Editorial Cartoon

Whenever disaster strikes, we have helpless victims who need urgent support of the society. As is normally the case, tragedy occurs at a moment when nobody is expecting any major problem, like when the self-ignited rockets wreaked havoc in Mbagala area in Dar es Salaam.

A person who is maimed, or loses a home, families and friends through the occurrence of such a disaster is in desperate need of moral and material assistance. Such a victim would not only expect help from neighbours, but also from the government.

We have seen disasters striking in recent years, like the sinking of Mv Bukoba, the varied train accidents and recently the Mbagala debacle, which shook not only the city of Dar es Salaam, but the whole country as well. That we do not know the actual cause of this major accident because the relevant committee is yet to table its findings makes the episode rather mysterious before members of the public.

Immediately after the bomb explosions had occurred, the government formed a team to assess the damage caused by the bomb blasts, including the houses that were destroyed plus other kinds of property.

This team would identify those who were eligible for compensation, evaluate the required amount of monetary compensation, so that the homeless families could immediately start re-building their homes and once more have a roof over their heads.

Sad to say, reports from Mbagala indicate that the exercise is not that smooth, but rather chaotic. According to our reporter who witnessed the exercise, common anomalies at the nine stations she visited included victims’ names and house numbers not tallying as well as glaring mistakes on the list of those qualifying for compensation.

It was also reported that the Mbagala Kuu ward executive officer, who was expected to have been fully involved in the process of identifying the eligible bomb blast victims and reporting the damage, also complained about the inconsistency and urged all those with grievances to report to his office. Over 300 such registration anomalies have so far been submitted.

From the above-mentioned situation, nobody really knows who was supposed to catch the mouse and be accountable for any failure. In this country, we have developed the culture of complaining. Ordinary citizens genuinely complain about something, then the middle level officers also complain without taking action, and finally the minister responsible also registers serious disappointment over the way the issue was handled. This is becoming our culture.

One dares ask where were all these leaders from the bottom of the ladder to the top until the gravity of the negligence was revealed at the 11th hour, just when the victims were expected to start receiving their money?.What image does such a situation paint on the government? Where is empathy? Where is responsibility?

When there was uproar over the way the relief aid was distributed, some public figures stated that the allegations were the work of opposition parties all out to capitalize on the human tragedy in Mbagala. As we witness the confusion around the compensation exercise, we urge such leaders to be committed not only to their people, but also the truth.