Inkoskaz
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 6, 2010
- 6,371
- 2,377
By Ali Mufuruki
I have read some articles by concerned members of the public, government officials and politicians about US government’s recent decision to suspend all relations between our government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Sadly, however, articulate as some of these statements are, they miss the simple point that the world is not as simple and as straightforward as the writers/speakers seem to assume.
They also seem to suggest, unfairly in my opinion, that we Tanzanians bear no responsibility for what has happened and are mere victims of imperialist bullying by the mighty United States, but the truth is much more complex than that.
I have been arguing since this matter came up that, smart diplomacy is the only way to go in today’s complex world. Our diplomatic institutions have been caught napping by this predictable decision by the US. They should swing into action rather than resort to mere complaining and passing blame.
Without pointing an accusing finger at our intelligence and diplomatic institutions, in all fairness, our government should have anticipated the (US) reaction. The Americans more or less telegraphed their reaction with a threat to suspend relations, when the Escrow scandal broke out early last year. This was in connection with an MCC covenant in fighting against corruption in government institutions.
The government knew or should have known how MCC would respond to its handling of the Zanzibar election stalemate and taken necessary pre-emptive steps such as engaging the Americans and other partners immediately after it became clear we were going to have an electoral crisis.
I will not dwell on the disagreement over the cybercrimes law because in my estimation it is a mere red herring.
We should have demonstrated to the Americans and the whole world that the Zanzibar problem, while complicated, is firmly under control and a solution will be found, but it will take time and the world must work with us, not against us.
I have no doubt in my mind that this alone would have gone a long way in reassuring our partners and even various constituencies at home that serious efforts are being made to resolve the problem at hand and we would have secured the much needed political space to deal with this delicate matter internally in an atmosphere of calm without all attendant economic and political pressures that now seem inevitable.
It is a well-known fact that relations between nations are driven by interests not emotions. We should, therefore, not be surprised if the US leverages its considerable financial muscle to achieve its foreign policy objectives, including, but not limited to wanting to be an influential player in a region that is quickly becoming very interesting in the wider global geopolitical context.
Our reaction to this MCC announcement, therefore, should not be one of indignation and surprise, but rather, we should pick up a phone or dispatch our diplomats to Washington, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo, clarify our position, name the red lines that cannot be crossed, but also ask our partners to be reasonable and supportive of our efforts to resolve our problems.
It is understandable that some people are offended by the hypocrisy and double standards of the US, but we must also understand that the US has never had any problems being called out as a hypocrite. It has never stopped them from doing what they do, be it the unjust 50 yearlong economic embargo of Cuba or the false claim of weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq 15 years ago.
We must be smarter than that and we can learn about how to deal with people you are in disagreement with from none other than the US itself.
A good example is that although President Obama cannot stand his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he calls him regularly to discuss important matters of state. He even keeps the infamous red phone in his office desk and on his bedside table in case of that unthinkable eventuality. He calls him even when they are in violent disagreement on ways of resolving ongoing global conflicts such as the one in Syria or Ukraine.
The MCC event is bigger than the money involved. Our failure to comply with the covenants we voluntarily agreed to, is a sign of weakness not strength. It is an admission that we have slipped on the governance scale even by our own standards. It will have consequences beyond the loss of the money being offered under the compact both locally and internationally.
Even if we did not need financial assistance for our development, we would need to maintain good relations with the likes of US, UK, China and EU if we want to avoid unnecessary disruptions to our development plans.
More importantly, however, we must ask ourselves if the decision to reject the MCC funds under these circumstances has the support of the majority of our people and the rights of some of our fellow citizens are not being sacrificed in the name of sovereignty and political expediency.
And while I wish it was not the case, Tanzania doesn’t have sufficient resources to fund all its ambitious development plans using internal sources even if we managed to stop all forms of tax evasion.
And running to the Chinese is not a sustainable solution in the long run. For all I know we will soon reach the ceiling of the debt we can sustainably take from the Chinese if this has not happened already.
The writers of various articles may be right when they claim that our relationship with the US cannot be defined by the MCC alone, but they are terribly mistaken if they think the US will leave us alone simply because we have decided to forgo the MCC money. That’s not how the world works.
