Of recent I have been reading a lot (and especially form Kenyan newspaper) on how among other things we (Tanzania) are dragging our feet towards the full scale federation. – meaning- That we should do the right thing and agree to surrender our national interests for the federation –
Among other things, most authors finds it hard to understand why on hell we chose to align ourselves with SADC (where South Africa is the power house) rather than COMESA (in which Kenya & Egypt are the power house). The argument is that we have "myopic leaders" spanner boys for the west, etc etc... you may read the whole piece here.
Well, I will need to do more research to be able to argue anything of value... but quickly; I do not blame the Tanzanian government a bit for going at it slowly. IN the 60's & 70's we had what was known as East African Community. From where we stand... we really took that thing to heart! We forsake our sovereignty for the sake of the EAC. It was the selfishness act of a few nyang'aus (and not Tanzania) that robed us of that community. At the end of that day...we were left holding the bags! I was in Arusha at the time... and the feeling was.. once again we got burned!
Now, it seems we are at it again... and. this time it seems like the other side (Kenya) is all bent up to do this thing quickly.
We have a saying "Aliyeumwa na nyoka, hata unyasi ukimgusa jamaa ataruka futi sita juu"!
Again I will have to read a little on this whole issue, but why the hurry? We broke it once…, why should we jump back on it in a hurry? OK everyone else seems to want to unite and form these huge economic blocks – well and good! But, we saw this 40 years ago and we acted on it “whole heartedly” The results was… it came a time when a few people in leadership of the time, thought it was to “…the interest of their nation…” to break the community – and boy they went at it! It was not good for us then! It was terrible and, in fact we lost! – left to “…throw out the peels…” Are we supposed to jump on it now, simply because you now get it?
In my opinion there are a lot of reason why we should cool off the jets and take our time
1. Politically we are still very different. While it seems we in Tanzania at least believe in the power of election – “despite the fact that we still ends up with our share of bad apples” – We are better off in that! We respect our constitution and our presidents leave office when their time is up. I do not think it will be beneficial for us to have a young guy like JMK trying to slug it out with the likes of Museveni (who has just “won” his… I am not even sure how many terms in the office.
2. Yes we have more resources… (of course it does not take a rocket scientist to figure that one out). It seems like we have started to see some fruits from those resources… But our people are still very very poor. Majority haven’t even started to see those benefits yet – wanazisikia kwenye luninga tu! Until the government figures out a way to make sure the masses also reaps the fruits of those resource…, I say that should be job #1 for the government. Federation will mean nothing if we still cannot play on the same field with those who are more “money minded” Kufanya hivyo ni kujitia kitanzi – You do not agree with this point of view? Convince me otherswise.
About the SADC Vs Comesa "thingy"... it is "...the economics stupid" I believe we are free to join whatever community, provided at the end of the day we (as a nation) have something to show for it. “Mkono mtupu haulambwi”! I feel proud when our government decides to take a deep breath, before it jumps on all these economic blocks!
Being neighbors (and even speaking the same language) is not a strong enough reason for me to join whatever you think is good for me. I have to be convinced that that relationship will be good to me and my kids! You may be my brother… but that does not mean you will the best business partner out there. As a matter of fact, I am convinced of the fact that doing business with your brother is a bad idea, unless you have everything spelled out clearly.
Federation? Lets learn of the benefits and weigh them against the cost of this relationship.
You are in a hurry? Too bad…, for I still need to take my time so I too can get it, before I jump in…
a It is as simple as that!
What do you think?
Ned
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
We (the waBongo) are responsible!
Waungwana(ladies & gentlemen),
I am aware of the potential for this article to come off the wrong side to a lot of people... but, that is the whole point of blogging... right?
It has became a fashion to blame the government for the state of our development (read poverty) as a country!
Now, I will not sit here and say our government does everything superbly, with absolutely no mistakes! - that will be so not true...because I am sure they have a lot of "uups" moments!
But, in making our arguments, we compare other countries to ours.. and then blame our government for not making sure "they" make things happen as those other folks.
My interpretation (which may be totally wrong)is that, these arguments imply that the governments in those other countries does a better job "producing" wealth for its people; and that "we" are poor because our government does not do the same.
Now, I will agree to the fact that when you are poor you have no business going around behaving like a millionaire! That is... our government needs to make sure its priorities align with its "intentions" to alleviate poverty form the masses. Having said that however, I believe it is wrong to assume that it is the government that is supposed to "do the stuff".
Those countries that seem a little more wealthy, produce more not because their government produce, rather because there are individuals in those countries that are ready to grab the bull by the horn and make it happen!
