By: Hassan Saudin
How an organization is structured carries significant weight on the effectiveness of executing its mission. It is a common practice for pro-active organizations to continuously and consciously align and re-align its structure in order to achieve an optimum balance.
Governments are not immune from this reality. For the purpose of this discussion, focus will be limited to the executive branch of the Tanzanian Government. Currently, the Head of State is mandated by the Constitution to appoint Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners. This practice can be traced back to the era of pre-independent Tanzania when colonial Governments centralized appointments of governors and administrators.
Continuation of this practice was probably beneficial in the period immediately after Independence because of the infancy of the nation that was defining and charting its course. A centralized Government accorded the benefit of an effective coordinated national vision and strategy.
With the passage of time, the contribution and role of local Governments has evolved. We now have a Ministry that focuses on Regional and Local Governments. Regional commissioners and district commissioners are appointed by the President while constituents appoint their own councilors from among competing political parties. The councilors in turn are eligible to contest for mayoral position.
In light of the anticipated constitutional amendments, I am writing to challenge our legislators to consider constitutional revisions that would give citizens more powers to take responsibility for their local affairs. Let citizens elect their own Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners.
Regional/District authorities ought to be given constitutional autonomy to identify revenue streams, tax and develop their own budgets and account to their local electorates. These Regional/District Governments should be responsible for the direct provision of various services such as public health, public safety, recreation, local economic development, solid waste management, local jails/prisons etc.
Here are some of the potential benefits of instituting full-fledged local Governments:
1) The Central Government will be relieved of the burden of dealing with granule local issues and direct focus and efforts on broader national issues like construction of inter-regional infrastructure, energy, macro-economic policies, disaster relief, international diplomacy etc.
2) Enhanced participation in the political process. Voters will have the opportunity to decide for themselves who is best suited to lead their local development efforts. With the current system a terrible performer can be shoved down the throats of citizens simply because the appointing authority (President) is unaware of his appointee’s incompetence. With hundreds of Presidential appointees it is unlikely that the President would intimately gauge the capabilities and deficiencies of all appointees to be able to direct effective placement and demand accountability. The ability to critically evaluate appointees is currently seriously impaired because of weakness in vetting.
3) Tanzanian voters will be positioned to see a clear and direct connection between their economic conditions and the political choices that they make. Due to Government bureaucracy, decisions of Central Government do not have a trickledown effect that is immediate. This can be off-set if local Governments take on the responsibility of more governance and service delivery.
4) Improved confidence and trust. Many polls conducted in countries that have a clear separation between Federal/Central government and local governments show that citizens have consistently demonstrated more confidence in local Governments than the Federal/Central Government. This is the case for several reasons, primarily because it is relatively easier for citizens to hold local officials accountable than a Federal/Central Government officials.
5) This will open more doors of opportunities for political aspirants who are inspired by local politics.
6) Increased opportunities for professional government administrators and other professionals. They will be able to serve communities that they are most attached to instead of being employed by central government and get bounced to places they really do not feel deep attachment to.
7) Healthy competition among localities in pursuit of development.
8) Opposition political parties that might have authority to govern some regions through a political process will have excellent opportunity to showcase to the nation its ability to lead and resolve issues even if they are not in control of the central government. It is in the interest of the Tanzanian people to see strong competition among political parties.
9) Central Government will have a bigger pool of experienced civil servants who can ascend from local Governments.
10) The risks associated with having a Government from a party that has never led the nation trying to maneuver unchartered waters will be diminished. We cannot be naïve to ignore the Arab Spring and the current political tides in Tanzania; we must operate on the premise that the opposition parties are a formidable force that can potentially come to power, perhaps imminently.
If this constitutional amendment is effected we can reasonably expect to see remarkable improvements in public Service, Value and Responsibility.
hsaudin@gmail.com
You have a point, however, the entire administrative structure of the Government need to be re-organized, especially the executive and the Parliament. There should be full autonomous provinces formed by three or four regions, with provincial assembly, and provincial ministries. All development matters should be dealt with at provincial level. The central government should deal with, foreign affairs, immigration affairs, defense issues, and energy.
