TOUGH JUSTICE : How expert inquiry could enhance Magufuli’s legacy

President John Magufuli

What you need to know:

  • Most of our governments are very bad consumers of expert studies, and quite ironically, they are also known to reject such studies as attempts to undermine their efforts.

It  should be commonsensical for those who are surrounded by problems to be more curious and appreciative of solutions offered by experts. In this regard, I am surprised that poor countries such as ours are often not heavily invested in the quest for knowledge. Most of our governments are very bad consumers of expert studies, and quite ironically, they are also known to reject such studies as attempts to undermine their efforts.
From what my social media feeds tell me, Tanzanians are quite happy with the outcome of the recent audit of containers of mineral sands. They seem outraged to learn that the country might have lost billions of shillings through the understating of the value of mineral exports by mining companies. If we were to call a spade a spade, this definitely would amount to theft of a massive scale, and it should explain why people largely supported the President’s firm actions, including the dismissal (or is it resignation?) of the minister and permanent secretary responsible for mining.
In the past, the President has received fair amounts of both praise and criticism for his summary dismissals. President John Magufuli appears to have been long aware of the potential losses in revenue from mineral sands, as he is seen in an old recording discussing the issue in a casual setting. Based on his past record, one might have easily expected him to have jumped into conclusions. On the contrary, he took an approach that is more calculated and one that leaves very little room for criticism. The regard for expert opinion on display here seems like a step in the right direction.
Nonetheless, revenues from mineral sands themselves cannot completely transform our economy. In fact, controlling revenue collection itself will never do the trick as long as there is no efficacy in spending. Hence, there is still a lot to be done, and our country would benefit a lot if the same approach of relying on expert opinion to make decisions about policy and practice is replicated across the board.
Am I suggesting that a special committee is set up for every little matter of national interest? Not by a long shot. In fact, this may end up overcomplicating an already slow and bureaucratic system. What I am suggesting instead is that the government begins to look carefully at expert advice contained in pages upon pages of publications done by independent researchers, scholars, think tanks and the like.
One of the many revelations emerging from the mineral sands saga is the fact that an institution named Lawyers’ Environmental Action Team (LEAT) had long researched and written on mineral sands, only to have their expert views rudely dismissed by the third and fourth phase governments. It’s appalling to think about the amount of money lost because someone simply ignored expert advice.
This only goes to demonstrate just how much Dr Magufuli’s administration has to gain from the wealth of research available in the country. Another good example would be a report titled “The one billion dollar question: how can Tanzania stop losing so much tax revenue”. Commissioned by the Interfaith Standing Committee on Economic Justice and the Integrity of Creation, and published in 2012, the report contains a lot of insights which, if operationalised, would get us closer to the vision of becoming a self-sufficient, donor-independent country.
If perhaps there is one special committee that is desperately needed now, it is one whose terms of reference will include the scoping of existing research for any useful insights, which can then be channelled forward to responsible ministries for the sake of operationalisation.
Our lucky break this time was probably inspired by the President’s personal drive and a long-held opinion on the mineral sands issue. But what about a myriad of other issues on which he and his ministers have little awareness? Our big break will come when government officials will actually actively utilise expert knowledge, instead of attending launches, picking up publications and letting them grow dusty in their shelves.

The legacy of President Magufuli could therefore be hinged upon his ability to inspire his subordinates to adopt a high regard for expert inquiry, as he demonstrated in the mineral sands issue. Otherwise, he will have to fire many more of his friends for “not being in the know”.