Opinion
Analysis
Ordinary people carry weight
For people to get a greater understanding of the society they live in, including
giving political leaders further insights into the everyday lives of the
citizens they have been given the trust to represent, it is important that the
media pay interest to, what is sometimes referred to as, ordinary people.
It is a great shame that this country’s media (us included) do not give more
space to interviews and informative articles where people are allowed to express
their views.
Not only are interviews with people often lacking, but there are also a tendency
to forget to ask the man on the street what they think of topical issues.
Rather, the people given the opportunity to speak are officials and people
making announcements of this or that.
Important as it is to inform the public of what the country’s leaders have to
say, it is equally important to let leaders know what the public think. Mutual
understanding between both sides would hopefully lead to more informative
decisions and actions taken by both parts and perhaps also diminish the gap that
often exist between the two, which is increasing mistrust and disrespect.
The media possesses great tools to make this gap narrow and as a medium of
communication it can work to air people’s voices. The problem is that in most
cases the media, and particularly newspapers, seems to shy away from playing
that part. Rather it opts for being a medium through which political leaders and
officials without much censorship are allowed to express their views.
Perhaps it is a matter of convenience. Interviewing people is much more
demanding than merely attending a press conference, work-shop or other function
and report on what is being said and done. Perhaps there is a feeling that what
the ordinary man has to say is not of great importance. After all, what is an
ordinary man if not just ordinary! Perhaps we as journalists are of the
perception that the ordinary man does not have much to contribute to topical
issues.
But the ordinary man’s views are of importance and do carry the same weight as
that of the official. It is high time we climbed down from our high horses and
actually pay some attention to ordinary people. It is surprising how much
thoughtfulness ordinary people actually possess!
There is always something to learn from what other people have to say. It is not
a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with what is being said. Rather, by letting
someone speak, more information is being shared which create more opportunities
for wise decisions to be taken.
More attention being paid to the human interest in current affairs would
increase the quality of our reporting and would do all of us a great favour.
Despite the term ordinary people, what they have to say should be regarded as
something very extraordinary.
Kili RBA League: A jewel in
hand
The 2004 edition of the Kili RBA Basketball League kicked off over the weekend
at the National Indoor Stadium, witnessing a convincing comeback of Abdullah
Ramadhan Dulla, a professional player who has just ended his career in
Seychelles.
With plentiful to tell Tanzanians about his successful professional career in
the Indian Ocean Island, Dulla bluntly said, in his entire professional career
there, he had never seen fruitful sponsorship similar to the one Tanzania
Breweries offers to the Dar es Salaam League.
Indeed, Dulla’s remark carried much valuable facts for comparison, weighing well
how we do and how others run their basketball leagues.
Upon being called to join Cobras, every one thought Dulla was going to the
country where basketball is far superior to Tanzania in terms of organisation
and sponsorship, but his statement over the weekend, that the Kili RBA League
outclasses that of the Isles in many aspects, makes Kili RBA a precious stone in
hand that needs good caring.
As proved in last weekend’s League debut that had five matches in the arena,
many new talents stormed the League and displayed great basketball skills.
Our close watch on the various matches this weekend revealed that most of the
new stars played in the inter-secondary school league of last year and before
that.
The courage and commitment of the new players sometimes put the old guns out of
the scene, and upon discovering that Dulla was forced to confess Kili RBA had
taken a huge leap during his four-year absence from the country.
What else do people have to say about the League and its gigantic sponsorship?
Nothing really. It is now for the players, teams, officials and other
stakeholders to ensure the long life of the League so that it continues to be
the most productive basketball school in Tanzania.
The remarks and commendation of Dulla will in some way help the task of
producing more professionals to lift Tanzania’s image in the international
arena.
Crackdown on illegal drug business crucial
By Evarist Kagaruki
Those who regularly read this column will no doubt remember that not long ago, I
made a critical observation of the dangerous business in the pharmaceutical
trade. I cautioned that unscrupulous people who put profits above human life had
invaded the sensitive and apparently lucrative business.
The trends were about the mushrooming of backyard pharmacies and the abhorrent
practice by such (and other) drugstores selling substandard and counterfeit (or
even expired) drugs, or prescription drugs without the doctor’s authorization.
Besides, some pharmacies were being run without a qualified pharmacist.
All this I said, raised a serious question about ethical standards, and called
into question the integrity of those in the licensing authority and the
authorities responsible for overseeing the whole conduct of the country’s
pharmaceutical industry.
I have been inspired to revisit the issue by the recent survey conducted by this
newspaper, in Dar es Salaam, on the same problem. The investigation, which gives
an insight into the gravity of the matter, confirmed the fears I had expressed
that the problem was indeed life threatening and required urgent and serious
attention. At the core of my fears, and no doubt behind the motive of the survey
in question, was the fact that pharmaceuticals are about the lives of human
beings and animals, and therefore very delicate and sensitive.
According to The Express survey, 25 per cent of the drugs sold in the country
are fake or substandard and these continue to flood the market! This statistic
alone must alert the government, if it is really seriously concerned about the
health of its citizens. On the contrary, no one seems to be bothered. Not even
those who claim to be the “Voice of the people”: Members of Parliament!
I was surprised to see that during the last budget session in Dodoma, the MPs
did not raise this issue when debating the budget estimates for the Ministry of
Health. I wouldn’t like to believe that our legislators are not aware of such a
serious a problem, which the man on the street knows about!
Talking to this paper during the survey, Prof. Zul Premji of the Muhimbili
University College of Health Sciences showed grave concern over the increasing
wave of fake and substandard drugs in the country and held at the poignant view
that the authorities were not doing enough to stop the illicit drug imports. I
hesitate to believe that his was a lone voice in the medical fraternity; but
then, we don’t hear more such conscientious voices on the issue, and wonder why!
If doctors and other people concerned with health matters were to come out and
speak with one loud voice, I am sure the authorities would listen and act.
Prof. Premji recognizes that the ad hoc drug tests done at the border check
points were not enough, and that there have to be follow up tests and screening
to ensure the quality of the imported drugs. In this connection, he recommends
the establishment of a “central authority” to oversee the prescription of all
drugs and monitor the general health trends in the country.
It would appear that either the scope of the mandate or the capacity of the
Tanzania Food and Drug Authority is limited. Hence the professor’s good advice
needs to be given serious attention and consideration by the government, for it
certainly can help mitigate the problem of not only the quality of drugs, but
also drug administration generally.
The government should also look critically into the laws which regulate the
whole conduct of pharmaceutical business in the country, with a focus on two
crucial questions: one, whether the punishments stipulated under the relevant
laws against offenders in the pharmaceutical industry are deterrent enough or
not; if they aren’t, then some improvements should be made to make them harsher.
Two, whether there are loopholes in the existing laws, which make it easy for
“everyone” to get a licence to establish a drugstore or dispensary, provided
they have got the money. If there are loopholes, they should be plugged.
Otherwise all the relevant laws should be thoroughly re-examined and, where
necessary, revised.
Lastly, I think it is high time the government declared a crackdown on the
contraband drug business, with a focus on backyard pharmacies and dispensaries
most of which are believed to be unlicensed and the hub of the illicit drugs.
Owners and operators of such business are murderers (perhaps more dangerous than
economic saboteurs) and the law must treat them as such. These vultures cannot
go on killing people with impunity! They must be stopped.