By Gaure Mdee
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” — JFK.
I start with this quote by John F Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America, not for the country it comes from but because of the content. So here is a different approach to the constant proverbial rant.
For our nation to experience serious change, here are few suggestions as to how it could go about doing it. Let’s imagine a situation where we start from scratch with absolutely nothing — no law, no illusions of fame and definitely no political parties, just simple survival. With this scenario what would be needed first — resources. This is without a shadow of a doubt a no brainer to any Tanzanian out there that this is one country thriving in the abundance of resources.
Next is defining where these resources are and what it is we actually have; and just to help out those who are unaware, here are some of the resources and possibilities Tanzania has to offer. They include the likes of food cultivation products, wind farm capabilities, copper, gold, Tanzanite, uranium and even fish from the lakes and ocean.
Consumption must occur so a tracking system must be created that ensures not only that the country doesn’t run out, (weather permitting), but that there is also a regeneration method for example replacing a tree for a tree and the replenishing of such tree through watering.
A national resource management system to account for every resource would be needed. This would be a system that accounts for every resource used. Now in no friendlier words this is a pretty far fetched idea from the system running right now within the country when you look at situations that called for it like the voucher system for farmers.
To consider production that is optimized and sustainable and strategic preservation is the key. Energy production is close to limitless in the country, but if only the sources are designed to last and also be updated.
Distribution is extremely important so the less distance created the better. If we take an example of this country, where a rampant supply of food in some cases cannot be transported to other parts, mostly due to the fact that there isn’t a fully functional road that allows for the transportation of such food; which could have fed the hunger stricken in other parts of the country. Then it is a clear indication that the distribution process has either been compromised or sidelined. This has also seen food prices go up due to such irregularities in the infrastructure sector.
Demand for food, water, shelter and recreational stuff should be assessed on a national level. If there were a possibility to create a demand tracking system as well and usage by the people, workload would decrease (this has obviously been hindered by the fact that the population has grown too fast for the necessary authority to actually admit that they can handle the situation on the grounds).
Access must be in close proximity from where one is with reliable access centres like the ones used for the Kilimo Kwanza program. This, without a shadow of a doubt, would ensure a stable economy and arguable abundance.
Unfortunately all politics is immersed in corruption and society cannot be maintained by incompetency. There should be no space for slacking around and all decisions made from the said suggestions should be based on thorough research — research that would not require “kitu kidogo” to speed up.
We as Tanzanians can be proud of things that are truly ours like “chips mayai” and “Bongo flava”. It is important to also realize that no Chadema or CCM can create that, it comes from direct innovation of the people.
Nature is a dictatorship, and like it or not, if the current state of things does not see a change we are on a one way ticket to disaster; as it is reports show that just over 650 metres of water are left in the Mtera power plant, which is approximately two months of power before the impending and debilitating power cuts. Having access and management of needs is the answer.
Could these be possible solutions? I leave this for you to answer.
But do remember that this is only possible if issues that matter are addressed and that what is naturally ours is managed effectively. As one gold mine sign says below with great irony, “Do not steal from the company, you steal from your future.”
The Drowning Fish Series:
A lot of this reminded me of Zeitgeist 2011. But I think it’s way too late for us to agree on a plan of action. Because we’ve screwed ourselves so bad, that now what matters most is making sure people live to see another day. Most philosophers tend to ignore that being born into a life of deprivation does not offer the priviledge to think of the “why” question.
Instead, I would suggest people look at what is needed most from collective action. You mention the need to use demand to allocate resources efficiently. Well, similarly, we should use the demand for BASIC NECESSITIES to life to allocate our resources. This seems like a simple imperative, yet we read about governments killing citizens even today. Double-you Tee Eff?
I agree jack d, the have nots do not look into this with great thought i think. At the end of the day we think of the fact that we have a government in place that acts as though they are above the law and do not need to have anyone follow up on them. It is insane. And those who are required to make them answer to this ie the prez are silent.
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