Connect With Us on Twitter
Follow@nytimesworldfor international breaking news and headlines.
4 Jul 2013
4.7.13
Evarist Chahali
AD
No comments
| |||
| |||
- 4.7.13
- Evarist Chahali
- MUZIKI, Tangazo
- No comments
Kutoka kushoto ni Paulyne Zongo, Khadija Mnoga (Kimobitel) na Joan Matovolwa.
Wanamuziki hao watatu na wakongwe nchini ndio wanaounda kundi hilo litakalojulikana kwa jina la NDEGE 3
Kundi la Ndege 3 linaloundwa na wanamuziki wakongwe katika Tasnia ya muziki wa dansi na kizazi kipya Joan matovolwa, Khadija Mnoga (Kimobitel) na Paulyne Zongo, hivi karibuni limeshatoa kibao chake kinachokwenda kwa jina la 'MISUKOSUKO YA MAPENZI' ambacho redio kadhaa nchini zimeanza kukirusha.
MISUKOSUKO YA MAPENZI ni nyimbo ambayo imetungwa kwa umahiri wa hali ya juu, na kuonyesha viwango vya juu katika uimbaji na utunzi.
Kwa sasa Joan Matovolwa na Paulyne Zongo ni wanamuziki huru wakati Khadija Mnoga (Kimobitel) ni mwanamuziki anayeimba katika bendi ya Extra Bongo inayoongozwa na Camarade Ally Choki.
1 Jul 2013
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Vendors carrying trinkets and snacks usually weave in and out of the dense traffic of this bustling East African capital, their hawking adding to the cacophony of horns and chatter that are the soundtrack to everyday life here.
But not today.
An eerie silence and empty streets cleared for security reasons herald the arrival of President Obama on his first visit to this usually overlooked country Monday, a visit that overjoyed locals hope results in change and progress.
"My country is crazy at the moment about Obama's visit and I am, too," said Asteria Benedicto, 32, a student at the Institute of Social Work in Dar es Salaam. "If I get a chance, I will ask him to see to it that there's an equal distribution of resources, fair elections and trustworthy security force in my country."
Tanzania is President Obama's last stop on a week-long trip to Africa – a continent some Africans accuse Obama of neglecting during his presidency. His visit to the East African nation was a surprise choice but one the White House said was made because of its strong and vibrant democracy as well as its importance as a partner on a range of security issues.
While Obama is being feted on this visit — one main artery of the capital, Ocean Road is being renamed Obama Avenue during his visit — some Tanzanians want to use this opportunity to speak out about problems such as poverty and corruption they say plague the country.
"I have been struggling to make a living and facing a lot of challenges," said Sylvester Pius, a 34-year-old farmer who lives in Iringa, a small town 400 miles south of Dar es Salaam.
He says one of the biggest problems is corruption. He recalls how this problem caused tragedy for his family when his wife gave birth to their fourth child in 2011.
"The nurse who was attending her wanted a bribe to help her deliver on time but I didn't have any money," he said. "Several days after delivery, my wife died because she didn't receive this help and bled out. The child survived but the challenge was now how could I manage to raise him?"
But Pius's story is common in a country where the average monthly income is less than $50 and corruption is out of control, according to locals. They say the situation is not inevitable.
"Considering the peace and potential prosperity of Tanzania, there should be a way," said Alfred Kinge, 54, an entrepreneur in Dar es Salaam. "But of course there are the chronic poor in every country. Still, can't something be done?"
Tanzania has undertaken economic reforms in a bid to lift the country out of such stark poverty, and it has made efforts to improve its infrastructure and also develop its tourism sector but analysts say there is still a long way to go.
"Serious problems remain in mining, education and agriculture — all are key to national progress," said Emanuel Sulle, a Tanzanian researcher at the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.
"The failures in most of these sectors are the result of poor reforms in education, constitution and, of course, lack of good governance."
Tanzania has also experienced recent terrorist attacks: On June 15, a bomb that went off at a political rally in Arusha, 500 miles north of Dar es Salaam, organized by the opposition Democracy and Development Party, left three people dead and 60 injured.
The attack followed another bomb a month earlier that killed another three during a Catholic Church service in Arusha as Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla inaugurated the local parish.
It is the first time since Tanzania became independent in 1961 that it has witnessed such attacks and many point fingers at the government and its ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution or CCM) party, an allegation both the government and the party deny.
