Govt has proved EPA critics wrong

Daily News; Saturday,November 08, 2008 @21:15

At last persons involved in one way or another in siphoning money out of the controversial External Payment Arrears (EPA) account have been brought to justice, which is one-up for the government. Therefore, if there is any ‘doubting Thomas’ out there who had doubts on the ability of the government to effectively and efficiently deal with its most pressing challenges, the court appearance of 17 suspects so far would prove them wrong.

There has been discontent, unfounded of course, by a cross-section of the people, some of them highly-placed and influential members of society, of how this government has been tackling the EPA issue, despite constant assurances by the state that the matter was being given the attention it deserved, requesting the people to be patient.

It seemed that some people had lost patience, hence the decision to paint a negative image of the government doubting its ability to handle the issue at various fora - of course, unjustifiably. They were even opposed to measures announced by the president on the best way of dealing with the issue. But patience is always finally rewarded. After all, you cannot bring people before the law overnight before exhausting all the necessary investigations.

The EPA account involved mega-money and its transaction revolved around a system of bureaucratic banking network that involved a chain of officials at the central bank. It was, therefore, not an easy job to get to the core of the financial chain and haul out suspects. It’s not an overnight thing, as the matter concerned both the bank’s insiders and outsiders.

At times, the police had to operate beyond the country’s borders to check whether some of the loot is stashed in some foreign accounts. Let all agree that the speed at which the government has handled this matter is commendable. At long last, the government has proved its critics wrong by acting – and very decisively – on the matter. In the meantime, Tanzanians should let the law take its own course and bring this matter to its conclusion.