We can be as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow that other development partners will soon follow in the footsteps of the US and the implications for us will become significant very quickly.
And let us be honest, Zanzibar is a real problem that requires urgent fixing. These recent elections were a terrible error of judgment. Soon we will see Dr Ali Mohamed Shein struggling to rule by himself in a country, whose Constitution assumes the government will always be made up of the two main political parties.
Now we have no opposition party based on the election results of March 20 and, of course, CCM has the numbers to amend the Constitution to enable it to govern, but such a move would deepen the crisis, not alleviate it.
I wrote a piece last year suggesting that the Zanzibar issue is too complex to be resolved through a one-man-one-vote solution. I also said that Tanzania Mainland could not stay out of the Zanzibar problem because for better or worse, for we are one and the same country.
A negotiated outcome would not have been a perfect solution to the election crisis in Zanzibar, but it would definitely have been better than the sham elections we just had. There was no rush to do this election because Dr Shein was constitutionally in office back then. Now, however, his legitimacy is shaky and he has become part of the problem - not the solution.
My hope is that when JPM takes over as chairman of CCM he will appoint a CCM leader in Zanzibar and on the mainland that can work with CUF and other opposition parties to bring peace and tranquillity back to the Isles.
I also hope that this new leadership will have wise answers to many pertinent questions that are being asked about the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar on both sides of the Union.
As for the MCC, we need to engage the Americans and push for the restoration of relations as soon as possible. Americans no doubt have an agenda, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have our own, because that is how the world works.
Mr Mufuruki is Chairman & CEO, Infotech Investment Group and co-founder and chairman of the CEO Roundtable.
Source: thecitizen
=======================
TAFSIRI (KISWAHILI):
Nimesoma makala kadhaa kuhusu hisia za wananchi, viongozi wa serikali na wanasiasa kufuatia uamuzi wa hivi karibuni wa serikali ya Marekani kusitisha mahusiano yote kati ya serikali yetu na Shirika la Changamoto la Milenia 'Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)'.
Inasikitisha kuona baadhi ya kauli zinavyotolewa kana kwamba ni jambo jepesi na lisilo na madhara, huku wakishindwa kuelewa kwamba dunia ya sasa mambo si marahisi na yaliyonyooka kama waandishi/wazungumzaji wanavyochukulia.
Pia kuna wanaolisemea hili jambo, ambapo kwa maoni yangu si sawa, kwamba sisi watanzania ni waathirika tu wa ubabe/uonevu wa kibepari wa Marekani na wala hatuwajibiki na kilichotokea, lakini ukweli wa mambo ni zaidi ya hivyo inavyotaka kuaminishwa!
Mimi nimekuwa nikijibizana na kujadiliana tangu suala hili lilipoibuka, kwamba Diplomasia mahiri ndio njia pekee ya kwenda katika dunia tata ya leo. Taasisi zetu za kidiplomasia zinaonekana kama zimeshtukizwa na maamuzi haya ya Marekani ambayo yalitabirika kutokea. Wao wanachopaswa kufanya ni kutafuta suluhu na sio kuishia kulalamika na kutoa lawama.
Bila kunyooshea kidole vyombo vyetu vya usalama na taasisi za kidiplomasia, katika haki zote, serikali yetu ilipaswa kuwa na matarajio ya kilichotokea. Wamarekani walishawahi kutoa tishio la kusitisha mahusiano ilipoibuka kashfa ya Escrow mwaka jana. Hii ilikuwa kuhusiana na Agano la MCC katika mapambano dhidi ya rushwa katika taasisi za serikali.
Serikali ilijua au ilipaswa kujua mwitiko wa MCC kufuatia namna zoezi la Uchaguzi wa Zanzibar lilivyokuwa likishughulikiwa, na kuchukua hatua muhimu kama vile ya kuihusisha Marekani na washirika wengine mapema pale dalili zilipoonyesha kuwa tunaelekea kuwa na mgogoro ktk uchaguzi ujao.
Sitolizungumzia suala la kutokukubaliana na Sheria ya Makosa ya Mtandao, kwa sababu ***
Sisi tulipaswa kuwaonyesha Wamarekani na dunia nzima kwamba tatizo la Zanzibar, pamoja na ugumu wake, liko chini ya usimamizi na suluhu itapatikana, japo litachukua muda ila dunia yapaswa kushirikiana nasi na sio kwenda kinyume nasi.
Na hakuna shaka katika akili yangu kwamba, hii peke yake ingekuwa ni njia ya muda mrefu katika kutuliza washirika wetu na hata maeneo mbalimbali nchini kwamba juhudi kubwa inafanyika kutatua tatizo na tungeepusha kutumia nguvu kubwa ya kisiasa katika kukabiliana na jambo hili, tena katika mazingira ya utulivu ndani ya nchi bila kuathiri mashinikizo ya kiuchumi na kisiasa ambayo kwa sasa yanaonekana ni magumu kuepukika.
Ni ukweli unaojulikana sana kwamba mahusiano kati ya Mataifa yanaendeshwa kwa maslahi, si hisia. Kwa hiyo, hatupaswi kushangaa kwa Marekani kutunisha misuli yake ya kifedha ili kufikia malengo yake ya sera ya kigeni, yakiwemo kutaka kuwa mchezaji na mshawishi mkubwa katika eneo ambalo kwa sasa linaonekana kuvutia sana katika muktadha mpana wa siasa pinzani za kimataifa.
Kwa sasa Zanzibar hakuna Chama cha Upinzani kulingana na matokeo ya uchaguzi wa tarehe 20 Machi, na bila shaka, CCM inabidi kurekebisha katiba ili kuiwezesha kuongoza, lakini hatua hiyo itaongeza mgogoro, si kupunguza.
Majibu yetu kwa tangazo hili la MCC, hata hivyo, yalipaswa yasiwe kwa ghadhabu na mshangao, lakini badala yake, sisi tunapaswa kuchukua simu au kupeleka wanadiplomasia wetu Washington, Brussels, Beijing na Tokyo, kufafanua msimamo wetu, na kutaja maeneo ya mstari mwekundu ambayo hayawezi kuvukwa, lakini pia tuwaombe washirika wetu kuwa na busara na kuunga mkono jitihada zetu za kutatua matatizo yetu.
Inaeleweka kwamba baadhi ya watu wanachukizwa kwa unafiki na viwango-uwili(double-standards) za Marekani, lakini pia lazima tuelewe kwamba Marekani kamwe haijawahi kuchukizwa kuitwa mnafiki. Hilo halijawahi kuwazuia kufanya wanachotaka kufanya, iwe kwa udhalimu wa takribani miaka 50 ya kuiwekea Cuba vikwazo vya kiuchumi, au madai ya uongo ya uwepo wa silaha za maangamizi nchini Iraq kwa Saddam Hussein miaka 15 iliyopita.
Lazima tuwe werevu zaidi ya sasa, tujifunze kuhusu jinsi ya kukabiliana na watu tusiokubaliana nao na haswa Marekani yenyewe.
Mfano mzuri ni kwamba ingawa Rais Obama hapatani na rais wa Urusi, Vladimir Putin, lakini humwita mara kwa mara ili kujadili masuala muhimu ya nchi. Wakati mwingine anaweka hata ile 'red-phone' katika dawati lake la ofisi na kitanda ili kujihadhari kwa lolote endapo wakipishana. Yeye humwita hata wanapokuwa kwenye ugomvi, kujadili kuhusu migogoro inayoendelea duniani kama ile ya Syria au Ukraine.
Tukio la MCC ni kubwa kuliko fedha husika. Kushindwa kuzingatia makubaliano tuliyokubaliana kwa hiari, ni ishara ya udhaifu wetu, wala si nguvu. Ni kukubali kwamba tumeporomoka katika kipimo cha utawala hata kwa viwango vyetu wenyewe. Itakuwa na matokeo zaidi ya kupoteza fedha zinazotolewa, katika duru zote za kitaifa na kimataifa.
