Friday, December 13, 2024

New Tanzanian President John Magufuli makes radical changes

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Tanzania's President elect John Pombe Magufuli addresses members of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party (CCM) at the party's sub-head office on Lumumba road in Dar es Salaam, October 30, 2015. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman
Tanzania’s President elect John Pombe Magufuli addresses members of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi Party (CCM) at the party’s sub-head office on Lumumba road in Dar es Salaam, October 30, 2015. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman

Newly elected Tanzanian President John Magufuli has scrapped independence day celebrations to spend the money on a clean-up campaign, an official statement said.The president has instead decreed that on that day everybody should pick up their tools and clean their backyards.

“It is so shameful that we are spending huge amounts of money to celebrate 54 years of independence when our people are dying of cholera,” Magufuli said in a statement read on state television late Monday.

Last weekend the Tanzanian parliament was going to open and there was a state dinner planned for all guests that was going to cost about 300million Shillings.President Magulufi cut the budget to 25million Shillings and ordered that the rest be taken to buy hospital beds for Muhimbili they got 300 beds and mattresses and 600 bed sheets from that money.

On Saturday 21st November 2015 a group of 50 people were about to set off for a tour of commonwealth countries but President Magulufi cut that list down to 4 people, saving government 600m shillings in tickets, accommodation and per diems.

It is said when John Magufuli was confirmed winner of the presidential election people started congratulating him and sent gifts to his place which he turned back, saying he will receive all congratulations over the phone and nobody should visit him.

Some other austerity measures include:

      • No more foreign travel, embassies will take care; if it’s necessary to go, special permission must be sought from him or Chief Secretary
      • No more 1st class and business class travel for all officials except President, Vice, and Prime Minister.
      • No more workshops and seminars in expensive hotels when their so many ministry board rooms available.
      • President Magulufi asked how come engineers are given V8s when a pick-up is more suitable for their jobs.
      • No more sitting allowances, how the hell are you paid allowance for a job which you have a monthly salary; that also applies to MP’s.
      • All individuals/firms that bought state companies that were privatized but haven’t done anything (20years later) are to either revive the industries immediately or hand them back to the government

Tanzania’s say President Magulufi has literally pressed the reset button; returning Tanzania to default factory settings which was the Tanzania Julius Nyerere left.

On the day after he was brought to power, as State House officials were showing him round he decided to take a walk to ministry of finance, told government workers to get their act together. He asked why some employees weren’t in offices and ordered the TRA to scrap all tax exemptions, everyone must pay taxes especially the big guys

President Magulufi went to Muhimbili Hospital unannounced and walked thru the worst parts that they keep hiden from important visitors and fired the director, the hospital board and ordered that all machines that weren’t working (so that people go to private hospitals owned by some doctors) to be repaired within 2 weeks otherwise he would fire even the new director.The machines were repaired in 3 days.

Finally, last week when going to officially open parliament President Magulufi didn’t go by plane, drove the whole 600km from Dar to Dodoma.

President Magulufi has reduced the size of the presidential convoy, even reduced the size of presidential delegation that travels with him.

President Magulufi chose a Prime Minister most had never heard of before, a man with a reputation for hard work and no corruption.All the big guys Tanzanians expected would be PM have been let wondering what hit them.

His motto is: Hapa Kazi Tu

Oh, they say

63 COMMENTS

  1. TZ is having a true leader, a fact which has eluded many African countries, including some which can spend money on hiring a private jet to fly 256 people to NY.

    • Shame on those countries which have such leaders who spend $700,000 on hiring a private jet and invite IMF a month later.

  2. What true leader?You have forgotten how our late illiterate dictator was so excited when just elected?Or how the short man with long fingers was after elections literally reducing himself to a Head boy checking what time people reported foe work?Just give the nigger a few years and he is gonna be a true African president reporting for work late and making up for it by knocking off early.

    • It is not about making comparisons to the failures, but also to learn from successes of others. There is no harm in consulting and seeking wisdom where found fit.

