidi
na kuigeuza Zanzibar iwe ni dola yenye itikadi kali”. Kinana
ameshutumu kwamba Edward Lowassa, anawaunga mkono magaidi na kwamba
ameahidi kuwa akichaguliwa Rais atawaachia huru wale waliokamatwa kwa
kufanya shambulio la tindikali. Huku ni kuupindua ukweli kwani Kinana
hakueleza yote aliyoyasema Lowassa kwamba watuhumiwa hao, waliopelekwa
Tanzania Bara kinyume cha sheria, wataachiwa huru huku kesi yao
ikiendelea mahakamani. Kinana amesahau kwamba katika
mfumo wa utawala wa kisheria mtu huwa hana hatia mpaka atapohukumiwa na
mahakama kwamba ana hatia. Na huo tujuavyo ndio msimamo wa Lowassa. Anapolijadili
suala hili Kinana anajikanganya. Mara anasema kwamba viongozi wa Uamsho
ndio waliofanya shambulio la tindikali, mara anasema kuwa wao
“wanashukiwa” kwa shambulio hilo, ilimradi inavyoonyesha ni kwamba hajui
anasema nini. Lakini sisi tunajuwa anachotaka kusema. Anachotaka
kusema ni kuutahadharisha ulimwengu, hasa wa nchi za Magharibi na
hususan Marekani, usiuvumilie ushindi wa Lowassa, kwamba Lowassa
akishinda Tanzania itakuwa medani ya magaidi. Labda anayataka madola
hayo yaingilie kati iwapo Lowassa na Ukawa watashinda uchaguzi au labda
chama chake cha CCM kinajiandaa kuchukua hatua ovu za kuupindua ushindi
huo endapo ukitokea. Labda anayataka madola hayo yakionee huruma chama
chake kikichukuwa hatua hiyo. Baada ya kushindwa
kuwatisha wananchi wa Tanzania, Kinana ameona bora awageukie wageni na
aanze kuwatisha wao. Na kwa nini basi akaona haja ya kuwatisha? Kwa
sababu, na haya ameyaandika yeye mwenyewe, “kuna uwezekano ingawa kwa
sasa ni mdogo wa Lowassa na wafuasi wake wa upinzani kushinda” katika
uchaguzi na hivyo Tanzania kuwa medani mpya ya magaidi. Hii ni mantiki
isiyoingia akilini. Sitoshangaa nikisikia kwamba makala
ya Kinana, yasiyo na kichwa wala miguu, yalipachikwa kwenye gazeti la
The Hill kwa msaada wa ofisi ya wapigadebe iliyo Barabara ya K na yenye
lengo la kuwashawishi wabunge wa Marekani wauone upinzani wa Tanzania
kwa macho mengine na waione Zanzibar kuwa ni nchi yenye kuwafuga magaidi
na kwamba magaidi hao watajititimua pale upinzani utapokishinda CCM
katika uchaguzi ujao. Jengine analolisema Kinana ni
kwamba Lowassa alikataliwa na wapiga kura alipojaribu kutaka ateuliwe na
CCM awe mgombea wake katika uchaguzi wa urais. Ukweli ni kwamba bado
hatujui iwapo Lowassa atakubaliwa au atakataliwa na wapiga kura.
Tujuavyo ni kwamba alikataliwa na vigogo wa CCM, au hasa na “the
system”, lile niliitalo “dubwasha” lenye kuiongoza serikali na CCM.
Wapigaji kura, wananchi wa kawaida, bado hawakutoa uamuzi wao. Utakuwa
bayana Oktoba 25. Kinana ametaja shutuma za ufisadi
zinazomuandama Lowassa na kwamba alilazimika kujiuzulu uwaziri mkuu kwa
sababu ya ufisadi. Kinana amesahau kwamba hadi leo Serikali ya CCM
haikumfikisha mahakamani Lowassa na kwa hivyo, mbele ya macho ya sheria
Lowassa hana hatia. Yeye mwenyewe Lowassa
amekwishajitetea kwa kusema ya kwamba alijiuzulu uwaziri mkuu kwa sababu
ilibidi awajibike kisiasa na alifanya hivyo kuilinda Serikali ya CCM.
