Yanga members: vote, but do it wisely

Now that Young Africans election looms, there is much to be done before the club members go to the polls in less than a week.

Because the committed participation of the voters strengthens any democracy, all eligible voters in the club should exercise their right to cast a ballot. But their duties begin far in advance of voting day.

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), which has been tasked by the National Sports Council (NSC) to supervise the election, has promised to fix the election date today.

And Yanga will have to conduct the polls to fill vacant posts in the club four or five days later, according to the TFF election committee.

Eight of the 12 members of the club’s executive committee, including club chairman Yusuf Manji and vice chairman Clement Sanga, have resigned due to various reasons. A sigh of relief is now in the air as a long running feud in the club has been resolved following the intervention of the Ministry responsible for Sports.

Voting responsibly means learning as much as possible about relevant issues in order to make informed decisions about which candidates are best equipped to take the club forward.

Now more than ever, careful consideration is crucial, as the club is confronted with myriad challenges. Yanga are now grappling with various challenges, including financial constraints.

Thus difficult decisions need to be made about transforming the club into a viable entity. To help eligible voters prepare ahead of the polls, candidates should clearly explain their positions on major issues and their specific plans for the future.

There should simply be no time for mudslinging, disingenuous rhetoric, and other unsavoury tactics that, unfortunately, often mar campaigns. Instead, the campaigns should be about ideas.

Ultimately, voters should judge candidates based on substantive factors such as their ability to turn around the club’s dwindling fortunes.

FISHERS NEED EDUCATION

Fishing regulations have not changed much, but some fishermen still contravene them because of the temptation to make huge profits.

Most, nonetheless, end up being slapped with heavy fines – and sometimes jailed.

Kudos for law enforcers for doing their job...

Everybody has the right to fish; but they must follow the relevant rules

Over 90 fishermen in Dar es Salaam were arrested in mid-week and their vessels seized for lacking fishing licences.

Indeed, it was a bitter pill to swallow for fishmongers and consumers alike because of the sharp rise in prices following a more than 50 per cent sudden drop in supplies.

The price of a bucketful of sardines skyrocketed to Sh70,000, from Sh30,000 after the fishermen halted their activities for fear of landing in trouble.

Illegal fishing denies the government revenues, so the latest incident should serve as a lesson for other fishermen to observe the law. We understand that there are challenges galore, which include unmitigated bureaucracy when registering vessels. But, fishing using unregistered/unlicensed vessels is also wrong.

It is time that the Livestock and Fisheries Development ministry and related institutions stepped up education campaigns to the public to avoid such incidents.