Kuna kutofautiana kati yetu wachangiaji, kuhusu maana ya serikali. Hilo lilijitokeza vile vile katika mada ya Wasiwasi wa Udini. Sam na Mkandara wametoa definition kwamba serikali ni watu. Kwa maoni yangu, tatizo lililoko hapa ni la msingi kabisa, kwani linahusu maana ya neno definition lenyewe. Kuchanganua kinachofanywa na serikali bila kjua serikali ni nini kuna matatizo yake.
Kuna tofauti kati ya definition, description na slogan. Serikali ni watu is a slogan, and a political one at that. Ni kama Mzee Aboud Jumbe alivyokuwa anasema Ujamaa ni utu. Hiyo siyo definition ya Ujamaa, ni slogan tu. Definition inayotolewa kwa lugha ya Kiswahili inabakia kuwa definition hata ukitafsiri kwa Kiingereza. Serikali ni watu translates into governement is people, which is clearly not a definition. Ni slogan, basi.
Kwenye Elimu ya Viumbe, wanasema binadamu ni myama. Ni kweli, lakini hiyo sio definition ya binadamu. Kusema serikali ni watu kuko level moja na kusema binadamu ni myama. To define is to characterize. These are not characterizations.
To define is to put boundaries. A definition of the term government should put boundaries around it in such a way that everything inside the boundaries is government, nothing that is outside is government, and nothing that is government is not inside the boundary.
Kimsingi, serikali yetu ni ya demokrasia. A well known definition of democracy is that it is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Matatizo yanayotuletea ufanisi mbaya serikalini yanatokana na kukiukwa kwa baadhi ya kanuni hizi.
The government of Tanzania is of the people (true), but it falls short on being by the people and for the people. Ili iwe by the people, inabidi maamuzi yake makuu yote yawe na ridhaa ya wananchi, kwa kupitia wawakilishi wao, yaani Bunge. Serikali by the people haiwezi kuwekeana mikataba na watu na makampuni bila kupata kibali cha wananchi, yaani kibali cha Bunge. Mikataba ya IPTL na mikataba yote kati ya Tanzania na makampuni ya nje ya uchimbaji wa madini imewekwa bila ridhaa ya wananchi. Hicho ki kithibitisho tosha kwamba serikali yetu sio by the people.
Ili iwe for the people, serikali ingeweka maslahi ya wananchi mbele ya vitu vingine vyote. Kuwapa watu wa nje ruhusa ya kuchukua dhahabu ya wananchi kwa kuwapa asilimia 3 tu ya thamani yake sio kuweka maslahi ya wananchi mbele. Serikali inayoacha fedha za wananchi kuibiwa kwa mabilioni mengi kila mwaka na kufunika funika uchunguzi kuhusu wezi wenyewe sio for the people.
Ili kuimarisha utendaji serikalini basi, inabidi kuimarisha demokrasia. Mikataba isiwe sheria kabla ya kupitishwa na Bunge. Serikali ipate kwanza ridhaa ya Bunge kabla haijawekeana mkataba na mwekezaji yoyote.
Augustine Moshi