Dar es Salaam is the capital of Tanzania. If you think Dr. Philip Mpango's modesty translates to a poor leader, you're wrong. History will remember Tanzania's new Vice President as a modest and media-shy figure, but one who is unflappable when it comes to standing up for what he believes is right.
Dr. Mpango has seen it all during his five years as Finance Minister, but he has always stood firm in defense of what he believes is in the public interest.
‘Either you pay your taxes or I resign.'
Those who don't pay attention will remember that in August 2018, Dr Mpango became the first Cabinet minister to publicly criticize the then powerful Dar es Salaam regional commissioner, Mr Paul Makonda.
Mr Makonda was considered untouchable during the late former President John Magufuli's presidency.
Until then, memories of how expensive a conflict with Mr Makonda might have been lingered among Cabi- net ministers and other Tanzanians.
Dr Magufuli's firing of the then-Minister of Information, Culture, Arts, and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye, over an alleged night raid on the Clouds Media station in Dar es Salaam, was the focus at the time.
Mr Nnauye was fired just days after ordering an inquiry into claims that Mr Makonda had overstepped his authority by accessing the facility late at night with armed security guards.
Against this backdrop, when it came time for Dr Mpango to challenge Mr Makonda, he held to his weapons. The stumbling block between the two presidential appointees began with a public notice released by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) in May 2018 about products that had overstayed at Dar es Salaam Port without paying the appropriate taxes.
The taxman listed Mr Makonda’s shipping containers as among items that would be auctioned.
But that did not go down well with the former RC, who vented his anger at TRA, and warned that anyone who purchased the goods would be “cursed by God”.
But Dr Mpango said Mr Makonda’s remarks were “unfortunate”, and insisted that the overstayed furniture would be auctioned to recover unpaid taxes in accordance with the country’s tax laws.
“It is not right whatsoever to interfere with legal procedure. I would like to urge fellow leaders to observe the law and not overstep the boundaries of their authority….Our country must continue to be guided by the rule of law. The government’s instruction is that this furniture must be auctioned,” Dr Mpango said.
He roundly criticised Mr Makonda for trying to get a shipment of 20 containers of furniture cleared at Dar es Salaam Port paying about Sh1.2 billion in taxes.
“I took an oath to enforce tax laws, and I will not waver … on this. I’m ready to inform the President that ‘that’s it’. It’s enough. We will not victimise anyone nor will we fear anyone when it comes to enforcement of tax laws... we must uphold our laws ...we can’t play around with taxes,” he said after inspecting the containers.
Mr Makonda’s claims were that he received the furniture as a donation from Tanzanians living in the United States as part of his efforts to build modern offices for teachers in Dar es Salaam’s public schools.
When President Magufuli said while in Chato that Mr Makonda should pay the fee, Dr Mpango finally gained President Magufuli's support.
“There's the matter of the Dar es Salaam regional commissioner bringing in containers, and there's the thorny question of taxation. In August 2018, he addressed councillors in his home council of Chato, Geita Region, and asked, "Who is he that he can't pay taxes?"
Petroleum taxes Dr. Mpango was faced with a new set of challenges in June of that year (2018), this time concerning MPs.
Just Dr. Mpango and a few other politicians-turned-technocrats were possibly aware that the government was already receiving up to 35% of what customers pay for a litre of petroleum products.
MPs unanimously decided that it was past time for the government to introduce a new Sh50 tax on every litre of petroleum products and channel the money into the ring-fenced Water Development Fund while discussing the Sh32.5 trillion budget for the financial year 2018/19.
Dr. Mpango, on the other hand, stood firm and rejected the proposal, arguing that embracing it would have had negative implications for plans for economic stability.
“The government recognizes the country's water challenges....we examined the proposal and determined that now is not the appropriate time to proceed due to rising global petroleum prices..... Dr. Mpango clarified that doing so would have catastrophic consequences for microeconomic stability and would result in second-round results.
According to Dr. Mpango, the sector is already heavily taxed, with up to 19 fees and taxes imposed by various government agencies on every litre of petroleum products purchased by a customer.
'I'm going to Mtwara,' says the narrator. During the same time, Dr. Mpango dismissed threats from some MPs, declaring that he would travel to Lindi and Mtwara and that no one had the authority to prevent him from doing so.
“I have no intentions to sabotage Mtwara and Lindi's people.... It is within my rights to travel to Mtwara to see my friends, family, and relatives.... I'll go there as part of my usual ministerial responsibilities,” he said.
Dr Mpango's comments seemed to be in response to MPs from Lindi and Mtwara warning him not to visit the regions if the government went ahead with its plans to amend the law regulating cashew nut funds.
That came after MPs led by cashew nut growers fiercely opposed the government's proposal to amend the Cashewnut Industry Act (Cap 203), as part of the Finance Bill 2018, in order to ensure that export levies were collected in the consolidated fund.
Dr. Mpango, on the other hand, said on June 26, 2018 that he was willing to die for Tanzania, claiming that he had always worked for all Tanzanians, regardless of where they came from.
People want change. Dr. Mpango said people want development as he earned Parliament's approval to become Tanzania's Vice President yesterday. People want their standard gauge railway (SGR) to be done, he said. They want the Nyerere Hydropower Dam to be finished as soon as possible.
Roads are required, especially in rural areas. They need water and protection in order to continue working on their projects. They despise graft.
“This is what I would strive for if this Parliament approves me as suggested by the President. That way, we'll be able to realize the ambitions of our people, as expressed by their farewell to former President John Magufuli,” he said.
He said that Parliament's function was to advise the government, and he asked the legislative body to continue doing what it had been doing all along.
“As some people say, I'm not modest. To corrupt people, I am not modest. To those who swindle public funds, I am not modest. He said, "I'm not humble to those who sleep on the job."
President Hassan's choice of Dr. Mpango as Vice President was supported by all 363 MPs who voted yesterday.
Dr. Mpango is no longer a Member of Parliament, as per Article 71 of the Tanzanian Constitution.
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