Zak Malang
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 30, 2008
- 5,404
- 233
Wanajamvi, nimeipata makala hii iliyotoka katika Gazeti la The African la Jumamosi iliyopita. makala ambayo inahoji uadilifu na hali ya kutopenda anasa uko wapi siku hizi ndani ya viongozi wetu wakuu?
Ni makala iliyotulia kwani inaeleza jinsi Hayati baba wa Taifa hakuweza kulinganishwa na viongozi wengi katika bara hili la Afrika kwa kuonyesha mfano wa kuishi maisha simple.
Na ndiyo maana aliweka miiko mikali ya viongozi ingawa baada tu ya kuachia madaraka 1985 waliomrithi walitupilia mbali miiko hiyo na kuleta sera za kilafi -- za 'survival of the fittest' sera ambazo madhara yake sasa tuinayabaini hapa nchini kwa uchungu mkubwa:
______________
MWALIMU JULIUS NYERERE:
Who among the leaders can emulate his life style?
By HILAL K. SUED
It never ceases to amaze me – I mean why the Almighty God should elect to be so sparing with His production of good people for leaders of this continent, those with lustrous qualities, instead of scores of scoundrels and bandits whose main pre-occupation after attaining power is to enrich themselves, their families, allies and friends.
The Kiswahili saying "Penye miti hukosa wajenzi" (literary translation: a place with abundance of trees is usually devoid of builders) is undeniably fitting here. After endowing the continent with a host of natural resources, He handed it to the Mafiosi to lead it. For, why should He deliver only a handful of radiant leaders – about one in every 25 countries and after every after 50 years or so?
Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere was one such endowment. He was lionised by the liberal left of the world for his impassioned advocacy of his style of African socialism, but mauled by his critics as a pompous autocrat, whose idealism failed to deliver prosperity to his people.
To his credit, Nyerere stepped down peacefully and voluntarily, long before it became fashionable – though painfully – for Africa's self-appointed life presidents to subject themselves to the verdict of their peoples in multi-party elections.
Granted that he had many failings, but he is at least remembered for having provided a moral leadership to Tanzania, and indeed Africa, since the time the continent was taking its first shaky steps after independence.
As we commemorate twelve years of his departure this coming Friday and (two months hence) 50 years from the night he proudly stood at the National Stadium to take the salute as the Union Jack was being lowered and the new Tanganyika flag of green black and gold raised, let's take a moment to reflect what Mwalimu meant for Tanzania.
Let's be honest of ourselves – there is something missing within us – a huge leadership vacuum. He must be stirring in his grave to know the type of the leadership we have around: its moral fibre and standing in tatters, good governance and accountability cast to the four winds and the destination of the nation's trajectory unknown.
I personally foresaw the signs for this for the country about two decades ago when I first visited Mwalimu's Msasani residence in 1992. It was the time I was working as reporter-cum-editorial assistant with The Family Mirror, a fortnightly hothead in English that rarely remained on newsstands for more than a couple of hours after landing.
The paper was among the first to hit the streets – three years previously following the Government's liberalisation of the media.
I was among reporters who attended a press conference Mwalimu called to speak his mind about the (in)famous ‘Tanganyika Debate' tabled in Bunge by legislators who had formed G55 bloc.
After registering our names at the main gate we walked along the worn out tarred drive towards the single-storeyed building standing in the distance. I noticed that the lawns on either side of the drive were screaming for a mower, but above all, the whole place looked desolate and had an eerie atmosphere.
Well, after all residences for presidents are not places for hectic activity, let alone this one whose occupant was in seventh year of retirement. But uncut grass? Unmanicured lawns? But wait for it.
As we approached the single-storeyed structure I was struck by its modest appearance. A first I thought it was the servants/administration block and that the real residence was behind it. But that was Mwalimu's Msasani residence built under mortgage from a housing loan.
It could have been any building in Magomeni or Mwananyamala areas that one comes across and hardly needing a second glance.
The light green walls were surely in need of paint, some of the windows had their mosquito netting torn, and louvres were broken or missing in some places. As we entered the hall, the dusty terrazzo floor greeted us and I thought, is this really the residence of one of Africa's greatest sons? I'm not finished yet.
We were ushered into a veranda overlooking the garden and the Indian Ocean in the distance. From the photographs I used to see in the Daily News and Uhuru this is the place where Mwalimu, as President, used to meet and chat with world leaders and other dignitaries.
His famous rocking chair was at one corner with its back to the sea, and a couple of deep sofas with wide wooden armrests – for the visiting dignitaries – on either side of it. Was Mwalimu suffering from thalassophobia? – the morbid fear of the sea? Else I could not reason why he hated sitting while facing the sea.
The condition of these pieces of furniture showed that they had seen better days. The leather seat of the rocking chair needed replacement while its woodwork, and that of the sofas would have done with another coat of polish. Well was it probably because he was no longer the Head of State? That fewer and fewer world dignitaries were visiting his residence?
After we were seated, with some us missing the chairs, Mwalimu came down from the stairs in company of his long time secretary, Joan Wickens, an English lady, then in her twilight years, and another male aide.
We stood up, all of us shook his hand – it was my first time ever to do so – and waved us to sit down. As the press conference progressed, most of the time my mind was elsewhere – trying to figure out how could this truly famous man – a giant of the African independence struggle, a man who retained his worldwide moral authority even after his vision of rural socialism faltered – live in such undemanding surroundings?
Besides, his way of living must have been like that during his entire presidency and it explains a lot on why he towered over many other African leaders (if not the entire world) when it comes to questions of morality and unostentatious personal habits. How can a human being elect to be so repugnant to lavish living? For it was there all the time, at the snap of his fingers.
As I was half listening to Mwalimu's tirades at the G55 for wanting to "break the Union" saying they could only do so over his dead body, anger was building inside me, directed to Government leaders, those he had handed the leadership reins seven years earlier.
Why did they allow him to live in the neglected surroundings? I very much doubt that he preferred it that way himself, because I couldn't picture him chasing away a group of workmen sent for repairs or men delivering new furniture.
The next day, the front page leads of many newspapers were on the issue of the condition of Mwalimu's Msasani house and not on what he said about the G55 debate. That must have surprised him as well.
A few weeks later, on assignment from my editor (Anthony Ngaiza), I revisited Mwalimu's residence for a response from Mama Wickens to our query on whether or not Mwalimu had any objections to the decision by the Dar es Salaam City authorities – then under the mayorship of Kitwana Kondo – to rename the historical Pugu Road – Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Road.
She said yes, Mwalimu objected, at least not when he was still alive. However, the City Fathers simply removed the "Mwalimu Julius K." from the street name plates. Sure, he was not the only Nyerere born into this world.
During that brief visit I also saw workmen doing renovations to the House, painting it over, replacing louvres etc etc. So they heard the screams from the newspapers!
But that was perhaps the first and last time the renovations were made to the residence till his death on October 14 1999. Many mourners who went to the residence recounted poignant tales on the pathetic condition of the residence. As people gathered, workmen were busy painting walls, replacing curtains and fixing broken water pipes.
As I said, only a few leaders in the continent could be compared to him – not even Nelson Mandela. Perhaps the few exceptions include Gen Murtala Mohamed of Nigeria (ruled 1975-76) and Capt Thomas Sankara of Burkina Fasso (1983-87).
The former liked so much to know how his subjects were living by travelling in an unmarked car in the streets of Lagos. He used to arrive at post offices unannounced and join those in the queue, throwing those he finds into great astonishment after he's recognised. However such style of living brought his death – he was killed in an abortive coup attempt when his car was ambushed in traffic in Lagos.
Capt Sankara was the world's poorest president. He was so incorruptible that after his death, a major anti-corruption panel initiated in 1987 by his successor revealed Sankara to have had a salary of only USD 450 a month and his most valuable possessions to be a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer.
Sankara refused to use the air conditioning in his office on the grounds that such luxury was not available to anyone but a handful of Burkinabes.
And when asked why he had let it be known that he did not want his portrait hung in public places, as is the norm for other African leaders Sankara said "there are seven million Thomas Sankaras" – i.e. his country's entire population.
Nyerere was among only a handful of African presidents to voluntarily leave office. He must have seen the futility of his socialist policies and must have sensed the coming clamour for democracy that later swept the continent following the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
But as he was stepping down, Nyerere declared that although socialism had failed in Tanzania, he would remain a socialist because, he said, he believed socialism to be the best policy for poor countries like Tanzania. His successor decided otherwise, he committed the country to capitalism and the free market, but with debatable benefits to the country – especially the majority poor.
And that is exactly what Tanzanians are experiencing today. They are already speaking – in low tones – that it was better during his time – even though many would contest that assertion as well.
But at least there weren't blatant acts of selling our natural resources to foreigners for a song, through dubious contracts signed during weekends in hotel rooms in those foreign lands.
Mwalimu must have foreseen all that, hence his refusal, during his reign, to have our minerals opened up for exploitation until Tanzanians acquire the expertise to mine them themselves. He must have seen that minerals have brought some African countries to their knees – DRC, Angola, and Sierra Leone.