Regardless, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has been accused of endorsing the use of violence by police against dissidents and the opposition, and has been criticized by human rights groups such as the country's Legal and Human Rights Center, who say some recent statements by Pinda violate the country's constitutional protections.
"Once you reject obeying (the law) and cause trouble, or fail to respect the laws of the country, you will be beaten, and I say such people should be beaten…we (the government) are tired," said Pinda following the blasts on June 21, in one such statement.
As a result, some Tanzanians are losing hope and trust in the government as it fails to properly investigate and address intimidation and violence.
"Lack of good governance and weak leadership both contribute to poverty we face today even as we (Tanzanians) should be a champion economically in the region," said Deodatus Kazinja, who works in the penal system in Dar es Salaam, adding that Obama should not ignore the human rights abuses being carried out in the country.
Many are hoping that Obama will share his experiences with leaders in the East African country and build even stronger relations with Tanzania to help them tackle their ongoing problems.
"Our relationship with America is a continuation and cementation of our friendship since President Kennedy's period when the father of our nation Julius Nyerere paid a visit to the U.S.," said Salaam Mecky Sadick, governor of Dar es Salaam. "Since then the U.S. has supported us in many areas like education, agriculture and health."
But others say they know Obama is coming for "American interests."
"One thing I would like to note is that there has been a scramble for Tanzania's resources, like gas and gold, and there's an obvious competition between the U.S. and China," said retired teacher Jesca Mbelwa, 65.
"But I want to see Africans benefit from their resources first and second the Americans or the Chinese."
CHANZO: http://goo.gl/srxVl
CHANZO: http://goo.gl/srxVl
Violent Episodes Grow in Tanzania, an African Haven
By NICHOLAS KULISH
Published: June 30, 2013
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — As one of the leaders of an acrimonious doctors’ strike in Tanzania, Dr. Stephen Ulimboka was not entirely surprised when a group of armed men appeared, unannounced, at a meeting and arrested him. But when he saw that the car they were forcing him into had no license plates, fear truly hit him.
Ed Betz/Reuters
American and Tanzanian flags lined a street in Dar es Salaam, the capital, on Sunday, ahead of a visit by President Obama.
Related
Obama Visits Prison Cell That Helped Shape Modern South Africa (July 1, 2013)
Rare Visit Underscores Tangles in Obama’s Ties to Africa (June 27, 2013)
A black hood was thrown over his head. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve been doing,” Dr. Ulimboka recalled one of the men saying. “You can start praying to your God because there is no turning back.”
They beat him for hours on that June night last year, first with their fists, then with metal rods. They pulled the toenails from both of his big toes. As he lay on the ground, he heard them discussing the best way to kill him: running him over with the car or giving him a lethal injection. He was unsure if he would live till daybreak.
Tanzania has a reputation abroad as an island of stability in the often-chaotic region of East Africa. The country has been rewarded with praise and money from international donors, including the United States, which last year gave the country more than $480 million.
President Obama arrives here on Monday to a country where human rights groups and the largest opposition party say episodes of intimidation and suppression of political opponents are growing. “The international community believes there is peace in Tanzania,” saidWillibrod Slaa, the secretary general of the opposition party, Chadema. “There is fear, not peace.”
Journalists have been attacked and in at least one instance killed while working. Last July, the government banned an independent weekly newspaper, Mwanahalisi, which had been reporting aggressively on Dr. Ulimboka’s kidnapping, linking the crime to the government. President Jakaya Kikwete denied any connection.
“I don’t feel secure,” said Saed Kubenea, managing editor at Hali Halisi Publishers Ltd., which owns Mwanahalisi. “But I will fight.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization based in New York, urged Mr. Obama last week to raise the issue of freedom of the press when he meets with Mr. Kikwete on Monday.
The political violence reached a new, unexpected level last month, when a hand grenade was thrown at a rally organized by Chadema in the northern city of Arusha, killing four people. No suspect has been identified, and the investigation is continuing.
At the party offices here in Dar es Salaam the other day, a fleet of motorcycles used for reaching isolated constituencies in villages accessible only by dirt road sat parked out back. Party officials placed a silver laptop on a table and showed a video from the rally in Arusha.
In the footage, party leaders gave speeches from atop a truck with built-in speakers. Afterward, they descended into the crowd and began collecting donations. A blast sent people scattering. A handful of wounded and dead were frantically gathered and carried to the bed of a pickup truck that took them to receive medical treatment, leaving behind a blacktop slick with blood.
