Opinion
Analysis
The latest in a series
of terror attacks
The most noticeable thing about the attack against the American Consulate in
Jeddah was that it could not have come as a surprise to anyone. It is only one
among many terrifying terror attacks in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi officials have begun to react – several terror suspects have been
arrested, groups have been dissolved. But the attacks continue and the worst
case scenarios are easy to predict; where the consequences would be felt far
outside the Saudi borders. What happens if the terrorists use weapons of mass
destruction? What if they attack the oil refineries?
One of the reasons for the continued violence is obvious: terrorism cannot be
prevented solely by police actions. If a strategy does not work, the terrorist
chooses another. If a target is too difficult to reach, the terrorist chooses a
different one.
A more serious explanation for why Saudi Arabia has become a target for
terrorism is because the breeding ground for extremism is particularly good in
the Saudi society. The threat against the country’s future comes from within.
The ruling royal family’s authority is seriously corroded and its close ties
with the US stirs anger.
An obvious question is for how long the royal family will be able to cling to
the power; one of the terrorists’ goals is to overthrow the current government
(another is to scare away all foreigners). And a power struggle can be violent.
The country is regarded as being on the verge to explode, a civil war is seen by
analysts as being more likely than not.
The demography is a ticking bomb, the education system is below standard and
unemployment among the country’s youth is high. That overarching reforms are
needed most people seem to agree about. The country has to democratise, the
large number of youths have to be given a sign of hope for the future and
realise that extremism only leads them to a cul-de-sac.
If nothing will happen, the number of terrorist attacks will only increase.
Saudi Arabia is turning out to be a much greater challenge to the American plans
in the Middle East than Iraq ever was.
Vijana City Bulls and JKT will meet in the final
match marking the end of the success infested season of the Kili RBA League.
The match takes place this Saturday at the National Indoor Stadium; also the
venue of all other matches that has starred the Kili RBA League for about six
years.
The match as basketball enthusiasts predict will be tough and tactical.
Additional skills are expected from players of both sides.
Despite the sad end of one of the league founder members, Mbamba Uswege, the
Kili RBA League season was superb, mainly thanks to new talents and tough
competition.
The young players who previously featured in the Secondary School Basketball
League (SBL) were urged to play in the Kili RBA League and played impressively
in the new teams.
Players from Mzizima, Tegeta, Tambaza, Jitegemee and Makongo secondary schools
played in teams such as Oilers, Chang’ombe Boys, Vijana, Savio and Magone.
We believe the teams will use the fresh talents effectively and develop them
further into productive players of international calibre.
The league has been full of lessons for the veteran teams like ABC, Pazi and
Savio; once the greatest basketball clubs in Tanzania, the three teams ended the
2004 league season disappointed.
Savio, the defending champions bid farewell to the title chase after losing
against JKT in the semis, while Pazi failed event to qualify for the Super Cup
matches after losing to Chang’ombe Boys and UDSM Outsiders in the semi final and
Super Cup qualification matches.
The Army Basketball Club continues to bank on its veteran player, Haleluya
Kavalambi. The team narrowly survived relegation after beating Chui Brigade in
Dar es Salaam two months ago.
The unfortunate teams should take this challenge considerably so that they
perform better in the 2005 league season.
The Kili RBA League has continued to grow and has gained grounds in Dar es
Salaam; it is an achievement worth to be mentioned. Let the final match be a
truly picture of the Kili RBA League; JKT and Vijana know what to give the fans
to prove it right.
City Water – a gloomy saga
By Evarist Kagaruki
The front-page story in this newspaper’s issues of December 2, 2004
headlined: “Big Mess - City Water No Water” gives an insight into the plight of
water consumers in Dar es Salaam, but certainly makes cheerless reading.
Cheerless because some of the problems which the story highlights (which are
authentic) raise the grim prospect of an “everlasting” water nightmare among the
city residents.
The story should help those who may still have some illusions about the
seemingly intractable problems facing the private-run water utility company,
City Water Services Limited, to understand that there are no “quick fixes” for
those problems from DAWASA’s successor about whom we all seem to have been
overly optimistic right from the very beginning of their contract.
In this rejoinder to The Express story whose facts can hardly be disputed, I
would wish to add a few pertinent comments.
First and foremost, I think that it was wrong, but understandable, for all us to
have expected that City Water could remarkably improve the water situation in
the city just within a very short period of one year or so. We seem to have been
over-anxious and oblivious of the plain fact that these people had inherited
mountainous problems of inter alia a dilapidated infrastructure; archaic
operational systems and procedures; a water system collapsing under the weight
of a rapidly expanding city population; a customer service regime oriented
towards corruption (especially at the lower levels of service delivery) which
often led to massive illegal connections; long outstanding bills et cetera.
True, the recent successive water pipe bursts and the sort of fire-fighting
measures by City Water to try and put things in order gave the impression of a
mess! But the overall picture of the company’s performance so far is that it is
making headway against all odds. Some of the discernible successes include:
computerisation of billing system; installation of consumer meters;
rehabilitation of machinery at the upper and lower Ruvu pumping stations;
reduction of the incidence of water leakages; integration of the erstwhile
illegal connections into the official water system supply through amnesty etc.
Given time, there should be more achievements.
Rehabilitation of complex infrastructures like the Dar es Salaam water supply
system would definitely disrupt normal operations as this entails replacement of
machinery and equipment. We have experienced similar situations with TANESCO,
for example.
But there are certain shortcomings which City Water must own up. Take, for
example, the question of irregularities in the new billing system which is based
on meter-reading. Unless the meters are faulty (second-hand or substandard) or
are tampered with, they are supposed to be the most reliable basis of billing
for water consumed. The opposite means that there is something seriously wrong
somewhere!
There is also the problem of billing people for water actually not consumed.
This is not only unjust, but also illegal and immoral. In advanced societies
such a thing would be a matter for litigation. This is a serious anomaly which
should be rectified. Another common complaint from water consumers is about the
rude and arrogant attitude of some employees of City Water who are dispatched to
check customer bills and read meters. These people use threatening language to
customers who may be having some outstanding bills. Such threats raise
suspicions of corruption. Workers who deal with customers must be given seminars
to change their “police mentality”. They have to understand that in the final
analysis it is the same water consumers who fund the company’s payroll.
But let me add here also that the practice of City Water sending officials to
customers’ premises to demand that the latter show their bills to prove status
of payment is old-fashioned! With a computerized system, the company should be
able to know who is defaulting on payment of bills and who is not. Defaulters
should be sent reminders, and in case of prolonged default notices to disconnect
service may be served.
This is what TANESCO and NHC, for example, do. It is the correct and civilized
way of dealing with one’s customers/clients.
On the other hand, City Water officials visiting customers’ premises do not
carry identity cards. This is not only wrong, but dangerous. Dar es Salaam is a
city of robbers, thieves, con- men/women, tricksters etc. The introduction: “we
are from City Water” is not enough; it should be accompanied by proof, i.e. the
identity card.
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