MKJJ,
maslahi ya taifa (national interest/ public interest) could be equated with a word that is not very much in circulation these days and that is 'manufaa ya umma', umma being an arabic word meaning masses. therefore literary speaking maslahi ya taifa is a relative term..the opposite of which is maslahi ya mtu binafsi ama kikundi cha watu.
kwa mfano katika public interest litigation, hasa hasa zile zinazohusu uchafuzi wa mazingira, public interest imetafsiriwa kumaanisha walio wengi! siku hizi hatusikii wale watu ambao mwalimu alikuwa 'akiwastaafisha kwa maslahi ya umma'... hapa inamaana kuwa kazi waliyokuwa wanaifanya ilikuwa ni kujineemesha wao, na kama sio wao binafsi basi taifa lilikuwa halineemeki kwa wao kuendelea kubaki kazini! kwa maana nyingine wao kuachia ngazi ni neema kwa taifa!
chukulia issue ya rada. kikundi cha watu kinasaini mkataba, ambao taifa linaingia hasara lakini wao wanawekewa chao kwenye accounti za siri geneva. hapo ni maslahi binafsi zaidi kuliko taifa!
kuna miongozo katika utumishi wa umma ( nawapongeza watanzania ambao wamewahi kutunukiwa shahada za 'utumishi wa umma uliotukuka')..enzi hizi za kupeana takrima sijui kama kuna kutukuka katika utumishi!
hapa UK kuna miongozo ya namna watumishi wa serikali wanavyopaswa kufanya iwapo watapewa zawadi ama kukirimiwa. zawadi binafsi ilitakiwa isizidi pauni 50, zaidi ya hapo lazima u declare.(akipwa mkeo, mwanao nayo pia imo)..ukishindwa hatua za kinidhamu zitafuata!hii ilikuwa ni katika juhudi za kudhibiti watumishi wa umma wasiwe na tamaa, kwani wakendekeza wanauza nchi.
Ndio maana kuna masharti ya kutaja mali za viongozi/watumishi wa umma. Na kama una miliki hisa katika kampuni inabidi uziachie (karamagi huyo!)kwani lazima kutakuwepo na 'mgongano wa kimaslahi'. je unategemea pale kwetu bongo tume ya maadili ya viongozi inaweza kufuatilia mambo haya? kama vyombo vingine vya dola Tanzania, tume hii ipo kulinda maslahi ya viongozi na siyo maslahi ya Taifa. Ndio maana hawa jamaa wanauza nchi bila kusikia uchungu wala kuona aibu!!
So the measure of public interest could be expressed as whenever for all intents and purposes in the estimation of a 'reasonable person'the end result of a process, procedure or transaction is without doubt to the benefit of the public at large and any benefits accruing to individuals in the course of such transactions is for the benefit of the public at large!