Source: MajiraWAZIRI Mkuu, Bw. Edward Lowassa amesema Serikali ndiyo iliyoitisha uchunguzi wa hesabu za Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (BoT) na itachukua hatua kuhusu tuhuma za rushwa endapo ripoti ya wakaguzi wa kimataifa, waliopewa kazi ya kuikagua benki hiyo itathibitisha hivyo.
Alikuwa akizungumza na Balozi mpya wa Ufini nchini, Bw. Juhan Toivonen, aliyekwenda kumtembelea ofisini kwake mtaa wa Magogoni Dar es Salaam jana.
Bw. Lowassa alisema ni vema mabalozi wanaowakilisha nchi zao Tanzania wakajua ukweli, kwamba Serikali imeamua kwa dhati kupambana na rushwa na kwamba ndiyo iliyoitisha uchunguzi wa BoT.
"Ripoti ya ukaguzi ikikamilika, Serikali itachukua hatua zinazostahili, kwa kuwa Serikali ya Awamu ya Nne imedhamiria kweli kupambana na rushwa kwenye ngazi zote," alisema.
Waziri Mkuu alisema Serikali ya Awamu ya Nne, kamwe haifanani na Serikali inayoendekeza rushwa kama zinavyoonesha taarifa zinazochapishwa katika baadhi ya vyombo vya habari nchini hivi sasa.
"Kama ingekuwa ni Serikali inayoendekeza rushwa, basi ni dhahiri ingeshindwa kukusanya kodi ingeshindwa kupeleka mabilioni ya fedha za maendeleo kwa wananchi vijijini, kama ilivyofanya katika bajeti ya mwaka huu," alimwambia Balozi huyo.
Serikali ya Awamu ya Nne sasa inakusanya wastani wa sh. bilioni 250 kwa mwezi ikilinganishwa na sh. bilioni 25 za mwaka 1995/96. Katika bajeti ya mwaka huu wa fedha, Serikali pia ilipeleka sh. bilioni 286 kwa halmashauri za wilaya kwa ajili ya kugharimia shughuli za maendeleo.
Bajeti ya mwaka huu ambayo ni kubwa kifedha kuliko yoyote iliyowahi kupitishwa katika historia ya nchi hii, vilevile imetenga maeneo ya kipaumbele na kuyapa fedha za kutosha.
Elimu imetengewa sh. trilioni moja; Miundombinu (Barabara) sh. bilioni 777, Afya sh. bilioni 589.9; Kilimo sh. bilioni 379 na Maji, sh. bilioni 309.
Naye Balozi alisema anashangazwa na kasi ya taarifa za tuhuma za rushwa katika vyombo vya habari nchini, wakati ukweli ni kwamba taasisi za kimataifa za uchunguzi wa rushwa zinatoa ripoti nzuri kwa Tanzania.
Shirika la Kimataifa la Kupambana na Rushwa (Transparency International) katika ripoti yake ya hivi karibuni, lilieleza kuwa Tanzania inaongoza katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki kwa mapambano dhidi ya rushwa. Tanzania ilikuwa nchi ya 14 katika Afrika wakati Uganda ni ya 22 na Kenya ikiwa ya 42.
Balozi Toivonen alisema nchi yake inakamilisha taratibu za kuipa Tanzania msaada wa dola milioni 36 za Marekani (kiasi cha sh. bilioni 45) katika kipindi cha miaka mitatu ijayo.
Waziri Mkuu pia alionana na Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Maendeleo ya Viwanda (UNIDO), Dk. Kandeh Yumkella na mwakilishi maalumu wa Umoja wa Mataifa, Balozi Keitaro Sato, ambaye aliwahi kuwa Balozi wa Japani nchini.
Shirika la Kimataifa la Kupambana na Rushwa (Transparency International) katika ripoti yake ya hivi karibuni, lilieleza kuwa Tanzania inaongoza katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki kwa mapambano dhidi ya rushwa. Tanzania ilikuwa nchi ya 14 katika Afrika wakati Uganda ni ya 22 na Kenya ikiwa ya 42.
Ukaguzi wa BoT ndiyo umekuwa wimbo wa Taifa wa kujitetea ... wakati tunajua wazi kwamba swala hilo la ukaguzi wa fedha hizo za nje ni shinikizo la kutoka nje. Kibaya zaidi agenda ya ukaguzi wa mahesabu hayo haihusu ubadhirifu ambao umeainishwa na report ya CAG, lakini ninamshangaa EL kukomaa kwamba wahusika watachukuliwa hatua.
Serikali inaweza kukusanya fedha nyingi sana, lakini je fedha hizo zinatumika bila ya kufunjwa? CAG report ya mwaka wa fedha ulioisha imeonyesha mabilioni ya shilingi ambayo yalitumika katika ununuzi hewa wa vitu na kuna hela ambayo haikuwa accounted for, je hilo Bwana EL anasemaje? Maana naona anajisifia tu kwamba serikali yake inakusanya kodi nyingi. Swala kubwa ni harufu ya rushwa na ubadhirifu. Na rushwa inayoongelewa hapa ni hiyo ya kwenye mikataba ambayo wao wameifanya iwe siri. Mbona hawataki kuweka wazi mkataba wa Richmonduli. Pia mbona mkataba wa ujenzi wa Twin Towers nao ulifichwa hata pale wakaguzi walipotaka kujua mkataba unasemaje? Hayo ana majibu yake?