Zaidi ya mara moja amesema ya kwamba alihusika na sakata la Richmond
“kwa maagizo kutoka juu”. Angekuwa mkweli Kinana
angeutaja ufisadi uliozagaa katika ngazi za juu kabisa za Serikali ya
Tanzania, pamoja na ule unaohusika na biashara ya kusafirisha kwa
magendo pembe za ndovu nje ya nchi. Ni ufisadi huo uliolifanya Shirika
la Serikali ya Marekani la Changamoto za Milenia (MCC) likatae Alhamisi
iliyopita kuipa Tanzania shilingi zaidi ya trilioni moja (sawa na dola
za Marekani milioni 472.8). Fedha hizo zingetumika kugharimia miradi
kadhaa katika sekta ya nishati. Kwa makala yake katika
The Hill Kinana hajajitendea haki yeye mwenyewe wala chama chake wala
wapigakura wa Tanzania ambao kura zao chama chake kinazisaka. Inanibidi
niulize tena swali nililoliuliza katika makala ya toleo la 351 la Raia
Mwema: “Kwa nini kiongozi wa hadhi kama ya Kinana akawa haoni taabu
usiku kuuita mchana na mchana kuuita usiku?” Uongo mchana kweupe! Hatutochoka kuuliza: Kinana, kwa nini? Kwani kunani? Chambilecho mshairi wa Kenya Abdilatif Abdalla: “Kana na kuku kunena, kunenwa k’akutakiwi Kuna wanakokuona, kunena kwamba si kuwi Kunena wakikuona, kukuita k’awakawi Kunena kana kwanuk’a, nikukome kukunena?”*
*Kutoka “SAUTI YA DHIKI”, uk. 23 (1973); uk. 25 (2012)
Wakati
zikiwa zimebaki siku 22 kuanzia leo kabla ya uchaguzi mkuu
utakaofanyika Oktoba 25, imebainika kuwa Rais ajaye atakuwa na mzigo
mzito wa kutekeleza ahadi kadhaa zilizowahi kutolewa na serikali ya Rais
Jakaya Kikwete anayetarajiwa kumaliza muda wake baada ya uchaguzi huo
utakaompata mrithi wake.
Uchunguzi
uliofanywa na Nipashe umebaini kuwa, licha ya mafanikio makubwa katika
sekta mbalimbali katika kipindi cha miaka 10 ya serikali iliyopo
madarakani, bado kuna ahadi tano kubwa ambazo ni miongoni mwa zile
zinazoonekana wazi kuwa utekelezaji wake utahitaji muujiza kutokana na
muda mfupi uliobaki kati ya sasa na siku ya kupiga kura.
Kwa
sababu hiyo, imebainika kuwa Rais ajaye atalazimika kufanya kazi ya
ziada kuhakikisha kuwa walau anatekeleza ahadi hizo na hivyo kufufua
matumaini waliyokuwa nayo wananchi kwa kipindi chote tangu wakati wa
kampeni za uchaguzi uliopita.
Hadi
sasa, wagombea wanaoonekana kuchuana vikali katika kampeni
zinazoendelea ni Dk. John Magufuli wa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) na
Edward Lowassa wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema)
anayewakilisha pia muungano wa vyama vinavyounda Umoja wa Katiba ya
Wananchi (Ukawa) vya NCCR-Mageuzi, NLD na Chama cha Wananchi (CUF).
Wagombea
wengine wanaotafuta ridhaa ya Watanzania katika uchaguzi mkuu wa tano
tangu kuanza kwa mfumo wa vyama vingi nchini mwaka 1992 ni Fahmy Dovutwa
wa UPDP, Hashim Rungwe wa Chama cha Umma (Chaumma), Maximillian Lymo wa
TLP, Anna Mghwira wa ACT-Wazalendo, Chifu Lutasola Yemba wa ADC na
Janken Kasambala wa NRA.
Kadhalika,
imebainika kuwa yeyote ayakayeshinda kati ya wagombea hao wa urais,
hasa Dk. Magufuli wa CCM na Lowassa wa Ukawa wanaoonekana kuchuana kwa
karibu kutokana na maelfu ya watu wanaojitokeza kwenye mikutano yao kila
uchao, atakabiliana na mtihani mzito wa kutekeleza ahadi hizo.
