Kuendelea kwa Wachina

[sam2000]

Ndugu zetu walio serikalini, jifunzeni kutoka kwa 'rafiki' zenu wachina. Kutoka kwa Howard Yu LinkedIn

Two months ago, China opened a bridge so high you could stack two Eiffel Towers beneath it and still have room. At its peak, there's a glass-walled café where you can drink coffee while looking down at clouds.

It took three years and eight months to build.

The bridge is in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces. In the 1980s, Guizhou had about 2,900 bridges. Today, over 32,000. Nearly half of the world's 100 tallest bridges are in this single province.

I used to think this gap was about political systems. Democracy vs. authoritarianism.

Dan Wang's new book Breakneck gave me a different lens.

At the peak of Chinese technocracy in 1997, all seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee held engineering degrees. Seventy percent of ministers. Seventy-seven percent of provincial governors.

Now look at America: 60% of U.S. presidents have been lawyers. Zero have been engineers. Nearly 40% of Congress holds law degrees. About 4% have STEM backgrounds.

Tocqueville called lawyers "the American aristocracy" in 1833. Almost two centuries later, nothing has changed.

Wang's framing is razor-sharp: China is an engineering state that brings a sledgehammer to problems. America is a lawyerly society that brings a gavel to block almost everything.

When COVID hit Wuhan, China built a 1,000-bed hospital in ten days. Seven thousand workers. Around the clock.

Meanwhile, a McKinsey study found the average U.S. infrastructure project takes four to five years just to move through permitting.

China built its first highway in 1993. Eighteen years later, it had one America's worth of highways. Nine years after that, it built another. China has 48,000 kilometers of high-speed rail - two-thirds of the world's total. America has essentially zero.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory went from muddy field to rolling cars in 168 working days. Faster than most American projects complete environmental reviews.

America has optimized for blocking, not building.

Manufacturing fell from 28% of U.S. GDP in 1953 to roughly 10% today. The U.S. tort system costs $529 billion annually. America has one lawyer for every 250 people. Japan has one for every 4,000.

Wang doesn't pretend China's model is humane. The Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.4 million people. When engineers run everything, individual rights become rounding errors.

And yet. When lawyers run everything, nothing gets built at all.

Wang puts it this way: "I would love it if the United States could be 20 percent more engineering. At the same time, I think it would be amazing if China could be 50 percent more lawyerly."

For the average Chinese citizen, progress means visiting parents on a train that didn't exist a decade ago. It means crossing a canyon in two minutes instead of two hours.

What does progress feel like in America? Badili hapa uweke Tanzania.

 

[Smart911]

Ahsante kwa taarifa...


Cc: Mahondaw

 

[LUKAMA]

Ndugu zetu walio serikalini, jifunzeni kutoka kwa 'rafiki' zenu wachina. Kutoka kwa Howard Yu LinkedIn

Two months ago, China opened a bridge so high you could stack two Eiffel Towers beneath it and still have room. At its peak, there's a glass-walled café where you can drink coffee while looking down at clouds.

It took three years and eight months to build.

The bridge is in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces. In the 1980s, Guizhou had about 2,900 bridges. Today, over 32,000. Nearly half of the world's 100 tallest bridges are in this single province.

I used to think this gap was about political systems. Democracy vs. authoritarianism.

Dan Wang's new book Breakneck gave me a different lens.

At the peak of Chinese technocracy in 1997, all seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee held engineering degrees. Seventy percent of ministers. Seventy-seven percent of provincial governors.

Now look at America: 60% of U.S. presidents have been lawyers. Zero have been engineers. Nearly 40% of Congress holds law degrees. About 4% have STEM backgrounds.

Tocqueville called lawyers "the American aristocracy" in 1833. Almost two centuries later, nothing has changed.

Wang's framing is razor-sharp: China is an engineering state that brings a sledgehammer to problems. America is a lawyerly society that brings a gavel to block almost everything.

When COVID hit Wuhan, China built a 1,000-bed hospital in ten days. Seven thousand workers. Around the clock.

Meanwhile, a McKinsey study found the average U.S. infrastructure project takes four to five years just to move through permitting.

China built its first highway in 1993. Eighteen years later, it had one America's worth of highways. Nine years after that, it built another. China has 48,000 kilometers of high-speed rail - two-thirds of the world's total. America has essentially zero.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory went from muddy field to rolling cars in 168 working days. Faster than most American projects complete environmental reviews.

America has optimized for blocking, not building.

