John Pombe Magufuli and the Politics of the Union in Tanzania
So far what President John Pombe Magufuli
– my friends call him JP – has done is to appear as tackling rampant corruption
in Tanzania through roadside declarations and uncoordinated, unrelated
decisions. He earned for himself the bulldozer tag, of course, he really can
bulldoze. If you doubt it, go and ask one Nape Nnauye, his former minister of
information.
But hold on, the president has been harassing
foreigners; Kenyans in Tanzania have been on the receiving end these days. JP, really wants to make Tanzania great again!
Oh no, to make it great. That is if it never was. Depends what greatness means
anyway. And to do this, he has to get rid of foreigners it seems, close
Tanzania in, and make haste government decisions that will spur economic growth
and progress of his people and nation. At a glance it looks like a deal. But one
thing, he does not seem to know is that he may need the very people he is being
‘hard on” for the development of his country. Ask those who know how nations develop;
they might allude to the significance of the use of aliens and visitors. After
all, Tanzania does have, within its borders, expertise widespread enough to
meet its development and/or progress agenda. But hey, the president must also
guard his country against external inversion. If you allow those people,
especially Kenyans, to drop in one after another, they may soon grab the whole
country you know! So, let the president do his work, after all, he is mandated
by law to ensure security and safety of his people and country. But what become
of EAC? Drop it, I don’t think JP cares about that.
Now, it is not how JP deals with foreigners
that will make him great; actually it will diminish his stature in a world that
is growingly becoming interconnected unless, of course, joining DJ Trump is his
hobby. History will judge. Neither, is it the roadside populist decisions and
decrees that will make JP embody the “new crop of leadership” that Africa has
been yearning for. The Musevenis and the Zenawis of this continent failed; he
risks failure too. JP will not be the heroic president that Tanzania has been
waiting for; he is not the heaven-sent; God-sent. The reason is simple, since
ascending to power JP has dwelled so much on what makes leaders weak and shied
off from tackling what makes leaders great.
Successfully handling delicate (often highly
divisive and deeply emotive) matters of national importance is one of the
things that make rulers of people and nations great. Handling such issues in a manner that is inclusive
and involving while respecting the feelings, opinions and views of others, makes
it even better in civilizations that espouse democracy. If a leader is able to
lead a nation towards self-rediscovering; towards a resolve to peacefully
address deep and contentious issues and towards a common understanding and
soldering in the pursuit of national prosperity, such a ruler will be considered
a great leader. He/she may never resolve everything, sometimes all they do is resolve
just one thing that is of great concern and significance to their people and
they will be declared great, revered and immortalized.
Someone tell JP that Kenyans and other people
in Tanzania may help build the economy. Let the country formulate good policies
that regulate and govern migration, emigration and immigration (whatever those
mean) and leave state functionaries to enforce such. As president of the United
Republic of Tanzania, the single most important issue that demands the full
mind and heart of the president is the question of the union (muungano).
The union – and not some few foreigners – is the greatest threat to the
existence of Tanzania as we know it. It is only that man or woman who will
bring his/her wisdom to bear in addressing and resolving, conclusively and to
the satisfaction of all, the issues around the union that will determine
whether they be great rulers or not. Someone may say ‘but it is a very complex
issue!’ And, I say, presidents are never elected to handle simple issues.
You can grow the economy; you may deal
with the corrupt and corruption (though JP is doing it very badly!) but all can
go up in ashes if and when the center cannot hold anymore. The union is right
at the heart of what Tanzania is and should be. JP’s position regarding the
union is largely unknown. Unless he makes his position known and seeks a
solution to the union, he is just another weak president of Tanzania.
John Pombe Magufuli and the Politics of the Union in Tanzania
Reviewed by Ibrahim Magara
on
April 07, 2017
Rating:

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