By Ali A. Mufuruki:
I have been telling myself to refrain from the urge to respond to what is
in my view the worst insult ever made to our honour as a nation and as a
people since we freed ourselves from colonialism a little over half a
century ago.
This insult was uttered by none other than one of the most celebrated
academics in Tanzania, Prof. Sospeter Muhongo who currently serves as our
Minister for Energy and Minerals.
Challenged on why the Government doesn’t seem to have a plan on how to
ensure
the local private sector plays a meaningful role in what is shaping up to
become a
thriving gas economy following discoveries of significant quantities of the
natural
resource off our shores, he has repeatedly stated with shocking displays of
disdain
and arrogance, that in his view, locals as he calls them have no capacity
to
participate in such a complex and expensive industry.
He has not stopped making those disparaging statements even after he was
criticized by the general public, members of his own government and the
media. As a matter of fact such criticism seemed only to provoke even more
strident reactions from him. To this day he continues to stand his ground,
maintaining that indigenous entrepreneurs are not only incapable of playing
a useful role in this economy, but they are most likely corrupt and angling
to serve the interests of foreign operators as mere commission agents or
middlemen. He has vowed never to budge from this position.
Listening to all this and having been at the receiving end of his tirades
on at least two occasions , I have been wondering what in the world could
be driving him to cause such immeasurable and irreparable damage to the
standing and reputation, not only of the people he likes to call locals,
but the entire nation, himself included.
The good professor does not seem to realise that being at the head of such
an
important ministry at this time, the world pays close attention to every
statement he
makes whether in public or not. Industry analysts around the world and
global news media follow and analyse his attitudes and thoughts knowing
they have a direct influence on policy choices and decision made at his
ministry.
I know some of these people and even they are shocked and disturbed by what
they have heard and seen from this minister. One of them confided in me
recently that in his many years of covering the industry, he has never seen
a government official put down his own people in such a public manner in
the context of an industry as important as oil and gas. “What the hell is
he thinking?”, was the question he kept asking.
A leader’s job is to galvanise, rally, motivate and guide his people to
believe that they can do great things. A good leader never puts down his
people. A good leader never tramples on his people’s spirit. More
importantly of all, a good leader never
broadcasts to the world that he his ruling over inept and corrupt imbeciles
because
not only is that the stuff of pure madness, but also the world may not be
able to tell the difference between the ruler and his citizens.
I know Prof. Muhongo is not the only leader in our government who harbours
these negative thoughts about the Tanzanian private sector. He is just the
most courageous in a way that gives courage a bad name. Some say this kind
of thinking is part of the unfortunate legacy of our dalliance with
socialism in the early years of our independence, others say it is a
personal dislike the minister has for certain
individuals in the private sector. It doesn’t give me any comfort.
I am saying leaders who espouse these views about their own people, even if
they
do not go as far as making them public, should not be allowed to hold a
public office in Tanzania, period. Let them go and write books about their
thoughts or engage in other activities that cause less harm to society but
we should not be wasting good and hard earned taxpayer’s cash on this kind
of leaders.
*Ali A. Mufuruki is the Chairman CEO Roundtable of Tanzania. He penned this
piece on 4th January 2013