Manufacturing fell from 28% of U.S. GDP in 1953 to roughly 10% today. The U.S. tort system costs $529 billion annually. America has one lawyer for every 250 people. Japan has one for every 4,000.

Wang doesn't pretend China's model is humane. The Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.4 million people. When engineers run everything, individual rights become rounding errors.

And yet. When lawyers run everything, nothing gets built at all.

Wang puts it this way: "I would love it if the United States could be 20 percent more engineering. At the same time, I think it would be amazing if China could be 50 percent more lawyerly."

For the average Chinese citizen, progress means visiting parents on a train that didn't exist a decade ago. It means crossing a canyon in two minutes instead of two hours.

What does progress feel like in America? Badili hapa uweke Tanzania.

---

Ndugu zetu walio serikalini, jifunzeni kutoka kwa “rafiki” zetu Wachina.
(Imenukuliwa kwa muktadha kutoka kwa Howard Yu – LinkedIn)

Miezi miwili iliyopita, China ilifungua daraja refu kiasi kwamba unaweza kupangilia Minara miwili ya Eiffel chini yake na bado kubaki nafasi. Juu kabisa kuna mgahawa wa kioo, unakunywa kahawa ukiangalia mawingu chini yako.

Daraja hilo lilijengwa kwa miaka mitatu na miezi minane tu.

Daraja hilo lipo Guizhou, mojawapo ya mikoa maskini zaidi nchini China. Miaka ya 1980, Guizhou ilikuwa na madaraja takribani 2,900. Leo hii, ina zaidi ya 32,000. Karibu nusu ya madaraja 100 marefu zaidi duniani yako katika mkoa huu mmoja.

Nilikuwa nafikiri tofauti hii inatokana na mifumo ya kisiasa—demokrasia dhidi ya utawala wa mabavu.
Lakini kitabu cha Dan Wang, Breakneck, kinatoa mtazamo tofauti kabisa.

Mwaka 1997, kilele cha utawala wa kiteknokrasia China, wanachama wote 7 wa Kamati Kuu ya Politburo walikuwa wahandisi.
Asilimia 70 ya mawaziri.
Asilimia 77 ya magavana wa mikoa.

Sasa tujiulize sisi Tanzania:
Viongozi wetu wakuu—marais, mawaziri, wabunge—wanatoka zaidi kwenye taaluma zipi?
Ni wahandisi wangapi wanafanya maamuzi makubwa ya miundombinu, viwanda, reli, bandari na nishati?

China ni dola ya wahandisi—inachukua nyundo nzito na kujenga.
Mataifa mengi ya Afrika (ikiwemo Tanzania) mara nyingi yanakuwa mataifa ya makaratasi—ripoti, vikao, kamati, vibali, na kusubiri.

COVID ilipoikumba Wuhan, China ilijenga hospitali ya vitanda 1,000 kwa siku 10.
Wafanyakazi 7,000. Kazi masaa 24.

Wakati huohuo, miradi mingi ya miundombinu katika nchi zinazoendelea huchukua miaka mingi kupita kwenye taratibu, hata kabla ya jiwe la msingi kuwekwa.

China ilijenga barabara yake ya kwanza ya kisasa mwaka 1993.
Miaka 18 baadaye, ilikuwa na mtandao wa barabara unaolingana na wa Marekani.
Miaka 9 baada ya hapo, ikaongeza mwingine kama huo.
Leo ina zaidi ya kilomita 48,000 za reli za mwendo kasi—takribani theluthi mbili ya reli zote za mwendo kasi duniani.

Huku Tanzania bado tunajadili:

• Reli ianze lini?
• Bandari ipanuliwe lini?
• Viwanda vijengwe wapi?
• Umeme ufike lini vijijini?

Mfano wa Tesla Shanghai: kiwanda kilitoka shamba la matope hadi magari kuanza kuzalishwa kwa siku 168.
Miradi mingi kwetu huchukua muda mrefu zaidi kwenye mikutano kuliko kwenye ujenzi.

Ukweli mchungu ni huu:
China imeboresha mfumo wake kwa kujenga.
Sisi mara nyingi tumeuboresha mfumo kwa kuchelewesha.

Dan Wang hasemi mfumo wa China hauna madhara—watu milioni 1.4 walihamishwa kwenye Mradi wa Bwawa la Three Gorges.
Haki za mtu mmoja mmoja mara nyingine huwekwa pembeni.

Lakini pia kuna swali muhimu:
Ikiwa kila kitu kinalindwa kupita kiasi, nani atajenga nchi?

