We concluded last week’s article with a discussion of the major restructuring of the central Government, which was the last major governance event of the year 1972. We will now move on to the events of 1973. The most significant and historical one was President Nyerere’s decision to relocate the Government administrative capital from Dar es Salam to Dodoma. It has a rather long history; but I believe that all of it is worth narrating, because of its significant lessons in relation to how democratic decisions are made.
This was a decision that was made by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling party TANU at the beginning of September, 1973; after a lengthy process of discussions, at all the different decision-making levels of that party, including what one may reasonably call a ‘referendum’, which was held at the lowest Party Branch levels. I was a participant in the making of that decision; simply because, even after my appointment as Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Mwalimu Nyerere had decided that I should retain my membership of NEC as a co-opted member. Here is the full story: -
Joseph Nyerere’s initial attempt.
The long story actually starts in 1966, when Hon. Joseph Nyerere, (MP), and younger brother of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere; introduced a Private Members’ motion in the National Assembly, calling for the relocation of the seat of Government to Dodoma from Dar es Salaam. Being the Clerk of the Nationals Assembly myself, I was present in the House when that motion was being enthusiastically debated. But when the time came for the Government to express its views on this private member’s motion, the then Minister for Finance, Hon Paulo Bomani, strongly warned the House about the high costs that would be involved in the implementation of this huge project, which had not even included in the First Five Year Plan which was then under implementation. Hence, sensing that the Minister’s remarks would most likely result in his motion being defeated upon being put to the vote; Joseph Nyerere prudently chose to withdraw his motion, citing the military wisdom that “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day”.
The capital relocation project taken over by TANU.
It was probably by design that the processing of this matter was subsequently taken over by TANU. But that process started rather discreetly when, in April 1972, the Mwanza Regional TANU Working Committee (Kamati ya Utendaji ya Mkoa), quietly adopted a resolution to that effect, and made its recommendation to the Party Central Committee in Dar es Salaam, that this matter be taken up by that higher authority for further processing. And that is precisely when President Nyerere’s great interest in this project became obvious and manifest. The relevant meeting of the TANU Central Committee, under his Chairmanship, received the Mwanza regional Committee recommendation very favourably, and fast forwarded to the National Executive Committee for a decision. But the National Executive Committee apparently felt that the relocation of the Government Capital to Dodoma was such a delicate matter, that the whole party structure, including its numerous Branches, should be involved in the making of it. So be it.
The party branches were given a whole year, during which each party Branch would select its own convenient time to hold its meeting for this particular purpose. The party records show that at the end of the day, 1,859 TANU Branches participated in this exercise; of which 842 rejected the proposal, but 1,017 branches supported the proposal. TANU’s National Executive Committee met again in August, 1973, to receive these results, following which, it issued the following public statement: “The National Executive Committee has resolved that the seat of Government shall be relocated to Dodoma; and further that the move shall be completed in ten years . . . This decision is final, and the Government was directed to take immediate steps to implement this resolution”.
The following month, September 1973, the TANU bi-annual conference was due to take place. This Conference, according to the party’s Constitution, “is the supreme organ of the party, and has the mandate to alter, or amend, any resolution passed by any other organ of the party below it, or to disallow the implementation of any such resolution”. But in this case, matters were conspicuously different. In the course of his opening speech at that Conference, Chairman Nyerere said bluntly: “I would like to take this opportunity to complete an assignment that was given to me by the National Executive Committee at its recent meeting here in Dar es Salaam. Among the issues that were discussed at that meeting, was the question whether or not the Government capital should be relocated to Dodoma. The National Executive Committee made a final decision on this matter, and asked me to announce it. I will now do precisely that, and I seek the indulgence of NEC for not having done so earlier”. That was as clear as it could possibly be: the Conference was only being informed of a decision that had been finally made by the National Executive Committee.
Thereafter, President Nyerere swung into action, to implement the said decision. On 6th October 1973, by Order published in the official Gazette, President Nyerere established a new Ministerial portfolio: The Ministry of Capital Development (MCD). Furthermore, by another Government Notice (GN) no. 230, published on 12th October, 1973; the President also established a Capital Development Government Agency, ‘the Capital Development Agency’ (CDA). It was estimated that the whole project cost would amount to Tsh 3 billion, to be spent over a period ten years. And at the same time, the ruling party TANU was ordered to shift its headquarters immediately to Dodoma, in order to show a good example for the Government to emulate. So far, so good.
However, what followed thereafter, and for the next forty-three years, is a sad story; relating to huge endeavours, but which effectively became wasted efforts, which were so keenly invested by President Nyerere. and many others, into making the ‘shift-to–Dodoma’ project a success; plus the untold frustrations and disappointments which continued to torment Mwalimu Nyerere’s mind, as a result of the failure in achieving his cherished objective and dream.
