Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Wala haiwezekani!

Choose: Politics or private business

The prez, Jack Mrisho.has told public rulers to choose to trade or become real politicians. They have chosen both. And there is nothing Jack can do about it. Maybe fire them outright. Which, he can’t do. Everyone knows that they are his buddies.

You see there is the selfishness which is inborn in mankind. We spend the rest of our lives trying to control that basic interest. But most of us fail. So we succumb to greed.

You have money, so you also want to be an MP. But that is not enough. How about being a minister? Even that is not enough. You want to be a prime minister.

But that also is not enough. How about wanting to be the president? That is cool. But, believe me dear reader, even that is not enough. After president they even eye the post of the Almighty himself. They want to be God!

As the prez, you can’t ask those psychological types to choose. They want to be both – businessmen and politicians. One feeds on another. If you have a bus company you would also like to sit at the Bunge in Dodoma. There you can lobby for another hefty loan of 29 buses from the ministry of transport and whatever. You talk to the movers and shakers themselves.

If you want to sell power to Tanesco, you support things like fake dealers calling themselves Richmond. The deal sails through like a ship in calm waters. Dare I say that the rich guys are swarming to join the parliament to go and do business there - not to represent their people!

So it’s me, me and me alone in their psyche. You cannot tell those guys to choose. Most the politicians cum businessmen have actually bought their way to the political positions. Some have used their businesses to oil the wheels of CCM. Everybody knows that. Everyone knows now that a cabal of businessmen is ruling Bongo by proxy.

This really is Jack Mrisho’s ball game. I also welcome the plan the sweeping reforms to the existing leadership ethics legislation. But, believe me those businessmen posing as politicians will never voluntarily choose between the two.

Maybe a Chadema MP, Mzee Ndesamburo, had a point when he said: “You can’t separate politics and business…in the past, such a thing was tried and it failed. If this law is eventually passed, I will hand over control of my businesses to my children and grandchildren…and continue with politics.”

That’s great honesty from Mzee Ndesamburo. They all will do that and declare that they don’t run any businesses. By the time the law is passed those businesses with be owned by baby ‘directors’ busy pooing and wee-weeing in their nappies!

No comments: