Uzalendo wa Mramba na Kassum katika Madini

[Companero]

Kumbe kabla ya zama za Barick na FIPA kulikuwa na uzalendo wa hali ya juu miongoni mwa viongozi na wasomi wetu katika kufuatilia usiri wa makampuni ya madini ya kigeni nchini. Enzi hizo Mzalendo Mwalimu Nyerere alikuwa na tabia ya kuwakabidhi viongozi kazi ya kuchunguza nyendo za makampuni mbalimbali ili yasitunyonye. Kwa mujibu wa Waziri wa Zamani katika Serikali ya Awamu ya Kwanza, Al Noor Kassum, Nyerere aliwahi kumkabidhi jukumu la kufuatilia nyendo za siri za Kampuni ya madini ya De Beers katika mgodi wa almasi (Williamsond Diamonds) wa Mwadui. Hivi ndivyo anavyobainisha Kassum kwa Kiingereza katika ukurasa wa 85 wa kitabu chake kipya cha 'Africa's Wind of Change', yaani, 'Upepo wa Mabadiliko Afrika':

When Mwalimu told me what he had in mind, I was surprised and said: 'But I am a lawyer! I have done all these international jobs... I don't know anything about diamonds!' He said, 'Don't worry, just go there, stay for a while, let's see what happens. I just want you to go there.' I said, 'All right, if that is what you want.' Mwalimu said he wanted me to find out what was going on at the company since it was being very secretive about its operations. [Mwalimu aliponieleza alichodhamiria, nilipatwa na mshangao na kuhamaki: 'Lakini mimi ni mwanasheria! Nimefanya kazi zote zile za Kimataifa...Sijui lolote kuhusu almasi!' Mwalimu akanijibu, ' Usiwe na wasiwasi,wewe nenda tu, kaa kwa muda, tuone nini kitatokea. Nataka tu uende kule.' Nikamwambia, 'Sawa, kama hivyo ndivyo unavyotaka.' Mwalimu akasema kuwa anataka niende kuchunguza nini kinaendelea katika kampuni hiyo maana ilikuwa inaendesha shughuli zake kwa siri sana.']

Kassum alikwenda huko kama alivyoagizwa, na ingawa Waingereza na Makaburu wa De Beers walimweka pembezoni katika vikao vya menejiment japo alikuwa Meneja Mkuu Msaidizi, alifanikiwa kupata taarifa nyeti zilizokuja kuisadia Tanzania. Kwa kushirikiana na aliyekuwa Mzalendo Basil Mramba waliandika ripoti nzito ya 'The Future of Mwadui', yaani 'Hatma ya Mwadui', ambayo iliwakasirisha sana menejimenti ya De Beers. Kwa mfano ripoti hiyo iligundua kuwa Williamson Diamonds ilikuwa inamiliki kamgodi kwa jina la New Alamasi kalikokuwa hukohuko Mwadui. Kamgodi haka kalikuwa kanasamehewa kulipa ushuru wa almasi wa 5% kwa kuwa kalikuwa hakazalishi almasi ya kiwango cha kulipia ushuru huo kisheria. Lakini cha ajabu ni kuwa haka kamgodi kalikuwa mali (au sehemu ya) Williamson Diamonds ambayo yenyewe ilikuwa inazalisha madini kwa kiwango kinachotakiwa kutozwa ushuru huo. Pia cha ajabu ni kuwa Williamson Diamonds ilikuwa inatozwa mrahaba wa 15% wakati katoto kake,yaani New Alamasi, kalikuwa kanatozwa 7.5% tu!

Kwa ufupi mwisho wa siku ripoti ya Kassum na Mramba ililisaidia Taifa kufanya mabadiliko ya uongozi ambapo Matthew Luhanga aliteuliwa kuwa Meneja Mkuu wa Williamson Diamonds. Pengine ni muhimu tukirejea baadhi ya mapendekezo ya ripoti hii hasa wakati huu ambapo tunapata mirahaba finyu baada ya kujiingiza kwenye mikataba ya ajabu ya madini. Pendekezo lililonivutia zaidi ni kuhusu 'sera ya kutochimba madini kupita kiasi' (overmining policy). Nikilielewa vizuri nitalielezea kwa undani zaidi. Kwa sasa naishia hapa. Nawasilisha.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Kumbe kabla ya ripoti ya kina Bomani, Kilokola na wenzao kuliwahi kuwa ripoti ya Kassum? Gademu, asiyeelewa haelewi, na asiyesia hata umpigie kelele hasikii!!!

 

[Kichuguu]

Kwa ufupi mwisho wa siku ripoti ya Kassum na Mramba ililisaidia Taifa kufanya mabadiliko ya uongozi ambapo Matthew Luhanga aliteuliwa kuwa Meneja Mkuu wa Williamson Diamonds. Pengine ni muhimu tukirejea baadhi ya mapendekezo ya ripoti hii hasa wakati huu ambapo tunapata mirahaba finyu baada ya kujiingiza kwenye mikataba ya ajabu ya madini. Pendekezo lililonivutia zaidi ni kuhusu 'sera ya kutochimba madini kupita kiasi' (overmining policy). Nikilielewa vizuri nitalielezea kwa undani zaidi. Kwa sasa naishia hapa. Nawasilisha.

