Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
Page One: Key stories of the day
CCM’s candidates get ready for a run-off in Arumeru East
Following CCM’s central committee’s decision to declare a run off between its top two candidates in the primary in Arumeru East, the two camps are getting ready to make their case, once again, to the party faithful.
Dar’ s Mayor in trouble over UDA
Members of Parliament from Dar es Salaam are accusing the city’s Mayor of colluding with the transportation firm Usafiri wa Dar es Salaam’s (UDA) investor to steal from the company.
PM Mizengo Pinda encourages local input in the extractive industries
The PM says that it will be hard for African countries, including Tanzania, to benefit from their natural resources if they continue to depend on external parties for capital and technology.
Two prominent MPs suggest lowering of age limit for presidential candidates
Two young members of parliament Mr. Zitto Kabwe (Chadema – Kigoma North) and January Makamba (CCM – Bumbuli) argue that in the up-coming constitutional review, voting and presidential age limits be lowered.
Notable editorials/opinion pieces:
- ‘Kupotea tulikopotea ni kupotea “kukubwa”‘ [Lost the way we are lost is being lost in a big way] | Raia Mwema
- ‘International peace efforts finally bearing fruit in Somalia’ | The Citizen
- ‘Time to end [women violence] no one wants to talk about’ | Daily News
- ‘Wanaoanzisha vyama vipya vya siasa wanadumaza demokrasia’ [Those who form new parties weaken democracy] | Habari Leo
- ‘Serikali hii kama ya walevi’ [It is as if this government is like being led by the drunk] | MwanaHalisi
- ‘Acheni kugombea kama amuwezi kuongoza’ [Stop running for office if you can't lead] | Mtanzania
Other stories of note:
- ‘Makinda anzisha mgogoro wa maslahi’ [Makinda stirs trouble on the issue of [MP's] benefits] | MwanaHalisi
- ‘Tunahitaji mabadiliko makubwa’ [We need big changes] | Raia Mwema
- ‘ADC yet to coin policy, ideology’| The Citizen
- ‘Pirates threaten deep sea fishing’ | Daily News
- ‘Zanzibar govt probes oil shortages’ | The Guardian
- ‘Mahalu amlipua JK’ [[Former Ambassador to Italy] Mahalu blows up on JK] | Mwananchi
- ‘Siri ya waraka wa Mwakyembe yafichuka’ [The secret behind Mwakyembe's document revealed] | Tanzania Daima
- ‘Magerezea yawatisha wabunge’ [Prisons saddens parliamentarians] | Mtanzania
- ‘Wanataka machafuko ya Songea yawanufaishe kifedha au kisiasa?’ [Do [activists and politicians] want the chaos in Songea to benefit them politically or financially?] | Uhuru
- ‘Ukwapuaji ardhi Afrika na hatima ya masikini’ [Land grab in Africa and the fate of the poor] | Habari Leo
- ‘When people serve undeserved punishments’ | The African
Business Headlines:
- ‘Gas reserve found in Ruvuma Basin’ | The Citizen
- ‘Urgent measures needed to rescue 600bn/- lost in crops harvests’ | The Guardian
- ‘TIC: Mtwara to become country’s economic hub’ | The African
- ‘IMF warns of global crisis’ | Daily News
- ‘JK apangua Bodi ya Kahawa’ [JK dissolves [Tanzania's] Coffee Board]] | Mtanzania
- ‘Mafuta, gesi vyazidi kuukoroga muungano’ [Oil, gas continue to cause problems for the union] | Mwananchi
Regional Headlines:
- ‘Uganda shilling up slightly vs $, seen firming | The African
- ‘Rwandan households sign performance contracts’ | Daily News
- ‘Monetary Union may not work for EAC – experts’ | The Citizen
- ‘Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza invites Belgian businessmen to Burundi’ | The Guardian
- ‘Mugabe: Bado niko fiti, nitagombea urais’ [Mugabe: I am still fit, and will run for president] | Mwananchi
- ‘Huduma za intaneti zawa kero Afrika Mashariki’ [Internet services become problematic in East Africa] | Mtanzania
Page One: A summary
CCM’s candidates get ready for a run-off in Arumeru East
The two candidates standing in the Arumeru East primary are getting ready for a run-off campaign that will finally decide who will be CCM’s nominee to run in the parliamentary by-election to be held on April 1st, Habari Leo reports. One of the candidates, Mr. Sioi Sumari, who won the first round only for his victory to be nullified by his party’s leadership for reportedly failing to get the required 50% of the vote. Mr. Sumari told the paper that, ‘the decision by the central committee [CC] was wise, and now I am ready for the vote and I ask voters to show up at the polls. Also, I am very much a citizen of Tanzania,’ he said referring to a rumor that had been circulating questioning whether he was Tanzanian. When reached for comment, the other candidate in the race Mr. William Sarikikya echoed his rival’s statement saying, he too, had no problem with the decision to hold a run off.
But others in the press appeared less inclined to move on. According to Mtanzania, senior officials within the CC were against Mr. Sumari’s nomination and actively advocated for his victory to be invalidated. The paper, quoting a source who says is familiar with what happened, claimed that national Vice-Chairman of the party Mr. Pius Msekwa and the Deputy Secretary General Mr. John Chiligati were adamant that Mr. Sumari was not the right candidate, saying that he was not a citizen. ‘The entire time they were claiming that he was not born in Arumeru, something that seemed to have surprised other members of the committee,’ the source said and then added, ‘you know, Chiligati has a record of claiming that others are not Tanzanians as he did in 2010 against a candidate for parliament in Nzega, Hussein Bashe. If this keeps up it will kill our party.’
