Commentators fault Kikwete’s year-end speech

“It is my hope, and in fact it is our intention that in 2014 we will achieve higher success in terms of economic and social development,”PHOTO|FILE 

By Frank Kimboy The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• Speaking to this paper in separate interviews, the politicians and political analysts criticised the speech particularly over failure to scientifically show how “the better days” would be realised.

Dar es Salaam. Some politicians and political pundits have punched holes in President Jakaya Kikwete’s end of the year public address, criticising him for promising better days in 2014 and for sympathising with four ministers he had sacked over atrocities committed under their leadership during the ‘Operation Tokomeza Ujangili’.

Speaking to this paper in separate interviews, the politicians and political analysts criticised the speech particularly over failure to scientifically show how “the better days” would be realised.

Those who slammed the speech include Dr Benson Bana, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Dar es Salaam, NCCR Mageuzi secretary general, Mr Sam Ruhuza and Chadema Publicity and Ideology director, Mr John Mnyika.

In his speech, President Kikwete promised better days for all Tanzanians in the New Year 2014. He said that deliberate steps, through the Presidential Delivery Bureau and respective ministries’ Delivery Units as well as the Big Results Now initiative, would help drive quick results.

He noted that the country’s economy would grow at 7.2 per cent while inflation rate would be reduced from 6.2 per cent last month to 5 per cent in June.

However, Mr Mnyika said the President should have told the nation what his government would do to reduce the cost of living. According to him, although the country’s economy is growing and the inflation rate is decreasing, the vast majority of Tanzanians are still living in abject poverty.

“He was supposed to tell us what the government was doing to make sure that micro-economy; the economy of individual Tanzanians is raised; what efforts are made to lower the cost of living instead of boasting about macro-economy growth,” said Mnyika.

Dr Bana supported Mr Mnyika’s views, saying there is laxity in attracting investors into productive sectors. “We need investments which will generate employment opportunities to our youth,” said he.

Speaking about the ministers who resigned over the ‘Tokomeza Ujangili’ operation,  the don faulted the President for sympathising with the ministers he had sacked.

For his part, Mr Ruhuza said that the President misled the nation when he said the four ministers resigned while in the matter of fact, they had been sacked.

“He did this in 2008 when he termed the then prime minister Edward Lowasa and two other ministers’ resignations as ‘a political accident.’ So, there was nothing new,” he said.

On the re-launch of ‘Operation Tokomeza’, Mr Ruhuza said that it was important for the government to provide education to wananchi on the boundaries and importance of wildlife.