New gas discoveries, let's not be April fools

By Editor

Editorial Cartoon

Today is the worlds April fool’s Day, the one day in which the world has a verbal legal agreement allowing us to make fools of each other.

Ahead of this year’s fool’s day, the government on Monday announced yet another major gas discovery offshore Tanzania.

 

The new discovery reported some 1.8 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in gas rich Mtwara. As is the case with the rest of the nation’s natural resources, the question remains how will the common man befit?

 

Shall he continue to remain a random recipient of crumbs falling by chance from the masters table? Or will he finally be recognised as a rightful member of the table and be allowed to seat and dine with leaders and finally bask in the amber of the nation’s numerous resources?

 

Well, chances are that, the average Tanzanian will not seat at the same table as the nation’s elite, in fact he will be lucky to even leave in the same area of town as they, unless of course he is there to sweep the roads or construct fancy buildings that he will not enter but as a servant.

 

However, the average man is not asking to divulge the surplus that the elite do, rather the cry of the majority of Tanzania’s is to simply get what is rightfully their due as conveyed by the nation’s Constitution.

 

The right to the very basic’s food, shelter and clothing. And with the taxes that he pays left to right; taxes when he owns property, taxes, when he buys property and taxes even when he earns money, he is entitled to education, health care, electricity and other social services.

 

However, with government contracts for the extractive industry still done behind locked doors, it is not apparent that as increasingly more discoveries are made of gas, oil and precious stones along with other minerals, the average Tanzania will remain at the bottom of the table awaiting crumbs to fall.

 

Announcing the discovery at the start of the week from the nation’s capital, Minister for Energy and Minerals George Simbachawene said the government is working on a new law that will stress transparence in natural gas and mining contracts.

 

He pointed out that because secrets enshrouding deals in the extractive industries and indeed in the appropriation of all natural resources that the country is so abundantly endowed with,  are due to the weak laws.

 

So if, the elite at the table are also victims of weak laws, how soon until the average man at the bottom of the table gets his rightful due?

In this regard at the very list the government is willing to admit that there is need for amendment of laws to guarantee the common man gets his crumbs.

 

Recently in Dar es Salaam, Former President Benjamin Mkapa called for a law to provide for the sharing of income from natural resources exploitation between investors and the communities surrounding the areas concerned.

 

 “There should be a legal regime for the sharing of revenues with the poor (communities) in situ… from the national exploitation of these resources,” he urged.

 

Whether this call will be heed remains to be seen built until then, let the average Tanzanian express their desire to seat at the table and below it by using the one and ultimate power he has, his vote.

Otherwise, for him, each day will remain April’s fool day for years to come.