Nimefurahia sana mada yako ila ili kunyoosha accuracy post yako naomba ukipata nafasi ufafanue tena una maana ya Mathew Luhanga yupi, kwa maana yule profesa aliyekuwa VC wa UDSM hajawahi kuwa meneja sehemu yoyote na kuna uwezekano kuwa waosmaji wengi watadhani ndiye unayemowengelea. Alipotoka Dar Tech alikokuwa akifundisha kabla ya kuanza kufundihs chuo kikuu hajawahi kuondoka pale Mlimani tena. Inawezekana ulikuwa na maana ya kaka yake Baruany Luhanga aliywahi kuwa Meneja wa TANESCO

 

[Companero]

Nimefurahia sana mada yako ila ili kunyoosha accuracy post yako naomba ukipata nafasi ufafanue tena una maana ya Mathew Luhanga yupi, kwa maana yule profesa aliyekuwa VC wa UDSM hajawahi kuwa meneja sehemu yoyote na kuna uwezekano kuwa waosmaji wengi watadhani ndiye unayemowengelea. Alipotoka Dar Tech alikokuwa akifundisha kabla ya kuanza kufundihs chuo kikuu hajawahi kuondoka pale Mlimani tena. Inawezekana ulikuwa na maana ya kaka yake Baruany Luhanga aliywahi kuwa Meneja wa TANESCO

Kichu asante kwa angalizo hilo. Hapo nilikuwa naripoti tu kile kilichoandikwa kwenye hiki kitabu cha Al Noor Kassum. Hilo ndilo jina alilolitumia, yaani, Mathew Luhanga. Kumbuka haya yote anayoyaandika kuhusu Mwadui yalitokea 1971 na 1972. Sasa bahati mbaya sina wasifu wa zamani wa Luhanga. Pia sina mawasiliano na Kassum. Hivyo ni vigumu kuthibitisha japo kwa kweli kitabu chake kimeandikwa kwa umakini wa hali ya juu na kina dondoo za nyaraka na vithibitisho vingi vilivyo rasmi. Nimejaribu kuangalia historia ya Luhanga kwenye google na huko nimeambulia patupu maana kuna wasifu wa hivi karibuni tu, yaani wa kuanzia miaka ya 1980 wakati alipokuwa amekwishajikita katika taaluma ya uhandisi. Natumai wajuvi wa nani ni nani Tanzania watatuondolea utata huu. Kwa sasa tuendelee na hoja kuu iliyo mbele yetu, yaani, hitaji la kurejea kwenye uliokuwa uzalendo wa Mramba.

 

[S. S. Phares]

Mramba hakuwa Mzalendo, kama walivyokuwa viongozi wengine katika serikali ya JKN 99% walikuwa WAOGA. Walimuogopa JKN kuliko tunavyofikiri, kumbuka miaka hiyo Mzee Nyerere akikuita Ikulu kulikuwa na taarifa za uhakika kuwa unaweza usirirudi tena nyumbani kwako kwa miaka kadhaa. Sasa hilo liliwapa woga wa hali ya juu sana.

Ukiacha hilo, miaka hiyo hawa wafanyakazi wa Serikali walikuwa wana maisha mazuri tofauti na sasa kulikuwa hakuna vishawishi vya kuiba. Taratibu zilikuwa wazi elimu ya serikali ilikuwa nzuri hakuna alifikiria kupeleka mtoto wake ulaya kusoma, hospitali zilikuwa vivyo hivyo, nyumba za serikali ziliwa sio za kugombania kwa maana ukiwa na kazi unayostahili kupata nyumba basi haikuwa tabu sana kupata. Miaka ya 70 ukiwa na Milioni 50 benki (kama utazipata!!!) utazitumia wapi wakati huu hata ukiwa na Bilioni 1 zinaitwa vijisenti.

 

[Companero]

Mramba hakuwa Mzalendo, kama walivyokuwa viongozi wengine katika serikali ya JKN 99% walikuwa WAOGA. Walimuogopa JKN kuliko tunavyofikiri, kumbuka miaka hiyo Mzee Nyerere akikuita Ikulu kulikuwa na taarifa za uhakika kuwa unaweza usirirudi tena nyumbani kwako kwa miaka kadhaa. Sasa hilo liliwapa woga wa hali ya juu sana.

