Mkapa speaks on the tough times of his presidency

Dar es Salaam. After a long silence, former President Benjamin Mkapa yesterday opened up on some of the toughest decisions he had to take during his presidency. If there is one thing he wants, it is that Tanzania should remember him as the man who brought the country back from the brink of bankruptcy in 1995.

When Mr Mkapa took over as president, he inherited empty state coffers. The situation was so bad that, at some point, the government had to borrow money from businessmen to finance key expenditure. The country was so highly indebted it was on the point of losing its creditworthiness among local and international lenders
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Now, he says, his legacy is a strong foundation for the country’s economy, a project he dedicated himself to in his 10 years in office. Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Mkapa said he also put a high premium on giving Tanzanians the power to determine their fate and run their affairs.

Speaking during the opening of a two-day symposium on African development, he added: “I came into power when the country was not in good situation economically. It was one of countries regarded as poorest and we had to undertake all forms of reforms to get back on track. One thing we did was to empower the private sector to complement what the government was supposed to do.”

But Mr Mkapa’s critics say he spent too much time reforming the macro economy at the expense of the micro economy—and this still left the majority of Tanzanians languishing in poverty.

Mr Mkapa was accompanied by former President of Nigeria Olsegun Obasanjo and former Botswana President Festus Mogae, a one-time winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize.

Mr Mkapa was speaking out for the first time on what he wants Tanzanians to remember him for. He was the president from 1995 to 2005 and was succeeded by President Jakaya Kikwete.

He also revealed two crucial decisions he made when served as head of the state. First, he said, he will always remember the resignation of one of his crucial cabinet ministers.

“I was forced to agree to it due to public pressure but I was very sure that the allegations levelled against the minister were a work of fabrication,” he recalls.

He did not name the minister. But it is in record that in his first years in office, Parliament forced three ministers and one deputy minister to resign. They were Simon Mbilinyi, who was Mr Mkapa’s finance minister; Dr Juma Ngasongwa, who resigned as natural resources and tourism minister due to corruption allegations; and former Spymaster Hassy Kitine ,who resigned as minister for health.

Trade and Industry Minister Iddi Simba also had to resign later after he was implicated in a sugar importation scandal.

Dr Kitine was one of Mr Mkapa’s closest allies. Accepting Dr Kitine’s resignation is believed to be one of the toughest decisions the former president ever made because he believed the former spymaster was innocent.