Dingswayo
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- May 26, 2009
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Kulikuwa na post humu jamvini ikimuonyesha Naomi Campbell alivyotokwa machozi baada ya kuona kina mama waliojifungua wamelala chini hospitalini. Kutokana na hiyo post niliandika kuwa viongozi wetu tuliowachagua, na wale wenye wadhfa mbalimbali mawizarani, kwao vipaumbele vya serikali vinaelekea kwengine, sio katka maslahi ya mwananchi wa kawaida, ambaye kimsingi ndie mwajiri wao, bali katika kujinufaisha na kujifurahisha wenyewe.
Ni aibu kubwa sana pale wageni wanaonea huruma wananchi wa Tanzania, wakati viongozi wetu wanaishi katika maisha ya anasa na hawaioni dhiki inayomkabili mwananchi. Nilitoa mifano ya mishahara na posho kubwa mno amabazo hazina uwiano na hali halisi ya uchumi wa nchi yetu.
Mfano mwingine ulikuwa ule wa kununua magari ya kifahari ambayo yanaigharimu serikali pesa nyingi. Nilihitimisha kwa kusema kuwa, kama viongozi hao wangekuwa na nia ya kumsaidia mama mzazi (pamoja na mambo mengine), hakuna mama mzazi hata mmoja angelala sakafuni.
Heavy burden of lavishness
By Polycarp Machira
15th November 2009
What taxpayers spend on opulence cars
As other East African countries abandon the purchase and use of pricey fuel inefficient cars, popularly known as ‘Mashangingi', taxpayers in Tanzania spent about Sh150billion($113million) to buy opulence vehicles for government officials, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt. The amount Tanzania-one of the poorest countries in the world-spent in buying luxury vehicles for its officials could have paved 450km in roads or given 7,500 university students loans amounting to Sh5million yearly for four years.
The Sh150billion was spent in 2008/09, when the government ordered 800 brand new four-wheel drive luxury vehicles from Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation.
Currently, only 350 vehicles out of the 800 have been delivered, while the rest are expected to arrive in the country anytime-a move that shows that the government's plan to abandon the use of fuel guzzlers might not be implemented in the near future.
The revelation comes as news surfaced last week that Kenya would join Rwanda in suspending the procurement of luxury vehicles for government officials in a move aimed at cutting unnecessary spending to weather the global economic crunch. Tanzanian government officials, meanwhile, have categorically stated their intention to stop purchasing luxury vehicles.
A top-of-the-line four-wheel drive vehicle can cost up to Sh187 million, which means that the government has spent not less than Sh145billion for the 800 cars ordered from Japan. This is enough to buy 1,700 small tractors at a cost Sh7million each.
A salesperson at Toyota Tanzania Limited, who declined to be named, told The Guardian on Sunday that it costs at least Sh1.5million each year to maintain one of these vehicles, meaning the government will spend a staggering Sh120million a year on these fuel guzzlers in up-keep alone.
That notwithstanding, at least another Sh800,000 is needed for monthly fuel allowances, depending on the users' travel schedules, the salesperson said.
Although the government has stated publicly that it plans to stop the purchase of such vehicles in the future, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Omar Chambo, said it would be unrealistic to expect the government to sell off the vehicles it has already bought.
"Where do you expect the government to take the existing vehicles? It has been clarified that no more orders for such vehicles will be placed," Chambo told The Guardian on Sunday.
Chambo emphatically insisted that the issue was of no importance to the public, and that regardless, the government had entered into a binding, contract with the Japanese manufacturer and could not back out of the purchase without penalty.
Still, critics argue that there is no reason why the government couldn't sell the vehicles it already has, as Rwanda recently did in an auction open to the public.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said the government would from this year drastically reduce the number of expensive vehicles it bought for its officials, and the funds that would be saved in the process would be channeled to agricultural projects, with the purchase of tractors given top preference. No funds have yet been reallocated in this manner, however.
