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President John Magufuli’s actions before unveiling his cabinet is a
demonstration of what is expected of ministers and civil servants who will
serve in his government, according to analysts.
The head of state is setting pace for a new culture that both public and
civil servants will have to embrace or step aside, a cross-section of
observers interviewed by this paper said yesterday.
Since coming to office, President Magufuli has made major decisions aimed
at controlling government expenditure and improving service delivery. They
include ban on foreign trips and conferences in private facilities,
diverting funds allocated for independence celebrations and MPs’ feast to
development projects and suspension of top officials at Muhimbili National
Hospital and Tanzania Revenue Authority.
Also, parastatals board meetings have been limited to four annually with
reduced payments and state subsidies to state owned commercial firms
banned.
University of Dar es Salaam Political Science and Public Administration
lecturer, Richard Mbunda said that the President had an agenda that he
wants to push.
Mbunda said that President Magufuli has taken action to show a way to his
subordinates basing on the ‘business as usual syndrome’ of the country’s
executive system.
“It is obvious that the current system lacks accountability thus the
President is trying to establish a new one that will see all public
servants accountable,” Mbunda added.
He said that actions taken by the president since he took over the office
was a demonstration of what he wants things done thus the new ministers
will be forced to go with his work spirit.
The former Wawi legislator Hamad Rashid Mohamed said that the actions taken
by President Magufuli were a proof that if government did perform well
there was no need of having a big cabinet.
He said that since he took over 25 days ago the government had been
operating under four people; these are the President, Vice President, Prime
Minister and the Attorney General.
“This means that President Magufuli will need only a small cabinet which
will deliver at the people’s expectations,” he said.
He said that the President had shown a way thus the new ministers will
have a huge task ahead to ensure that things were improving in the right
direction.
“The President has taken time to unveil his cabinet and this might be one
of the reasons to show how he wants things done and appoint people who will
follow his work spirit,” he said.
He said that the head of state was informed about such unethical conducts
by public servants during his presidential campaigns and decided to work on
them.
Mohamed said that problems like tax evasion and bureaucracy in government
offices and institutions surfaced even in the previous governments thus
raising a number of questions as to why did the past governments failed
to address them.
“We need to change… if efficiency is improved in government offices and
institutions even the people’s lives will be better,” he said.
Tanzania Women Cross-Party Platform (TWCPP) coordinator, Dr Ave Maria
Semakafu said that the President’s work style had helped to change the
operations of many public offices and institutions.
She said president had dug deep to unveil tax evaders of which common
people could never think of.
Semakafu however said the current system encourages the business as usual
syndrome where by a minister appointed by President is briefed by the
permanent secretary of the respective ministry and proceeds with work.
“The President is trying to do away with this kind system and build a
culture of accountability among the public servants,” she said.
Semakafu said President Magufuli had shown way for his new cabinet thus the
ministers will be required to embrace his spirit.
The lecturer at St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) Mtwara Campus,
Dr Aidan Msafiri, commended President Magufuli’s efforts to instill a
culture of accountability among public servants.
He however said that although he started with Tanzania Revenue Authority
officials involved direct in the ‘missing containers’ saga but the
cleaning up should go further to the respective ministry.
He had the views that some executives of the Finance Ministry were aware of
what was going on at TRA thus thorough investigation should be conducted to
establish whether there were ministry officials involved in the scam.
Msafiri however said that the President would need a small cabinet with
hardworking ministers who will provide him with correct information in
relation to the government operations.
The Legal and Human Rights Centre Director of Advocacy and Reform, Harold
Sungusia urged President Magufuli to come up with a new constitutional
order to sustain the changes and accountability.
He said that the President must overhaul the entire executive system
because it had problems.
Sungusia said that to start with, President Magufuli can use the Controller
and Auditor General (CAG) previous reports which showed how the government
funds were embezzled.
He said that apart from the actions being taken there was a need to
establish and plug the loopwholes so that they don’t recur in future.
Sungusia said that most of government departments such as parliament,
police and judiciary were corrupt and thus call for overhaul altogether.
“The President should consult experts and see how such corrupt systems will
be eliminated,” he said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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