There are, of course, many primary and secondary causes for this frustrating failure. They include: the cruel economic world circumstances that suddenly, and unexpectedly, occurred at the material time; such as the sudden sharp rise in the world’s oil prices ; the collapse of the East African Community; the war against the invading forces of Iddi Amin of Uganda; and, above all, the total dependence on the Government budget alone to fund all the required operations. But there was also this inevitable failure in the Government attempting to involve the private sector through what appeared to be ‘unethical inducements’. In February 1989, the Government enacted a law titled “The Dodoma Special Investment Act” (no. 7 of 1989).
This law declared the whole capital development area of Dodoma as a ‘special investment area’ and made many extremely generous provisions for the remission of a number of government taxes to all and sundry investors, who would come forward to invest in that specified area. In addition, the said law also made provision for remissions of 50% of the electricity charges; and the same for the water charges, in respect of every industry which was to be established within the specified area. But all these generous inducements failed to attract the private sector to invest in Dodoma, to the extent that had been envisaged. As the wise saying goes: “you can take a horse to a river, but you cannot force it to drink the water”.
Enter President John Pombe Magufuli.
Come July, 2016; President John Pombe Magufuli of the fifth phase Government dramatically entered the stage, by announcing his intention, and commitment, to relocate the Union Government capital to Dodoma before the end of his first term in office, that is to say, before October, 2020. And, as I write this article, the entire Government is already comfortably settled in its brand new offices, and other facilities, in what has been baptized ‘the Government City’ in Dodoma, the former Dodoma Municipality which has in the meantime also been elevated to ‘City’ status. There must be many different factors which have facilitated this extra-rapid achievement; but the following two are pretty obvious:
The first is of course the will, and determination, of President Magufuli himself. But, as we have just seen above, Mwalimu Nyerere himself had similar such will and determination, but that alone was not enough. Hence the second, and perhaps the more determinant factor, was the willing and unsolicited support of the Private sector. (which did not require any Government inducement in order to be coaxed into participation). This was evidenced by the following statement which was published in the Daily News by the Private Sector Foundation: “The Private Sector sees the Government’s intention to shift to Dodoma as a new business opportunity, because a lot of new investments will be required to meet the demands of the increasing population”. As God’s fortune would have it, President Magufuli’s promise has been fulfilled; and, consequently, Mwalimu Nyerere’s long term dream, has, at long last, come true. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
The other significant governance decisions of that period.
After the decision regarding the shift to Dodoma; the other important governance decisions that were made during that five-year leadership period of President Nyerere (1970 – 1975), include the following:- (i) The ‘Ujamaa Villages’ implementation programme; (ii) the abolition of Local Government Authorities; (iii) Major reforms in the provision of Primary and Secondary Education, aimed at achieving the goal of “Education for Self-Reliance”; and (iv) Significant reforms of the procedures for student admission to University Education. All of these reforms were carried out in 1974. Thus, this became the year of great administrative changes; or maybe some of them expensive experiments?
The ‘Ujamaa Villages’ implementation programme.
My readers will remember President Nyerere’s Parliamentary speech of 10th December 1962; in which he promised to ensure the resettlement of the rural population into properly organized Villages; and the dismal failure of that earlier experimental, capitalist oriented, ‘Village Settlements’. This matter was re-activated in 1974; when the political Branch of the ‘one-Party system of governance became unusually energetic, in its decision-making processes, and thus in its production of directives, to be implemented by the Executive Branch. The first one was the directive to implement the ‘Ujamaa Villages’ establishment programme.
My readers will remember President Nyerere’s Parliamentary speech of 10th December 1962; in which he promised to ensure the resettlement of the rural population into properly organized Villages; and the dismal failure of that earlier experimental, capitalist oriented, ‘Village Settlements’. This matter was re-activated in 1974; when the political Branch of the ‘one-Party system of governance became unusually energetic, in its decision-making processes, and thus in its production of directives, to be implemented by the Executive Branch. The first one was the directive to implement the ‘Ujamaa Villages’ establishment programme.
The entire Regional Administration was mobilized to concentrate on that single job, that was code-named “Operation Vijiji”; and was accomplished within the scheduled period. My wife Anna Abdalla had just been appointed District Commissioner for Magu District in Mwanza Region; and she has some chilling stories to tell about that particular operation; such as this one, that there was a family that requested to be allowed to decamp not during day-time like all the others, but to do so at night, under cover of darkness, because they did not want to be seen moving away with their domesticated hyena animals!).
piomsekwa@gmail.com/0754767676
To be continued next week)
Source: Daily News and Cde Msekwa.
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