Hata kama sisi hatukuhitaji msaada wa fedha kwa ajili ya maendeleo yetu, tungehitaji kudumisha mahusiano mazuri na Marekani, UK, China na EU ikiwa tunataka kuepuka kukatishwa kusiko kwa lazima kwa mipango yetu ya maendeleo.
Muhimu zaidi, hata hivyo, lazima tujiulize kama uamuzi wa kukataa fedha za MCC chini ya hali hizi umeungwa mkono na wananchi wengi, na haki za baadhi ya raia wenzetu hazitolewi sadaka kwa jina la uhuru na ubora wa kisiasa.
Japo natamani isingekuwa hivi, ila Tanzania haina rasilimali za kutosha kugharamia mipango yake kabambe ya maendeleo kwa kutumia vyanzo vya ndani hata kama tunaweza kukomesha aina zote za ukwepaji kodi.
Na kukimbilia kwa Wachina sio suluhisho endelevu la muda mrefu. Kwa sababu kwa ninachojua, hivi karibuni tutafikia ukomo wa deni tunaloweza kuchukua kutoka China kama hii haikufanyika tayari.
Waandishi wa makala mbalimbali wanaweza kuwa sahihi pale wanapodai kwamba uhusiano wetu na Marekani hauwezi kutanabaishwa kupitia MCC peke yake, lakini watakuwa wanakosea sana kama wanafikiri Marekani watatuacha hivi hivi tu kwa vile tumeamua tuachane na fedha za MCC, hivyo sivyo dunia inavyoenda.
Ni ukweli usio na shaka kwamba wabia wengine wa maendeleo muda si mrefu watafuata nyayo za Marekani na athari kwetu itakuwa kubwa sana na itatokea kwa haraka.
Na tuwe wakweli, Zanzibar ni tatizo halisi ambalo linahitaji utatuzi wa haraka. Uchaguzi huu wa hivi karibuni lilifanyika kosa kubwa. Muda si mrefu tutaona Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein akipata shida kuendesha utawala mwenyewe katika nchi, ilihali katiba yenyewe inaonyesha serikali itakuwa inaundwa na vyama viwili vikuu vya siasa (SUK).
Niliandika mwaka jana kupendekeza kwamba suala la Zanzibar ni ngumu sana kutatuliwa kupitia suluhisho la mtu-mmoja-kura-moja. Pia nilisema kwamba Tanzania bara haiwezi kujitoa kwenye tatizo la Zanzibar kwa sababu lolote zuri au mbaya, sisi ni nchi ya kitu kimoja.
Matokeo ya mazungumzo siyo ingekuwa suluhisho kamili la mgogoro wa uchaguzi huko Zanzibar, lakini ni dhahiri ingekuwa bora zaidi kuliko uchaguzi ulivyokuwa. Kulikuwa hakuna haja ya kukimbilia kufanya uchaguzi huu kwa sababu Dr Shein alikuwa kikatiba madarakani tayari. Lakini kwa sasa uhalali wake wa kuendelea kuwa rais ni dhaifu na yeye kuwa sehemu ya tatizo - badala ya suluhisho.
Matumaini yangu ni kwamba wakati JPM atakapokuwa mwenyekiti wa CCM, atawaweka pamoja kiongozi wa CCM Zanzibar na Bara kwamba wanaweza kufanya kazi na CUF na vyama vingine vya upinzani ili kuleta amani na utulivu Visiwani.
Pia nina matumaini kwamba uongozi huu mpya utakuwa na majibu ya hekima kwa maswali mengi ambayo yamekuwa yakiulizwa juu ya muungano kati ya Tanganyika na Zanzibar katika pande zote za muungano.
Na kuhusu MCC, tunahitaji kujirudi kwa Wamarekani na kuhimiza urejesho wa mahusiano haraka iwezekanavyo. Wamarekani bila shaka wana ajenda yao, lakini hiyo haina maana sisi hatuwezi kuwa na zetu wenyewe pia, kwa sababu ndivyo jinsi ulimwengu unavyofanya kazi.
- Mr. Mufuruki ni mwenyekiti na Mkurugenzi wa Infotech Investment Group na ni mwanzilishi-mwenza na Mwenyekiti wa CEO Roundtable.
