News:

The Guardian Newspaper of 13 November 15, 2014 reported that poverty, health and education are the main challenges facing Tanzania. According to the report brief titled: ‘Tanzania towards 2015: Citizen Preferences and views on political leadership research' conducted on Tanzania Mainland between 2012 and September 2014 shows that the three plights have been ranked among the foremost national problems for three consecutive years - 2012, 2013 and 2014.

According to research findings conducted by Twaweza: over half a century since independence still Tanzania suffers from those plights and the government and Members of Parliament (MPs) have failed to find solutions as pledged in their 2010 General Election manifestos.

Comment:

The problem of poverty is tantamount to a persistent cancer that adversely affects our developing countries despite strategies, the formation of various communal alliances and institutions meant to combat poverty.

Scrutiny reveals that poverty in our developing countries is not a natural phenomenon in the sense that these countries are blessed with abundant of different resources commencing with spacious lands, rivers, minerals, human resource etc nevertheless they are still as poor as a church mouse.

What is lacking from our countries is lack of complete autonomy to decide and control their own issues apart from not embarking on an ideology to pursue in life.  Despite all that wealth, our countries will never be free.

On the other hand, the policy of debts and loans from the capitalist countries to developing countries, privatization of public properties, levies imposed on the concerned countries etc, all these add sufferings upon sufferings of low living standards and poverty that affect healthcare and education programs. Basically the strategies set for poverty eradication being nationally and internationally discussed are but mere unrealistic dreams pertaining to the issue of poverty eradication.

Islam has come with various steps of combating poverty from citizens, including banning unnecessary levies and taxes, prohibiting monopoly, in an endeavor to make the wealth circulate for the purpose of creating job opportunities, protecting public property from being privatized etc. The most important thing under the Islamic State: Khilafah "Caliphate" is the prevention of the capitalist states from pilfering and sucking natural resources of the developing countries.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Masoud Msellem

Deputy Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa