The move is aimed at saving millions of
money spent by the government during the season each year on printing of
the cards. “Funds budgeted for that purpose should instead be used to
settle debts owed to various contractors and suppliers or channelled to
other priority areas,” Ambassador Sefue said through a statement issued
by the Directorate of Presidential Communications.
The CS went on to stress that any public
leader who finds it ‘important’ to print the festive season cards
should do it at their own costs. “Those who feel that it is important to
produce the cards should use their own funds; rather than chopping from
the government coffers,” the statement, issued by the Acting Director
of Presidential Communications, Mr Gerson Msigwa, read in part.
The decision to ban the cards is in line
with austerity measures introduced by the Fifth Phase Government under
President John Magufuli. Dr Magufuli has directed on a number of
occasions that funds allocated for lavishness should now be allocated to
improve the social welfare of the people.
To start with, he suspended foreign
travels by government officials to attend meetings and directed that
envoys accredited abroad should perform such duties. During his
inaugural speech in the Parliament last week, President Magufuli noted
with concern that a whooping 350bn/- was spent during the previous
financial year for air tickets, allowances and training conducted
abroad.
At the party hosted for lawmakers on the
same day, the head of state revealed how he had directed the office of
the National Assembly to slash 250m/- budgeted for the social gathering
to 25m/-.
The remaining funds were used to
purchase 300 beds, bed sheets, wheel chairs and stretchers for patients
at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH). And again early this week,
Ambassador Sefue announced that the president has cancelled Independence
Day celebrations on December 9.
He alternatively urged Tanzanians to
mark the anniversary through working and cleaning up the environment to
check re-occurrence of fifth-borne diseases such as cholera.
The CS told journalists then that a
‘sizeable amount of funds’ will be saved by skipping the celebrations
and that the money will be channelled to more pressing development
projects.
The bold decisions by President Magufuli
to check lavish spending by government officials have been positively
received by members of the public who are eager to observe improvement
of social services for all people.
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