    • You are missing the point.What am saying is they all come with a lot of enthusiasm which they lose within months and show us their true colours.Give Mafuguli a month and you will be disappointed.Even the late illiterate dictator promised to rule according to the 10 commandments and within weeks he could detain his friends for greeting chiefs.This is Africa baba and we must accept that we are cursed.We have the biggest resources in the world whose pricing is done abroad.Look at the Arabs they price their oil.But not in Africa.

    • Give a nigger few years; what kind of language is that?
      You are entitled to be negative as well as respectful.
      Negative people like you are the course of failure in this continent

    • Don’t be such a pessimist…have a bit of confidence in brother…maybe in time he may just prove you wrong. That horrendous word you used to describe the president was used to dehumanize all Africans both home and abroad…given to us by people who gave us jesus to worship…we have to be mindful of the negative caricature we use to description ourselves…I’m sure you wouldn’t refer to your parents using the said word. Hotep

    • President Magufuli has a good track record, he has been a minister for last twenty years in different ministries. He proved to be very competent, effective, hardworking, not corrupt, no nonsense and work driven leader. We have all the evidence that our president is not likely to disappoint us for not all African leader will continue mismanaging our countries. Somewhere, someday good president will crop up and we must support them.

  3. Good start, just be careful of the Chinese briefcase investors with crispy green notes, you will wonder what hit you Mr President. Just ask Zambians about what happened to the beloved,incorruptible King Cobra!!

  4. Apparently Lungu took gifts to Magufuli’s inauguration ceremony but Magufuli told him to take them back to Zambia because we need them more here, Lungu was left with egg on his silly face.

    • But Changwa could not see sense and warning. We all have to learn from others who are taking precautionary measures to succeed and work for the citizens.

  5. This is true leadership!! Can our leaders please read and memorize this article. Looks like the opposite happened to Zambia when President Lungu was elected; its international trip after another, dinner galas, Italian tuxedos, extra ministries, more by-elections, increases, private jet to attend UN meetings, more expensive international travels, etc!!! What a contrast!! Who between the two presidents can we say is mindful of the suffering of the citizens?

  6. This is true Leadership. All round leaders needs to lean and do the right thing. Every organisation has leaders, NGOs, Churches etc learn from this!

  7. This is a great lesson to be learnt. It takes courage, sacrifice, humility, God fearing and hard work to take such measures. HH, take note and only in this way will you manage to bring Zambia back to sanity.

  8. whether he is going to change in future or not, what he has done is the way to go ..wake up African politician….wake up Zambian Politician

    • Comment:Yes The good done will last.Jesus came to save
      ,show us the way,truth and life 2,000yrs down the line few have accepted him but those he met and meets even today acknowledge he is the son of God.Those who hated him may not see any of his good deeds but,the sick patients on the floor,the cholera vulnerable,the poor needing help will forever sing the song_Magufuli pls Magufulify every sector for the devils are attacking and killing us oh!magufuly come to our rescue .Amen

  9. Cutting waste in government spending is the way forward and HH has been singing this song for sometime now and what does EL do, Increase the size of government and more travels.
    Anyway poverty makes people make very bad decisions, it affects your thinking and even when someone says i have no vision for this country, but yet you go ahead and vote for them.

  10. CONGRATULATIONS MR. PRESIDENT JOHN MAGUFULI BEING POSITIVE IN A NEGATIVE SITUATION IS NOT NAIVE IT’S LEADERSHIP . Enlightened leadership is spiritual if we understand spirituality not as some kind of religious dogma or ideology but as the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love and compassion, and also intuition, creativity, insight and focused attention.
    Deepak Chopra
    Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.
    Sam…