“It is intimidation,” Mr. Slaa said. “The people will be afraid to go to the polling stations, and the active ones will have been eliminated.”
Chadema officials have publicly claimed that the man responsible was either working with, or protected by, the police. They say the party will produce videotape proving their charge, but only after an independent commission has been named to investigate.
Paul A. M. Chagonja, commissioner of police for operations, called the allegations “frivolous” and “unfounded,” and said the party was obligated to furnish law enforcement with any evidence in its possession.
“The core function of the police is to protect the people,” Mr. Chagonja said. “We are not allied with any political party.”
Tanzania, home to Mount Kilimanjaro, is a popular tourist destination for safaris in the Serengeti. The nation has been lauded for its ethnic cohesion, rising above the kind of tribal violence that rocked Kenya after that country’s elections in 2007. Although a church bombing in May, also in Arusha, raised concerns that religious tensions could rise, Tanzania is relatively free of sectarian strife. That is one reason Mr. Obama scheduled a visit here.
Yet the Tanzanian government has essentially remained in the hands of the same party since gaining independence half a century ago. Tanzania held its first multiparty elections in 1995, but the ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi, or Party of the Revolution in Swahili, has won the national elections each time since.
Analysts say the very real prospect that voters will choose another party in the next election, in 2015, has rattled some members of the government, particularly those who are afraid that a new party in power could mean aggressive investigations and prosecutions.
“I think there is a rear-guard element in ruling circles who have never accepted this,” said Jenerali Ulimwengu, a prominent Tanzanian journalist. “They haven’t been reined in by the political bosses because they are shaky and unsure.” The result, Mr. Ulimwengu said, “can be quite deadly, as we’ve seen over the past couple of years.”
Abdulrahman Kinana, secretary general of the ruling party, known as C.C.M., said it was prepared to accept a defeat at the ballot box. “We were always ready to transfer power if the people decide,” he said, adding that C.C.M. won the country’s “free and fair elections” by reaching out more effectively to voters. He pointed to the dozen or so daily newspapers available here as evidence of a vibrant local news media.
But the government “needs to tell us what happened to those people who were either killed or attacked,” Mr. Kinana said. “Most of these crimes have not gotten an explanation.”
The men who kidnapped and tortured Dr. Ulimboka took him to a forest, where he was dumped into a hole about three feet deep, his arms and legs bound. He laid as still as possible, hoping the men would believe he was already dead. He waited for about half an hour after they left before struggling to free his legs.
He walked toward the sound of a road, his hands still bound behind his back, the rope biting deeply into his wrists. There, he found help and was taken to a police station and later to a hospital. His kidneys were failing, and he had to be flown to South Africa for treatment.
A year later, most of his injuries have healed, though he said that when he combed his hair, he felt the numb spots where his nerves had been damaged in the savage beatings. He does not fear for himself at a time when people are killed at public gatherings.
“People,” Dr. Ulimboka said, “can just kill you anywhere.”
28 Jun 2013
- 28.6.13
- Evarist Chahali
- RAIA MWEMA
- No comments
WAKATI Watanzania wakiendelea na maombolezo ya wenzao waliopoteza maisha katika shambulizi la bomu kwenye mkutano wa CHADEMA jijini Arusha, mambo mawili makubwa yamejitokeza wiki iliyopita: moja la wazi na jingine ‘lililofichika.’
Tuanze na hilo la pili. Itakumbukwa baada ya shambulio la bomu kanisani jijini Arusha, tulielezwa kwamba Rais Jakaya Kikwete alikatisha ziara yake nchini Kuwait ili kushughulikia janga hilo ikiwa ni pamoja na kuhani misiba ya watu wawili waliofariki (kwa mujibu wa taarifa) na kuwajulia hali majeruhi kadhaa.
Hata hivyo, baadhi yetu tulihoji kama kweli Rais alikatisha ziara hiyo au ilikuwa imefikia ukingoni. Kuhoji kwetu huko hakukuwa na uzito sawa na ukweli kuwa Rais alionyesha kuwajali Watanzania wenzake waliokumbwa na janga hilo.
Safari hii pia, tukio la shambulio la bomu katika mkutano wa CHADEMA lilitokea wakati Rais akiwa nje ya nchi (alikuwa hapa Uingereza kuhudhuria mkutano wa nchi tajiri zaidi duniani za G8). Katika kile kilichoashiria kuwa ameguswa na tukio hilo, alitumia salamu za rambirambi kwa wafiwa na pole kwa majeruhi.