I have read some articles by concerned members of the public, government officials and politicians about US government’s recent decision to suspend all relations between our government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Sadly, however, articulate as some of these statements are, they miss the simple point that the world is not as simple and as straightforward as the writers/speakers seem to assume.
They also seem to suggest, unfairly in my opinion, that we Tanzanians bear no responsibility for what has happened and are mere victims of imperialist bullying by the mighty United States, but the truth is much more complex than that.
I have been arguing since this matter came up that, smart diplomacy is the only way to go in today’s complex world. Our diplomatic institutions have been caught napping by this predictable decision by the US. They should swing into action rather than resort to mere complaining and passing blame.
Without pointing an accusing finger at our intelligence and diplomatic institutions, in all fairness, our government should have anticipated the (US) reaction. The Americans more or less telegraphed their reaction with a threat to suspend relations, when the Escrow scandal broke out early last year. This was in connection with an MCC covenant in fighting against corruption in government institutions.
The government knew or should have known how MCC would respond to its handling of the Zanzibar election stalemate and taken necessary pre-emptive steps such as engaging the Americans and other partners immediately after it became clear we were going to have an electoral crisis.
I will not dwell on the disagreement over the cybercrimes law because in my estimation it is a mere red herring.
We should have demonstrated to the Americans and the whole world that the Zanzibar problem, while complicated, is firmly under control and a solution will be found, but it will take time and the world must work with us, not against us.
I have no doubt in my mind that this alone would have gone a long way in reassuring our partners and even various constituencies at home that serious efforts are being made to resolve the problem at hand and we would have secured the much needed political space to deal with this delicate matter internally in an atmosphere of calm without all attendant economic and political pressures that now seem inevitable.
It is a well-known fact that relations between nations are driven by interests not emotions. We should, therefore, not be surprised if the US leverages its considerable financial muscle to achieve its foreign policy objectives, including, but not limited to wanting to be an influential player in a region that is quickly becoming very interesting in the wider global geopolitical context.
Our reaction to this MCC announcement, therefore, should not be one of indignation and surprise, but rather, we should pick up a phone or dispatch our diplomats to Washington, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo, clarify our position, name the red lines that cannot be crossed, but also ask our partners to be reasonable and supportive of our efforts to resolve our problems.
It is understandable that some people are offended by the hypocrisy and double standards of the US, but we must also understand that the US has never had any problems being called out as a hypocrite. It has never stopped them from doing what they do, be it the unjust 50 yearlong economic embargo of Cuba or the false claim of weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq 15 years ago.
We must be smarter than that and we can learn about how to deal with people you are in disagreement with from none other than the US itself.
A good example is that although President Obama cannot stand his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he calls him regularly to discuss important matters of state. He even keeps the infamous red phone in his office desk and on his bedside table in case of that unthinkable eventuality. He calls him even when they are in violent disagreement on ways of resolving ongoing global conflicts such as the one in Syria or Ukraine.
The MCC event is bigger than the money involved. Our failure to comply with the covenants we voluntarily agreed to, is a sign of weakness not strength. It is an admission that we have slipped on the governance scale even by our own standards. It will have consequences beyond the loss of the money being offered under the compact both locally and internationally.
Even if we did not need financial assistance for our development, we would need to maintain good relations with the likes of US, UK, China and EU if we want to avoid unnecessary disruptions to our development plans.
More importantly, however, we must ask ourselves if the decision to reject the MCC funds under these circumstances has the support of the majority of our people and the rights of some of our fellow citizens are not being sacrificed in the name of sovereignty and political expediency.
And while I wish it was not the case, Tanzania doesn’t have sufficient resources to fund all its ambitious development plans using internal sources even if we managed to stop all forms of tax evasion.
And running to the Chinese is not a sustainable solution in the long run. For all I know we will soon reach the ceiling of the debt we can sustainably take from the Chinese if this has not happened already.
The writers of various articles may be right when they claim that our relationship with the US cannot be defined by the MCC alone, but they are terribly mistaken if they think the US will leave us alone simply because we have decided to forgo the MCC money. That’s not how the world works.
