| Mr Pinda |
Adopting
Malaysia’s development model is not the panacea for higher development to the
level of middle income because the prerequisites do not exist in Tanzania,
according to experts.
This
is the view given by experts in separate interviews with this paper yesterday.
They said adoption of such a development model without the people’s full
participation and concrete action is inappropriate.
They were reacting to the
statement of Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda on Wednesday that the Malaysian
development model was set to be implemented in the 2013/14 financial year.
One
of them, Prof Marjorie Mbilinyi, a former senior lecturer of development
studies at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), said a development model
based on the thinking and action of 300 people is irrelevant since it lacks
ownership.
“This
kind of thinking that development will trickle down to the people without their
full involvement is irrelevant. You cannot attain genuine development without
creating a strong domestic market,” she said, explaining:
“A
genuine development process is one which empowers people to participate in
policy making actively. The thinking that we should leave few people to decide
for the majority is wrong,” she declared.
The
budgeting process for 2013/14 financial had embraced such thinking that led to
ineffective participation of key stakeholders, she said.According to her, the
new thinking in government circles is to favour the well-to-do at the expense
of the majority of Tanzanians who wallow in poverty.
“Even
the thinking within the International Monetary Fund is changing, focusing on
participatory development process. But the government’s thinking is turning
against it,” she said.She added that development of material things rather than
improvement of the welfare of the majority of people was meaningless.
For
his part, Prof Humphrey Moshi, a senior lecturer at the UDSM economics
department, said the development model alone was not a panacea as it requires
concrete action, commitment and requisite conditions.
Said he: “It is important
to note that the conditions for development which have existed in Malaysia are
different from Tanzania’s. Tanzanians must be well prepared.
“Are
we prepared for that? Do we have the capacity to put in practice such a model?
Do we have enough incentives for that process?”
According
to him, the country has no capacity and infrastructure to implement such
development model.
Unveiling
the Sh4.2 trillion budget for the Prime Minister’s Office and the Local
government and Regional Authorities in Parliament
in Dodoma yesterday, Mr Pinda said a system has been created to ensure
effective implementation of six priority areas.
More budgetary allocations for
development projects would be made to the priority areas to ensure the country
moves forward faster, he said.
The
six priority areas to be implemented in the next fiscal year include: energy
and natural gas, transport, agriculture, water, education and mobilisation of
resources.
A comprehensive system has been created, the Premier said, to ensure
there is a break from the past where priorities ended up being ignored.
A
body called President’s Delivery Bureau has been created to oversee the general
implementation of government priorities, Mr Pinda said.
The Bureau will be under
the President’s Office and will bring together experts and key stakeholders who
will choose and agree on priorities as well as refine them to make them
implementable.
Source:
The Citizen, www.thecitizen.co.tz, reported by Ludger Kasumuni in Dar es Salaam
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