Uchunguzi
umebaini kuwa Rais ajaye kutoka miongoni mwa wagombea nane wanaoendelea
na kampeni hivi sasa, atakuwa na kazi ya kutekeleza ahadi zake binafsi
na zilizotolewa katika ilani za chama chake na pia atakuwa na kibarua
kizito cha kuangalia ni kwa namna gani atatekeleza ahadi zilizowahi
kutolewa na Rais Kikwete kwa nyakati tofauti kabla na baada ya chaguzi
zilizoiingiza serikali ya sasa madarakani.
Ahadi
tano kubwa kati ya zile zilizowahi kutolewa na serikali ya Rais Kikwete
ni pamoja na ununuzi wa meli katika maziwa ya Victoria, Tanganyika na
Nyasa; ununuzi wa bajaji maalum za kubebea wagonjwa katika hospitali;
kuimarishwa kwa mgodi wa makaa ya mawe Kiwira ili mwishowe usaidie
kuzalisha umeme; ujenzi wa reli mpya ya kati na pia kumalizwa tatizo la
maji katika maeneo kadhaa nchini ikiwamo katika Jimbo la Nzega mkoani
Tabora.
1. KIGOMA KUWA DUBAI YA AFRIKA
Serikali
ya Rais Kikwete iliahidi kuwa itaubadilisha Mkoa wa Kigoma na kuwa
Dubai ya Afrika kwa maana kuwa wa kibiashara kama ilivyo Dubai kwa
kujenga uwanja wa ndege, kupanua bandari na kuimarisha reli ili
kuhudumia nchi za maziwa makuu na za kusini mwa Afrika.
2. AFYA (BAJAJ KUBEBEA WAGONJWA)
Wakati
wa kampeni za uchaguzi mkuu mwaka 2010, Rais Kikwete alitoa ahadi ya
kununua pikipiki za miguu mitatu (bajaj) 400 za wagonjwa kwa nchi nzima.
Rais Kikwete alitoa ahadi hiyo wakati akizungumza na wananchi wa mji wa Mkwajuni wilayani Chunya mkoa wa Mbeya.
Ahadi
hiyo itakuwa mtihani mzito kwa Rais ajaye ambaye atatakiwa kuitekeleza
kwa kuwa baadhi ya maeneo, hususani ya vijijini, bado yanaendelea
kukabiliwa na tatizo kubwa la ukosefu wa magari ya kubebea wagonjwa ili
kuwawahisha kwenye hospitali kubwa. Waathirika wakubwa wa tatizo hili
huwa ni kina mama wajawazito, hivyo ni mtihani wa aina yake.
3. UJENZI WA 'FLY-OVERS'
Miongoni
mwa ahadi maarufu za serikali ya awamu ya nne ni ujenzi wa barabara za
juu (fly-overs) kwenye makutano ya barabara kubwa za jiji la Dar es
Salaam kama Mandela/Nyerere na Mandela/Morogoro, lengo likiwa ni
kupunguza makali ya foleni. Licha ya ahadi hii kurudiwa mara kadhaa,
bado haijatekelezwa hadi sasa.
Rais
ajaye atalazimika kufanya kazi ya ziada kuhakikisha kuwa inatekelezwa
ili kutimiza kiu ya maelfu ya wakazi wa jiji la Dar es Salaam waliojawa
na matumaini waliyopewa na serikali yao ya sasa kwa kuamini kuwa hilo
likifanyika, adha wanayoipata ya kutumia muda mwingi wakiwa kwenye
foleni za magari itapungua kwa kiasi kikubwa.
4. UJENZI RELI YA KATI
Wakati
wa kampeni za uchaguzi mkuu 2010, Rais Kikwete akiwa wilayani Nzega,
mkoani Tabora, aliahidi kuwa serikali yake ingejenga reli mpya kutoka
Dar es Salaam hadi katika mikoa ya Kanda ya Ziwa.
Aidha,
akizungumza na wananchi wa wilaya ya Pangani, mkoani Tanga Septemba 10,
mwaka 2010, aliahidi pia kujenga reli kutoka Tanga kwenda Arusha hadi
Musoma.
