MP wants UK to withhold Tanzania budget support

[BAK]

MP wants UK to withhold Tanzania budget support

By WILFRED EDWIN
THE EAST AFRICAN

Tanzania is heading for a diplomatic tiff with the United Kingdom if a motion to block budget support to Tanzania passes through the British parliament.

House of Commons Conservative MP Roger Gale wants the UK government to withhold part of its promised £105 million ($212 million) support to the 2007/2008 Tanzania national budget.

The motion has been triggered by what the lawmaker describes as unfair treatment of two British investors in Silverdale Farm in Tanzania.

The issue involves a dispute over the lease to Silverdale and Mbono Farms pitting the two British investors, Stewart Middleton and Sarah Hermitage, who have set up a business in the northern town of Moshi, against a local businessman, hotelier Benjamin Mengi (brother of IPP media mogul Reginald Mengi), who assigned them the lease in 2004.

The lease has yet to be registered, and Mr Middleton has been arrested several times. The investors were also sued for libel on the basis of the newspaper article and judgement given to Mengi for $100,000 for defamation. The whole saga has become cause celebre in the international media.

Another issue raised by Mr Gale is the Tanzania government’s inability to curb corruption, even though Britain has been touting the country as a shining example of African development.

Mr Gale, MP for North Thanet, told The EastAfrican on Wednesday last week in a telephone interview from London that he was concerned that his government has failed to take Tanzania to task over the issue of mistreatment of British investors.

Mr Gale added that the failure of the Tanzanian government to resolve such issues erodes investor confidence.

“I’m seriously concerned with my government’s continuing support for Tanzania,” he said, adding that he has on three occasions contacted the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Britain, Phillip Parham, to discuss the issue.

The MP said he had received a letter from Mark Malloch-Brown, the State Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office responsible for Africa, Asia and the UN, on the subject but did not disclose the contents of the letter.

Mr Gale, who is Ms Hermitage’s MP, has been calling for the British government to act on the case since 2006.

However, it appears that the Tanzanian government is content to let the judicial system take its course.

Patrick Mombo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, told The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam last week that Tanzania believes in good governance, and as such, would like to see the judiciary make decisions free from any interference.

Mr Mombo said that the Tanzanian legal system was capable of handling the issue.

Meanwhile, reliable sources in Westminster hinted that Mr Gale’s motion has not been internally discussed yet, and that there are currently no plans to cut back the Tanzanian aid package.

John Bradshaw, political and press officer at the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam, told The EastAfrican that although there is pressure from politicians to withhold part of the development funds for Tanzania, the government has not made any decision in that direction.

But Mr Bradshaw cautioned that, as is the case with all UK development assistance, his government regularly reviews the aid programme to Tanzania and takes account of all aspects of the country’s performance and prospects for reducing poverty.

“The experiences of investors, including cases such as this, are considered as part of those reviews. But the most important consideration is whether we believe our assistance will effectively reduce poverty,” he said.

According to Mr Bradshaw, the British High Commission in Tanzania has been in frequent contact with the British investors and continues to liaise with the Tanzanian government at the highest levels over the problems experienced by the two in developing their investment.

The High Commission hopes the Tanzanian authorities will ensure that these problems and all related matters are expeditiously and fairly resolved, Mr Bradshaw noted.

An estimated 6,000 UK nationals live and work in Tanzania.

For a long time now, Britain has been one of Tanzania’s leading trading partners and one of the largest foreign direct investors in the country.

UK companies have invested about £230 million ($322 million) in Tanzania over the past 11 years, mainly in the agricultural and tourist sectors.

The leading UK investors are CDC, BP, Standard Chartered, Barclays, Unilever and Mott MacDonald. UK exports to Tanzania were worth £71 million ($99.4 million) in 2005. Tanzanian exports to the UK were worth over £36 million ($50.4 million) in the same period.

 

[MzalendoHalisi]

Hawa MPs kwa nini wasimind Ile Rushwa Uingereza na Saudia na kujadili? Au kwa vile ni nchi tajiri?

Ukumpa mtu msaada ndo umkalie kooni hivyo? Kaazi kweli kweli!

 

[Kalamu]

Hawa MPs kwa nini wasimind Ile Rushwa Uingereza na Saudia na kujadili? Au kwa vile ni nchi tajiri?