Yebo pengine unachosema ni kweli. Lakini ukiangalia jinsi huu uandishi wa ripoti ya 'Hatma ya Mwadui' ulivyofanyika, utaona kuwa Mramba wala hakushurutishwa na Nyerere au mtu awaye yote. Yaani ni uzalendo na uwajibikaji tu ndio ulimsukuma amsaidie Kassum kueleza ukweli wote kama ulivyo. Swali la kujiuliza ni je, tuliupoteza wapi uzalendo/uwajibikaji wa aina hii na kwa namna gani tutaurudisha kabla rasilimali zetu zote hazijapotezwa na kupotea? Hebu pata dondoo hapo chini kutoka katika ukurasa wa 85 na 86 wa kitabu cha Kassum uone jinsi aliyekuwa mzalendo alivyojitolea kusaidia kuandika ripoti hiyo kwa maslahi yetu na jinsi Kassum alivyojaribu kila namna kupata taarifa muhimu kwa ajili ya maslahi ya Taifa (Wajuvi wa lugha ya Taifa, kina Mwanakijijiji n.k., tafadhali mtusaidie kutafsiri hii dondoo):

"At Williamsond Diamonds, I was given an impressive office next door to the Managing Director, George Hunt. He threw a welcome party for me... Right from the beginning, however, the company executives tried to sideline me where management was concerned. Whenever a critical decision had to be taken by the management, the executives met in the Managing Director's office, but I was never invited. It was obvious I would have to find other ways of obtaining information. So I made friend with all their wives. I was a very good dancer. I went to parties and chatted with the wives on the dance floor; and visited the husbands at home and in their offices to get them into conversations about the business. They controlled various parts of the business...and they liked showing off their expertise... Over a year, I compiled a considerable amount of information on the diamond mine... I learned that after diamonds had been mined, sized and valued, they were sent to the Tanzania Diamond Sorting Office in London for further sorting. Then they were sent to De Beers,which had a virtual monopoly over the international diamond trade. De Beers bought stones from most of the diamond producers all over the world... Once a year, buyers would be invited to come and purchase the diamonds. This arrangement enabled De Beers to control supply and thus the international diamond price. If there was a surplus, De Beers would hoard it to ensure that the price did not fall...In Tanzania, De Beers tried to ensure that it would control not only the current mine but also potential mines. They bought concessionary rights over several areas that had the right sort of geology for diamond production, but did not then go on to investigate whether diamonds did actually exist there. The result was that no one else had access to those sites. Tanzanians who had been trained in the diamond trade were sent by De Beers to Botswana instead of being employed in Tanzania. It is only recently that some of those concessions in Tanzania began to be explored. I asked the National Development Corporation (NDC), which was the formal owner of the government's shares in Williamson Diamonds, for help with statistics...The information was provided to me by Basil Mramba, who was later appointed Tanzania's Minister of Finance. He also helped with the writing of my report"

Hakika huu ndio 'Ujasusi wa wa Kweli wa Kitaifa' (A Truly Nationalistic/Patriotic Intelligence) na nadhani kujitoa muhanga huku kunafagiliwa na kunalindwa na Ibara ya 18 (b) na 18 (d) ya Katiba inayosema "Kila mtu anayo haki ya kutafuta, kupokea na kutoa habari bila kujali mipaka ya nchi" na "anayo haki ya kupewa taarifa wakati wote kuhusu matukio mbalimbali muhimu kwa maisha na shughuli za wananchi na pia kuhusu masuala muhimu kwa jamii" ! Kweli 'Taarifa ni Nguvu' (Information is Power)!

 

[Mkora]

Mramba hakuwa Mzalendo, kama walivyokuwa viongozi wengine katika serikali ya JKN 99% walikuwa WAOGA. Walimuogopa JKN kuliko tunavyofikiri, kumbuka miaka hiyo Mzee Nyerere akikuita Ikulu kulikuwa na taarifa za uhakika kuwa unaweza usirirudi tena nyumbani kwako kwa miaka kadhaa. Sasa hilo liliwapa woga wa hali ya juu sana.

Ukiacha hilo, miaka hiyo hawa wafanyakazi wa Serikali walikuwa wana maisha mazuri tofauti na sasa kulikuwa hakuna vishawishi vya kuiba. Taratibu zilikuwa wazi elimu ya serikali ilikuwa nzuri hakuna alifikiria kupeleka mtoto wake ulaya kusoma, hospitali zilikuwa vivyo hivyo, nyumba za serikali ziliwa sio za kugombania kwa maana ukiwa na kazi unayostahili kupata nyumba basi haikuwa tabu sana kupata. Miaka ya 70 ukiwa na Milioni 50 benki (kama utazipata!!!) utazitumia wapi wakati huu hata ukiwa na Bilioni 1 zinaitwa vijisenti.

Mkuu heshima mbele hapo naomba nikusahihishe tukubaliane watu zamani walikuwa na uzalendo sana na kwa kweli kazi ilfanyika tena nzuri sana kwa maslahi ya Taifa, Hawa wote wamekuja huoza baadae kama sikosei awamu ya pili ya mzee Ruksa na wengi walijuta kuwa waaminifu before
Mfano huyu kingunge wa ngombale si alikuwa mkomunisti wa kutupa sasa hivi kiko wapi ?