In the other parts of the word, transparency ya mikataba inaongezeka, albeit from a low base and poor historical record hasa kwenye sekta ya madini. The tide is gradually turning with more and more data being put online.
Trend inaonyesha kuwa baadhi ya nchi zimeanza kuweka hadharani mikataba wanayosaini baina yao na makampuni ya kimataifa ya mafuta. Tayari kuna nchi kama saba hivi zinazozalisha mafuta ambazo zinaweka hadharani mikataba yao ya mafuta na makampuni ya kigeni. Kuweka hii mikataba hadharani kunawasaidia wananchi kujua kinachoendelea.
Nimesoma baadhi ya wanaopendekeza kuwa bunge liwe linapitia presumably draft za hiyo mikataba kabla ya kusainiwa. Baadhi ya nchi kama Ghana na Sierra Leone zinafanya hivyo. Hata hivyo ili hiyo process iwe effective itategemea na uelewa wa wabunge tulionao. Otherwise, tutakuwa tunahamishia tatizo from one organ to another.
Kuna mikataba mingine inafikia mpaka zaidi ya kurasa 100 na imeandikwa in complicated legal jargons na concepts za sekta husika kiasi kwamba hata mtu anayejua sheria au aliye-specialise kwenye sekta husika may fail to pick up or even understand. Kwa jinsi bunge letu linavyofanya kazi sasa, watakuwa wanaipitisha hii mikataba kwa ushabiki wa vyama. Who knows hata hayo makampuni ya madini yanaweza kuwahonga wale wabunge ambao hawatosheki.
Ni vigumu ku-justfy why the agent (government) should be entitled to hide those contracts from the principal (citizens). Kunaweza kuwa na excuses nyingine kama confidentiality na kulinda trade secrets za other party to the contract ambaye mara inakuwa ni kampuni, but those secret parts can easily be excluded from the published copy anyway.
In addition, the fact that most of the mining companies are public companies, you can easily access the so called confidential information and trade secrets in their prospectus, at the listing authority or even at the patent office.
Lakini pressure ya kutoweka hadharani hiyo mikataba inatoka kwa hayo makampuni because they don't want people to see the tax breaks agreed in those secret contracts. It is a naked truth that multinational mining companies seeking to invest or expand their investment in Africa continue to enter confidential agreements with governments to acquire special tax rates and concessions that are outside the statutory framework.
Kwa kawaida, tax concessions huwa zinakuwa included kwenye mining development agreement. These are legal commercial contracts and override national law. So, if these agreements include tax rates, they override the national tax regime. Kwa hiyo, argument ya trade secrets, tena kwa makampuni ya madini, ni danganya toto tuu maana hata hizo secrets, kama kweli zipo, bado zinaweza kugunduliwa through reverse engineering.
Hata hivyo, pamoja na ukosefu wa transparency kwenye mikataba ya madini, there is a more fundamental problem. Kuna sehemu Dr Peter Kafumu, mmoja wa wataalamu wetu kwenye hii sekta, ameandikwa akidai kuwa "we have no capacity to look at their books. [The companies] can write the books so that third world countries cannot regulate. Even the contracts are difficult. I think the mining companies exploit our weaknesses in law and capacity." – TWN Africa, et al, (2009) Breaking the Curse: How Transparent, Taxation and Fair Taxes can turn Africa's Mineral Wealth into Development.
Lakini uki google wala haitakuchukua dakika 20 kujua kuwa annual reports za kampuni ya AngloGold inayochimba dhahabu Geita zinasema kuwa mwaka 2006, kampuni hiyo ilichimba ounces 308,000 za dhahabu. Kati ya mwaka 2006 hadi katikati ya mwaka 2007 kampuni hiyo ilitengeneza gross profit ya dola za kimarekani milioni 93 kutoka machimbo ya Geita peke yake. Lakini kampuni hiyo ililipa TRA dola za Kimarekani milioni moja tuu kama corporate income tax na kudai kuwa italipa tena corporate tax only in 2011, a whole 11 years baada ya kuanza operations.
Pia Barrick Gold iliripoti a net income ya dola za Kimarekani milioni 97 kati ya mwaka 2004 na katikati ya mwaka 2007, lakini ilikuwa bado haijaanza kulipa corporate incone tax. Kwa kipindi hicho, royalty payments ndiyo zilikuwa our main source of income. Kati ya 2002 and 2006, makampuni ya madini yalipeleka nje dhahabu yenye dhamani ya dola za Kimarekani bilioni 2.9. Katika kipindi hicho, serikali ilikusanya dola za Kimarekani milioni 17.4 tuu kwa mwaka in royalties, charged at 3% of the net back value of gold exports.
Hapa ni nani wa kulaumiwa? Kweli sheria zetu na capacity tuliyonayo inaweza kutufanya tusiweze kuangalia the books of these public companies? Juzi tuu
Barrick yenyewe ndiyo iliripott kuwa ime-renew leseni yake kwa miaka mingine 15. Lakini hii habari ilipita kimya kimya kwenye vyombo husika Tanzania. Sembuse utakuwa huo mkataba mpya?
Pia Dr Peter Kafumu ananedelea kudai kuwa negotiating with the mining companies was an intimidating experience, much like being faced with a traditional weapon: "The companies are holding a panga by the handle and we are getting the sharp end."
Kama wanao-negotiate on our behalf ni watu kama hawa, hata kama hiyo mikataba ikiwekwa hadharani itasadia kweli? Kwa nini a Ph.D holder na mtaalamu aliyebobea kwenye sekta ya madini anakuwa intimidated by these mining companies?
Kiini cha tatizo hakipo tuu kwenye kuficha hiyo mikataba bali ni incompetence, ubnafsi and probably woga wa hao wanao negotiate na kusaini hiyo mikataba kwa niaba yetu. Incompetence, ubnafsi, nk. unasababishwa na sisi wenyewe kutowawajibisha wahusika.
Hata kama hiyo mikataba ikianikwa hadharani kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa kuendelea kuingia kwenye mikataba mibovu kama hatutajirekebisha. Maana hata kule WTO, trade negotiators wa nchi zilizoendelea sometimes huwa wana walalamika kuwa Waafrika tunapeleka negotiators ambao hawana expertise with the issues subject to negotiations.
BTW, wala siyo hiyo mikataba tuu ambayo inafichwa maana serikali pia imegoma kuonyesha Mitaala ya Elimu hapa nchini. Tanzania ni member wa Open Government Partnership lakini tunaficha mpaka Mitaala ya Elimu hapa nchini? Tell me about that.