MHESHIMIWA ZITTO,
Kimsingi nimeelewa nia yako – ni kuongeza ushiriki wa umma katika umiliki na uendeshaji wa mali za umma, mali ambazo kodi zao au za wazazi wao ndio zilijenga/anzisha mashirika haya ya umma pamoja na viwanda. That's the end result, lakini the means towards that inahitaji tusikurupuke, tuangalie what other options zipo aidha tuanze nazo kwanza au tuzichanganye na suala la IPO kwasababu mimi siamini IPO ndio panacea au mwarubani wa tatizo hili. Nitafafanua kauli yangu. Ningependa pia niseme kwamba malengo haya uliyoainisha hayawezi endana kwa pamoja katika mazingira yetu ya sasa na hayatafanikisha lengo kuu la uhusishwaji wa umma. Malengo yako nayanukuu: Kuifanya DSE iwe more liquid; kuepelekea uchumi kwa umma; kuleta kampuni nyingi DSE; kuipatia fedha serikali ili ifidie katika kodi ya mafuta.
Awali ya yote, suala hili inabidi tuliangalie kwa makini sana kwani ingawa this is a legitimate objective, it is very difficult to put it in practice. Katika hili, you need to strike a balance between economic goals and political goals. One goal should not over ride the other kwani source ya tatizo au kikwazo au anguko lolote juu ya hoja hii kwa upande wako katika bunge lijalo na jamii kwa ujumla itatokana na imbalance ya hii equation on your part, even based on perception.
Pili lakini muhimu sana ni kwamba source ya yote haya ni privatization iliyotokea miaka ya nyuma. Ni muhimu tutambue kwamba serikali kushika hisa katika any former state enterprise undergoing privatization ni kitu cha kawaida sana na muhimu kwani any meaningful privatization lazima ianze as a ‘partial privatization' whereby the government holds a certain chunk of shares even if it is on a temporary basis. Hivyo ndivyo serikali yetu ilitakiwa kufanya kwa mashirika yote yalitokuwa ya umma. In this regard then, serikali yetu should continue to hold shares za Airtel na NBA, not indefinitely of course, but until the right scheme is put in place to transfer those shares. Sio kukimbilia tu IPO, tuangalie other options ambazo hata ikiwezekana, tuachane na IPO au tuzichanganye na IPOs. Ntaelezea options ambazo zipo.
Ni muhimu niseme hili - kwa ujumla wao, watanzania wengi bado wamegawanyika katika makundi mawili, wakulima na wafanyakazi. Kwa kiasi kikubwa wakulima wamebaki wale wale lakini wafanyakazi/waarijiwa/employees wapo katika makundi makuu mawili: wage employees and self employed. Na katika kundi la wage employees, wamegawanyika katika wale waliokuwa private sector na wale waliopo kwenye public sector (au sector ambazo kuna participation ya public na private sector). Katika wale self employed, wapo katika makundi mawili pia: wale waliopo kwenye formal sector na wanalipa kodi na wale aidha wasiokuwepo kwenye uchumi rasmi voluntarily (wengi wakiwa wakwepa kodi) au involuntarily (hawa wengi wakiwa ni maskini). Mheshimiwa Zitto, kabla ya kuja na wazo la kuongeza wigo wa umma kushiriki katika umiliki wa public assets, ni muhimu sana kuelezea ni umma upi huo unaoulenga. Mimi Mpoki Mwambulukutu kwetu Mbeya nalima ndizi na viazi, unanifikiaje mheshimiwa katika hilo? Nimesubiri ufafanuzi wako lakini sijaweza ona mkakati wako ulio rasmi. Je nielewe kwamba Mheshimiwa Zitto calls for return of public assets to the people at large which implies distribution of property ownership independent of determining umma ni nini as well independent of the ability of individuals to pay? Kama nimekosea tafadhali nisahihishe.
