JokaKuu,
Una hoja za msingi sana kwenye bandiko lako namba 42; Kimsingi tupo pamoja katika hoja zako; Ningependa kuchangia kidogo mawazo yangu kama ifuatavyo, kuendana na jinsi hoja zako zilivyoamsha ubongo wangu:
Nadhani inabidi tuje na industrial policy ya maana, sio hii ya sasahivi ya ubabaishaji na inayotegea capital inflows kutoka nje ambazo kwanza hazina guarantee, pili zinakuja na masharti yasiyokuwa na manufaa kwa watanzania walio wengi, na tatu, zinaangalia maeneo ambayo yanaleta short term profits, hasa natural resources; capital inflows zinazoenda kwenye manufacturing sector ni kidogo sana;
Tukirejea kwenye industrial Policy yetu i.e. Sustainable Industrial Development Policy (SIDP), inatamka kwamba:
The main purpose is to design a plan for industrializing Tanzania so that, by 2025, the country has become semi-industrialized in such a way that industry can be said to account for over 40% of the GDP.
Swali linalofuatia ni je, tunafikaje huko? Jibu ni kwamba:
"The Tanzania SIDP agrees with and encourages the ideas of a market-led economy and, to this end, states that the Tanzania industry sector will be able to succeed with increased private sector participation in the decision making and implementation practices."
"In order to comply with these findings, the government of Tanzania has agreed to continue to provide a welcoming, attractive, stable and encouraging environment for investors who are interested in examining the private sector opportunities within the country."
Ukitazama kwa makini hapo, focus ipo zaidi katika kutegea mitaji kutoka nje (FIDs), sio kutengeneza mazingira ambayo yatazalisha indigenous capitalist/entrepreneurs, na kwa kuanzia, kwa kufanyia kazi kwanza maeneo uliyoyataja kama vile education curriculum n.k; Kwa kifupi, bila ya aibu, sera yetu ya industrialization ni ya mgeni njoo mwenyeji apone;
Watawala wetu wanashindwa kuelewa kwamba kinachotenganisha nchi maskini na nchi tajiri katika dunia ya le ya utandawazi sio just the disparity in CAPITAL and other resources, lakini pia THE GAP IN KNOWLEDGE; Ni muhimu sana tukaja na industrial policy ambayo inalenga ku - promote technology , ku-enhance our competitiveness ili tuweze ongeza our exports na kuongeza uwezo wetu to compete with foreign imported goods; Kuna mchumi mmoja alipata tamka kwamba:
"It makes no difference whether the economy produces potato chips or computer chips, the economy should produce whatever maximizes GDP."
Swali muhimu at this juncture ni: Je, What role should our government play in this context?
Kama tulivyokwisha jadili awali, ujio wa economic liberalisation uliondoa serikali katika shughuli za uchumi; Lakini kama ulivyoelezea hapo juu, hakuna uchumi unaofanikiwa bila mkono wa serikali; It remains to be true for South Korea, India, Brazil, na hata mataifa makubwa kama marekani, UK, France n.k; Kwa mfano, bila mkono wa serikali ya Obama during the economic slump ya 2008, tungekuwa tunazungumza mengine leo hii; Na iwapo taifa kubwa kuliko yote kiuchumi na kinara wa ubepari na soko huria (MAREKANI), leo anahubiri juu ya umuhimu wa serikali kuwekeza katika elimu, utafiti n.k, kwanini wakubwa hawa hawa ambao IMF na WorldBank ndio nyumbani kwao hawaoni umuhimu wa hilo katika nchi zetu maskini, ambazo literally zimekuwa kwenye economic depression since independence?
Baada ya uhuru 1961, tuliambiwa na wakubwa hawa kwamba sababu kwanini tupo nyuma kiuchumi ni kwamba - tuna uhaba wa mitaji (lack of capital), ingawa tuna abundant labour (nguvu kazi); Na ili tuendelee, ni muhimu tuka karibisha mitaji kutoka nje, lakini kwanza kwa kutengeneza mazingira mazuri ya kuvutia wawekezaji (This was 1960s), na ni lazima tuweke the necessary incentives kama vile tax holidays, easy repatriation of profits, labour laws kali kali ili ku-discipline workers wasilete migomo n.k; Tukafanya haya yote by 1962; Lakini cha ajabu, kipindi cha 1962 - hadi 1966, hakuna FDIs za maana zilizoingia nchini, na cha ajabu zaidi ni kwamba, Mitaji mingi ikaanza kuja baada ya azimio la arusha mwaka 1967, na mitaji hii ilitoka nchi mbalimbali kama UK, US, Sweden, huku World Bank wakilisifia sana Azimio La Arusha;
Miaka ya 1960s-1970s our industrial policy chini ya ujamaa ikawa ina swing kati ya import substitution na export oriented industrialization huku tukitumia mitaji ya UMMA (hasa mapato kutoka mauzo ya mazao ya kilimo nje), pia kulikuwa na local private capital kidogo, lakini mitaji mikubwa ilikuwa ni ile kutoka nje kwa njia za mikopo kutoka WorldBank etc, na vile vile tulikuwa tunalipa mataifa ya nje fedha nyingi sana in terms of management contracts kuendesha viwanda vyetu; Mazingira kama haya yanajieleza yenyewe kuhusu nini kilichangia viwanda vingi kuanza kufa;
Lakini cha ajabu ni kwamba mass goods industries kama vile viwanda vya nguo (textiles), ngozi, oil, bia, sigara, vilifanikiwa sana na viwanda hivi vilitegemea zaidi mitaji yetu ya ndani kuliko mitaji kutoka nje; Yalipokuja mageuzi ya uchumi ambapo vitu vya msingi vilivyohimizwa vilikuwa ni Privatization, Marketization na Liberalization, chini ya WorldBank na IMF, ghafla tukaanza ku-undergo de-industrilization kwa kasi ya ajabu hata katika viwanda hivi vya mass goods ambavyo hakivukuwa vikiendeshwa kwa hasara; Cha ajabu ni kwamba, viwanda hivi ndio vikawa hit the hardest, WHY?