You look around the world...; anyplace where meaningful development has been realized...; what you will see is the existence of a vibrant local (indigenous) economy! It is about the indigenous people rather than their government! IN this world of ours, we have places where governments are literally crap (tyrannical, un-democratic, dictatorial etc)..., and yet they (as a country)are economically more advanced than us! Development is brought about by the people/the citizens... not the government! The government governs and create the environment... "we" grab the opportunities and make it happen!
The government creates the environment & the infrastructure that will support production, "We" roll up our shirts and "do it"
The government governs in a way that guarantees fair and equitable returns; "we" jump right in and maximize the opportunities!
"We" are the ones to do it!
So the big questions should always be... do we have the environment that will allow the private sector to flourish?
We see most foreign companies coming to Tz and make a killing out of our backyards! The question should be... are those opportunities available to an indigenous Tanzanian?
So you will see.. there are areas that we can lie the blame squarely on the government shoulders...; but to blame the government because our cashew production has dwindled? I am not sure how we reconcile that.
We really do NOT want the government to engage itself in production activities - that will be so wrong! You want to know what will happen... simply recall our 70's & 80's economy! Take a very close look at Zimbabwe ya leo!
Now, in Tanzania the government walked away from production activities, opened the doors wide open for the private sector to take over everything that was originally run by the government.
We all know what happened!
Watanzania we were (and I would argue, majority of us still are) not prepared to take advantage of those opportunities. Wengi tulikuwa kama kuku wa kizungu walioachiwa mlango wazi! Like deer caught on headlights of a speeding car! totally unprepared and totally oblivious of the opportunities.
Wageni (wakuja) toka huko walikotoka - saw the opportunities came and grab them quickly! Wenye nchi tumebaki tunalia lia!
Over the past three years, I have been blessed enough to be able to frequently visit Tanzania (sometimes twice a year)! I personally, nimeshakutana na wamarekani (weupe) wawili... wanaishi Tz illegally - wapo wapo tu! Mmoja wao (mwanamke) keshapata jamaa wa kimatumbi, kaolewa naye na sasa anasubiri "makaratasi" yake - just like what we do out here! Watu wanatoka marekani (nchi iliyoendelea)... wanakwenda kuzamia Tz... huenda tunafahamu haya na hutuelewi what is really going on... au huenda this is news! Whatever the case, inabidi tujiulize hao wenzetu wanaona nini tusichokiona!
Dar, kuna wasouth kibao wamezamia... wanakuja na vikampuni vidogo vidogo... mtu anachofanya ni kubandika mabango ya: "Jikinge na ukimwi"! Lugha yetu (inabidi amwajiri Mtz kutafsiri), mbao zetu... jamaa keshakuwa mwekezaji... kisa ana pesa!
Ukitaka kujua jinsi walivyo mwagikia Dar.. jaribu kutembelea maeneo ya Yacht Club saa za jioni ujionee... kwao bongo life is good! Kwa mndengereko mwenye nchi.. njaa hadi kwenye meno!
Folks, I hope you see where I am going with this.
Most of us bado tuna akili ya miaka ya 60 thru 80's. Kila kitu serikali itufanyie. Sina pesa... tatizo serikali! Wazungu wamekuja wananunua ardhi utadhani yao!
Ukweli ni kuwa... it is 2007 and what is "playing now on a theatre near you" is a "global economy". You either learn to play like a major league "baller" fast, or you lose!
You want to find the witch? We (the wabongo/wenye nchi) are the witches! Most of us are simply not there! bado tunachezea "chandimu" (mpira wa karatasi)!
Huko bongo kuna Tanzania mbili. Ya kwanza ya wanaokula upepo... na nyingine ya wanaosubiri serikali iwafanyie kitu.
The bottom line ndugu...where you see a big problem... another person sees greatest opportunity on a silver plate!
For those who see, and if they can collect enough courage and take a dive... they go ahead, seize those opportunities and we see them driving around with MB's & BMW's & Lex's etc! Wengine... kalagh'abao!
We are wasting too much time trying to diagnose matatizo ya serikali!
Laiti tungeamka kidogo na kuanza kutafuta "namna"! Laiti tungeamka na ku "smell the coffee" - that is s'one is already up and is in my own kitchen brewing "my" coffee for him/herself!
Nasubiri madongo:)
Ned
I am aware of the potential for this article to come off the wrong side to a lot of people... but, that is the whole point of blogging... right?
It has became a fashion to blame the government for the state of our development (read poverty) as a country!
Now, I will not sit here and say our government does everything superbly, with absolutely no mistakes! - that will be so not true...because I am sure they have a lot of "uups" moments!
But, in making our arguments, we compare other countries to ours.. and then blame our government for not making sure "they" make things happen as those other folks.
My interpretation (which may be totally wrong)is that, these arguments imply that the governments in those other countries does a better job "producing" wealth for its people; and that "we" are poor because our government does not do the same.