We can be as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow that other development partners will soon follow in the footsteps of the US and the implications for us will become significant very quickly.
And let us be honest, Zanzibar is a real problem that requires urgent fixing. These recent elections were a terrible error of judgment. Soon we will see Dr Ali Mohamed Shein struggling to rule by himself in a country, whose Constitution assumes the government will always be made up of the two main political parties.
Now we have no opposition party based on the election results of March 20 and, of course, CCM has the numbers to amend the Constitution to enable it to govern, but such a move would deepen the crisis, not alleviate it.
I wrote a piece last year suggesting that the Zanzibar issue is too complex to be resolved through a one-man-one-vote solution. I also said that Tanzania Mainland could not stay out of the Zanzibar problem because for better or worse, for we are one and the same country.
A negotiated outcome would not have been a perfect solution to the election crisis in Zanzibar, but it would definitely have been better than the sham elections we just had. There was no rush to do this election because Dr Shein was constitutionally in office back then. Now, however, his legitimacy is shaky and he has become part of the problem - not the solution.
My hope is that when JPM takes over as chairman of CCM he will appoint a CCM leader in Zanzibar and on the mainland that can work with CUF and other opposition parties to bring peace and tranquillity back to the Isles.
I also hope that this new leadership will have wise answers to many pertinent questions that are being asked about the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar on both sides of the Union.
As for the MCC, we need to engage the Americans and push for the restoration of relations as soon as possible. Americans no doubt have an agenda, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have our own, because that is how the world works.
Mr Mufuruki is Chairman & CEO, Infotech Investment Group and co-founder and chairman of the CEO Roundtable.
Source: thecitizen
=======================
TAFSIRI (KISWAHILI):
Nimesoma makala kadhaa kuhusu hisia za wananchi, viongozi wa serikali na wanasiasa kufuatia uamuzi wa hivi karibuni wa serikali ya Marekani kusitisha mahusiano yote kati ya serikali yetu na Shirika la Changamoto la Milenia 'Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)'.
Inasikitisha kuona baadhi ya kauli zinavyotolewa kana kwamba ni jambo jepesi na lisilo na madhara, huku wakishindwa kuelewa kwamba dunia ya sasa mambo si marahisi na yaliyonyooka kama waandishi/wazungumzaji wanavyochukulia.
Pia kuna wanaolisemea hili jambo, ambapo kwa maoni yangu si sawa, kwamba sisi watanzania ni waathirika tu wa ubabe/uonevu wa kibepari wa Marekani na wala hatuwajibiki na kilichotokea, lakini ukweli wa mambo ni zaidi ya hivyo inavyotaka kuaminishwa!
Mimi nimekuwa nikijibizana na kujadiliana tangu suala hili lilipoibuka, kwamba Diplomasia mahiri ndio njia pekee ya kwenda katika dunia tata ya leo. Taasisi zetu za kidiplomasia zinaonekana kama zimeshtukizwa na maamuzi haya ya Marekani ambayo yalitabirika kutokea. Wao wanachopaswa kufanya ni kutafuta suluhu na sio kuishia kulalamika na kutoa lawama.
Bila kunyooshea kidole vyombo vyetu vya usalama na taasisi za kidiplomasia, katika haki zote, serikali yetu ilipaswa kuwa na matarajio ya kilichotokea. Wamarekani walishawahi kutoa tishio la kusitisha mahusiano ilipoibuka kashfa ya Escrow mwaka jana. Hii ilikuwa kuhusiana na Agano la MCC katika mapambano dhidi ya rushwa katika taasisi za serikali.
Serikali ilijua au ilipaswa kujua mwitiko wa MCC kufuatia namna zoezi la Uchaguzi wa Zanzibar lilivyokuwa likishughulikiwa, na kuchukua hatua muhimu kama vile ya kuihusisha Marekani na washirika wengine mapema pale dalili zilipoonyesha kuwa tunaelekea kuwa na mgogoro ktk uchaguzi ujao.