Nevertheless, tuangalie options zilizopo za kushirikisha umma katika uchumi , umma nilioutaja. Tuzijadili hizi wakati tunasubiri an effective scheme ya kushughulikia suala kama la NBC na Airtel.
· Nianze na employees wa private sector: hawa ni wale wenzetu wenye bahati ya kumaliza elimu zao katika fani mbalimbali na kupata ajira katika makampuni binafsi ya simu, benki, madini n.k. Ushauri wangu hapa ni kwamba makampuni haya yawe required by law to register DSE na zije na utaratibu wa kuwapa watumishi/waajiri stock options katika mikataba ya ajira zao. Nchi kama marekani na kwingine wanalifanya hili. Sioni ugumu wa hili Tanzania ni nini tukiwabana.
· Ushiriki wa hisa kwa waajiriwa – Tumejaribu hili nadhani sehemu kadhaa. Tuongeze nguvu katika hili. Katika kampuni zote ambazo zinaenda float shares DSE; there should be a reservation of a block of shares kwa waajiriwa; this is ideal for kampuni ambazo capital requirements ni ndogo; Through a Privatization Law ACT, the law should require every privatized firm to create a savings fund ili kuwawezesha waajiriwa kununua hisa katika kampuni;
· Umiliki wa hisa kimakundi – Hii itatoa opportunities kwa watu ambao wapo functionally involved katika sector fulani za uchumi na wenye limited or no capital to kushiriki katika umiliki kwa njia ya hisa. Mfano, wakulima. Kwa vile tunaelekea katika large scale farming (commercial farming), tusifanye makosa kama ya privatization kwenye kilimo; chini ya sheria mpya, wakulima wajikusanye na wajipange kimakundi ili wakati wa mauzo ya mazao (e.g. chai, kahawa, pamba, korosho) wajiandikishe na kununua hisa kwa kukatwa katika mazao yao na hawa matajiri watarajiwa kwenye commercial farming; tararibu wakulima watakuwa na hisa katika commercial farming happening kwenye maeneo yao; utaratibu huu pia utumike katika sekta ya madini (gold, Tanzanite, diamonds), wachimbaji wadogo wadogo wawezeshwe kimtaji kasha wawezeshwe kununua hisa kwenye kampuni za madini kwa mtindo kama huu wa wakulima; kuna mgodi mpya wa Wiliiamson wa almasi unaanzishwa Mbeya, serikali ingekuwa makini nyakati kama hizi.
· Wazawa Economic Empowerment – hili ni suala muhimu sana ingawa IDDI SIMBA alipigwa vita sana kisa kwamba watanzania wazawa sio waafrika tu bali wahindi na waarabu. Ni kweli, wote hawa ni watanzania lakini msingi wa hoja ya iddi simba ulichakachuliwa na akaonekana hana nia njema kwa taifa letu. Wazawa Econ Empower ni utaratibu mzuri kama utasimamiwa vizuri kwani kuna wahindi na waarabu wengi ambao nao ni maskini. Empowerment kwa maana ya in the context of foreign capital sana sana. Lakini matatizo such as nepotism, ufisadi, ethnicity, ubaguzi wa rangi may raise if not handled vizuri;
· Trusteeship arrangements – hizi zianzishwe so as to temporarily warehouse shares za mashirika yanayobinaifshwa until they are sold through public flotation or other better arrangements za kufanikisha lengo la kufikisha uchumi kwa umma. Mfano ni suala la Airtel na NBC – hizi shares ni sahihi kuwa chini ya serikali kwa mtazamo wangu ila usimamizi wa mapato na matumizi during the transition period ni key. Ila nashauri chombo kipya kingeundwa to warehouse these shares, sio serikali moja kwa moja; kwa mfano once majority of shares have been sold to the strategic investor (e.g. kama ilivyotokea NBC), the trust fund holds up to like 30% of the shares in companies where the trustee consider kwamba ni worthwhile investments na baadae sell the shares to the public through IPO au any other better scheme; hili litaleta uwazi;
· La mwisho ni la IPO. In theory, nakubaliana na zitto katika hili kwani this is the easiest and most efficient method to reach the general public. But ni the practicality of it ndio inanifanya nipingane na Mheshimiwa Zitto angalau kwa sasa mpaka alifafanue zaidi. Mheshimiwa ulianisha kwamba lengo kuu hapa ni pamoja na: kuongeza mass participation; kuongeza liquidity in DSE; kuongeza makampuni listed; na kuongezea mapato serikali. Kwanza, we all know kwamba majority of Tanzanians can't buy these shares kutokana na umaskini plus imperfect market information. Also the infancy of our capital market puts a serious constraint kufanikisha privatization per se, tukiachilia mbali privatization yenye kushirikisha umma. Ebu tuangalie kwanini Stock Market Zinaanzishwa? Hususan in Tanzania, why did DSE come about?
