Tanzanian Association Oslo

Corruption-

Who are the good guys and

bad guys?

TANZANIA seems to have reached a turning point in its battle against high-level graft. People from different levels of society are coming out openly to criticize once-powerful public office bearers of wrongdoing.

The latest high-profile names which have added their voice to the noble debate are former Zanzibar chief minister Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal and the executive director of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation (MNF), Joseph Butiku. The latter also served as a close aide to the founder president and Father of the Nation, the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere.

Butiku, one of the few former Mwalimu aides who appears to have steered clear of the trend which sees so many retired and current public officials engaging in dubious private deals which cost the country dear, even challenged former president Benjamin Mkapa to go public and answer the charges he now faces of abuse of office while at State House from 1995 to 2005.

According to the MNF executive director, Mkapa’s actions in starting and conducting private business activities while serving as president were unacceptable, and the late Mwalimu could not have entertained such a gross violation of the leadership code of conduct. On the other hand, Mkapa himself has steadfastly refused to respond to the numerous charges against him, ostensibly taking cover behind the constitutional immunity he is said to enjoy.

Meanwhile, Dr Bilal has seemingly joined the country’s political opposition by suggesting that public officials facing graft allegations had better resign to pave way for independent investigations into the allegations.

Besides Mkapa, there are several other high-ranking public officials from the current and previous governments facing serious allegations of graft and abuse of office. At first it was the media purportedly making the allegations, and which senior bureaucrats and politicians unusual - branded as customary liars. Now it is individuals - people who also served this country in very senior positions also saying the same.

But again as usual, there is no shortage of political spin doctors around; the opportunists who will take up the job of clearing the names of those now being accused of graft and abuse of office. The spin doctors have started private public relations consultancy firms, some are editors in state-owned and even private media outlets, and some of the very lucky ones have even found their way into State House.

It is these spin doctors that are now taking on the people who have been demanding that the allegations be properly investigated, and if found to be true then the culprits be taken to task. Such people are now being branded liars, harbouring personal vendettas, and at worst sowers of discord and divisions amongst the wananchi, thus threatening national unity.

How long shall we keep hiding behind this fade of national unity, peace and tranquility, while tens of millions of Tanzanians continue to suffer and die of want, preventable diseases and natural disasters, all of which are within our reach to take care of?

Until when shall we let our government ministers sign mining contracts, power purchase agreements and grant multi-billion shilling government procurement contracts including sensitive defence contracts to shadowy agents, only to end up buying junk? Can we really afford to continue ignoring such people who are the real threat to our national unity, peace and security?

The time has come for Tanzanians to bring to account all those corrupt, thieving, carefree public officials to be found out there. And people like Butiku, Bilal and others should not be lynched for their troubles, but supported. The real bad guys should be those who fail to clear themselves either in public or by whatever other means possible they may choose - of the corruption and abuse of office charges they now face.