Tanzanian opposition MP Zitto Kabwe. He says the opposition is under
attack and an honest observer of Tanzanian politics would add that it is
in a shambles. FILE PHOTO | THE CITIZEN
The Tanzanian opposition leader Zitto Kabwe spoke to Erick Kabendera on the current political space in the country.
---------------------------------------------
What is your assessment of the state of opposition in Tanzania?
However, the situation we are in is attributable to the actions of the state, which does not observe the rule of law.
The
Political Parties Act allows for mobilisation, recruiting of members
and public rallies. But the president issued a decree in July 2016 that
political parties are not allowed to conduct public rallies until
election time. Only parliamentarians and councillors can go on political
rallies in their localities, but CCM and the president continue to
conduct public rallies all over the country. The opposition is in the
boxing ring with their hands tied.
The democratic space has narrowed. People are being arrested for
airing their views. The top five leaders of the main opposition party
Chadema are facing various charges and are supposed to go to court every
Thursday, which means they can’t conduct political activities. I have
been arrested at least four times since President John Magufuli was
elected.
We have also seen massive defections and CCM is co-opting key opposition members into government.
So what is the solution?
We
are engaging the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, which has created a
platform for all political parties to meet and discuss our political
situation and recommend reforms — whether it be a new Constitution or
minimum reforms to the current law.
As the opposition,
we need to talk among ourselves to counter the autocratic leadership in
our country. Some members are suggesting that we form one party. This
isn’t practical, but it is worth considering.
What is your take on President Magufuli?
We’ve
never seen a president who behaves like him. Founding president Julius
Nyerere was a philosopher; Ali Hassan Mwinyi opened up the country to
the rest of the world; Benjamin Mkapa and Jakaya Kikwete allowed
parliament to do its work without interference, but the current
president doesn't respect institutions.
What is your assessment of the economy?
Tanzania
has registered remarkable economic growth of six-seven per cent, but it
isn’t reflected in people’s lives. Exports of manufactured goods have
gone down by 53 per cent in the past two years.
Our
trade balance with Kenya is negative; we used to export more to Kenya
than we imported from then. Our exports of cotton, coffee, sisal and tea
have gone down, when these are the sectors that employ the majority of
Tanzanians. The only sectors that are holding up are tourism and
transport.
Some Tanzanians believe that we are in a sort of trade war with Kenya…
I
am a staunch supporter of East African integration. Our leaders must
understand that the EAC is a Common Market: Goods produced in Nairobi
should get the same treatment in terms of prices and duty as goods
manufactured in Dar es Salaam.
There must be freedom
of movement of goods and people in the region. The fact that a Kenyan
needs a permit to work in Tanzania is worrying because we signed
protocols with EAC member states.
The current
administration has placed emphasis on large infrastructure projects.
Have these projects helped transform the economy?
The
results are mixed because we finance construction projects with
taxpayers' money. This approach creates jobs outside our country because
almost all the inputs used for construction are imported. The only
benefit we have achieved is the creation of menial jobs.
Another
cause for concern is that we are not sequencing our development
projects. For example, we built a 515km Mtwara-Dar es Salaam pipeline to
pump natural gas and generate electricity, but the Controller and
Auditor General said in his latest report that we are only using six per
cent of the pipeline's capacity. The government embarked on a new
hydropower project at Stigler’s Gorge before utilising the pipeline.
I
am not suggesting that the government shouldn't carry out projects
critical for generating electricity for our industrialisation, but we
have to do it in a prudent manner.
You have
persistently criticised the government for buying new planes and
constructing the standard gauge railway. Why are you not supporting
these projects?
Experts have advised that we
rehabilitate the existing Central Line and use it to generate revenues
to inject into the SGR rather than taking money from the treasury to
build a new railway. The government has borrowed at a commercial rate to
build the railway, but will start servicing the loan before the
investment generates money to pay for it.
The
private sector has been complaining about the deteriorating business
environment, which is scaring away foreign investors. Is this a matter
of concern to you?
We have been declining on
the ease of doing business, and red tape has increased. The government
has changed the arbitration policy and foreign investors will not be
able to file for international arbitration. This has led to a drop in
the confidence of investors.
No comments :
Post a Comment