Lakini pamoja na pongezi hizo, katika makala yangu ya wiki iliyopita, moja ya masuala niliyozungumzia ni pamoja na kuhoji kwa nini safari hii Rais ‘hakukatiza ziara’ kama ilivyokuwa katika tukio la shambulio la bomu kanisani huko Arusha.
Nilihoji kama tukio hili la hivi karibuni lililosababisha vifo vya watu wanne hadi sasa (kwa mujibu wa taarifa) lina umuhimu mdogo kulinganisha na lile la awali ambalo lilisababisha vifo vya watu wawili. Huhitaji kufahamu vyema hisabati kuelewa kuwa vifo vya watu wanne ni vingi zaidi ya vifo vya watu wawili japo vyote ni vifo, na hakuna kifo ‘kidogo’ au ‘kikubwa.’
Je, Rais alikatisha ziara huko Kuwait kwa vile tukio la awali lilihusu imani ya kidini kwa maana ya shambulio kufanyika kanisani? Je, Kikwete alifanya hivyo kuepusha hisia kuwa yeye kama Muislam amepuuza vifo na majeraha ya Watanzania Wakristo katika shambulio hilo? Na je, aliporudi nchini na kwenda kuhani na kutoa pole huko Arusha alikuwa na lengo la ‘kuwapoza hasira’ Wakristo hasa ikizingatiwa kuwa bado kulikuwa na kumbukumbu za mauaji ya Padri Evaristus Mushi, Zanzibar?
Ni Kikwete pekee na wasaidizi wake wanaoweza kuwa na majibu ya maswali hayo ya msingi, lakini jambo moja la kusikitisha ni ukweli kuwa hadi ninapoandika makala hii Rais hajatoa mguu jijini Arusha kuhani misiba ya Watanzania wanne waliouawa na kadhaa waliojeruhiwa katika shambulio hilo. Je, Rais ‘amepuuza’ tukio hilo kwa sababu linakihusu CHADEMA?
Pengine ni kuwa na ushauri mbovu wa wasaidizi wake au pengine ni uamuzi wake tu usio sahihi wa kutozuru Arusha hadi muda huu, lakini kimsingi suala hilo linazidi kujenga hisia zisizopendeza kuwa CCM na serikali yake ina chuki kubwa kwa CHADEMA na kila Mtanzania anayejihusisha nayo. Tumeshuhudia Bunge la Jamhuri likiendelea na vikao vyake pasi kujali kuwa taifa lipo msibani, na tumeshuhudia pia baadhi ya viongozi wa serikali na wabunge wa CCM wakipuuza uhai na majeruhi ya Watanzania wenzao waliokuwa waathirika wa shambulio hilo la kigaidi, na kuligeuza hoja muhimu ya kuishambulia CHADEMA.
Na hapa ndipo inabidi tuzungumzie tukio la pili (kama nilivyobainisha mwanzoni mwa makala hii). Wiki iliyopita, Waziri Mkuu Mizengo Pinda alitoa kauli ya ajabu na ya kutisha ya kuliruhusu Jeshi la Polisi kuendelea kuwapiga wananchi wanaoleta vurugu na kuwataka polisi kuwapiga.
Kilichonisikitisha na kunikera zaidi kuhusu kauli hiyo ya Pinda ni ukweli kwamba huko nyuma alilazimika kumwaga chozi bungeni baada ya kukurupuka na kauli isiyo na busara wala kuzingatia utawala wa sheria ya kuruhusu wananchi kuwaua wale wote wanaotuhumiwa kuhusika na vifo vya albino. Hatari ya tamko hilo ni kwamba lingeweza kusababisha vifo vya wananchi wasio na hatia kwa kisingizio cha “uhusika wao katika vifo vya albino.”
Badala ya kushurutishwa ajiuzulu, Watanzania wakalainishwa na machozi ya kinafiki ya kiongozi huyo. Naam, ni machozi ya kinafiki kwa sababu kwa mara nyingine amerejea kosa lile lile lililomfanya amwage chozi bungeni: kuruhusu polisi wavunje sheria kwa kuwapiga (tena zaidi) wananchi kwa kisingizio cha kuwashughulikia wavunja sheria.
