Zitto
Former MP Kigoma Urban
- Mar 2, 2007
- 1,562
- 10,880
Statement by the Leader of ACT Wazalendo Party on Corona Virus Pandemic
Dear Tanzanians
A: Introduction
The world is plagued by Covid-19 disease (more commonly known as Corona virus). Our country as a part of the world has not survived this fate. On March 2, 2020 while delivering a speech at the National Executive Committee of ACT Wazalendo I demanded that the Government conduct an assessment of the economic impact of the disease, and since at the time we had no reported cases in the country, I wanted the relevant assessment to focus on the impact of lack of industrial raw materials (mainly from overseas), markets for our products, imported food products, impact on the shipping industry, tourism etc., and a combination of these in our economy.
Yesterday the Government confirmed the presence of Corona virus in Tanzania, and until yesterday the reported number of patients reached six (6), one from Zanzibar, and five from the mainland Tanzania. A number of measures to try and prevent infection have been announced, including promoting soap washing in running water, using Sanitizers, stopping handshakes, wearing masks, reducing gatherings, allocating specific areas for suspected infections, closing schools and colleges, etc.
This statement of the presence of patients in the country emphasizes on our call of the ACT Wazalendo of March 2, 2020, on the importance of assessing the health, economic and social impact of the Corona epidemic, as well as coming with immediate, and effective action, medium and long-term steps to combat those effects.
B: Quick Steps to Reduce Infection in the World
ACT Wazalendo advises the Government to take the following steps to address this issue of protecting the citizens against new Corona virus infections:
1. To prevent travel to or entry of persons from countries most affected by the Corona virus, such countries are China, Italy, Iran, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, as well as any other countries that are deemed most infected.
2. To urge all travelers from Corona's more affluent countries within the last three weeks to appear and undergo tests to determine whether they are infected or not. All those who have been exposed to the infection should be monitored and evaluated by all people who interacted with them. C: Food and Sugar Factories Manufactured We have Corona disease already, but before anything else, it must first be possible for our people to eat food. Our country (By means of Food Security Agency) has food for every Tanzanian in just three (3) days.
The Government's five-phase policy of not providing cash for food savings is the basis for such limited savings. Already before Corona's presence the impact of small food reserves at the National Warehouse began to be reflected in the high inflation caused by rising food prices in the country. Corona's presence is making the situation worse, and there is already an urge to buy emergency stock, which has raised commodity prices in the country. Also, our country has a deficit in production of two very important products, edible oil and sugar (for domestic consumption as well as for industrial).
Our domestic production does not satisfy the demand for the two products, so we spend an estimated 800 billion shillings to buy from abroad. It is clear that the imports of imports and exports of these goods will have been resolved, especially since we are importing those products from Asia and South America, where Corona's effects are greater than in Africa. We recommend the following:
1. The government should purchase emergency food supply over a month from the current three-day period, and the relevant food should be stored and distributed free or at a very affordable cost when the effects of the Corona disaster spill over and affect the food situation in the country.
2. The government has a responsibility to outline the steps it takes to ensure that there is no shortage of Eating and Sugar products (both common and manufactured).
3. The Government should immediately return the amount of Industrial Ownership VAT Returns for Sugar Imports. That money is a lot (about one trillion shillings), and it's a collection of more than four years now, that the industry needs it now more than ever.
4. The Budget Parliament discusses the assessment of food and food production in the country, approves emergency funds for food reserves, as well as approve tax exemptions for food importers and imports during this emergency.
C: Capacity of our Health Sector (Budget and Human Resources)
D: Corona Effects on the Tourism Industry
We are aware that proposals to prevent people from Corona virus-infected countries in the country will bring turmoil to the tourism industry in the country, so in particular we have several suggestions to try to reduce the economic impact of such measures to prevent people from entering the country.
Tanzania's economy is largely dependent on the efficiency of the Tourism Industry in the country, 25% of our foreign exchange income comes from the industry, an average of US $ 2.5 billion a year, and because of its breadth the industry is more formal and informal to our citizens, from hotel staff, retailers to hotels, cooks, tourists, drivers etc. It is a broad chain of economic activity that will be adversely affected by this Corona virus infection.
ACT Wazalendo urge the Government to do the following:
1. The Government must meet all the Businesses in the Tourism industry, as well as the Trade Unions in the respective sector. The aim should be to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the impact of this explosion on the Tourism industry and its services.
2. The government should develop a special plan to ensure that the employment of workers in the Tourism industry is not wasted, either by providing relief; The goal is to keep the businesses involved.
3. The government has come up with a special program to make sure banks with business loans and tourist workers give a special exemption period between six months and one year. The aim is to reduce NPL debt as well as to prevent the loss of assets of businesses and workers in the Tourism industry.
D. Conclusion
At the moment the impact of the Corona Virus has not really touched on the health sector, and it is difficult to know the impact and our shortcomings. It is our hope that the Government will bring to Parliament a plan of action to demonstrate our readiness to fight this scourge, as well as an emergency Budget for the implementation of the program.