EL usije na majibu mepesi ambayo hata mabalozi watakuona wewe hamnazo maana unajibu maswali ambayo hujaulizwa. Na hata justification ya kwamba nchi/serikali yako haina rushwa sioni kama ina hold water.
Sasa balozi anapopata puzzle kwamba kwanini kuna tuhuma nzito sana za rushwa na bado report za kutoka nje zinaonyesha Bongo mambo safi? Hapo ndipo palipo na kiini macho. Serikali imekuwa kwa makusudi kabisa inaficha mikataba ili kutoonyesha harufu za rushwa. Wacha tusubiri report za TI baada ya kuvuja kwa Mkataba wa Buzwagi ambao tumeambiwa umeboreshwa zaidi kuliko ya miaka iliyopita. Sijui hao TI watapata picha gani?
MASATO MASATO said:
Dar es Salaam
THE World Bank says it is hoping for a truly serious investigation into reports of massive funds misuse at the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), as well as the adoption of strict remedial measures on the part of the government to avoid a repeat of the alleged improprieties at the central bank.
We at the World Bank would like to see due process fully applied in the investigation, and proper remedial measures taken, the visiting World Bank vice-president for the African region, Ms Obiageli Ezekwesili, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
I hope and believe that necessary steps to ensure due diligence in the investigation will be adhered to?we always want to trust our partners in development, added Ms Ezekwesili in an exclusive interview with THISDAY.
The recently-appointed VP of the World Bank made the remarks in response to questions about the Banks position on the reported disappearance of millions of US dollars from the BoTs external payment arrears (EPA) account, now the subject of a special government audit ordered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Ms Ezekwesili, who is more comfortable with the knickname Oby, is a former minister of education in her native Nigeria. She was appointed to the IMF post in March this year.
On his part, the World Banks country director for Tanzania, John Murray McIntire, told THISDAY that the Bank was keenly monitoring developments in the ongoing BoT audit ordered by its sister institution IMF.
McIntire added that since the audit on the EPAs 2005/06 records was still underway, the final audit report should be awaited before jumping to any conclusions.
Earlier, Ms Ezekwesili said the country has made impressive strides in attaining macro-economic stability, but added that much more effort was needed to achieve faster economic growth.
While acknowledging that the macro-economic figures were not fairly reflected in the lives of the ordinary Tanzanian man in the street, she said the numbers cannot be ignored either. These are statistics that we cannot take away, she argued, saying the country now needs a sustained economic growth rate of over 7 per cent to ensure that the effects eventually trickle down to citizens in the rural areas where the majority poor live.
On the subject of education sector growth, the World Bank VP saluted the government for boosting school enrolment numbers, but added that there was a need to improve the quality of education in the country.
I have visited a school at Ilala (in Dar es Salaam), where I found over 100 children in a single classroom. But those students were very excited to be in school at all, said Ms Ezekwesili, who is particularly conversant with the subject as a former Nigerian minister in charge of education.
She added: True, plenty of investment is still needed to improve quality of teachers, classrooms, text books ...but its good that the government has started.
Ms Ezekwesili is also one of the founding members of Transparency International, an organization dedicated to fighting worldwide corruption. This is her first official visit to Tanzania as World Bank VP, where she is scheduled to tour a number of local projects supported by the bank.
Various prominent development partners have in recent weeks threatened to impose an aid freeze on the country if there is no real seriousness in addressing widespread allegations of high-level corruption in the country. The ambassadors of the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands in Tanzania have publicly criticised the government for failing to take any real action against the allegations.
Diplomats are concerned that corruption could see billions of shillings in aid money ultimately line the pockets of dishonest local officials while ordinary Tanzanians continue to struggle in conditions of abject poverty.
The incumbent BoT Governor, Dr Daudi Ballali, has for the best part of the year been under mounting pressure to resign as a sign of accountability in the face of the widespread allegations of serious payment improprieties at the central bank. In the meantime, the government on September 10 this year appointed Massawe Ernst & Young company to conduct the special audit of the EPA account within a set 60-day deadline, ending in early November 2007.
Inaonekana WB wana usongo sana na hayo mahesabu. Sasa ole wake Massawe afanye madudu, inawezekana akawaharibia jina partner wake. Nina mashaka sana kwamba WB wana data nyingi sana lakini hawajataka kuziweka wazi na hivyo wanasubiri huyo Auditor aje azifanyie kazi. Mara baada ya zoezi hilo kukamilika kama Auditors watatoa report fake nina mashaka credibity ya Kampuni hiyo ya kimataifa inaweza kwenda na maji. Hapo wanahitaji kusuka ama kunyoa, vinginevyo wanaweza kuwa wanajichimbia kaburi la kibiashara!