THE Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has said the anti-graft war carried out by the Fifth Phase Government is sustainable, vowing that there will never be a let-up in the crusade against the vice.
“The Fifth Phase Government is
determined to fight with those implicated in the graft. We’ll leave no
stone unturned in the anti-graft war,” maintained the Premier while
speaking to Tanzanians living in Lusaka in Zambia on Wednesday.
He added; “We want to end the business
as usual mentality whereby a member of public can only access social
services after offering something (bribe). We’re determined to maintain
the ethics in public service.”
Mr Majaliwa said the government decided
to embark on the anti-graft war to maintain the ethics in public
service, saying every public servant should maintain accountability,
trust and integrity.
“We’ll not tolerate any public servant
who is not ready to serve the people loyally. We insist on equality and
we don’t want to create a gap between a civil servant and a common
citizen,” he said.
On embezzlement of public funds, Mr
Majaliwa, said the government has prioritised the spirit of trust among
its officials, saying the government will take stern action against
those who will be proven to be misusing public funds.
“The government has earmarked the huge
budget for development projects largely in rural areas. We want the fund
to be used for the intended projects. Those who will misuse the fund
will face the music,” he stressed.
Mr Majaliwa pointed out that public
servants have a role to supervise development projects well, stressing
that projects should demonstrate value for money.
He said this year’s budget has gone up
from 21 trillion/- to 29 trillion/-, the main goal being to promote
social development, with the social development budget going up from 27
per cent to 40 per cent.
Mr Majaliwa explained that the ongoing
anti-graft war was in line with the government agenda of changing the
country from a low income to middle income country. “Our currency has
dropped tremendously against the US dollar.
The currency dropped from 1,600/- to
2,900/- and now it stands at 2,180/-,” he observed. Mr Majaliwa said the
government has decided to introduce the agenda to industrialise the
country in order to discourage the importation and he called upon the
Tanzanians abroad to invest in the country to promote development.
In response to a question on loans to
Tanzanians living abroad, Mr Majaliwa explained that loan schemes are an
agreement between a financial institution and beneficiaries.
The Premier assured Tanzanians living
abroad that they can get loans from the Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB)
and Tanzania Development Bank (TADB), noting that financial institutions
are there for farmers and entrepreneurs.
As for Tanzanians in the Diaspora taking
part in general elections, Mr Majaliwa, said the government would work
on the matter to enable its countrymen and women living abroad to vote,
noting that the government has received a number of suggestions on how
to handle the issue.
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