Pinda's public statements have been received coldly by a section of government officials who blame the government for a lack of sincerity in dealing with the matter. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government should not announce its intention to cut back on the use of luxury cars without also explaining which alternative vehicles would be used.
"Most people here are not at peace with the decision, and furthermore the government has not specified the new model that would be in use by its officials," the official said.
Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Mustapha Mkulo recently said that low-cost vehicles would be budgeted for in the future to replace the high-end Toyotas.
In Kenya, the government has already implemented a similar policy, whereby several new VW Passat saloon cars have been bought for use by ministers and top public officers to replace the more expensive vehicles that were surrendered. The vehicles returned included Mercedes, Toyota Land Cruisers, Volvos and other cars with an engine capacity higher than 1800cc. The use of government vehicles is a sensitive subject around the world, and many countries have stringent guidelines limiting the use of public funds for purchasing what many consider excessive luxuries.
The official vehicle policy in South Africa provides that legislators at the national level may be provided with two official vehicles, while legislators at provincial level may be provided with one vehicle. The maximum purchase price of the vehicle, including a 150,000 kilometer maintenance plan, cannot exceed 70 percent of the all-inclusive annual remuneration package and allowances of the ministers and deputy ministers.
In Britain, the prime minister has published a detailed guide on the vehicles, which may be provided by the Government Car Service for use by ministers.
Broadly speaking, cabinet ministers can have use of an appropriate car – either the Vauxhall Omega Elite or the Rover 75 Connoisseur.
Ministers of state and parliamentary under secretaries of state are given the choice of a Rover 45, Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Vectra or Nissan Primera with an engine capacity in the 1.8 to 2.0 litre category.
In Rwanda, only the president, prime minister, speaker of Parliament, senate speaker and head of the Supreme Court are entitled to have one government vehicle of not more than 2000cc. Ministers and other senior government officers, meanwhile, are given loans to purchase vehicles of their choice and fixed allowances for maintenance. The government hires vehicles as need arises, for example, for official up-country travel.
Since the Rwandan government committed to curbing excessive spending on vehicles in 2004, it has impounded 250 government vehicles – including those in donor-funded projects and those in NGOs implementing government projects – and as of May 2005, it had raised $3.5million in the sale of those vehicles.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
Ni aibu kubwa sana pale wageni wanaonea huruma wananchi wa Tanzania, wakati viongozi wetu wanaishi katika maisha ya anasa na hawaioni dhiki inayomkabili mwananchi. Nilitoa mifano ya mishahara na posho kubwa mno amabazo hazina uwiano na hali halisi ya uchumi wa nchi yetu.
Mfano mwingine ulikuwa ule wa kununua magari ya kifahari ambayo yanaigharimu serikali pesa nyingi. Nilihitimisha kwa kusema kuwa, kama viongozi hao wangekuwa na nia ya kumsaidia mama mzazi (pamoja na mambo mengine), hakuna mama mzazi hata mmoja angelala sakafuni.
Heavy burden of lavishness
By Polycarp Machira
15th November 2009
What taxpayers spend on opulence cars
As other East African countries abandon the purchase and use of pricey fuel inefficient cars, popularly known as ‘Mashangingi', taxpayers in Tanzania spent about Sh150billion($113million) to buy opulence vehicles for government officials, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt. The amount Tanzania-one of the poorest countries in the world-spent in buying luxury vehicles for its officials could have paved 450km in roads or given 7,500 university students loans amounting to Sh5million yearly for four years.
The Sh150billion was spent in 2008/09, when the government ordered 800 brand new four-wheel drive luxury vehicles from Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation.
Currently, only 350 vehicles out of the 800 have been delivered, while the rest are expected to arrive in the country anytime-a move that shows that the government's plan to abandon the use of fuel guzzlers might not be implemented in the near future.
