- She took over power power from John Pombe Magufuli when he passed on earlier this year. All eyes are on Mama Samia Suluihu Hassan, whether she will follow through wholesale what JPM had started or chart her own vision for Tanzania.
- The anti-corruption crusade started by JPM, Infrastructure, education and Tanzania’s standing on the the global arena seem high on her agenda.
by Eric Obwogi
In her longest speech since inauguration, Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan laid out a road map that her government must take to elevate the country’s status as a regional well governed powerhouse that is in touch with the international agenda. It was as speech that indicated that she will not toe the line drawn by her late predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, but will have significant deviations that and departures, while consolidating those she finds in line with her convictions on what Tanzania really needs at the present moment.
Traditionally, being thrown in the deep end of a country’s leadership by the unfortunate demise of the current holder of office would mean that the deputy, having served and been part of the decision making process and policy formulation in the system, would follow through and finish what the predecessor started.
When JPM, as the late President Magufuli was fondly referred to, swept to power in October 2015, it was obvious he was a man on a mission and was later to emerge that like a breath of fresh air,he had his own style of leadership.
JPM declared zero tolerance to corruption, and followed through with gusto and enthusiasm that had many breathing a sigh of relief; at last someone was showing the rest of the region how to halt economic hemorrhage through plunder. Corruption has been a cancer that has eaten away at EAC’s economies and eroded the competitiveness of its markets.
That train continues full steam ahead. Mama Suluhu Hassan has taken from where JPM left, giving an early indication of her intentions that at the very least, she would follow his tough stance on corruption, by suspending the head of Tanzania’s ports authority, Deusdedit Kakoko over corruption allegations. A recent audit report on the corporation recommended investigations into the disappearance of US$ 1.56M (TSh. 3.6B).
She said service delivery is a must; otherwise the axe will fall, followed by possible gaol. JPM was known for impromptu visits to public service offices where he personally inspected ongoing projects and was known to berate and even suspend public officers for inefficient or shoddy work.
The outbreak of Covid 19 exposed JPM’s dim view of freedom of expression, and a free press. His government became the custodian of all data and controlled how it was released to the public and to the rest of the world. What followed was that there was scant information regarding the ravages of the virus in Tanzania, and JPM’s word that there was no Covid 19 in Tanzania, advocating for local remedies for prevention as well as total trust in God for divine protection, was for some time all the news the rest of the world got.
Save for opposition figures’ constant claims on the devastation that was being visited on the largest country in EAC by landmass, Tanzania apparently remained an island of sorts in the middle of a viral catastrophe. Towards the end, however, when JPM’s officers started falling, and amid demands by WHO for the country to lay bare its status quo, the late president reluctantly ceded ground on his stance and admitted that indeed, the country had been hit by Covid 19.
On taking office, Mama Suluhu has ordered the formation of a task force constituted by experts to draw a road map on how to tackle the pandemic.
“There is no lying about it, or hiding from it. We must trust science and our scientists,” she said adding that free health insurance will be enacted quickly.
Furthermore, she declared that all media that had been banned be reinstated, but all those that were off the mark pay fines (and be educated on responsible reporting) to get back in operation.
“We welcome free speech, with truth and decorum, not insults,” she insisted.
JPM had given government officials the leeway to work and have control over their jurisdictions, so as to accelerate the decision making process for efficient service delivery. However, this allowed some to declare semi-autonomous fiefdoms that gave them the power to make roadside proclamations and declarations, and harass investors and foreign workers. The RC for Tanga is on record for banning truck drivers from Kenya from entering Tanzania, alleging that most drivers had tested positive for the corona virus.
In spite of a collective EAC effort to make cross-border trade and movement easier, these officials had made it difficult under the previous regime for foreigners, even East African to get work permits. A case in point is when Vodacom, which also owns significant shareholding in Kenya’s Safaricom, appointed Sylvia Mulinge, head of business at Safaricom as the Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania. The appointment was aborted when Ms Mulinge, then director for consumer business was denied a work permit, and that ambition was put on hold.
Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan intends to change all that.
“It is the right of Tanzanian and foreign investors to choose their employees unhindered,” she said in her speech.
While she has not publicly delved into JPM’s ruthless ban on school girls who become pregnant from resuming school, Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan has been known to be reluctant to dance for the cameras, and this may be seen as one of the creases that might be ironed out quietly with the hot iron of equal opportunity by one of gender justice’s staunchest proponents.
That mama Suluhu vowed to have the country’s education syllabus be reviewed to make it more competitive proves that she has serious intentions of enhancing Tanzania’s human resource base with the ultimate aim of raising its profile as an investment destination.
In that vein, JPM had already covered considerable ground, starting and implementing infrastructure projects including railways, air and sea ports, roads and bridges, that would ease the movement of goods and personnel across the country and into neighboring markets. What he did not live to complete has been taken up by Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan who has made a commitment to complete them on time and within budget.
Foreign policy is going to be a major test for the new president. Tanzania’s international relations are in tatters following what was seen as intolerance for divergent views and criticism from within.
“For many years, our country was a Mecca for many freedom fighters but now we have political refugees fleeing their motherland. That is not acceptable. Tanzania is for all of us,” she emphasized.
Improvement of the political atmosphere is high on her agenda, and she has no qualms about taking on wayward political populism. She plans to meet with opposition chiefs soon, to chart a way forward which will accommodate all Tanzanians, divergent political ideology notwithstanding. However she urged respect for all, and called on politicians to watch their language.
“I am a polite lady, talking politely but firmly. I don’t bang tables or threaten people but I have steel in my veins,” She said. “Mourning period is over. We must remember JPM by being patriots and working hard.”
Iron lady in the making? The next three years will tell…