Dan Wang anasema:

“Ingependeza kama Marekani ingekuwa asilimia 20 zaidi ya kihandisi.
Na pia ingependeza kama China ingekuwa asilimia 50 zaidi ya kisheria.”

Kwa raia wa kawaida wa China, maendeleo yanamaanisha:

• Kusafiri kumwona mzazi kwa treni ambayo haikuwepo miaka 10 iliyopita
• Kuvuka bonde kwa dakika 2 badala ya masaa 2

Je, maendeleo yanahisika vipi kwa Mtanzania wa kawaida leo?
Ni barabara gani mpya?
Ni kiwanda gani kipya?
Ni ajira zipi mpya?
Ni teknolojia ipi imerahisisha maisha yake?

Hilo ndilo swali tunalopaswa kujiuliza.

---

 

[Mahondaw]

Ahsante kwa taarifa...


Cc: Mahondaw

Hio lugha Lasaba D Sijaelwa!

 

[The Father of All]

Ndugu zetu walio serikalini, jifunzeni kutoka kwa 'rafiki' zenu wachina. Kutoka kwa Howard Yu LinkedIn

Two months ago, China opened a bridge so high you could stack two Eiffel Towers beneath it and still have room. At its peak, there's a glass-walled café where you can drink coffee while looking down at clouds.

It took three years and eight months to build.

The bridge is in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces. In the 1980s, Guizhou had about 2,900 bridges. Today, over 32,000. Nearly half of the world's 100 tallest bridges are in this single province.

I used to think this gap was about political systems. Democracy vs. authoritarianism.

Dan Wang's new book Breakneck gave me a different lens.

At the peak of Chinese technocracy in 1997, all seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee held engineering degrees. Seventy percent of ministers. Seventy-seven percent of provincial governors.

Now look at America: 60% of U.S. presidents have been lawyers. Zero have been engineers. Nearly 40% of Congress holds law degrees. About 4% have STEM backgrounds.

Tocqueville called lawyers "the American aristocracy" in 1833. Almost two centuries later, nothing has changed.

Wang's framing is razor-sharp: China is an engineering state that brings a sledgehammer to problems. America is a lawyerly society that brings a gavel to block almost everything.

When COVID hit Wuhan, China built a 1,000-bed hospital in ten days. Seven thousand workers. Around the clock.

Meanwhile, a McKinsey study found the average U.S. infrastructure project takes four to five years just to move through permitting.

China built its first highway in 1993. Eighteen years later, it had one America's worth of highways. Nine years after that, it built another. China has 48,000 kilometers of high-speed rail - two-thirds of the world's total. America has essentially zero.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory went from muddy field to rolling cars in 168 working days. Faster than most American projects complete environmental reviews.

America has optimized for blocking, not building.

Manufacturing fell from 28% of U.S. GDP in 1953 to roughly 10% today. The U.S. tort system costs $529 billion annually. America has one lawyer for every 250 people. Japan has one for every 4,000.

Wang doesn't pretend China's model is humane. The Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.4 million people. When engineers run everything, individual rights become rounding errors.

And yet. When lawyers run everything, nothing gets built at all.

Wang puts it this way: "I would love it if the United States could be 20 percent more engineering. At the same time, I think it would be amazing if China could be 50 percent more lawyerly."

For the average Chinese citizen, progress means visiting parents on a train that didn't exist a decade ago. It means crossing a canyon in two minutes instead of two hours.

What does progress feel like in America? Badili hapa uweke Tanzania.

Kama jiwe asingekufa, hii ingekuwa cha mtoto. Nadhani hatuna haja ya kwenda Uchina wakati Jiwe alituonyesha namna ya kufanya wanayofanya kama tutakuwa na kiongozi mwenye akili timamu na si wehu na vibaka wetu wa sasa.

 

[sam2000]

Kama jiwe asingekufa, hii ingekuwa cha mtoto. Nadhani hatuna haja ya kwenda Uchina wakati Jiwe alituonyesha namna ya kufanya wanayofanya kama tutakuwa na kiongozi mwenye akili timamu na si wehu na vibaka wetu wa sasa.

Kweli kabisa mkuu. Lakini kiongozi kama jiwe sidhani tutampata tena, hawa jamaa wamejipanga hawatakubali labda mmoja wao awageuke

 

[sam2000]

Hio lugha Lasaba D Sijaelwa!

Smart911 hebu mfanyie tafsiri shemeji😂

 

[Kinyungu]

Tanzania elimu ya kiongozi ni secretary mwenye certificate