The revelation comes as news surfaced last week that Kenya would join Rwanda in suspending the procurement of luxury vehicles for government officials in a move aimed at cutting unnecessary spending to weather the global economic crunch. Tanzanian government officials, meanwhile, have categorically stated their intention to stop purchasing luxury vehicles.
A top-of-the-line four-wheel drive vehicle can cost up to Sh187 million, which means that the government has spent not less than Sh145billion for the 800 cars ordered from Japan. This is enough to buy 1,700 small tractors at a cost Sh7million each.
A salesperson at Toyota Tanzania Limited, who declined to be named, told The Guardian on Sunday that it costs at least Sh1.5million each year to maintain one of these vehicles, meaning the government will spend a staggering Sh120million a year on these fuel guzzlers in up-keep alone.
That notwithstanding, at least another Sh800,000 is needed for monthly fuel allowances, depending on the users' travel schedules, the salesperson said.
Although the government has stated publicly that it plans to stop the purchase of such vehicles in the future, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Omar Chambo, said it would be unrealistic to expect the government to sell off the vehicles it has already bought.
"Where do you expect the government to take the existing vehicles? It has been clarified that no more orders for such vehicles will be placed," Chambo told The Guardian on Sunday.
Chambo emphatically insisted that the issue was of no importance to the public, and that regardless, the government had entered into a binding, contract with the Japanese manufacturer and could not back out of the purchase without penalty.
Still, critics argue that there is no reason why the government couldn't sell the vehicles it already has, as Rwanda recently did in an auction open to the public.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said the government would from this year drastically reduce the number of expensive vehicles it bought for its officials, and the funds that would be saved in the process would be channeled to agricultural projects, with the purchase of tractors given top preference. No funds have yet been reallocated in this manner, however.
Pinda's public statements have been received coldly by a section of government officials who blame the government for a lack of sincerity in dealing with the matter. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government should not announce its intention to cut back on the use of luxury cars without also explaining which alternative vehicles would be used.
"Most people here are not at peace with the decision, and furthermore the government has not specified the new model that would be in use by its officials," the official said.
Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Mustapha Mkulo recently said that low-cost vehicles would be budgeted for in the future to replace the high-end Toyotas.
In Kenya, the government has already implemented a similar policy, whereby several new VW Passat saloon cars have been bought for use by ministers and top public officers to replace the more expensive vehicles that were surrendered. The vehicles returned included Mercedes, Toyota Land Cruisers, Volvos and other cars with an engine capacity higher than 1800cc. The use of government vehicles is a sensitive subject around the world, and many countries have stringent guidelines limiting the use of public funds for purchasing what many consider excessive luxuries.
The official vehicle policy in South Africa provides that legislators at the national level may be provided with two official vehicles, while legislators at provincial level may be provided with one vehicle. The maximum purchase price of the vehicle, including a 150,000 kilometer maintenance plan, cannot exceed 70 percent of the all-inclusive annual remuneration package and allowances of the ministers and deputy ministers.
In Britain, the prime minister has published a detailed guide on the vehicles, which may be provided by the Government Car Service for use by ministers.
Broadly speaking, cabinet ministers can have use of an appropriate car – either the Vauxhall Omega Elite or the Rover 75 Connoisseur.
Ministers of state and parliamentary under secretaries of state are given the choice of a Rover 45, Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Vectra or Nissan Primera with an engine capacity in the 1.8 to 2.0 litre category.
In Rwanda, only the president, prime minister, speaker of Parliament, senate speaker and head of the Supreme Court are entitled to have one government vehicle of not more than 2000cc. Ministers and other senior government officers, meanwhile, are given loans to purchase vehicles of their choice and fixed allowances for maintenance. The government hires vehicles as need arises, for example, for official up-country travel.
Since the Rwandan government committed to curbing excessive spending on vehicles in 2004, it has impounded 250 government vehicles – including those in donor-funded projects and those in NGOs implementing government projects – and as of May 2005, it had raised $3.5million in the sale of those vehicles.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
