Kikwete and the begging bowl

[mwalimu Jr.]

KWA WASIOJUA KIINGEREZA tafadhali ombeni mtu awatafsirie. Lugha ya 'If' and 'if' ni lugha ya kubahatisha, ni lugha tegemezi na sio lugha inayotoa uono wa mbali na mwelekeo wa nchi ya kijasiriamali. Bila kuwa nchi ya kijasiriamali itapita tena miaka 47 bado tunatembeza bakuli la ombaomba!

PERHAPS we have expected too much from the West during good times.

But during these hard and thin times can we really not wake up and realize that US and Britain to whom we have directed the begging bowl are not in a good position to have been of assistance to us?

Are we so blinded so much for our love of the Americans and British so that we don't see the signals that: they are economically and financially vulnerable now.

The decision facing them is now to help their own people or corporations and not helping other people!

My friends let us return to the basics of Mwalimu: 'Ujamaa na Kujitegemea' - a lesson that many of us hardly learned or refused to learn.

Let us make sure we get as much out of our gold, diamonds, tanzanit, sea resources, land resources and other raw materials and minerals. Giving them out cheap and expecting donors funds is sheer retardness!

Why not process some of them; why don't we come up with new 'market niches' including turning ourselves into the marketplace for Africa so that we generate the necessary resources to finance on own other more demanding economic activities.

Why not turn that bowl to Chinese, Russians, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Venezuelans and Brazilians?

 

[Masanja]

KWA WASIOJUA KIINGEREZA tafadhali ombeni mtu awatafsirie. Lugha ya 'If' and 'if' ni lugha ya kubahatisha, ni lugha tegemezi na sio lugha inayotoa uono wa mbali na mwelekeo wa nchi ya kijasiriamali. Bila kuwa nchi ya kijasiriamali itapita tena miaka 47 bado tunatembeza bakuli la ombaomba!

PERHAPS we have expected too much from the West during good times.

But during these hard and thin times can we really not wake up and realize that US and Britain to whom we have directed the begging bowl are not in a good position to have been of assistance to us?

Are we so blinded so much for our love of the Americans and British so that we don't see the signals that: they are economically and financially vulnerable now.

The decision facing them is now to help their own people or corporations and not helping other people!

My friends let us return to the basics of Mwalimu: 'Ujamaa na Kujitegemea' - a lesson that many of us hardly learned or refused to learn.

Let us make sure we get as much out of our gold, diamonds, tanzanit, sea resources, land resources and other raw materials and minerals. Giving them out cheap and expecting donors funds is sheer retardness!

Why not process some of them; why don't we come up with new 'market niches' including turning ourselves into the marketplace for Africa so that we generate the necessary resources to finance on own other more demanding economic activities.

Why not turn that bowl to Chinese, Russians, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Venezuelans and Brazilians?

Sorry mate, why turn that begging bowl in the first place? Nadhani you had a good intention but your conclusion speak volume of what you think about the whole issues facing our country. Our problems can never and I repeat can never be solved by begging. Let me tell you, today if IMF, WB, Paris club et al were to cancel ALL our debts do you think we could improve our economies? You guessed right WE CANT! Problem ya Africa siyo madeni wala unyonyaji wa wazungu dhidi ya raslimali zetu....problem is WE Africans.

I saw Kikwete Yesterday flanked by Jeffrey Sachs and the like at the UN Conference Centre saying "we need the west to fullfill their historical duty(sic), we need them to fulfill their moral obligations towards the poor...)..I just felt like me and my president couldnt be more naive than that....Hivi kweli kuna mwenye moral obligation kwenye hii dunia ya kusaidia poor countries? and who imposed that historical duty on the west to help others?

All in all I cant tell where Africa is going but I can assure you looking at our leaders at the helm and the cropping up "young turks" I dont see Africa breaking the bonds of poverty and miseries....at times I wonder whether Africa think and believe that there is an alternative world free from poverty and miseries...perhaps few elites like members of JF and our corrupt leaders are aware..but Iam not sure if our compatriots here at home and the rest of Africa are aware of that...