THE deal stinks like a dead and rotting animal. Eti, the government rewarded the Tanzania International Container Services (TICTS) with an extension of its contract -- for doing a bad job! It seems the government was very impressed by poor performance of TICTS. So it gave the firm an extended contract of 15 years before it had even finished the first. The original contract was supposed to end in 2010. Now it is supposed to stay in place until the year 2025.
The extension of the lease was in 2005, just before the general elections. You plainly see some dirty tricks have been at play here. In case you don't understand what the game means, think about the word 'corruption'. Even our Bunge has smelt the stink of it all.
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure Development went to TICTS to have a closer look. They came out with their hands holding their noses. They have demanded an explanation for the stench from the government. The MPs expressed their doubts. They want to see the contracts in Parliament to have a closer look. So far there has been the usual response from the government -- a deafening silence.
Some MPs have threatened to corner the government in parliament if they did not get satisfactory answers. Some said they were contemplating tabling private motions in the House on the TICTS stink. We are closely watching them at the on-going show in Dodoma . So far the government has ignored the MPs.
The stink continues. TICTS has the sole monopoly of the container trade in Bongo? What is that, if not naked corruption? One of the MPs wanted other players to be allowed to trade in the business which TICTS monopolises. I thought we live in a different era. Even the ruling CCM party decided to give away monopoly of the political game. How can the CCM government give TICTS monopoly as sole container operator? If you liberalise politics you will have to do the same in trade. Just let other traders enter the business.
TICTS is collecting 15 billion a year from the container business. Which is good moolah. If I had such money I would give 2 or 3 billion to the CCM as a gift. Who knows, I might even run for the Bunge myself and maybe be given a cabinet post. No. Let's be fair and all of us play on a plain level ground. It is simply wrong for the government to lean on the side of TICTS. This habit of impunity must stop.
The extension of the lease was in 2005, just before the general elections. You plainly see some dirty tricks have been at play here. In case you don't understand what the game means, think about the word 'corruption'. Even our Bunge has smelt the stink of it all.
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure Development went to TICTS to have a closer look. They came out with their hands holding their noses. They have demanded an explanation for the stench from the government. The MPs expressed their doubts. They want to see the contracts in Parliament to have a closer look. So far there has been the usual response from the government -- a deafening silence.
Some MPs have threatened to corner the government in parliament if they did not get satisfactory answers. Some said they were contemplating tabling private motions in the House on the TICTS stink. We are closely watching them at the on-going show in Dodoma . So far the government has ignored the MPs.
The stink continues. TICTS has the sole monopoly of the container trade in Bongo? What is that, if not naked corruption? One of the MPs wanted other players to be allowed to trade in the business which TICTS monopolises. I thought we live in a different era. Even the ruling CCM party decided to give away monopoly of the political game. How can the CCM government give TICTS monopoly as sole container operator? If you liberalise politics you will have to do the same in trade. Just let other traders enter the business.
TICTS is collecting 15 billion a year from the container business. Which is good moolah. If I had such money I would give 2 or 3 billion to the CCM as a gift. Who knows, I might even run for the Bunge myself and maybe be given a cabinet post. No. Let's be fair and all of us play on a plain level ground. It is simply wrong for the government to lean on the side of TICTS. This habit of impunity must stop.