During his time with the South Commission he once told a reporter at a press conference: "Small nations are like indecently dressed women. They tempt the evil-minded." Tanzania is undoubtedly a good example.
MAY GOD REST HIM IN PEACE
Ni makala iliyotulia kwani inaeleza jinsi Hayati baba wa Taifa hakuweza kulinganishwa na viongozi wengi katika bara hili la Afrika kwa kuonyesha mfano wa kuishi maisha simple.
Na ndiyo maana aliweka miiko mikali ya viongozi ingawa baada tu ya kuachia madaraka 1985 waliomrithi walitupilia mbali miiko hiyo na kuleta sera za kilafi -- za 'survival of the fittest' sera ambazo madhara yake sasa tuinayabaini hapa nchini kwa uchungu mkubwa:
______________
MWALIMU JULIUS NYERERE:
Who among the leaders can emulate his life style?
By HILAL K. SUED
It never ceases to amaze me – I mean why the Almighty God should elect to be so sparing with His production of good people for leaders of this continent, those with lustrous qualities, instead of scores of scoundrels and bandits whose main pre-occupation after attaining power is to enrich themselves, their families, allies and friends.
The Kiswahili saying "Penye miti hukosa wajenzi" (literary translation: a place with abundance of trees is usually devoid of builders) is undeniably fitting here. After endowing the continent with a host of natural resources, He handed it to the Mafiosi to lead it. For, why should He deliver only a handful of radiant leaders – about one in every 25 countries and after every after 50 years or so?
Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere was one such endowment. He was lionised by the liberal left of the world for his impassioned advocacy of his style of African socialism, but mauled by his critics as a pompous autocrat, whose idealism failed to deliver prosperity to his people.
To his credit, Nyerere stepped down peacefully and voluntarily, long before it became fashionable – though painfully – for Africa's self-appointed life presidents to subject themselves to the verdict of their peoples in multi-party elections.
Granted that he had many failings, but he is at least remembered for having provided a moral leadership to Tanzania, and indeed Africa, since the time the continent was taking its first shaky steps after independence.
As we commemorate twelve years of his departure this coming Friday and (two months hence) 50 years from the night he proudly stood at the National Stadium to take the salute as the Union Jack was being lowered and the new Tanganyika flag of green black and gold raised, let's take a moment to reflect what Mwalimu meant for Tanzania.
Let's be honest of ourselves – there is something missing within us – a huge leadership vacuum. He must be stirring in his grave to know the type of the leadership we have around: its moral fibre and standing in tatters, good governance and accountability cast to the four winds and the destination of the nation's trajectory unknown.
I personally foresaw the signs for this for the country about two decades ago when I first visited Mwalimu's Msasani residence in 1992. It was the time I was working as reporter-cum-editorial assistant with The Family Mirror, a fortnightly hothead in English that rarely remained on newsstands for more than a couple of hours after landing.
The paper was among the first to hit the streets – three years previously following the Government's liberalisation of the media.
I was among reporters who attended a press conference Mwalimu called to speak his mind about the (in)famous ‘Tanganyika Debate' tabled in Bunge by legislators who had formed G55 bloc.
After registering our names at the main gate we walked along the worn out tarred drive towards the single-storeyed building standing in the distance. I noticed that the lawns on either side of the drive were screaming for a mower, but above all, the whole place looked desolate and had an eerie atmosphere.
Well, after all residences for presidents are not places for hectic activity, let alone this one whose occupant was in seventh year of retirement. But uncut grass? Unmanicured lawns? But wait for it.
As we approached the single-storeyed structure I was struck by its modest appearance. A first I thought it was the servants/administration block and that the real residence was behind it. But that was Mwalimu's Msasani residence built under mortgage from a housing loan.
It could have been any building in Magomeni or Mwananyamala areas that one comes across and hardly needing a second glance.
The light green walls were surely in need of paint, some of the windows had their mosquito netting torn, and louvres were broken or missing in some places. As we entered the hall, the dusty terrazzo floor greeted us and I thought, is this really the residence of one of Africa's greatest sons? I'm not finished yet.
We were ushered into a veranda overlooking the garden and the Indian Ocean in the distance. From the photographs I used to see in the Daily News and Uhuru this is the place where Mwalimu, as President, used to meet and chat with world leaders and other dignitaries.
His famous rocking chair was at one corner with its back to the sea, and a couple of deep sofas with wide wooden armrests – for the visiting dignitaries – on either side of it. Was Mwalimu suffering from thalassophobia? – the morbid fear of the sea? Else I could not reason why he hated sitting while facing the sea.