Muda sio mrefu, tukaanza kuambiwa hadithi zile zile za miaka ya 1960s kwamba – ooh, nyinyi hamjaendelea kwa sababu hamna mitaji, ingawa mna abundant labour; sasa ili kuendelea, ni muhimu kutengeneza mazingira mazuri ya kuvutia wawekezaji, na ni lazima tuweke the necessary incentives kama vile tax holidays, easy repatriation of profits n.k. Hapa tukaona Investment Promotion Centre (IPC) ikianzishwa kufanikisha hayo, na baadae ikageuzwa kuwa TIC chini ya Sitta;
Matukio haya yalitosha kuwaonyesha viongozi wetu kwamba wakubwa hawa wa nje hawana nia njema na viwanda vyetu, Kwahiyo tusikubali kufuata sera, maagizo na masharti yao kwani yalitufelisha tayari huko nyuma; Walichofanya watawala wetu ni kufungua milango hadi chumbani na kubinaifishwa kiholela tu; Ilitakiwa tuhimiza wawekezaji wakati ule waje kwenye Greenfield projects kwani hizo ndio zina-create new jobs, zinajenga economic linkage kwenye local economy huku wazawa wakipata nafasi ya kushiriki katika supply chains na value chains etc etc; Badala yake, tukawauzia tu wakubwa wan je viwanda na mashirika yetu and what they did wa literally asset stripping, suala ambalo halikupelekea creation of wealth to the economy au creation of jobs;
Ni muhimu kwa serikali kurudi at the centre na kuongoza industrial policy, sio kuachia wawekezaji, WorldBank/IMF/WTO, na Soko kuongoza suala hili; Role of the government ni muhimu, lakini wakubwa hawa wanataka the government to be rolled rolled/pushed back kwa sababu ambazo tunazielewa – kufanya hivyo kunawapa nafasi wakubwa hawa to control our economic policies, resources n.k, kwa faida yao kwa mwendo ule ule wa ukoloni, ila katika nyakazi hizi, ina diplomatic way;
Kama ulivyoanisha, ni muhimu kwa serikali to play a central role katika uchumi katika maeneo muhimu, kama vile financing SMEs (nchi za nje, hasa marekani wana kitu kinaitwa Small Business Administration [SBA], na FEDEX alizaliwa kwa hilo); Pia serikali iwekeze kwenye Research, kwani hili haliwezi kufanywa na private sector, na hata marekani na kwingine, kwa mfano technology ya Internet ingesubiria private sectir kuwekeza, tusingekuwa hapa; Research zenye manufaa kwa nchi, financing yake haina collateral au returns ambazo zinajulikana from day one, so this has to be the domain ya serikali; Pia serikali ijikite kuwekeza kwenye elimu, hasa educational curriculum kama ulivyojadili, miundombinu, n.k, kwani haya yoye yatasaidia nchi yetu iweze ku-shape our economy and its competitiveness;
Lazima labour market na education ziwe linked vizuri – kuwepo na life long educational programmes ambazo ni relevant kwa mahitaji ya uchumi (sio ajira tu), education should aim at learning to learn, kwani katika hili sisi hatupo kabisa, we just want to learn to earn; Suala la curriculum ulilozungumza ni muhimu sana, hasa tuibadilishe ili kuwepo na link baina ya University and Industry; Karne ya kumi na tisa, elimu ilielekezwa katika ku-train na ku-discipline nguvu kazi kwa ajili ya industrialization; Pamoja na umuhimu huu, ni lazima pia tujue kwamba katika karne ya 21, kwa wenzetu, education needs are directed towards developing entrepreneurship and the ability to cope with a fast changing world;
Mwisho, uchumi wa kisasa unazidi kuwa ni ule unaoegemea kwenye Service Sector and Knowledge economy; Transformation kutokea kilimo kwenda viwanda ilihitaji a major reorientation, na pia tumeona kwamba katika mataifa makubwa yenye uchumi wa kisasa, transformation from the manufacturing to the new economy nayo imekuwa very dramatic; Lakini kwa bahati mbaya, watawala wetu sidhani kama wanaelewa changamoto tuliyonayo, hasa kuhusu vision on where our economy is going kwani zaidi ya kumumunya mumunya maneno kwamba lengo ni kufikia uchumi wa kati by 2025, hawana lolote la maana wanalofanya;