Press Release
Mega Projects in Developing Nations Are Not Meant to Serve Masses

Recent government response in Parliament via The Deputy minister for Energy, Judith Kapinga on reduction of power cost and lowering electricity charges following the commencement of electricity production of Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project (JNHPP) is very disappointing.

The Deputy minister for Energy responded that the cost of electricity in Tanzania is cheaper compared to the rest of East African countries due to the government's subsidy on the costs incurred by consumers and the current electricity price already includes government subsidies.

We in Hizb ut Tahrir / Tanzania would like to say the followings:

1. Within capitalism projects especially mega ones like this Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project (JNHPP) are not meant to care for the welfare of the people but are for the interests of the capitalists and greedy politicians without any real concerns of the citizens. This mega project along with others branded as ‘strategic projects with the aim to help people’. However, things are contrary.

2. It is very shameful that capitalist democratic politicians would always play ‘tik tak’ political card in vital issues, making cunning statement with aim to disregard public interests. Politics in democracy is not an issue of serving the people and taking care of their affairs fairly, but is a profession to hurriedly amass wealth with cunning statements.

3. In Islam under its Khilafah (Caliphate) state, unlike in capitalism, electricity and power plants and the likes are not allowed to be privatized (private ownership), nationalized or made as government property, but they are public goods and fall under public ownership.

Thus, electricity must be provided to all people, and all effort must be invested to guarantee that all benefit from it in sufficient quantities and cheaply (if not freely), not on a commercial basis.