The condition of these pieces of furniture showed that they had seen better days. The leather seat of the rocking chair needed replacement while its woodwork, and that of the sofas would have done with another coat of polish. Well was it probably because he was no longer the Head of State? That fewer and fewer world dignitaries were visiting his residence?
After we were seated, with some us missing the chairs, Mwalimu came down from the stairs in company of his long time secretary, Joan Wickens, an English lady, then in her twilight years, and another male aide.
We stood up, all of us shook his hand – it was my first time ever to do so – and waved us to sit down. As the press conference progressed, most of the time my mind was elsewhere – trying to figure out how could this truly famous man – a giant of the African independence struggle, a man who retained his worldwide moral authority even after his vision of rural socialism faltered – live in such undemanding surroundings?
Besides, his way of living must have been like that during his entire presidency and it explains a lot on why he towered over many other African leaders (if not the entire world) when it comes to questions of morality and unostentatious personal habits. How can a human being elect to be so repugnant to lavish living? For it was there all the time, at the snap of his fingers.
As I was half listening to Mwalimu's tirades at the G55 for wanting to "break the Union" saying they could only do so over his dead body, anger was building inside me, directed to Government leaders, those he had handed the leadership reins seven years earlier.
Why did they allow him to live in the neglected surroundings? I very much doubt that he preferred it that way himself, because I couldn't picture him chasing away a group of workmen sent for repairs or men delivering new furniture.
The next day, the front page leads of many newspapers were on the issue of the condition of Mwalimu's Msasani house and not on what he said about the G55 debate. That must have surprised him as well.
A few weeks later, on assignment from my editor (Anthony Ngaiza), I revisited Mwalimu's residence for a response from Mama Wickens to our query on whether or not Mwalimu had any objections to the decision by the Dar es Salaam City authorities – then under the mayorship of Kitwana Kondo – to rename the historical Pugu Road – Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Road.
She said yes, Mwalimu objected, at least not when he was still alive. However, the City Fathers simply removed the "Mwalimu Julius K." from the street name plates. Sure, he was not the only Nyerere born into this world.
During that brief visit I also saw workmen doing renovations to the House, painting it over, replacing louvres etc etc. So they heard the screams from the newspapers!
But that was perhaps the first and last time the renovations were made to the residence till his death on October 14 1999. Many mourners who went to the residence recounted poignant tales on the pathetic condition of the residence. As people gathered, workmen were busy painting walls, replacing curtains and fixing broken water pipes.
As I said, only a few leaders in the continent could be compared to him – not even Nelson Mandela. Perhaps the few exceptions include Gen Murtala Mohamed of Nigeria (ruled 1975-76) and Capt Thomas Sankara of Burkina Fasso (1983-87).
The former liked so much to know how his subjects were living by travelling in an unmarked car in the streets of Lagos. He used to arrive at post offices unannounced and join those in the queue, throwing those he finds into great astonishment after he's recognised. However such style of living brought his death – he was killed in an abortive coup attempt when his car was ambushed in traffic in Lagos.
Capt Sankara was the world's poorest president. He was so incorruptible that after his death, a major anti-corruption panel initiated in 1987 by his successor revealed Sankara to have had a salary of only USD 450 a month and his most valuable possessions to be a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer.
Sankara refused to use the air conditioning in his office on the grounds that such luxury was not available to anyone but a handful of Burkinabes.
And when asked why he had let it be known that he did not want his portrait hung in public places, as is the norm for other African leaders Sankara said "there are seven million Thomas Sankaras" – i.e. his country's entire population.
Nyerere was among only a handful of African presidents to voluntarily leave office. He must have seen the futility of his socialist policies and must have sensed the coming clamour for democracy that later swept the continent following the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
But as he was stepping down, Nyerere declared that although socialism had failed in Tanzania, he would remain a socialist because, he said, he believed socialism to be the best policy for poor countries like Tanzania. His successor decided otherwise, he committed the country to capitalism and the free market, but with debatable benefits to the country – especially the majority poor.
And that is exactly what Tanzanians are experiencing today. They are already speaking – in low tones – that it was better during his time – even though many would contest that assertion as well.
But at least there weren't blatant acts of selling our natural resources to foreigners for a song, through dubious contracts signed during weekends in hotel rooms in those foreign lands.
Mwalimu must have foreseen all that, hence his refusal, during his reign, to have our minerals opened up for exploitation until Tanzanians acquire the expertise to mine them themselves. He must have seen that minerals have brought some African countries to their knees – DRC, Angola, and Sierra Leone.
During his time with the South Commission he once told a reporter at a press conference: "Small nations are like indecently dressed women. They tempt the evil-minded." Tanzania is undoubtedly a good example.
MAY GOD REST HIM IN PEACE
