To af Tanzanias førende dagblade er ikke i tvivl på 50 års-dagen for nationens fødsel fredag: Kolonimagten efterlod sig et fallitbo, alligevel er det gået langt bedre og der er nået meget mere end man vil medgive internationalt i dag.
På lederplads skriver “The Citizen” med overskriften “Let us have a clear vision after uhuru festival”:
People who say Tanzania Mainland has not registered any successes over the past 50 years are off the mark, as are those who think that national cohesion, peace and stability are divine gifts, and not goals that have to be attained painstakingly by a visionary leadership and patriotic, industrious wananchi (borgere).
The reality, though, is that many praiseworthy strides have been made since December 9, 1961, when Britain’s Union Jack was replaced by the flag of independent Tanganyika that would, on April 26, 1964, merge with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
A statistical sketch aptly captures that reality.
Hurtigt voksende økonomi
Economic growth rose from 4 per cent in the 1960s to 7 per cent in 2010, in acknowledgement of which the country has been slotted into the group of 20 fastest growing economies in the world.
Government revenue shot from Sh1,16 billion in 1961 to Sh500 billion in 2010, while the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) up to last year was from Sh7,2 billion to Sh32,3 billion.
Between independence and now, average income per head per annum has increased from Sh766 to Sh770, 464; and, while the country had only 9 local doctors then, they numbered 5.026 by 2010.
There are now 240 public hospitals as opposed to 98 then, one of the benefits of which is the consistent reduction of maternal deaths, as well as those of children aged below five. Tarmac roads increased five-fold from 1.300 km in 1961 to the current 6.500 km.
Some achievements are incalculable in monetary terms, such as cohesiveness, solidarity and peace, in spite of Tanzania being composed by over 120 tribes, and people subscribing to different religious denominations and belonging to different races.
So, too, are staunch support to southern African liberation movements, defeating the aggressor forces of Ugandan military dictator Idi Amin, hosting refugees fleeing persecution at home, and reconciliation initiatives in Africa’s trouble spots.
Vigtige roller
Glowing tribute should be paid to the four post-Uhuru presidents so far, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Al Haj Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Mr Benjamin Mkapa and Dr Jakaya Kikwete, for their instrumental roles in fashioning Tanzania into a highly respected country.
The re-introduction of multi-partyism in 1992 was a welcome development as it has broadened democracy; and economic and media liberalisation, marching with globalisation, and active roles in forging East African regional integration are yet more pluses.
The journey along the independence road has not been a smooth ride. It has been fraught with several setbacks, blunders and challenges that the government, wananchi, development partners and civil society, have been grappling with.
The ‘unholy trinity’ of poverty, ignorance and disease cited as the cardinal enemies on our first Uhuru Day, still persist as we mark the 50th Uhuru Day today.
So we must soldier on, as the war against them is far from being won. Plus, we have to address corruption that has assumed cancerous proportions, and streamline the public service, agriculture, industrial, mining, health, energy, and water supply sectors.
The economy, in a country whose 80 plus population is poverty-stricken, must grow by between 7 and 10 per cent to entitle Tanzania to join the middle-income league by 2025; and the search for a new constitution must be predicated on cool heads and a high sense of patriotism.
Tanzanians must adopt a mindset that anchors on homegrown ideas for spurring socioeconomic advances, de-emphasises donor dependence and rejects wholesale acceptance of foreign-sourced prescriptions for domestic problems.
We must borrow a leaf from the Asian tigers, who started on a modest footing like ours.
It is a crucial assignment that should be undertaken in earnest, when the celebratory dust of today’s 50th Uhuru Day settles, concludes “The Citizen” in its editorial.
Storhedens øjeblik
Tanzanias andet store dagblad, det regeringsnære “DailyNews”, svømmer over af begejstring på lederplads og hylder nationen under overskriften “A Moment of Great Glory”:
At midnight 50 years ago today, the proud people of Tanganyika, as Tanzania Mainland was then known, went into frenzied and emotional jubilation as Her Majesty the Queen’s Union Jack was lowered and in its place went up the free Tanganyika flag.
Almost at the same time atop Mount Kilimanjaro, a young army officer hoisted the free Tanganyika flag on Africa’s highest Kibo peak to commemorate the big day. It was a moment of great joy and a climax to decades of struggle against foreign domination.
In one encyclopaedia (leksikon) definition, independence is “a condition of a nation, country or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government and, usually sovereignty, over its territory’’.
For the first time in centuries on that date, the citizens of this country were able to chart and shape their own destiny without any foreign intervention or supervision.
Stoltheden til at tage og føle på
As Tanzanians celebrate the 50 years of Mainland’s independence today, one can only look back with great and overflowing pride at the achievements made in the last 50 years in the development endeavour.
True to the 50th independence anniversary theme; “we have dared, we have been able to and continue to forge ahead’’, the post-Uhuru era has seen this country emerge from its hitherto ultra-backward state to one where its people can look back with satisfaction at the great development leap the country has recorded in all important sectors over the years.
It would require many pages to fully cover all the development achievements.
But just to say a little, when the colonialists left in 1961, there was not a single university while one could easily count the number of secondary and high schools available throughout the country.
One could then count the number of university graduates by counting the fingers! The ignorance rate reached criminal neglect.
Health services were in terrible disarray with the terribly low number of hospitals and the doctor-per-patient ratio. The state of the roads was pathetic with many roads becoming impassable during rainy seasons.
Extreme poverty was the order of the day.
This is the situation the immediate post-Uhuru government had found itself in, making it waste no time in setting firm foundations for the country’s development future.
What a better time then to celebrate all these achievements than this ninth day of December 2011? Let us do that in earnest, concludes the editorial.
