KILIMANJARO: AN old adage goes: ‘When you see a person rewarded or strengthened due to good work he or she did or continues to do, then it means that the work he or she is doing has been successful to a large extent and has borne good fruits’.
This has been revealed recently when the government announced that it has added working equipment to the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), as part of its (government’s) contribution to ensure that the institution is strengthened in carrying out its duties.
Some of the equipment were the 88 cars that were handed over by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa as part of the activities that took place at the conclusion of the Basic Investigative Course for new PCCB recruits held at the Tanzania Police School (TPS) located in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region.
“The ongoing fight against corruption requires a comprehensive governance approach that involves, among other things, providing education to members of the public on the side effects of corruption, the strengthening of the rule of law and ensuring equal access to justice”, he said.
According to him the impact of corruption risks in any society affects the community in almost all sectors which he says includes, education, water and sanitation services, health, to mention but a few affected sectors.
He continues to say that, the fight against corruption needs to be given support by the government and other development stakeholders due to the real fact that, its (corruption) nature continues to change, becoming more complex because of the ongoing technological developments.
Mr Majaliwa continues to say that, corruption is very dangerous to the nation, because it does have an impact on economic growth, the nations development processes in general and above all, weakens the government’s efforts meant to improve the well-being of the people.
“It is due to these factors that led to the government to strengthen this (PCCB) sensitive institution by providing it with additional work tools, issuing new employment permits to increase the workforce and also ensuring that the new employees of the institution receive various education through various trainings that will enable them to carry out their duties with great professionalism and patriotism”, he says.
“The new educational programme will be a continuation of the strategies that the government has set aimed at fighting corruption in the country; through the programme, Tanzanians will be educated about the effects of corruption and also have a spirit of patriotism in fighting it”, he said. He added, “The government is continuing with its various efforts aimed at fighting corruption due to the fact that corruption is dangerous for the nation and its people and that the good future of the nation is to make the country corruption free”.
“The government has already set aside a total of 30bn/- for the purchase of more than 100 vehicles that will enable PCCB to increase efficiency in its activities; the government has also provided 1,160 new jobs for the employees of this important institution”, he said.
Addressing the graduands of the course, Prime Minister Majaliwa has challenged them to go to work according to the expectations of Tanzanians due to the fact that the citizens are the biggest victims of acts of corruption.
“There are many types of corruption and it is almost in every sector up to the sports sector; it is for that reason that I call upon you graduates to go and apply yourselves sincerely in all areas to ensure that corruption is eradicated”, he says.
He continues to tell the graduates that corruption is not related to the issue of bribery alone, including that related to money, but that they (graduands) should also put in consideration the abuse of national resources as the area that hurts people’s hearts and discourages them especially when it comes to commit themselves (people) in development related activities.
“Through the training you got you now do understand different kinds of corruption and how to curb them; the way forward here is for you to utilise well the education you got, collaborate with other stakeholders including the citizens in identifying priorities, problems and solutions to all the challenges which are related to corruption”, he said.
For his part, the PCCB Director General, Mr Crispin Chalamila said that, during the occasion, a total of 436 new employees of the institution completed their initial training which he said was mandatory for all new officers joining the institution.
He thanked the government for continuing to strengthen the institution whereby he said that, the government’s efforts to strengthen the institution included that of providing funds for more than 100 new cars of which 88 have already arrived in the country.
“In other efforts apart from the issuing of the vehicles, the government has also facilitated the construction of five new modern offices in five regions, 13 offices in 13 districts in the country and one special centre”, he said, adding, there are still other projects going on in other regions and districts in the country.
