In his 1957 memoirs, the Jewish politician, John Locke, wrote, I have always thought the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. In similar vein, the American politician, Frank Tibolt, wrote, We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.
A few years ago, President Paul Kagame, ordered Rwandese government officials, including cabinet ministers, to stop using fuel guzzling cars. He pointed out that Rwanda, a poor country that had just recovered from the 1994 genocide, was spending more in buying and servicing those luxury vehicles than on development projects.
The order was carried out, and even if some egos were bruised, life went on, and the abandonment of expensive, fuel-guzzling juggernauts yielded savings that enabled Rwanda to make economic advances that would not have been possible had the ostentatious transport style for the elite been left intact.
While tabling the annual budget in early June this year, Kenyas Finance Minister, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, announced that the government would abandon the highly expensive vehicles as one of the key measures for cutting spending.
He set the tone himself by immediately abandoning his $100,000 luxury vehicle, and started using a $30,000 car a difference of a whole $70,000 that would translate into huge savings if it were multiplied by scores of personalities in Kenyattas high-profile league, if they were to emulate his example.
Happily, after some five months of debate and dilly-dallying, Kenya has graduated from economising on transport being optional to being mandatory; for early this week, all the cabinet ministers and key public officials started using Volkswagen Passat instead of the fuel guzzlers.
This measure, according to the Finance Minister, will enable Kenya to save billions of shillings. At home, our top leaders, especially Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, periodically cry foul about the expensiveness of luxury vehicles instead of taking action to save taxpayers billions.
We recall that early last year, the Premier announced that the government would stop buying new luxury vehicles for cabinet ministers and other key officials as one of the measures to cut unnecessary spending.
But, surprisingly, the Premier was recently quoted complaining about how ministers were competing to use the fuel guzzlers amid the growing global economic crunch. We expected Premier Pinda supposedly the top government task-man -- to take action to save our billions by ordering all cabinet ministers and government officials to stop riding in luxury vehicles immediately, rather than voicing misgivings about the senseless competition !
Today, Tanzania has more than 300 highly expensive vehicles with one vehicle costing taxpayers about Sh120millionan amount that can be spent on building four modern classrooms. By simple calculation, the government has so far spent about Sh36billion just to buy luxury vehicles. This cost doesnt include expenditure on operations and maintenance.
If Rwandans and Kenyans have done it, why cant we follow their path? For a decade now, Tanzanians have been complaining bitterly about the cost of buying, servicing and operating these expensive vehicles, but apparently no-one is ready to take bold action.
For the Tanzanian elite generally, an expensive posh car is a status symbol that most cannot voluntarily surrender. Compulsion is the only way out, for which we wish to invoke a simple twin-message: Actions speak louder than words; a barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion.
Prime Minister Pinda and his colleagues must note that ultimately, the people especially wananchi whose taxes fund the purchase and maintenance of the highly costly cars at the expense of their welfare and economic development -- will judge them by their actions; not their intentions.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
A few years ago, President Paul Kagame, ordered Rwandese government officials, including cabinet ministers, to stop using fuel guzzling cars. He pointed out that Rwanda, a poor country that had just recovered from the 1994 genocide, was spending more in buying and servicing those luxury vehicles than on development projects.
The order was carried out, and even if some egos were bruised, life went on, and the abandonment of expensive, fuel-guzzling juggernauts yielded savings that enabled Rwanda to make economic advances that would not have been possible had the ostentatious transport style for the elite been left intact.
While tabling the annual budget in early June this year, Kenyas Finance Minister, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, announced that the government would abandon the highly expensive vehicles as one of the key measures for cutting spending.
He set the tone himself by immediately abandoning his $100,000 luxury vehicle, and started using a $30,000 car a difference of a whole $70,000 that would translate into huge savings if it were multiplied by scores of personalities in Kenyattas high-profile league, if they were to emulate his example.
Happily, after some five months of debate and dilly-dallying, Kenya has graduated from economising on transport being optional to being mandatory; for early this week, all the cabinet ministers and key public officials started using Volkswagen Passat instead of the fuel guzzlers.
This measure, according to the Finance Minister, will enable Kenya to save billions of shillings. At home, our top leaders, especially Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, periodically cry foul about the expensiveness of luxury vehicles instead of taking action to save taxpayers billions.
We recall that early last year, the Premier announced that the government would stop buying new luxury vehicles for cabinet ministers and other key officials as one of the measures to cut unnecessary spending.
But, surprisingly, the Premier was recently quoted complaining about how ministers were competing to use the fuel guzzlers amid the growing global economic crunch. We expected Premier Pinda supposedly the top government task-man -- to take action to save our billions by ordering all cabinet ministers and government officials to stop riding in luxury vehicles immediately, rather than voicing misgivings about the senseless competition !
Today, Tanzania has more than 300 highly expensive vehicles with one vehicle costing taxpayers about Sh120millionan amount that can be spent on building four modern classrooms. By simple calculation, the government has so far spent about Sh36billion just to buy luxury vehicles. This cost doesnt include expenditure on operations and maintenance.
If Rwandans and Kenyans have done it, why cant we follow their path? For a decade now, Tanzanians have been complaining bitterly about the cost of buying, servicing and operating these expensive vehicles, but apparently no-one is ready to take bold action.
For the Tanzanian elite generally, an expensive posh car is a status symbol that most cannot voluntarily surrender. Compulsion is the only way out, for which we wish to invoke a simple twin-message: Actions speak louder than words; a barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion.
Prime Minister Pinda and his colleagues must note that ultimately, the people especially wananchi whose taxes fund the purchase and maintenance of the highly costly cars at the expense of their welfare and economic development -- will judge them by their actions; not their intentions.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
