Opinion
Analysis
Vehicle inspection: Symbolic
or substance?
The National Road Safety Week is approaching; the climax of the cerebrations
will be marked in Ruvuma between 18 to 25 September.
This is indeed a momentous week for the nation. It gives the opportunity for all
road stakeholders to review the major events that took place in the past year.
It also gives motorists a chance to contemplate on how to avoid the most common
road accidents.
We are indeed grateful that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police have
initiated the exercise for vehicle inspection ahead of the celebration. This is
therefore an opportune time to remind the concerned parties that the practice
should be an ongoing exercise and not just a symbolic gesture.
Vehicle inspection for road safety is of paramount importance provided the
number of accidents motorists encounter on a daily basis. So many people have
lost their lives in tragic accidents, which could have been avoided. The fact is
that people have to die because of somebody’s negligence. This is indeed
intolerable and unacceptable.
It is disappointing to learn that the officials, responsible for inspection, are
not doing their job properly or professionally, especially when they issue
inspection reports to drivers whose cars have not been inspected at all.
Recently our investigative reporter could reveal that traffic police officials
assigned to do the exercise give completed inspection reports to motorists
without proper examination.
We were very disappointed to learn that even faulty vehicles were issued with
stickers. This is indeed a serious problem and a big blow to all of us;
motorists, pedestrians, public transport commuters and so on.
Negligence and incompetence among traffic policemen are irritating. In many
cases innocent motorists are harassed and accused of contravening road safety
rules, which only add to the mistakes the law enforcers are committing.
Stakeholders in the transportation sector have expressed their disappointment on
the way in which the exercise is conducted. The traffic police must be serious
in their job. It is our sincere hope that Dar es Salaam Regional Police
Commander (RPC) Alfred Tibaigana will live up to this challenge.
Let the forthcoming National Road Safety Week be successful and a foundation to
build future road safety on.
Ladies get set now
As the men’s edition of the Kili RBA League now rages in its fourth week, Dar es
Salaam Region Basketball Body (DARBA) has warned the ladies' teams to start
preparation for their league, scheduled to start September 19 at the National
Indoor Stadium.
A vital alternative to the waning netball, Kili Ladies League, has since the
late nineties became a major attraction for Tanzanian girls who thought netball
was ‘out of place’ among the country’s young generation.
Spearheaded by the immense success of American National Basketball League and
its towering stars, Tanzania witnessed a big number of young ladies feasting on
basketball as both players and fans.
The secondary school category staged over the weekend at the National Indoor
Stadium at the heart of Kili RBA League, also witnessed a huge number of
basketball enthusiasts from various schools, altogether attracting a good number
of girls in and outside the secondary school circuit.
Probably a significant feature of the success, Magereza (Prisons) and Mgulani
JKT are to feature in this year’s league, adding to yet another successful
venture of the armed forces teams to win top notch in all popular sports in
Tanzania.
The two teams together with debutantes Rocket Stars and Police Barracks will
join five other teams that played in last year Kili RBA League. The growing
tentacles of Kili RBA League in Tanzania are something to take not of.
Without a single doubt, the arrival of the new teams will make the league more
challenging and pose a threat to the old guns including defending champions
Jeshi Stars who held the crown for many years while Cargo Ladies, JKT Stars, PTW
Stars competed well in their separate endeavour for the basketball supremacy.
With high hopes, we expect this year’s league will produce even more excitement
as well as new stars capable of turning into productive representatives of the
country in international competitions.
As for the organisers, DARBA, sponsors, Tanzania Breweries under Kilimanjaro
Lager banner, much have been done to increase the league standard, but that
should be the last efforts, since every good thing has a chance to be made
better and later the best.
Hopefully, we hope this year’s league will not let Grace Peter or Grace Daudi
shine alone in the score sheet, but be a platform for new and visionary talents.
Can we be sure all voters are legal citizens?
By Evarist Kagaruki
Among the nations of the Third World, Tanzania is no doubt famous. This is due
to several reasons, and one of them is the country’s political “trade-mark” of
peace, tranquillity, and extraordinary hospitality to foreigners. No wonder
therefore many of those running away from troubles (wars, civil strife,
persecution etc.) in their own countries, find Tanzania the safer place to come
and take refuge. No wonder too, that some visitors who initially had the
intention of coming to stay only for a while and them go back home, would change
their minds and decide to apply for citizenship so they can settle.
But while this is something we should be proud of, some foreigners have taken
undue advantage of our peace and hospitality to gain illegal entry into the
country, assume unlawful residence, and even engage in criminal activities,
which endanger our security and tarnish our good name.
At least that is the sordid picture that emerges from the eye-catching lead
story in The Express of August 12, 2004, entitled: “Aliens Trigger Security
Alarm”, which leaves no doubt in any serous reader’s mind that we are faced with
a real and huge problem of illegal immigrants. The story, which details the
ramifications of the problem, makes very uncomfortable reading indeed,
especially in the face of rising crime in the country.
Unfortunately, Tanzanians, by and large, seem untroubled by a variety of threats
to their own security. They tend to be less suspicious of aliens or strangers in
their midst. Because of the entrenched culture of taking everything for granted,
the people of this country consider every foreigner to be “good” and harmless,
and regard every stranger as just any other person!
There are few security-conscious citizens amongst us, who can see suspicious
characters (be they alien or local) and report them to the relevant authorities.
A neighbour could be harbouring and protecting what one would reasonably suspect
to be an illegal immigrant or a criminal (or potential one), but one would not
make any effort to tip the police. Banditry is thriving in this country not
because the police are not doing their job, but mainly because they don’t get
maximum cooperation from the public. Few people feel obliged, as responsible
citizens, to report potential, and sometimes even real, crime. We must change.
Tanzanians need to be conscious about national security, and recognise the dire
consequences of illegal immigration to the political and socio-economic
well-being of their society – an issue which many seem to understand in the
abstract. It is the work of the government, politicians, local authority leaders
and the security agencies to sensitise the population about this important
question. And this work must be continuous.
There is also the need to bring to public knowledge the basic aspects of our
immigration policy and laws. This will enable the people to understand and
appreciate the consequences of illegal immigration to the nation’s peace and
security, and see the necessity of reporting cases of suspicious illegal aliens.
But, if any endeavours to combat unlawful immigration can bear fruits, there
must be a vigorous fight against corruption in our immigration department.
Reading through The Express story, as afore-mentioned, one clearly sees that
corruption is one of the factors which fuel illegal immigration. One immigrant
confessed to The Express, for instance, that it had taken her only two days and
Tsh. 50,000 to get a passport!
It was also revealed that Somalis destine for South Africa get Tanzanian
passports in Dar es Salaam. All this can be possible on the strength of
corruption. It is hard to believe otherwise!
Immigration is a very sensitive and fundamental issue that touches on national
security and resources, employment and social services. In some Western
countries, politicians to win votes exploit the issue of immigration, and it is
normally prominent at election time.
This country is now heading toward the civic and general elections. In the
absence of ID cards, we can’t be sure that all those who are going to register
themselves (in the Permanent Voter’s Register now in progress) to vote are
civilizes. How can we be sure? So, aliens might just as well register themselves
and march to the polling boot, unhindered, to cast their vote.