ReplyDeleteanfikiri ukiitoa mada yako kwa kiswahili na kuipeleka ippmedia .com ikachapishwe kwenye magazeti ya bongo itawaelimisha baadhi ya viongozi wa ngazi za juu kuelewa kuwa mfumo wa zamani wa kuongoza hauna nafasi tena katika maisha na maendeleo ya sasa ya ulimwengu. Naona kama Watanzania wana nia ya maendeleo yao kijamii, kiuchumi na kisiasa ila viongozi wake hawapo kwa ajili ya hilo, wanaangalia tu maslahi yao na sio maendeleo na matakwa ya wananchi na ndio sababu kubwa bado wanangángánia mfumo huo wa zamani wa kuwepo serikari ya kati(Centralized Government) badala ya decentralization!!!Mimi kama mdau wa Ktz ningependa kuona maendeleo ya nchi yangu ya tanzania hususani kiuchumi, kijamii na kisisa katka modern social, economical and political development and improvement, lakini inanisikitisha sana kila nisomapo habari za Tanzania kwenye Magazeti international and national News inanikatisha tamaa kuona mabadiliko yafanyayo ni ya kujibinafsisha na sio kwa ajili ya jamii na familia ya kitanzania. Nafikiri ipo haja siku moja Watanzania kuamua kufuata mkondo wa nchi za kiarabu au mkondo wa Revolution of Ghana, ambayo aliyafanya bwana Obasanjo kwa kumaliza na kuondolea mbali wakongwe wasiokubaliana na mabadiliko ya nchi kwa maslahi ya wananchi!!. Nafikiri iko siku jasiri mmoja wa aina hio atapatikanika Tanzania na ndipo tutakapojua maana ya mabadiliko kisiasa na kiuchumi ni nini, na nini maana ya flexible Government, yaani serikali inayoendana na muda na mabadiliko na sio tuu na historia ya karne za 17 au 19 katika karne hii ya 22 !!!!!!. Nafikiri Tanzania inahitaji watu kama marehemu Tuntemeke Sanga aliyeweza kutumia wadhifa na elimu yake kuleta maendeleo makubwa sana katka jimbo lake la Makete kwa kuwajumuisha wananchi wake katika shughuli za kuleta maendeleo katika jimbo lake kwa mfano: Aliwakusanaya wanajimbo wake na kuwauliza , je wapo radhi kujitolea kwa nguvu zao bure na kwa kipato kidogo kusaidia kujenga barabara, Hosptali na shule ili umeme uletwe Makete? Wananchi wote walitoa sauti ya ndio na wakajitolea kulima barabara na kujenga Hospitali na shule kwa ajili ya watoto wao na hatimaye umeme ulifika hapo Makete kupita milama ya Kitulo huko Mbeya!! What a wonder!!!!.Nikirejea nchini Ghana, President Rawlings alipowaondoa wanasiasa wote wa zamani na kulweka kizazi kipya kwenye madaraka yake na kuwaomba wananchi wake wote waliopo Ughaibuni kujitolea kurudi nchini kwao na elimu zao walizonazo na kupewa madaraka kazini kufuatana na elimu na ujuzi walioupata wakiwa Ughaibuni ili kuleta mabadiliko ya haraka na maendeleo ya wananchi bega kwa bega badala ya nchi kutafuta tu Wawekezaji kutoka nje na kusahau kuwa sisi wenyewe Watanzania tupo wengi sana huku Ughaibui na tuna elimu zetu za kuweza kusaidia maendeleo huko Tanzania kwa ajili ya manufaa ya wananchi na nchi nzima , badala yake viongozi hawana vivutio vyovyote kuwakaribisha wananchi wake walioko Ughaibuni kwa kuwapa vivutio vya ajira kwa kufuatana na kile walichosomea,badala yake viongozi hao wakifika huku wanasema tu rudini nyumbani mkasaidie kujenga nchi, je vipi turudi na nini kivutio chao cha kumrudisha mtu kwenye matatizo yasiyotatulika? Hapo naona Ghana hususani President Rawlings aliifanya nchi ya Ghana kuondokana na kero za zamani na leo hii ni nchi moja ya Africa yene amani, uchumi mzuri sana, maendeleo makubwa sana kiuchumi , kijamii na imara kisiasa na sio sisi Tanzania kuishi kwa vitisho vya kuogopa upinzani na vitisho vya kufungwa jera bila kesi!!. Watanzani tunahitaji tutumie Facebook, Twitter na Internet forums kujipanga na kujiunga kupendekeza mikakati bora kwa maisha ya Watanzania na ikiwezekana hata kupiga kura zetu kwa kutumia internet kuwakilsha viongozi wetu: If this works out in Europe and Amerika as well as all elsewhere why not in Tanzania!?
ReplyDeleteNina imani kubwa kuwa Tanzania ina watu wenye potential kubwa sana kiakili, kiufundi,kimawazo ,kisiasa na kiuchumi tusikubali tu uongozi usiotufaa kuupa nafasi kututawala bali tujiunge paoja na kukemea mabovu tuliyonayo na kuyabadilisha kwa vitendo!:
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