Kabwe Z. Rwawa Zitto
Party leader,
ACT Wazalendo,
Dar es Salaam
March 20, 2020
Dear Tanzanians
A: Introduction
The world is plagued by Covid-19 disease (more commonly known as Corona virus). Our country as a part of the world has not survived this fate. On March 2, 2020 while delivering a speech at the National Executive Committee of ACT Wazalendo I demanded that the Government conduct an assessment of the economic impact of the disease, and since at the time we had no reported cases in the country, I wanted the relevant assessment to focus on the impact of lack of industrial raw materials (mainly from overseas), markets for our products, imported food products, impact on the shipping industry, tourism etc., and a combination of these in our economy.
Yesterday the Government confirmed the presence of Corona virus in Tanzania, and until yesterday the reported number of patients reached six (6), one from Zanzibar, and five from the mainland Tanzania. A number of measures to try and prevent infection have been announced, including promoting soap washing in running water, using Sanitizers, stopping handshakes, wearing masks, reducing gatherings, allocating specific areas for suspected infections, closing schools and colleges, etc.
This statement of the presence of patients in the country emphasizes on our call of the ACT Wazalendo of March 2, 2020, on the importance of assessing the health, economic and social impact of the Corona epidemic, as well as coming with immediate, and effective action, medium and long-term steps to combat those effects.
B: Quick Steps to Reduce Infection in the World
ACT Wazalendo advises the Government to take the following steps to address this issue of protecting the citizens against new Corona virus infections:
1. To prevent travel to or entry of persons from countries most affected by the Corona virus, such countries are China, Italy, Iran, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, as well as any other countries that are deemed most infected.
2. To urge all travelers from Corona's more affluent countries within the last three weeks to appear and undergo tests to determine whether they are infected or not. All those who have been exposed to the infection should be monitored and evaluated by all people who interacted with them. C: Food and Sugar Factories Manufactured We have Corona disease already, but before anything else, it must first be possible for our people to eat food. Our country (By means of Food Security Agency) has food for every Tanzanian in just three (3) days.
The Government's five-phase policy of not providing cash for food savings is the basis for such limited savings. Already before Corona's presence the impact of small food reserves at the National Warehouse began to be reflected in the high inflation caused by rising food prices in the country. Corona's presence is making the situation worse, and there is already an urge to buy emergency stock, which has raised commodity prices in the country. Also, our country has a deficit in production of two very important products, edible oil and sugar (for domestic consumption as well as for industrial).
Our domestic production does not satisfy the demand for the two products, so we spend an estimated 800 billion shillings to buy from abroad. It is clear that the imports of imports and exports of these goods will have been resolved, especially since we are importing those products from Asia and South America, where Corona's effects are greater than in Africa. We recommend the following:
1. The government should purchase emergency food supply over a month from the current three-day period, and the relevant food should be stored and distributed free or at a very affordable cost when the effects of the Corona disaster spill over and affect the food situation in the country.
2. The government has a responsibility to outline the steps it takes to ensure that there is no shortage of Eating and Sugar products (both common and manufactured).
3. The Government should immediately return the amount of Industrial Ownership VAT Returns for Sugar Imports. That money is a lot (about one trillion shillings), and it's a collection of more than four years now, that the industry needs it now more than ever.
4. The Budget Parliament discusses the assessment of food and food production in the country, approves emergency funds for food reserves, as well as approve tax exemptions for food importers and imports during this emergency.
C: Capacity of our Health Sector (Budget and Human Resources)
D: Corona Effects on the Tourism Industry
We are aware that proposals to prevent people from Corona virus-infected countries in the country will bring turmoil to the tourism industry in the country, so in particular we have several suggestions to try to reduce the economic impact of such measures to prevent people from entering the country.
Tanzania's economy is largely dependent on the efficiency of the Tourism Industry in the country, 25% of our foreign exchange income comes from the industry, an average of US $ 2.5 billion a year, and because of its breadth the industry is more formal and informal to our citizens, from hotel staff, retailers to hotels, cooks, tourists, drivers etc. It is a broad chain of economic activity that will be adversely affected by this Corona virus infection.
ACT Wazalendo urge the Government to do the following:
1. The Government must meet all the Businesses in the Tourism industry, as well as the Trade Unions in the respective sector. The aim should be to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the impact of this explosion on the Tourism industry and its services.
2. The government should develop a special plan to ensure that the employment of workers in the Tourism industry is not wasted, either by providing relief; The goal is to keep the businesses involved.
3. The government has come up with a special program to make sure banks with business loans and tourist workers give a special exemption period between six months and one year. The aim is to reduce NPL debt as well as to prevent the loss of assets of businesses and workers in the Tourism industry.
D. Conclusion
At the moment the impact of the Corona Virus has not really touched on the health sector, and it is difficult to know the impact and our shortcomings. It is our hope that the Government will bring to Parliament a plan of action to demonstrate our readiness to fight this scourge, as well as an emergency Budget for the implementation of the program.
Kabwe Z. Rwawa Zitto
Party leader,
ACT Wazalendo,
Dar es Salaam
March 20, 2020
