Putting ambassadors’ admonishment under the microscope

Back then she was not even a year in the job. Now she is fully in the driving seat and the brickbats are still flying. I find it rather ironic that only last week, I penned a piece dedicated to the extraordinary life of Ambassador Dr Juma Mwapachu. In it, I let it be known that he was one man who would have held his own very well had he been appointed to the coveted position of foreign minister of the United Republic of Tanzania under the regime of then-President Mkapa.

I ought to have added that he was honoured with a doctorate by both the University of Dar es Salaam and the National University of Rwanda as well as being made Moran of the Golden Heart (MGH) in 2011 by President Mwai Kibaki. Precious few will know all this as the Mwapachu brothers going back to their father were not about self-aggrandisement that is all-too familiar in Tanzania.

On the foreign ministry, to my mind, it has for as long as I can remember been led by an ilk that is nondescript. A veiled image presented itself back in the Nyerere era that was as a result of the man’s international stature. With him out of the picture, one could gradually begin to see how ministers lacked the gravitas, so to speak.

I’ll refer to a book by Mwapachu from 2005 titled Confronting New Realities that was written whilst serving as ambassador to France, in which he dedicates a whole chapter to branding Tanzania.

“Most of the factors that underpin competitive advantage arising from a positive umbrella national brand are increasingly becoming benign. Many poor nations are radically reforming themselves on the political and economic fronts, embracing the liberal economic orthodoxy. Under such circumstances, competition based on national brand is taking a more challenging dimension.

“Thus, how to brand a nation to reflect distinctiveness and uniqueness becomes the key core strategy in bolstering competitive advantage.”

Harvard professor Joseph Nye has posited, “The greatest source of power in international affairs to-day may lie in persuading other nations to see your interests as their interests. Branding Tanzania so that her interests are projected to other nations and become perceived as their own lies at the heart of promoting such distinctiveness...”

Now, your guess is as good as mine as to whether anybody in that ministry has ever come across such profound thinking and if so internalised it. It is so rare to come across even an article of interest by our ambassadors. I must point out here the exception being our current high commissioner to South Africa, Major General Milanzi.

It was reported a few days ago after President Hassan’s admonishment that lack of financial resources is a big hindrance on the performance of some of the envoys. This line of argument can be misleading as how is it that former ambassador, General Sarakikya, was able to mobilise for example, groups of people in his African work stations to climb annually Mount Kilimanjaro whilst on a shoestring.

The Citizen columnist, Danford Mpumilwa, a seasoned ex-tourism official at that attests to Sarakikya’s inordinate contribution. He deserves a public commendation. Coincidentally, President Hassan just visited Sarakikya in Arusha and could have asked him to give a brief to her officials on how to get results.

I’m on record expressing my dismay at the utterly frivolous manner in which Tanzania arrives at its EALA representatives. The whole process is an absolute joke and my hope was that President Hassan could have arrested our deplorable plight. Those representatives as a collective are simply incapable of advancing any meaningful agenda for our country. For that, how does it get to a point that the chairman of the Association of Retired Ambassadors, Dr James Msekela, was made to look like a nonentity in that contest?

The highest office in the land must also be aware of how in neighbouring Kenya, public office-bearers including ambassadors have to be vetted by parliament. This process would surely help Tanzania by exposing all the dead wood. We clearly have people who believe that once appointed they can afford to just sit pretty.

All told, an extraordinary problem calls for an extraordinary solution. I wish to offer for free a list of names of individuals who could do the ministry a respectable job if only give a chance when an opening arises.

Matters like branding run deep in their DNA. When our ambassadors convene biennially, the President would be amazed at the synergy levels flowing and even where faced with financial woes, they will be prepared to top up. What Msekela referred to as the “language communication barriers” would be unheard of with this lot.

Their names are followed by a designated country. Buberwa Kemibaro (Kenya), Gilman Kasiga (Uganda), Alexander Gwebe-Nyirenda (Zambia), Donald Mwamaja (Malawi), Kippi Warioba (Ethiopia), Lathifa Sykes (South Africa), Charles Nsekela (United Kingdom), Paul Makanza (Belgium), David Sawe (Switzerland), Valentine Rutakyamirwa (Washington DC, USA) Simon Rupia (New York, USA), Anna Kahama-Rupia (Canada), Hamza Mwapachu (UAE), Godfrey Simbeye (China).

Over to you, Mama Samia.