Sitolizungumzia suala la kutokukubaliana na Sheria ya Makosa ya Mtandao, kwa sababu ***
Sisi tulipaswa kuwaonyesha Wamarekani na dunia nzima kwamba tatizo la Zanzibar, pamoja na ugumu wake, liko chini ya usimamizi na suluhu itapatikana, japo litachukua muda ila dunia yapaswa kushirikiana nasi na sio kwenda kinyume nasi.
Na hakuna shaka katika akili yangu kwamba, hii peke yake ingekuwa ni njia ya muda mrefu katika kutuliza washirika wetu na hata maeneo mbalimbali nchini kwamba juhudi kubwa inafanyika kutatua tatizo na tungeepusha kutumia nguvu kubwa ya kisiasa katika kukabiliana na jambo hili, tena katika mazingira ya utulivu ndani ya nchi bila kuathiri mashinikizo ya kiuchumi na kisiasa ambayo kwa sasa yanaonekana ni magumu kuepukika.
Ni ukweli unaojulikana sana kwamba mahusiano kati ya Mataifa yanaendeshwa kwa maslahi, si hisia. Kwa hiyo, hatupaswi kushangaa kwa Marekani kutunisha misuli yake ya kifedha ili kufikia malengo yake ya sera ya kigeni, yakiwemo kutaka kuwa mchezaji na mshawishi mkubwa katika eneo ambalo kwa sasa linaonekana kuvutia sana katika muktadha mpana wa siasa pinzani za kimataifa.
Kwa sasa Zanzibar hakuna Chama cha Upinzani kulingana na matokeo ya uchaguzi wa tarehe 20 Machi, na bila shaka, CCM inabidi kurekebisha katiba ili kuiwezesha kuongoza, lakini hatua hiyo itaongeza mgogoro, si kupunguza.
Majibu yetu kwa tangazo hili la MCC, hata hivyo, yalipaswa yasiwe kwa ghadhabu na mshangao, lakini badala yake, sisi tunapaswa kuchukua simu au kupeleka wanadiplomasia wetu Washington, Brussels, Beijing na Tokyo, kufafanua msimamo wetu, na kutaja maeneo ya mstari mwekundu ambayo hayawezi kuvukwa, lakini pia tuwaombe washirika wetu kuwa na busara na kuunga mkono jitihada zetu za kutatua matatizo yetu.
Inaeleweka kwamba baadhi ya watu wanachukizwa kwa unafiki na viwango-uwili(double-standards) za Marekani, lakini pia lazima tuelewe kwamba Marekani kamwe haijawahi kuchukizwa kuitwa mnafiki. Hilo halijawahi kuwazuia kufanya wanachotaka kufanya, iwe kwa udhalimu wa takribani miaka 50 ya kuiwekea Cuba vikwazo vya kiuchumi, au madai ya uongo ya uwepo wa silaha za maangamizi nchini Iraq kwa Saddam Hussein miaka 15 iliyopita.
Lazima tuwe werevu zaidi ya sasa, tujifunze kuhusu jinsi ya kukabiliana na watu tusiokubaliana nao na haswa Marekani yenyewe.
Mfano mzuri ni kwamba ingawa Rais Obama hapatani na rais wa Urusi, Vladimir Putin, lakini humwita mara kwa mara ili kujadili masuala muhimu ya nchi. Wakati mwingine anaweka hata ile 'red-phone' katika dawati lake la ofisi na kitanda ili kujihadhari kwa lolote endapo wakipishana. Yeye humwita hata wanapokuwa kwenye ugomvi, kujadili kuhusu migogoro inayoendelea duniani kama ile ya Syria au Ukraine.
Tukio la MCC ni kubwa kuliko fedha husika. Kushindwa kuzingatia makubaliano tuliyokubaliana kwa hiari, ni ishara ya udhaifu wetu, wala si nguvu. Ni kukubali kwamba tumeporomoka katika kipimo cha utawala hata kwa viwango vyetu wenyewe. Itakuwa na matokeo zaidi ya kupoteza fedha zinazotolewa, katika duru zote za kitaifa na kimataifa.
