During Kikwete ’ s inaugural speech as president to parliament in December 2005 , he promised that the government would not embark on any new mining investments without involving the parliament . The political environment was such that the controversies caused by FDIs launched the political careers of many leading opposition politicians like Tundu Lissu and Zitto Kabwe . There was little to no link between the economic growth shown in government reports and the economic realities of people whose regions had benefitted from these investments . Government ’ s own statistics showed that some of the areas with large mining activities were among the poorest in the country . In regions like Mara , the ruling party , Chama cha Mapinduzi ( CCM ), either lost constituencies or fought hard to retain them because of the disparity between the communities ’ level of livelihoods and the huge mining investments around them .
To Magufuli , this was personal . He hailed from one of the regions with huge gold deposits . In his inaugural parliamentary speech in November 2015 , he said he wanted to see “ economic diplomacy ” answering domestic challenges like employment , infrastructures , markets for agricultural products , etc . Even before he launched his bid for the presidency , he was seen in a 2014 video speaking candidly with friends in his constituency about what he would do if he gained power . Countless times when in power , he repeated that the country had been cheated too much for far too long .
He succeeded in renegotiating some of the controversial terms of the mining industry , giving the government more control and introducing new laws . One can debate the merits of the means through which he achieved these outcomes or the amount of money the country received which was nowhere near what he had promised , but there is no disputing that he was heard by the powerful mining companies which had played by a different set of rules for more than two decades . They had the upper hand , but he tilted the scales .
Regional security
Magufuli is not one of the former rebel commanders who dominate the politics of the region . While he appreciated the role Tanzania played in the liberation struggles in many countries , he was never personally involved nor was he an activist in his youth days as a member of the CCM . In many ways , the era of liberation struggles passed him by . Consequently , this was the single area of foreign policy where his “ weakness ” served him well . For instance , the fact that he had no direct or indirect historical relations with armed protagonists in the Great Lakes allowed him to sidestep some of the glaring mistakes of his immediate predecessor , such as suggesting talks between Rwanda and the remnants of the genocidal regime hiding in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo . Instead , he adopted an economic approach in dealing with neighbours , choosing to prioritize infrastructural projects to ease trade .
Though he lacked the finesse of some of his predecessors , he eased security tensions and suspicions which had characterized Tanzania ’ s involvement in some of her neighbours ’ politics . He knew how to dance without stepping on any toes , at least not publicly .
The late Magufuli did things his way , which is why his critics see him as an erratic man . What is certain is that the idea of a country that is potentially rich in natural resources but economically poor never sat well with him , even more so the idea of a country on its knees going around the world with a begging bowl . At one time , while launching a week of industries and business for SADC countries , he paraphrased Mwalimu Nyerere who once said that while others are walking , we should run . Magufuli thought that Tanzania had been walking for far too long , so it was about time it ran . He did stumble while running but never stopped or slowed down . Indeed , his actions and policies were an attempt to compensate for Tanzania ’ s lost time .
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Erick Mwakibete is a Tanzanian commentator based in Dar es Salaam .
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