Hata
hivyo, hadi kufikia sasa hakuna utekelezaji wa kuonekana kwa vitendo
katika kutimiza azma hiyo ya kuwa na reli mpya. Kwa sababu hiyo, Rais
ajaye na serikali yake watalazimika kuifanyia kazi ahadi hii ili
kuboresha sekta ya uchukuzi wa reli hiyo muhimu kwa uchumi wa nchi.
5. AHADI YA MELI ZIWA VICTORIA, TANGANYIKA
Hii
ni ahadi mojawapo maarufu ambayo bado haijatekelezwa na kuna kila
dalili kuwa haitatekelezwa katika kipindi kilichobaki, hivyo kumpa
mtihani wa aina yake rais ajaye.
Katika
kampeni za uchaguzi mwaka 2010, Rais Kikwete alitoa ahadi ya kununua
meli kubwa kuliko ya Mv Bukoba iliyozama mwaka 1996. Alitoa ahadi hiyo
Agosti 24, mwaka 2010 wakati akizungumza na wananchi katika mkutano wa
hadhara uliofanyika Bukoba Vijijini.
Aidha,
katika mkutano wake Bukoba Vijijini, Rais Kikwete aliahidi pia kujenga
uwanja wa ndege ili kuwarahisishia usafiri wananchi wa mkoa wa Kagera.
Akiwa
katika wilaya ya Nkasi, mkoa wa Rukwa Agosti 28, 2010, Rais Kikwete
aliahidi kuwa serikali yake itanunua meli mpya itakayokuwa inatoa huduma
katika Ziwa Tanganyika.
Aliahidi pia kununua meli mpya yenye uwezo wa kubeba tani 400 katika Ziwa Nyasa. Hadi sasa hilo halijafanyika.
Mrithi
wa Rais Kikwete katika serikali ijayo ya awamu ya tano, atalazimika
kuumiza kichwa na serikali yake ili kuhakikisha kuwa pamoja na mambo
mengine, ahadi hii pia inatimizwa.
AHADI NYINGINE
Ahadi
nyingine zilizowahi kutolewa na Rais Kikwete na ambazo utekelezaji wake
bado haujafanyika ni pamoja na ya kuwapelekea kivuko wakazi wa Buchosa
mkoani Mwanza. Akizungumza na wananchi wa jimbo hilo Agosti 23, 2010,
Rais Kikwete aliahidi kununua kivuko cha Maisome ili kuwaondolea adha
wananchi wanaotaka kuvuka kwenda maeneo mengine. Hilo hadi sasa
halijafanyika na hivyo rais ajaye atakuwa na kazi ya ziada kutekeleza.
Zipo
pia ahadi nyingine kadhaa zilizoibua matumaini mapya kwa Watanzania
lakini hadi sasa utekelezaji wake haujafanyika kwa asilimia mia moja.
Baadhi ya ahadi hizo ni ujenzi wa barabara za pembezoni (ring roads)
jijini Dar es Salaam, kukamilisha katiba mpya, kumaliza madai ya walimu,
uraia wa nchi mbili, kuufanya mji wa Tanga kuwa wa viwanda na pia
kushughulikia tatizo la ukosefu wa ajira.
MAFANIKIO SERIKALI YA JK
Licha
ya changamoto zilizopo, serikali ya awamu ya nne imefanikiwa katika
maeneo kadhaa yaliyotokana na ahadi zilizotolewa wakati wa chaguzi
zilizopita, hivyo kumpa kibarua cha ziada rais ajaye katika kuhakikisha
kuwa serikali yake inaongeza juhudi ili idumishe mafanikio hayo.
Baadhi
ya maeneo ya mafanikio ni ujenzi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dodoma, ujenzi wa
mtandao mkubwa wa barabara za lami na pia ujenzi wa madaraja makubwa
kama la Mto Malagarasi.
Mafanikio
mengine ni kuwapo kwa shule nyingi zaidi za sekondari nchini, kushamiri
kwa vyuo vikuu na kuongezeka kwa ufanisi katika sekta ya Bandari ni
miongoni mwa maeneo ya mafanikio, sawa na ilivyo katika harakati za
kuimarisha amani na utulivu katika visiwa vya Zanzibar kupitia Serikali
ya Umoja wa Kitaifa.