Hivi kwa busara zake, polisi hao ambao Pinda anawapa ruhusa ya kuwapiga wananchi watakavyo watakuwa wanatumia kipimo gani kutofautisha mvunja sheria na mwananchi asiye na hatia? Inawezekana, Pinda hajui kuwa Jeshi la Polisi limekuwa likilaumiwa mno kwa matumizi makubwa ya nguvu (ambayo baadhi yamesababisha vifo) hata pale inapohitajika busara tu?
Pinda, anayefahamika kama ‘mtoto wa mkulima, si tu mcha Mungu (angalau kwa mujibu wa mwenendo wake) bali pia kiujuzi ni afisa usalama wa taifa. Inanitatiza sana kuona Pinda atageuka mcha Mungu asiye na huruma kwa Watanzania wenzake watakaoendelea kupigwa na polisi zaidi kutokana na ruhusa waliyopewa na Waziri Mkuu huyo. Pia inanikera mno kuona kiongozi mwenye ujuzi wa usalama wa taifa anapuuza usalama wa raia kwa kuruhusu polisi kuwapiga raia zaidi.
Rafiki yangu mmoja mwanasheria huko nyumbani (Tanzania) ameninong’oneza kuwa kuna jitihada zinaendelea kumchukulia hatua za kisheria Pinda kutokana na kauli yake hiyo ambayo kimsingi inavunja Katiba ya nchi yetu. Lakini wakati tunasubiri hatua hizo za kisheria- iwapo zitafanikiwa- inabidi ‘tuwe wapole tu’ kwani inaelekea ni wazi kuwa Pinda sio tu hatoomba radhi kwa kauli hiyo ya uvunjifu wa sheria lakini tusitarajie kuona filamu nyingine ya Waziri Mkuu kudondosha chozi la kinafiki.
Na kwa vile majuzi tu tumeshuhudia Rais Kikwete ‘akimzawadia’ Inspekta Jenerali wa Polisi Said Mwema kwa kumwongezea mkataba wa ajira yake licha ya miito mbalimbali kumtaka aachie ngazi kwa kushindwa kazi, ni dhahiri Kikwete sio tu hatomkemea Pinda bali hatomwajibisha pia.
Japo hakuna ushahidi wa moja kwa moja unaoweza kumhusisha Kikwete na chuki za wazi za baadhi ya viongozi wa serikali (kwa mfano Waziri William Lukuvi na Steven Wassira) au CCM (kwa mfano Nape Nnauye na Mwigulu Nchemba), ukimya wake katika kukemea matamshi yao unaweza kuashiria kuwa anaafikiana nao kama sio anayewatuma kutoa matamshi hayo ya chuki (kwa mfano kuituhumu CHADEMA kuwa inahusika na tukio la milipuko kwenye mkutano wake huko Arusha).
Pinda aombe msamaha (na siamini kuwa atafanya hivyo) au akae kimya, Kikwete amwajibishe (pia sioni hili kutokea) au amwache tu, Pinda achukuliwe hatua za kisheria au aachwe tu, ukweli mchungu unabaki kuwa kauli hiyo ya Waziri Mkuu ina madhara makubwa na huenda tukaanza kuyashuhudia hivi karibuni tu. Na madhara hayo si kwa raia tu bali hata kwa polisi wenyewe maana kama Pinda ameruhusu polisi kupiga raia ni wazi pia raia watajiruhusu wenyewe kujilinda dhidi ya vipigo vya polisi. Huu sio uchochezi bali ni ukweli usioepukika.
Nimalizie makala hii kwa kumwomba Rais Kikwete na Waziri Mkuu Pinda kuisoma mojawapo katika gazeti la Guardian la hapa Uingereza inayoeleza kuwa licha ya maendeleo ya teknolojia kuwa nyenzo muhimu kwa umma kupambana na tawala dhalimu, wananchi katika nchi mbalimbali duniani sasa wana uelewa mkubwa kuhusu nguvu za dola (power) na jinsi zinavyotumika isivyo (abuse) kiuchumi na kisiasa.
