Magufuli promises dynamic leadership

MASATO MASATO in Dodoma

PRESIDENT John Magufuli inaugurated the eleventh Parliament here yesterday, unveiling his comprehensive five-year work plan that envisages offering outstanding services to the ‘wananchi’.

“I envisage forming a small government of performers. The government that attends to people’s problems fast. Lazy and incompetent civil servants should get prepared to leave because I will never tolerate them. "Their time has gone,” said Dr Magufuli in his strong worded speech that lasted for 1:40 hours.

He said he will focus on boosting revenue collections and getting rid of unnecessary government expenditures that have no impact on the lives of the people.

He named Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), the Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) and Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), as some of the most problematic areas at which he will direct special attention.

“These are critical trouble areas that we must address with all our energy and determination,” said President Magufuli, directing employees in the public sector to change their mindsets and start serving the people to the highest level of the ability. He reiterated most of the pledges he made during his two-month campaigns, saying: “When I promised to serve Tanzanians I was not simply deceiving them in order to get their votes. I meant it.”

He promised to direct his administration’s efforts on land conflicts, water, health services, education, agriculture and justice delivery, among others, raising concern over indiscriminate issuance of work permit by the immigration department to foreigners who end up robbing Tanzanians of their rightful jobs.

He expressed his determination to industrialise the country as one of his strategies to address unemployment among the youth, warning investors who acquired the former public industries to resume production or hand them back to the government. “We have no other alternative to achieve sustainable development without industrialising.

"I am determined to achieve the 2025 vision of transforming the country into a middle income economy not through statistics but through real lives of ordinary citizens,” he said, pledging support from the legislative arm of the state. The industrialisation drive, he said, will start with the existing industries before opting to construct new ones.

Dr Magufuli expressed preference on labour intensive industries that use locally available materials to produce products that are massively consumed in the country, with the target being to have industries contributing 40 per cent of jobs by 2020.

The president, however, condemned hypocrisy among politicians who sometimes sabotage efforts to attract serious investors seeking to invest in the country.

“It’s unfortunate that sometimes, some misguided individuals among us frustrate potential investors. "I am determined to get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy in handling investors,” said President Magufuli, issuing a strong warning to bureaucratic civil servants whom he said have no place in his government.

On education, the president affirmed his promise to provide free education to all Tanzanian children from primary to secondary level.

“And when I say free education, I indeed mean free,” he vowed, saying effective next year education will be free with no any contribution in whatever name and form. He promised to improve health service delivery through construction of dispensaries, health centres, hospitals and referral hospitals in each village, ward, district and region, respectively.

“Our aim is to improve delivery of health services in the country and control huge spending on medication abroad,” he said, adding the budgetary allocation on medicines will greatly increase.

But, to raise the required resources to finance his ambitious strategy to deliver services to the people, the president pleaded for the support of all Tanzanians, especially on taxation.

“Everybody should pay taxes … we, the people, should always demand receipts for every purchase that we make to enable the government to collect the due taxes,” he counselled.

The president pledged to finalise the constitution writing process, saying the previous administration did a commendable job, which he will honour by administering it to its conclusion.

He warned against individuals and groups of people bent on disrupting the country’s peace and tranquillity, saying, “We will never have mercy to anybody who will attempt to disrupt our peace and unity through religious or tribal instigation.”