There are human costs to inefficiencies in how a country is run.
Leadership, especially when it is good, is tied to stewardship. When one is a leader, especially of a nation, a primary responsibility he/she holds is to be a responsible and trustworthy steward of the nation’s resources. This responsibility is not just the work of the President of a country, but it trickles down to the ministerial level, in parliament, up to the work of the municipalities and local government officials.
In Tanzania, government inefficiencies have been normalised and citizens are forced to accept that when dealing with government entities, at times they will have to pay bribes or ask for favour just to have even the most minor of services delivered to them. This is a frustrating fact but there seems to truly be no way of getting around it. The rot has spread and the clean up requires government officials, especially those at the very top, to prioritise the elimination of corruption of all forms or at the very least an effort to restrain it in the country. However, a lot of the time, that seems like a far away dream. Will Tanzania ever be able to be a country with low levels of corruption (if no corruption at all is impossible to achieve) ? What I have seen is that the current levels of corruption in the country are debilitating — they are borderline self- destructive.
I am someone who has lived an academic life for a long time but I have always been cognisant of how academic work — conducting research, writing papers, making presentations, finishing large dissertations — are all tied to my deep care for human life and the things we all experience and go through — processes of identification and the creation of diference, struggles and survival, and the perseverance of the human spirit.
I am committed to the belief that Tanzanians, all of us, but especially the most vulnerable among us deserve to be in an environment that is conducive to supporting not only their survival, but in producing opportunities for them to actually thrive. Such an environment desperately needs to be facilitated by the government itself, which is why the current political and social climate that has the Government of Tanzania pitted against its own citizens is not only unsustainable but also is shattering.
The provision of government services to Tanzanian citizens must be improved, there is simply no way around that. The fact that citizens still struggle to access water and electricity, even to get national identification cards, register for a business license or obtain a title deed, all things that are required by law, is a problem.
The fact that a person can bribe government officials and as a result have their help and support in harming innocent individuals either through theft of any kind or the sabotage of their business interests, is a problem.
The fact that when citizens try to voice their struggles, not in a effort to mock the government, but to genuinely ask it to change its predatory ways, and are instead attacked by government and ruling party supporters for simply voicing their opinions, is in fact a problem.
The fact that there are individuals that publicly declare their close relationships with leading government officials and their families as they break the law and abuse others in an effort to intimidate the ordinary citizens that they victimise, is in fact a problem.
The fact that millions of Tanzanians live in abject poverty and instead of being supported and given opportunities to succeed are mocked as being lazy by public figures such as musicians, is a problem.
The fact that having money, whether it has been made through legal or illicit ways, makes some individuals feel superior to their fellow citizens and makes them feel as though they have the authority to abuse, ridicule, and isolate others, is a problem.
The fact that the professional class in Tanzania, including some lawyers, whose profession requires them to uphold the law, are now known for being deceitful and corrupt, is a problem.
Criticism is something all human beings experience, no one is exempt from that. And yes, there is a difference between genuine criticism meant to build a person, community or even government up, to help make them better, and the kind that is dished out to crush the spirit, but what I have seen the Government of Tanzania receive from the public I believe belongs in the former rather than the latter group.
There has been a lot of rage expressed online. The Tanzanian people are beyond disgruntled and frustrated by how they feel the Government of Tanzania has treated them. However, rather than react in defensive and retaliatory ways, I think it would do the Government of Tanzania a world of good to truly sit down, evaluate itself, and begin a journey of self- impoverment. One where they will prioritise the needs of the citizens, where they will create an environment of mutual good will between those in power and entrusted to facilitate the care of millions of people, with those who look up to them for leadership and guidance.
Nobody ever wants to see this country experience the unrestrained brutality that occurred last year and the only way to ensure the horrors we experienced never reoccur is for there to be a complete systemic overhaul of how those in power in Tanzania govern.
I have been moved by how resilient, kind, and intelligent our population is. Even in the midst of all kinds of sadness, Tanzanians are always able to remain humorous and loving.
This country has everything necessary for each one of us to prosper, but a dialogue between the government and its citizens has to be created, and it must be grounded in truth, integrity, and respect. Which means that when we, ordinary citizens of Tanzania, tell those in power that we are tired of being mistreated, that we are tired of being abused, that we are tired of having our hard earned money and belongings stolen by those who are supposed to protect us, you, those who represent the Government of Tanzania, are supposed to listen, it is your duty to care enough to listen, and most importantly, to do something about the pains and grievances that we express.
Considering our nation’s history and the evolution of our political identities, it is disappointing that we would live in a society with such a wide social gap. The saddest part is that it is a gap widened by systemic abuses of power that impoverishes the already poor while enriching those who were meant to only safeguard the country’s resources, not treat them as their own.
We, the Tanzanian people, deserve to be led by those who care about our humanity.
Despite the gross injustices that have and continue to take place, the Government of Tanzania still can change its course and move towards working to create and maintain a fair and just society that protects the rights and liberties of all individuals and allows even the most vulnerable to thrive.
The choice is theirs.
We want to grow as a nation, not disintegrate into further tyranny.