Meanwhile, the voices against Mr. Sumari’s candidacy seem to not be confined to the national leadership. In a story titled ‘Sarakikya ang’ara dhidi ya Sumari’ [Sarakikya shines better than Sumari], Raia Mwema suggests that local CCM officials have deep misgivings about his ability to win the by-election. ‘He is new to politics…and he is not particularly well versed in the arena of politics, so he will need a lot of help to win, not only in the primary but in the by-election too,’ a member of the party in Arumeru told the paper. The paper then goes on to suggest that political winds are on the back of Mr. Sarakikya who came out of the first round, more or less, undamaged whereas his opponent was marred by accusations of corruption. The paper also noted that Mr. Sarakikya is more experienced, having competed with Mr. Sumari’s father in the 2010 primary.
Elsewhere, Chadema is also grappling with with its own primary, with accusations flying that Joshua Nassari, the self-proclaimed presumptive nominee for the seat, has been raising money even before the primary has been called, Uhuru reports. This is a two-day old story, and ran in the CCM-owned newspaper, so it is advisable that readers take it with a pinch of salt. What is certain is that the Arumeru East by-election is shaping up to be an exciting campaign.
Dar’ s Mayor in trouble over UDA
A new chapter to the controversy over the privatisation of the bus company of Usafiri wa Dar es Salaam (UDA) opened yesterday after Dar es Salaam members of parliament accused the city’s Mayor Dr. Didas Masaburi of colluding with the management of Simon Group, the company that aims to buy UDA from the government, to ‘siphon’ hundreds of millions of shillings’ from the company’s accounts.
According to the Daily News, following an emergency meeting of the MPs, John Mnyika (Chadema – Ubungo), the Secretary of the Committee, released a statement saying, ‘The committee of Dar es Salaam MPs is meeting today after receiving reports and documents on corruption and violation of the law that is taking place in UDA.’ The violations alluded to in the statement include, as per the paper, directives to withdraw cash from UDA’s bank accounts, contrary to directives of the Local Councillors of Dar es Salaam.
Meanwhile, MwanaHalisi is reporting that Dr. Masaburi has given his official blessing the decision by Simon Group to buy new buses for UDA, a move that the paper says is being viewed in some quarters as “mutinous” against the government. Apparently, the decision was made in a meeting without the presence of the Treasurer who represents the government’s interest, which goes against normal procedures for such actions.
Habari Leo, in an interview with Dr. Masaburi, quotes him as saying that the decision to withdraw the cash and put it in a new account, at the core of the committee’s issue with him, was made so as to make it easier for UDA to operate. Dr. Masaburi told MwanaHalisi, ‘I thought it wise that they open a new account which will have their own money so they can spend it. In this new account there is no single cent from UDA. The money in the account is Simon Group’s and they wanted to spend it.’ The money spent from the account has reportedly financed the purchase of the new buses.
The Dar es Salaam parliamentary special committee will release its full findings on the entire matter later today.
(In the interests of full disclosure. UDA, before the process of privatisation had been initiated, was chaired by Mr. Iddi Simba who is currently a Non-Executive Director of Serengeti Advisers)
PM Mizengo Pinda encourages local input in the extractive industries
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda says unless African countries develop ways of localising the capital and technology needed to exploit their natural resources, they will continue to depend on foreign firms in the extractive industries.
According to The Guardian, the PM was speaking at the opening of a roundtable discussion on natural resources in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Lack of local linkages between the different sectors within the extractive industries is a key factor as to why Tanzania is failing to fully benefit from their natural resources. ‘Processing and production of final products could be probably the least developed linkage due to lack of technology, equipment as well as strong research and industrial base in the continent,’ he said then added, ‘in this context, the continent is losing huge sums of revenues and employment opportunities, perpetuating the dependency and aid syndrome.’
Paul Collier, an Oxford University professor led the discussion, and according to The Citizen, argued that governments need to put in place special tax regimes that guarantee a fair return on their natural resources. ‘You can tax a mining company, for example, the same way you tax a manufacturing company,’ he said. If Tanzania, and other African countries are not careful, then they are in danger of suffering from the so called ‘resource curse’ seen manifesting itself across the continent and elsewhere, Prof. Collier warned. He also suggested that government enter into contract in an open manner. ‘Never enter secret agreements with individual companies,’ he said. ‘Transparency is crucial.’
Two prominent MPs suggest lowering of age limit for presidential candidates
Two young parliamentarians made the case yesterday for lowering the current age limits for voting and presidential aspirants. Mr. Zitto Kabwe (Chadema – Kigoma North) and January Makamba (CCM – Bumbuli) said at a forum discussing youth and the constitution said that the current voting age limit of 18 should be lowered to 16 while for the presidency it should fall from 41 to 35, reports Mwananchi. Mr. Kabwe said that there is nothing new in this suggestion. ‘We will not be the first ones to do this because there are a lot of countries in the world where the age allowed to run for president is 35 years old. So young people we should look at this new issue in the debate over the coming new constitution,’ he said.
For his part Mr. Makamba said that 16 year olds are perfectly capable of making sound decisions. ‘The age beginning 16 is enough for someone to figure out what kind of leaders we should have,’ he said.
Asked whether he was making the suggestion to lower the age limit for presidential candidates so he can be allowed to run, Mr. Kabwe, according to Habari Leo said, ‘I do not want the constitution to be reformed for my benefit. I do not want to give the impression that my articulating what young people want is because of me…I am a human being and I may not possess the personal attributes needed but there may be other people out there younger than 41 with the skills and patriotism to lead our country,’ he said.