Editor,

RE: "Pope Francis, Magufuli and the sin of Rwandanisation” (The New Times, December 1).

President Magufuli has proven beyond reasonable doubt that in Tanzania, for the past 10 years, the giant had been in total sleep. Now even Tanzanians now know why Rwanda minerals were always gone missing at Dar es Salaam port.

About 349 containers were stolen from the port just in two years’ time amounting to 80 billion Tanzanian shillings. Did you know that this year Tanganyika independence ceremony would cost 4 billion shillings?

Now, Magufuli has ordered the money to be put in construction of the famous road from Mwenge-Posta with immediate effect.

Yulian

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Itnever fails to amaze that those countries which can at least afford them tend to have the most public holidays.

I cannot be sure about the causal direction though: do citizens of most poor countries love public holidays more than those in wealthier countries, or are they poorer because they take many more public holidays than they can afford?

Apart from that, isn't it shameful that, so many years after nominal independence, many Africans can still encourage their citizens to line the roads for this or that visiting (usually white) pooh bah? No wonder we remain poor—and objects of disdain.

MK