Solve bus tickets, s/h underwear paradoxes

Ideally, governments must be purposeful and functional, NOT be public nuisances, or do things of no more than a nuisance value.

‘Purposeful institutions’ are invariably practical, useful, with functional resolve/determination rather than merely being attractive to the eye or ear. Otherwise, they become of a nuisance value.

Take, for instance, a local government which penalises commuters for subconsciously throwing away bus tickets on disembarking from a bus.

But, that very same authority fails in garbage disposal, collecting only about 67 per cent of the waste in its jurisdictional area! [See ‘Kumkamata anayetupa tiketi wakati kuna takataka zinazozagaa mitaani sio haki;’ page 11 of ‘MWANANCHI,’ April 13, 2019].

Government institutions cold-heartedly ‘sit’ on mounds upon mounds of rotting rubbish on street pavements, and in front-yards of residences and workplaces: stinking mounds that are breeding grounds for flies and other living organisms of nuisance value – all dangerous to human health and the environment.

That’s to say nothing of failure by the authorities to provide functional sanitation and sewerage services.

Why would a truly-functional government raise hell over a dropped bus ticket amid mounds of stinking garbage all over the place? Why, indeed...?

‘Spent’ commuter bus tickets aside, some government institutions have also been playing merry hell with imported secondhand underwear.

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has been harassing, harrowing and hounding small-scale retailers (‘Machingas/Marching Guys’) of secondhand underwear, towels and neckties on claims they spread infections to buyers-cum-users. [Neckties...? MY GOD! Google for ].

I’ve penned several articles on this in the past, which are in the public domain. [See “The mitumba imports merry-go-round...” The Citizen: January 17, 2019; “Secondhand underwear imports: curse or saviour?” The Citizen: November 15, 2018; and “East African bloc puts the cart before the horse;” The Citizen: March 17, 2016].

Very briefly, the central thread through the articles is that secondhand clothing imports are fumigated at the exit point in the exporting country. Again, they are fumigated at the entry point in the importing country – at the discretion of Port Health authorities.

Fumigation is “the action of disinfecting or purifying (in this case exports and imports) using steralising chemicals. The process involves “use of special gas to eradicate harmful insects, bacteria, diseases, etc. from somewhere or something.” Hospital wards, residences, workplaces and shipments are fumigated to decontaminate them, thus removing dangerous substances, including bacteria and other harmful organisms. This eliminates the possibilities of infection(s).

This being the case on the ground: why does TBS harass small/struggling traders of secondhand underwear (and towels; and neckties...) on the unfounded excuse that the Bureau is saving Tanzanians from infections? Can TBS effectively counter with incontrovertible evidence the clearly positive fumigation factor vis-à-vis the Bureau’s claims of infections from such imports? Where’s the beef, pray?

In any case: why doesn’t TBS – if it must eliminate secondhand clothing from Tanzanians’ already troubled lives – ‘catch’ the imports at entry points/ports into Tanzania where and when they’re still under government (TRA/Customs) control, instead of harassing retailers?

Remember, Tanzanians perforce go for secondhand clothing imports because they’re cheaper, more durable and readily available than the costlier, flimsier and scarcer local products!