Wananchi: Govt should not have stopped crackdown on poachers

By The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Friday, November 15   2013 

In Summary

• While some are glad Operation Tokomeza Ujangili (in its then-atrocious-form) was put to a stop, most of our readers say they are worried this might give poachers license to butcher Tanzania’s magnificent jumbos with impunity. 

Some people have commended the government for suspending the anti-poaching drive it called ‘Operation Tokomeza Ujangili’ because some of those involved were mishandling it, including harassment of innocent people, and seizing the properties of others. There are others, though, who fear that poaching will be intensified. In their own words:

Mbaruk, Tabora

Because of its sensitivity and diverse effects on our wildlife, the government is not right to suspend the anti-poaching operation; on the contrary, the government was supposed to play double roles.

First is to deal with dishonest and greedy servants who ruined the operation through harassing innocent people and illegally acquiring properties for their personal benefits.

And secondly, due to the intensity of poaching and threat posed to the tourism industry, the operations could go on to save our wild animals from extinction.

Suspension of the operation has given room to poachers to commit more crimes.

The operation should also focus on eliminating the network of crimes which include poachers, elephant tusk smugglers and some irresponsible and dishonest servants who cooperate with the culprits.

Anonymous via SMS

This was absolutely wrong, as we are on the brink of wiping out our elephants.

The government should discipline the officers at the top level and villagers on the ground, or else we will have no elephants by the year 2020.

Juma Mtasa, Dar es Salaam

It is right to suspend the operation because it was being mishandled. Many innocent lives and properties have been lost, and it looks like the operation benefited some individuals in the government.

Irene Mmari, Dar es Salaam

It is not right to suspend the operation because our elephants are being killed.

What should have been done is to re-structure its objectives and strategies, to include aspects like deployment of the army or police force.

But again, the investigation should be done so that if there are any government officials involved, they should face the music.