Transparency is a strategy to prevent misuse of power.

(Published 18.04.2010)

The battle over control and ownership to HLH has only started.  If experience is anything to go by; the hospital will be in the hands of Norwegians in 2011; the name of the Director will be Olsen for at least five more years. The “secret” lobbying and pressure on individuals going on now is not much different from what happened to HDC Ltd in 2005 and 2006, we know how that ended.

 A more open process, involving and respecting all stakeholders might lead to a different and more sustainable solution than was the case with HDC Ltd. This is a challenge to the experienced politician and chairman of the Foundation Friends of Haydom (FoH) in Norway.

During the last 5 years, after Dr Ole Halgrim Evjen Olsen passed away, there has been a struggle for power among friends of Haydom in Tanzania and in Norway. The issue is control of Tanzanian land and property.  The argument from the Norwegian side is that the charity, “the Foundation Friends of Haydom (FoH)”, has put so much money into these properties that they have to take control.

The first battle was over Haydom Development Company Ltd and its properties. There was no way they could bring the company to Norway open and legally, hence the use of secret dealings and eventually physical force to take the assets.

The new Director at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and the Chairman of the Board of directors of HDC Ltd was not involved in the secret dealings in 2005.  He was, as all of us in HDC Ltd, taken by surprise when the Friends of Haydom in Norway on 2^nd January 2006 declared that they had appointed their own Norwegian Board of Directors of the Tanzanian registered company HDC Ltd.

The second battle is being fought now, over the property and control of the Haydom Lutheran Hospital, HLH.  HLH is a Tanzanian hospital belonging to ELCT Mbulu.  There is a battle going on over at least two issues.  One issue is the demand to take the hospital away from ELCT and give it to a foundation that in all practical matters is to be controlled by two Norwegian individuals on life time basis, one from the Olsen family and one from the FoH in Norway.

The difference between now and 2005 is that the Olsen family and the charity, FoH have made a common cause; as they also did after a while in the case of HDC Ltd., in 2006.  It is anybody’s guess what might have transpired behind closed doors. Some of us were exposed to threats and proposals of what hardly has any other name than bribe for betraying HDC Ltd and making Mulbadaw Farm and CMSC de facto Norwegian property back in 2006. If what I have been told during the last few weeks is true; the history is now being repeated with church leaders being put in similar situation as some at HLH and the leadership of HDC Ltd was in 2006; threats and proposals of a nature that might qualify for the word “bribe”.

I have been informed, by various sources, about the “Haydom Diaconical Foundation”. First time in writing was in the CMI report of 2009. At regular intervals I have, in vain, sought information about this at www.haydom.no which is the official website of Haydom Lutheran Hospital and the Foundation Friends of Haydom. 

During my visits to Tanzania in 2009 I received information about the proposed constitution; and I was given copies of two of the versions.  After the November 2009 version was published here by HDC Ltd; I and colleagues in HDC Ltd have been accused of tarnishing the good name of the Olsen family.

This is not a matter of tarnishing a name. It is a matter of making public what the public is supposed to know.  Transparency is a strategy to prevent misuse of power; a strategy to involve the stakeholders in a process creating responsibility and ownership.  Any attempt to bully or bribe or keep this struggle over the control of HLH secret is misuse of power. If HDC Ltd in this case has contributed to a different and more open process than was the case in 2005 with HDC Ltd, I can sleep in peace and with a clean consciousness.

The latest news is that the November version of the constitution of Haydom Diaconical Foundation has been replaced by a new proposal.  I am looking forward to reading this revised version on www.haydom.no.  I do hope that we do not need to publish it here.

Halvdan Jakobsen  

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360 staff members at HLH are qualified for government staff grant from the state of Tanzania. However the Olsen administration at HLH has not applied for such a grant for most of those qualified. There is good reason to believe that the reason for this negligence is a fear by the Olsen administration of not having full control of all employees at HLH.