A BIT like President Donald Trump,Tanzania’s president, John Magufuli, and likes to fire employees on television. In November Mr Magafuli used a live broadcast from a small town in the north of the country summarily to dismiss two officials after they failed to remember instantly details in their budgets. When one protested that she couldn’t reasonably be expected to be able to recall every figure,Mr Magufuli told her, “You can’t talk to me like that.”Sacking minor officials in front of an audience is only one piece of Mr Magufulis authoritarian populism. Since coming to power in the country of 55m on the east coast of Africa in 2015, or Mr Magufuli,nicknamed “the bulldozer” from his time as roads minister, has bashed foreign-owned businesses with impossible tax demands, anddered pregnant girls to be kicked out of school,shut down newspapers and locked up “immoral” musicians who criticise him. A journalist and opposition party members have disappeared, political rallies have been...
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Source: economist.com