Editorial Cartoon
He has been encountering many complaints concerning unfulfilled promises and sputtering of financing for development projects, where his general line has been to put on the firing line cabinet ministers.
At one time he even listed a number of them to declare that they were a burden, a gesture similar to what happened mid last year when eight ministers and deputy ministers were replaced in the cabinet, a proposition that draws mixed feelings.
The key point about the secretary-general’s criticism of the ministers, and others failing to implement much needed development projects in regions and districts, is to counteract a tendency of ‘sleeping on the job,’ which can affect anyone.
At the same time there is a tendency to selectively pick ministers and at times a few other executives for pillorying, but recent parliamentary culture shows that the cabinet is easier to attack than other levels of government. At times there are greater problems in districts and wards than there are in government.
A case in point is a now faded campaign by Ubungo MP John Mnyika (CHADEMA) who issued a ten days ultimatum to Water Minister Prof Jumanne Maghembe to rectify the water flow situation in the zone, north-westward from the central areas of the city of Dar es Salaam.
The MP knew that he was under pressure on the water flow situation as constituents want tap water and metering, while local interest groups want dry taps and a commercial trade in water.
DAWASCO makes more money selling ‘wholesale’ by filling simtanks than reading meters, and retailing water emerges as a well paying service. If taps are operating the uptake of such a service becomes too limited.
The MP also knew that it wouldn’t help him to shout at what DAWASCO is doing, or a number of councilors or influential residents with the water vending business as they also help to get out the vote for him or an adversary.
In that case it was entirely rational to transfer the matter to ministerial responsibility, whereas all these organs or agencies tasked with that function are fully empowered to manage water, send bills, etc and selling water by simtanks isn’t illegal.
While evidently there is or there was a water problem in Ubungo zone in the city, the thrust of the MP’s action was political convenience rather than anatomy of the problem, and Kinana is doing the same.
It is undeniable that a telephone call from the minister, a proper audit by the relevant ministerial agencies, or a pointed replacement of executives in DAWASCO and other areas would help to change matters, as both Mnyika and now Kinana are intimating.
Yet even at that level there is too much that is conveniently left out, that the minister governs over institutional agencies of the government with as much respect for their discretionary options as the MP definitely shows with regard to councilors and influential residents in the water vending business. If the MP cannot confront his constituents and say the truth, why should it be expected the minister can?
That is why it is always vital to look at the bigger picture of macroeconomic structures to grasp supposedly low levels of ministers’ performance, as each structure we choose for a sector has its positives and negatives.
Most of us wish for public control of utilities because they will be amenable to administrative control by the government, whereas that power is counterbalanced by incapacity for such agencies to operate commercially, except by multiplying bills.
DAWASCO can’t just increase bills, it can’t enforce payment of bills in metered public institutions in particular, and thus it makes money to meet its needs by vending water, waiting for donor funds to implement development projects. The maxim ‘to plan is to choose’ also involves a choice of negatives, not just the positives.
It is also that situation that irks the secretary general, of low disbursement of development funds, where strict allocation criteria and follow-up is used.
If a district had problems in its accounts last year, funds can’t just flow for the following year’s projects until the old mess has been cleared up. At times districts fail to get counterpart funds.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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