  11. May be a good start but actions like this with out a well articiulated plan or programme of action matched with corresponding policy frameworks produce dictators,score settling against those with contrally views. They are a recipe for unilateralism and eventually lead to corruption as a leader starts taking decisions meant for technocrats and competent institutions. In the end we start seeing single sourcing,moving procurement and important offices under the President’s control. I prefer Muhamadu Buhari’s (Nigeria) approach of taking time to build a credible team to implement change, following through processes to ensure where change is effected is accompanied by valid reforms! This Mugufuli approach if not accompanied by measures like that of Buhari will be a mere smoke screen and…

    • Very true bro. That is how Sata started what we are seeing today- a failing economy managed haphazardly without plan but decrees only even non constitutional ones. It sis good for a start but he should be careful because he will start thinking that he is the most knowledgeable and clever person in Tanzania and end up messing up like Sata.

  12. I saw this posting somewhere, it was too good to be true……there is yet hope in Africa…..seems it is mainly a leadership challenge that we need to address. I hope he continues on this path, good luck to Tanzanians:)

    • Metoo that’s not what Sata did instead fo reducing expenditure sata increased by announcing new ministries and districts and commissions of inquiries which yeided nothing.Thats we call in bemba “IMUNGULU”.Magufuli would be compared to what HH is preaching about,but because he is TONG some elements feal threatened .Be cool HH does not mean any harm to hard working Zambians.

  13. Magufuli is a leader. Whatever else he does afterwards event to the contrary, he will go down in history as a president who had the guts and tenacity to change things radically. On this score alone, Tanzanians have a lot of lessons to fellow Africans voters on how to elect leaders and NOT bleeders.

  14. congratulations to the Tanzanian President Mr Magufuli and the people of Tanzania. I wish Lesotho could have such a leader who puts the country and its people first. Mr President I wish you a very good luck and that other SADC leaders could copy your style. CORRUPTION! CORRUPTION! CORRUPTION! in our African countries hinders development in all matters. MAY GOD BLESS PRESIDENT MAGUFULI.

  15. very encouraing indeed i wish the likes of kenyan presidents and other tue african leadres can emulate HE j.magfuli

    • Therry dear,u need far more than just a week to fix the mess that u pips have allowed Uncle Bobo to create in Zimbo ! So sado !

  16. Kikikiki kikikikiki. I laugh why? If same was done by Edgar Chagwa Lungu, one HH would bewitch him promptly for setting a bad precedent just when he thinks he can smell state house, except the truth is HH’s sense of smell is very suspect. He smells coffee when what is brewing is certain defeat!

  17. Most often said that fish get rotten from the head so is also true that the head fixes the body. I want this kind of change in NIGERIA. Let the action speaks louder than the voice.

  18. Comment:whatever the president is doing its really nice and will actually take Tanzania to a new level in terms of economic growth,

  19. Our Prime Ministers , Presidents and other politicians from our developing countries should take a leaf out of President Magufuli’s actions. I hope this president will maintain these policies and convert Tanzania into a prosperous nation.

  20. Mwaghufuli a true Tz God sent leader!soon the Country will be in the continent record!Heko rais Pombe ambapo si pombe tena bali ni kazi tu.

  21. I’ve never been more proud to work in Tanzania! We have a small non-profit that has kept children in school. With Magufuli’s elimination of public school fees, we will be able to double the number children who we can keep in school. KEEP IT UP MR. PRESIDENT! Your country needs you!!!

  22. I, extremely, believe that Africa will rise and shine, if not through our children, then our grand children, will do things that will ashame all the leaders who corrupted our beautiful continent

  23. Ghana President, see what a true leader is doing. His one month in officer is better the three years of Ghana’s prez

  24. The Tanzanians voted for a true Tanzanian.So Ugandans, vote for a true
    Ugandan and stop regretting bad governance which is accompanied with corruption,nepotism,
    illegal changing of the constitution in favor of the president in power etc

  25. How i wish we had the same president in Uganda, then we would have the same gross domestic product (gdp) with China as it was in 1950s

  26. i think the africa p.l.o lumumba dreams for has been born in tanzania… nyerere would not be assamed incase he resurects

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