DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Former Tanzania's Controller and Auditor General, Professor Mussa Assad has said there is a need to reboot the public service saying 60 per cent of the current crop lacks the necessary competence to serve as civil servants.
Professor Assad (pictured above) made the remarks today, April 10, 2021 during the launch of a series of public debates organized by the Morogoro Muslim University (MUM).
Assad developed a bad blood with the Tanzania parliament in 2019 following the Members' refusal to work with him, based on what they deemed disparaging remarks he made about them.
In a radio interview while on a working trip to the US December 2018, Prof Assad described the Tanzanian parliament as “too weak” to hold the government accountable for frequent expenditure discrepancies exposed in past CAG annual audit reports.
He was then summoned before a parliamentary sub-committee in January 2019 to explain the remarks and the committee concluded that his apology was not sufficient and subsequently recommended his ostracising by the entire parliament.
On Tuesday April 2 the same year the House through a parliamentary resolution, refused to work with Prof Assad any more.
He was thereafter 'unconstitutionally' retired by the then President John Magufuli.
In this new analysis the international renown accountant lecturer said "Most public servants are not good enough or do not meet the required threshold, my only problem is when you get to the point where you see someone doing wrong and you can't say it is wrong, then you are in the wrong place."
He added: "You don't have to criticize him openly, but at least write to him that sir I saw you did, but I think basically that was not right; Let's fix my opinion here and there, if he gets an opinion from one person he will get angry, if he gets that opinion from 10 people in his cabinet he must listen."
He said the problem is that people have become cowards; it has reached a point where some people just keep silent even when there is plenty going wrong.
"That's why I say let's start afresh with the few who are doing well, that will also be a lesson for those who 'in the future' will be carefree, they know that their remedy is to set them aside and start anew." He said.
He made references of certain government decisions which were reached in the past such as selling of government houses in Masaki and the Railway quarters in Gerezani Dar es Salaam, only for the same government to come back and buy what it sold at Sh6 million at over Sh200 million per house.
He said that the senior government who cannot advice the presidency or government responsibly, are suffering from 'acquired stupidity.'
"This is a term that is not internally consistent, similar to self intimidation. Because just as you cannot intimidate yourself, stupidity cannot be acquired. If you are properly educated and you can wisely employ your faculties you cannot be termed stupid." He said.
"However, surprisingly we have officials who are on paper intelligent and smart but have acted and said stupid statements!"
Regarding the controversial Bagamoyo Port project, Professor Assad said there is a need for the Government to provide documentation for the project to make it public so that citizens can read it, look at its pros and cons and comment on whether it is good or bad.
"I cannot say whether the project is good or bad because I have not seen the documents but if the government provides information, we will comment and I am good in that area of analysis," said Professor Assad.
In 2017, President Magufuli fired nearly 10,000 civil servants for holding fake qualifications.
The mass-firing came hours after the President received an official report by an audit task force he set up.
It concluded that 9,932 of 435,000 civil servants who were working for the government had fake school and professional certificates.
"They are thieves like any other thieves. You cannot perform if you don't have deserving qualification." Magufuli said.
The President told state employees with fake certificates to leave office by May 15 that year or face arrest and prosecution.
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