a) Key reason - it was formed under the auspices of the structural adjustment policies to play a role in privatization of former State enterprises by facilitating the public floating of shares. Leaving aside mjadala wa umuhimu wa kuwa na a stock market, the main reason why IMF, World Bank wanted DSE ndiyo hiyo, na hawakujali whether watanzania walikuwa tayari au hapana kushiriki au shirikishwa.
b) Sababu nyingine - stock markets important for people to exercise one of their key monetary motive – speculative motive;
c) In developed economies, stock markets increase savings in the economy and as we know, Savings Equals Investments which are key for any economy;
d) Stock markets are meant to attract international capital flows to our country. Dr. Slaa juzi sumbawanga katueleza kwamba since 2007, hakuna any important investor amekuja Tanzania. So kuna tatizo na DSE au mfumo mzima wa macro economy. So Msheshimiwa Zitto, before we embark into the IPO idea, we have to chambua hili suala kwa uangalifu.
Mheshimiwa Zitto – matatizo DSE ni mengi sana na hayatafanikisha umiliki wa umma through IPO kwa sababu zifuatazo:
a) Kwanza, wawekezaji are concerned na inadequate institutional system and operations procedures DSE;
b) DSE is still in the process of modernizing, developing and streamlining of operations procedures, therefore vitu kama trading and pricing mechanisms, clearing and settlements, shares registration and custody practices bado zipo outdated – kwa mantiki hii, ku float IPO za Airtel na NBC bila uangalifu itazidi umiza wananchi, ndio maana nashauri kama hautiamini serikali, basi hisa hizi zinde katika trusteeship arrangement kama nilivyoainisha hapo juu ambapo kutakuwa na uwazi, wakati tunajipanga vizuri zaidi.
c) Another problem ni rushwa na uhalifu DSE, tuusafishe kwanza. Sijui kwanini DPP, TAKUKURU hawendi huko. Vitu kama inside trading and price manipulation zipo sana DSE and they severely undermine investors interest.
d) Tusiache pia kujifunza kwa wenzetu - hata Ghana ambapo ni mfano wa a success story ya masoko ya hisa Africa (nje ya SA of course), despite its high profile and image, it suffers from classic problems za stock exchanges in emerging economies – too few stocks, poor liquidity, slow settlements, outdated systems and lack of investors interest. Tujifunze kwanza kwa wenzetu – wapi wamefanikiwa na wapi wanalegelega na kwa sababu zipi, kabla ya kufikiria kuusisha umma.
Mwisho, tusisahau kwamba NDC inashikilia hisa nyingi sana katika mashirika ya umma ya zamani na pia miradi mipya. Sasa kwasababu hatujachelewa, kwanini tusierekebishe makosa ya poor privatization process kwa kwenda NDC na kuanza husisha umma huko? Pia STAMICO (state mining corporation) nasikia inataka kufufulia; vile vile TPDC inaingia mikataba mingi ya gesi na mafuta. Tuangalie namna gani tunaweza shirikisha umma katika maeneo haya. Again, IPO ni necessary means of broadening participation ya umma wa Tanzania katika public asset lakini sio Panacea.