Ukumpa mtu msaada ndo umkalie kooni hivyo? Kaazi kweli kweli!

MzalendoHalisi:
Hapana bwana, na sisi tumezidi mno kuwa vitegemezi. Mibaba mizima na mi-mama mizima na heshima zetu, na midevu yote hii, umri miaka 46, bado tunapenda tu kunyonyeshwa sijui hadi lini!

MzalendoHalisi, sema kweli yako bwana, eti mimi hapa Kalamu niwe mfadhiri wa nyumba yako, wewe, watoto, na mama watoto, hilo kweli litakufurahisha?

Inauma sana, na ninajua dhahiri kabisa kwamba kuna mambo mhimu mno, kama elimu inayotegemea zaidi misaada hii; lakini nadhani misaada nayo inatulemaza mno. Watuache labda tufe kidogo kwa njaa, labda akili itaingia kichwani.
It is too much, na inaudhi sana kuwa vitegemezi namna hii.

 

[Choveki]

MzalendoHalisi:
Hapana bwana, na sisi tumezidi mno kuwa vitegemezi. Mibaba mizima na mi-mama mizima na heshima zetu, na midevu yote hii, umri miaka 46, bado tunapenda tu kunyonyeshwa sijui hadi lini!..MzalendoHalisi, sema kweli yako bwana, eti mimi hapa Kalamu niwe mfadhiri wa nyumba yako, wewe, watoto, na mama watoto, hilo kweli litakufurahisha?...

Kalamu pokea tano wakwetu!,
Unajua tushazoea kuomba omba mpaka tunasahau na kufikiri kuwa ni right yetu kupewa hiyo misaada!
Kitu kingine ni kuwa wenzetu wanawapenda wananchi wao, na watawatetea popote walipo duniani bila kujali nani ana kosa, wakati Watanzania ni kinyume nao, Mtanzania akiwa na shida yeyote au akifanya kosa nje ya nchi atafia huko huko (iwe ni jela au hospitali), au ataachwa atatue hilo tatizo mwenyewe hata kama hana hatia yeyote hakuna hata mtu atakayetoka ubalozini akamtazame huko alipo hata kama ni hospitali. Wenzetu hawa wataiandama hiyo nchi husika mpaka wenyewe watamwachia huyo raia ya kiingereza mfano kesi ya yule mama na tedi bear (sudan).

Kwangu huo ndiyo upendo wa wananchi wako, siyo kujifanya unawapenda unapoomba kura au wakati wa kampeni za uchaguzi tu.

Mzalendo halisi umeuliza ati kwanini wasifuatilie ile rushwa ya Radar, kwani hapo nani alidhulimiwa?, sisi kuingizwa mjini na kuinunua hiyo Radar kwao waliongeza ajira kwa wananchi wao, na ndiyo kikubwa kwao kutetea wananchi wao hadi katika mambo ya ajira hata ikibidi nchi nyingine iingizwe mjini kwao hamna neno kwani wanapalilia mikate ya raia wao

 

[Halisi]

KWa kweli inasikitisha, eti mtu kagombana na mtu, serikali inatishia msaada... Hivi huyo mfanyabiashara mmoja anataka kusema kwamba Mahakama zimetoa uamuzi kwa kupindisha sheria? KUna mahakama za biashara, je, zimefanya uamuzi gani? Ama sasa na mahakama zianze kupokea amri toka London? Yote hii ni viongozi wetu kuwaendekeza sana. Wachukue mfano wa mzee mzima Mugabe sasa munaona yaliyotokea Lisbon.... Vyombo vyetu viheshimiwe... mtu aje onyeshe mahali ambako kuna ukiukwaji wa sheria zilizopo ama ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na kuwapo hoja si suala la kusema tu, Mwekezaji wao kaonewa. Halafu hawa The East Africa, wanaleta siasa za Kenya kwao, ukiangalia mwanzo na mwisho utaona hakuna kitu, zaidi ya blah blah..

Kaanza na habari ya kutisha na kuongeza msisitizo kwa kuweka jina la Mengi wa IPP namna hii....