Hata kama sisi hatukuhitaji msaada wa fedha kwa ajili ya maendeleo yetu, tungehitaji kudumisha mahusiano mazuri na Marekani, UK, China na EU ikiwa tunataka kuepuka kukatishwa kusiko kwa lazima kwa mipango yetu ya maendeleo.
Muhimu zaidi, hata hivyo, lazima tujiulize kama uamuzi wa kukataa fedha za MCC chini ya hali hizi umeungwa mkono na wananchi wengi, na haki za baadhi ya raia wenzetu hazitolewi sadaka kwa jina la uhuru na ubora wa kisiasa.
Japo natamani isingekuwa hivi, ila Tanzania haina rasilimali za kutosha kugharamia mipango yake kabambe ya maendeleo kwa kutumia vyanzo vya ndani hata kama tunaweza kukomesha aina zote za ukwepaji kodi.
Na kukimbilia kwa Wachina sio suluhisho endelevu la muda mrefu. Kwa sababu kwa ninachojua, hivi karibuni tutafikia ukomo wa deni tunaloweza kuchukua kutoka China kama hii haikufanyika tayari.
Waandishi wa makala mbalimbali wanaweza kuwa sahihi pale wanapodai kwamba uhusiano wetu na Marekani hauwezi kutanabaishwa kupitia MCC peke yake, lakini watakuwa wanakosea sana kama wanafikiri Marekani watatuacha hivi hivi tu kwa vile tumeamua tuachane na fedha za MCC, hivyo sivyo dunia inavyoenda.
Ni ukweli usio na shaka kwamba wabia wengine wa maendeleo muda si mrefu watafuata nyayo za Marekani na athari kwetu itakuwa kubwa sana na itatokea kwa haraka.
Na tuwe wakweli, Zanzibar ni tatizo halisi ambalo linahitaji utatuzi wa haraka. Uchaguzi huu wa hivi karibuni lilifanyika kosa kubwa. Muda si mrefu tutaona Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein akipata shida kuendesha utawala mwenyewe katika nchi, ilihali katiba yenyewe inaonyesha serikali itakuwa inaundwa na vyama viwili vikuu vya siasa (SUK).
Niliandika mwaka jana kupendekeza kwamba suala la Zanzibar ni ngumu sana kutatuliwa kupitia suluhisho la mtu-mmoja-kura-moja. Pia nilisema kwamba Tanzania bara haiwezi kujitoa kwenye tatizo la Zanzibar kwa sababu lolote zuri au mbaya, sisi ni nchi ya kitu kimoja.
Matokeo ya mazungumzo siyo ingekuwa suluhisho kamili la mgogoro wa uchaguzi huko Zanzibar, lakini ni dhahiri ingekuwa bora zaidi kuliko uchaguzi ulivyokuwa. Kulikuwa hakuna haja ya kukimbilia kufanya uchaguzi huu kwa sababu Dr Shein alikuwa kikatiba madarakani tayari. Lakini kwa sasa uhalali wake wa kuendelea kuwa rais ni dhaifu na yeye kuwa sehemu ya tatizo - badala ya suluhisho.
Matumaini yangu ni kwamba wakati JPM atakapokuwa mwenyekiti wa CCM, atawaweka pamoja kiongozi wa CCM Zanzibar na Bara kwamba wanaweza kufanya kazi na CUF na vyama vingine vya upinzani ili kuleta amani na utulivu Visiwani.
Pia nina matumaini kwamba uongozi huu mpya utakuwa na majibu ya hekima kwa maswali mengi ambayo yamekuwa yakiulizwa juu ya muungano kati ya Tanganyika na Zanzibar katika pande zote za muungano.
Na kuhusu MCC, tunahitaji kujirudi kwa Wamarekani na kuhimiza urejesho wa mahusiano haraka iwezekanavyo. Wamarekani bila shaka wana ajenda yao, lakini hiyo haina maana sisi hatuwezi kuwa na zetu wenyewe pia, kwa sababu ndivyo jinsi ulimwengu unavyofanya kazi.
- Mr. Mufuruki ni mwenyekiti na Mkurugenzi wa Infotech Investment Group na ni mwanzilishi-mwenza na Mwenyekiti wa CEO Roundtable.