Now, I will agree to the fact that when you are poor you have no business going around behaving like a millionaire! That is... our government needs to make sure its priorities align with its "intentions" to alleviate poverty form the masses. Having said that however, I believe it is wrong to assume that it is the government that is supposed to "do the stuff".
Those countries that seem a little more wealthy, produce more not because their government produce, rather because there are individuals in those countries that are ready to grab the bull by the horn and make it happen!
You look around the world...; anyplace where meaningful development has been realized...; what you will see is the existence of a vibrant local (indigenous) economy! It is about the indigenous people rather than their government! IN this world of ours, we have places where governments are literally crap (tyrannical, un-democratic, dictatorial etc)..., and yet they (as a country)are economically more advanced than us! Development is brought about by the people/the citizens... not the government! The government governs and create the environment... "we" grab the opportunities and make it happen!
The government creates the environment & the infrastructure that will support production, "We" roll up our shirts and "do it"
The government governs in a way that guarantees fair and equitable returns; "we" jump right in and maximize the opportunities!
"We" are the ones to do it!
So the big questions should always be... do we have the environment that will allow the private sector to flourish?
We see most foreign companies coming to Tz and make a killing out of our backyards! The question should be... are those opportunities available to an indigenous Tanzanian?
So you will see.. there are areas that we can lie the blame squarely on the government shoulders...; but to blame the government because our cashew production has dwindled? I am not sure how we reconcile that.
We really do NOT want the government to engage itself in production activities - that will be so wrong! You want to know what will happen... simply recall our 70's & 80's economy! Take a very close look at Zimbabwe ya leo!
Now, in Tanzania the government walked away from production activities, opened the doors wide open for the private sector to take over everything that was originally run by the government.
We all know what happened!
Watanzania we were (and I would argue, majority of us still are) not prepared to take advantage of those opportunities. Wengi tulikuwa kama kuku wa kizungu walioachiwa mlango wazi! Like deer caught on headlights of a speeding car! totally unprepared and totally oblivious of the opportunities.
Wageni (wakuja) toka huko walikotoka - saw the opportunities came and grab them quickly! Wenye nchi tumebaki tunalia lia!
Over the past three years, I have been blessed enough to be able to frequently visit Tanzania (sometimes twice a year)! I personally, nimeshakutana na wamarekani (weupe) wawili... wanaishi Tz illegally - wapo wapo tu! Mmoja wao (mwanamke) keshapata jamaa wa kimatumbi, kaolewa naye na sasa anasubiri "makaratasi" yake - just like what we do out here! Watu wanatoka marekani (nchi iliyoendelea)... wanakwenda kuzamia Tz... huenda tunafahamu haya na hutuelewi what is really going on... au huenda this is news! Whatever the case, inabidi tujiulize hao wenzetu wanaona nini tusichokiona!
Dar, kuna wasouth kibao wamezamia... wanakuja na vikampuni vidogo vidogo... mtu anachofanya ni kubandika mabango ya: "Jikinge na ukimwi"! Lugha yetu (inabidi amwajiri Mtz kutafsiri), mbao zetu... jamaa keshakuwa mwekezaji... kisa ana pesa!
Ukitaka kujua jinsi walivyo mwagikia Dar.. jaribu kutembelea maeneo ya Yacht Club saa za jioni ujionee... kwao bongo life is good! Kwa mndengereko mwenye nchi.. njaa hadi kwenye meno!
Folks, I hope you see where I am going with this.
Most of us bado tuna akili ya miaka ya 60 thru 80's. Kila kitu serikali itufanyie. Sina pesa... tatizo serikali! Wazungu wamekuja wananunua ardhi utadhani yao!
Ukweli ni kuwa... it is 2007 and what is "playing now on a theatre near you" is a "global economy". You either learn to play like a major league "baller" fast, or you lose!
You want to find the witch? We (the wabongo/wenye nchi) are the witches! Most of us are simply not there! bado tunachezea "chandimu" (mpira wa karatasi)!
Huko bongo kuna Tanzania mbili. Ya kwanza ya wanaokula upepo... na nyingine ya wanaosubiri serikali iwafanyie kitu.
The bottom line ndugu...where you see a big problem... another person sees greatest opportunity on a silver plate!
For those who see, and if they can collect enough courage and take a dive... they go ahead, seize those opportunities and we see them driving around with MB's & BMW's & Lex's etc! Wengine... kalagh'abao!
We are wasting too much time trying to diagnose matatizo ya serikali!
Laiti tungeamka kidogo na kuanza kutafuta "namna"! Laiti tungeamka na ku "smell the coffee" - that is s'one is already up and is in my own kitchen brewing "my" coffee for him/herself!
Nasubiri madongo:)
Ned
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