MP wants UK to withhold Tanzania budget support

By WILFRED EDWIN
THE EAST AFRICAN

Tanzania is heading for a diplomatic tiff with the United Kingdom if a motion to block budget support to Tanzania passes through the British parliament.

House of Commons Conservative MP Roger Gale wants the UK government to withhold part of its promised £105 million ($212 million) support to the 2007/2008 Tanzania national budget.

The motion has been triggered by what the lawmaker describes as unfair treatment of two British investors in Silverdale Farm in Tanzania.

The issue involves a dispute over the lease to Silverdale and Mbono Farms pitting the two British investors, Stewart Middleton and Sarah Hermitage, who have set up a business in the northern town of Moshi, against a local businessman, hotelier Benjamin Mengi (brother of IPP media mogul Reginald Mengi), who assigned them the lease in 2004.

Halafu akamalizia kwa maneno haya.....

But Mr Bradshaw cautioned that, as is the case with all UK development assistance, his government regularly reviews the aid programme to Tanzania and takes account of all aspects of the country's performance and prospects for reducing poverty.

 

[Atanaye]

Kwa hiyo tusipo kubali EPA itakuwaje...DUH! Unduminakuwili!

 

[Koba]

...kiasi cha pesa yenyewe wanayotusaidia ni sawa sawa tuu au kidogo ukilinganisha na misamaha ya kodi tunayotoa kwa makampuni ya madini na kina Manji,yaani ni upuuzi mtupu wale viongozi wetu mpaka inatia hasira,nimechoka nimechoka nchi tajiri kama TZ kufanywa kama wajinga eti kafanyabiashara kamoja tuu tena unaweza kukuta investment yake hailipi hata kodi under AKA TAX holiday for life...just pathetic!

 

[Idimi]

Nakuunnga mkono (na mguu pia) mhe. Kalamu. Ukiwa tegemezi wa kitu fulani kutoka kwa mtu fulani huwezi kuwa na maamuzi yako mwenyewe kwa asilimia 100, lazima kuna asilimia kadhaa utaziachia kwa ajili ya mfadhili wako. Hii haina ubishi, hata iweje! Hawa watu wanatishia kusimamisha misaada kwa sababu wanajua sie ni wategemezi kwa 40% ya bajeti yetu kila mwaka, kwa hiyo wanataka kutuburuza kama wanavyotaka. Wawekezaji wa kigeni wamekuwa wakipendelewa sana hapa nchini, kiasi cha kufikia hatua ya kuwapiga Wabongo kila mara. sasa hawa Waingereza wanataka tupindishe sheria ili tuwape haki wasizostahili raia wao?
Binafsi napendekeza wasimamishe kabisa misaada ili tutie akili, maana tunadekezwa. Najua misaada yote ikisimamishwa tutajua namna ya kuziba pengo hilo, aidha kutoka mifukoni mwetu ama penginepo.
Tuache utegemezi, na hizi kelele pamoja na mikwala itaisha!

 

[KakindoMaster]

Toba hii kali, lakini ukitaka cha uvunguni sharti uiname.

 

[Mtanganyika]

pesa zenyewe zitaishia mikononi kwa kina JK, Karamangi, na wezi wengine, i guess wacha wazuie tuu. Mpaka tutakaposhika adabu, sababu tumesha fikiria kwamba ni haki yetu kupewa. Tumekuwa kama African American wanaolalamikia utumwa kwa miaka yote hii.

I WISH WASTOP FUNDING JK CORRUPTED GORVERNMENT.

 

[Mbalamwezi]

Halafu hawa The East Africa, wanaleta siasa za Kenya kwao, ukiangalia mwanzo na mwisho utaona hakuna kitu, zaidi ya blah blah..

Mkuu Halisi,

Hivi gazeti limeripoti eneo gani hasa kwa makosa? Inawezekana kwamba habari ni mbaya na kwa hiyo gazeti limekuwa baya pia? Binafsi naona kama hii taarifa iko well balanced. UK ina pande mbili...politician Gale ambaye ameanzisha zogo, na serikali Bradshaw ambaye amejibu vema tu hizo ni kelele ambazo wanapiga wanasiasa, na baadaye lakini akatoa tahadhari ya reviews. Maoni ya Tanzania yamewakilishwa na Mombo...tatizo ni wapi mkuu?