AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA’S development agenda is at full thrust as President Samia Suluhu Hassan clicks 60 days since she ascended to the country’s highest leadership office.
The president’s first call for her people after the death of her predecessor, the late John Magufuli, was to unite, work hard as the United Republic of Tanzania’s and look forward with hope, determination and confidence.
People of almost all walks of life in the country seem to side with her administration – supporters of the ruling party CCM as well as those of the opposition within and outside the Parliament.
President Samia has since won accolades from the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) Chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe, the party’s Vice-Chairman, Mr Tundu Lissu, who is in Belgium and has signaled his willingness to return to the country he fled from on political reasons.
Mr Mbowe has called for consensus and his party asked President Samia for a meeting. President Samia has already expressed her willingness to meet political and religious leaders.
He hails Mama Samia for her moving speeches that seek to unite the country and have people live in compatibility, justice and happiness as one nation.
ACT Wazalendo Leader, Mr Zitto Kabwe firmly believes that President Samia will deliver in accordance with trust that Tanzanians have in her. He sees her ensuring that the hope of people translates to economic change and justice for them.
Investors are also happy with her leadership. Tanzania Business Community says its hopes for a more friendly operating climate have been rekindled by President Samia. The Community’s Secretary General, Mr Abdallah Mwinyi, said President has pleased them as she decided to create a good investment, business and tax environment in the country.
He is of the view that if the tax issue had been worked upon properly, it would have increased confidence in doing their businesses and the number of investors would have increased in the country. Mr Mwinyi said some businesses were being closed due to the unfavorable environment in unrealistic tax estimates and other challenges.
Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) Chairman, Mr Paul Makanza said the government’s guarantee to address hurdles hampering investments has restored investors’ confidence in Tanzania.
The president is still cautiously and carefully forming his government by bringing in some changes in different ministries, institutions, organizations and departments in the way she sees there will be better performances.
She has since made many reshuffles in the Cabinet, Regional Commissioners (RCs) and shaking changes in some institutions and clearly telling the new appointees of what she expects of them, while issuing a timeframe of which she wants things shaped otherwise the appointees ship out.
President Samia has moved swiftly in diplomacy, investment and trade. Among things she did was travelling to Kenya, addressing the Bicameral Parliament, holding talks with her counterpart, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta sorting out issues related to obstacles in import/export business.
She has done the same with Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe. She also met with Ethiopian President, Ms Sahle-Work Zewde in the Ugandan capital Kampala, where they went for President Museveni’s swearing in ceremony.
On the same front, Ms Samia has given directives to ministries responsible for investment and trade to clear hurdles for prospective investors in different issues such as visa and working permit issuance.
She called on Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to work diligently, collect taxes justly, saying she was not in favour of oppressive taxes. She replaced TRA Commissioner General, Mr Edwin Mhede with Mr Alphayo Kidata, who had held the same post during the late President Magufuli’s leadership.
She has directed the Ministry of Minerals and others responsible to work on Mirerani mess, saying that in spite of constructing a huge perimeter wall, tanzanite minerals were being smuggled out illegally through underground means.
In the 60 days, Mama Samia has changed Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) leadership, pushing out the Director General, Mr Deusdedit Kakoko and appointing Mr Eric Hamis.
On health, President Samia has formed a commission to look into the Coronavirus pandemic issue and consequently advise the government on what to do. She has called on people to take all necessary precautions, but said Tanzania will not just copy and paste what other countries are doing. She is also cautious on vaccines. Mr Mbowe commends President Samia on that.
From the very beginning, she said that people should not look down at her because of her tone or looks, warning that she wanted matters to be carried out in line with the law, justice and democracy.
She has repeatedly spoken of leaders at different levels to diligently serve the citizens as well as foreigners, who are legally in the country, such as investors.
She seems to look with a third eye in justice dispensation as she appointed seven justices of the Court of Appeal and 21 judges of the High Court. The courts were experiencing a huge shortage of judges, leading to cases backlog and delayed justice that is taken as denied justice.
President Samia has called on prosecutors to drop cases that have been filed and now they (prosecutors) feel that there is no winning chance. She also directed that in cases with prima facie fast-tracking should be the option, so as to dispose of them as soon as practicable.
She moved on to replace the Director General of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Brigadier General John Mbungo with the then Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Salum Hamduni (now Commissioner of Police – CP).
On her first days in office she called upon PCCB to concentrate on prevention and combating of corruption as are its duties only instead of what the Bureau was doing – overlapping in other institution’s responsibilities such as collecting debts and returning plots or vehicles to owners from people who had earlier on acquired them fraudulently. General Mbungo is to be assigned another duty.
She further replaced the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Biswalo Mganga and his deputy, Mr Edson Makallo with Mr Sylvester Mwakitalu and Mr John Pande respectively. Mr Biswalo has since been appointed a High Court Judge while Ms Makallo will be assigned another duty. The new appointees are from the Attorney General (AG)’s Office.
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