Natoa wito kwa Balozi wa Marekani nchi Tanzania, Alfonso Lenherdt, kumfikishia ujumbe Rais Barack Obama anayetarajiwa kuzuru nchi yetu wiki ijayo, kuhusu ukiukwaji mkubwa wa haki za binadamu (kama unavyothibitishwa na kauli ya Pinda) sambamba na kukua kwa tishio la ugaidi huku serikali ikionekana kuzembea kuchukua hatua mwafaka. Wakati takriban kila Mtanzania anasikia fahari kwa Rais Obama kuzuru Tanzania, ni matarajio ya wengi kuwa kiongozi huyo wa taifa lenye nguvu kubwa kabisa duniani, na muumini wa haki za binadamu na uhuru wao atawakumbusha watawala wetu juu ya haja na umuhimu wa kuzingatia masuala hayo muhimu (haki na uhuru wa binadamu).
Tuanze na hilo la pili. Itakumbukwa baada ya shambulio la bomu kanisani jijini Arusha, tulielezwa kwamba Rais Jakaya Kikwete alikatisha ziara yake nchini Kuwait ili kushughulikia janga hilo ikiwa ni pamoja na kuhani misiba ya watu wawili waliofariki (kwa mujibu wa taarifa) na kuwajulia hali majeruhi kadhaa.
Hata hivyo, baadhi yetu tulihoji kama kweli Rais alikatisha ziara hiyo au ilikuwa imefikia ukingoni. Kuhoji kwetu huko hakukuwa na uzito sawa na ukweli kuwa Rais alionyesha kuwajali Watanzania wenzake waliokumbwa na janga hilo.
Safari hii pia, tukio la shambulio la bomu katika mkutano wa CHADEMA lilitokea wakati Rais akiwa nje ya nchi (alikuwa hapa Uingereza kuhudhuria mkutano wa nchi tajiri zaidi duniani za G8). Katika kile kilichoashiria kuwa ameguswa na tukio hilo, alitumia salamu za rambirambi kwa wafiwa na pole kwa majeruhi.
Lakini pamoja na pongezi hizo, katika makala yangu ya wiki iliyopita, moja ya masuala niliyozungumzia ni pamoja na kuhoji kwa nini safari hii Rais ‘hakukatiza ziara’ kama ilivyokuwa katika tukio la shambulio la bomu kanisani huko Arusha.
Nilihoji kama tukio hili la hivi karibuni lililosababisha vifo vya watu wanne hadi sasa (kwa mujibu wa taarifa) lina umuhimu mdogo kulinganisha na lile la awali ambalo lilisababisha vifo vya watu wawili. Huhitaji kufahamu vyema hisabati kuelewa kuwa vifo vya watu wanne ni vingi zaidi ya vifo vya watu wawili japo vyote ni vifo, na hakuna kifo ‘kidogo’ au ‘kikubwa.’
Je, Rais alikatisha ziara huko Kuwait kwa vile tukio la awali lilihusu imani ya kidini kwa maana ya shambulio kufanyika kanisani? Je, Kikwete alifanya hivyo kuepusha hisia kuwa yeye kama Muislam amepuuza vifo na majeraha ya Watanzania Wakristo katika shambulio hilo? Na je, aliporudi nchini na kwenda kuhani na kutoa pole huko Arusha alikuwa na lengo la ‘kuwapoza hasira’ Wakristo hasa ikizingatiwa kuwa bado kulikuwa na kumbukumbu za mauaji ya Padri Evaristus Mushi, Zanzibar?
Ni Kikwete pekee na wasaidizi wake wanaoweza kuwa na majibu ya maswali hayo ya msingi, lakini jambo moja la kusikitisha ni ukweli kuwa hadi ninapoandika makala hii Rais hajatoa mguu jijini Arusha kuhani misiba ya Watanzania wanne waliouawa na kadhaa waliojeruhiwa katika shambulio hilo. Je, Rais ‘amepuuza’ tukio hilo kwa sababu linakihusu CHADEMA?
Pengine ni kuwa na ushauri mbovu wa wasaidizi wake au pengine ni uamuzi wake tu usio sahihi wa kutozuru Arusha hadi muda huu, lakini kimsingi suala hilo linazidi kujenga hisia zisizopendeza kuwa CCM na serikali yake ina chuki kubwa kwa CHADEMA na kila Mtanzania anayejihusisha nayo. Tumeshuhudia Bunge la Jamhuri likiendelea na vikao vyake pasi kujali kuwa taifa lipo msibani, na tumeshuhudia pia baadhi ya viongozi wa serikali na wabunge wa CCM wakipuuza uhai na majeruhi ya Watanzania wenzao waliokuwa waathirika wa shambulio hilo la kigaidi, na kuligeuza hoja muhimu ya kuishambulia CHADEMA.
Na hapa ndipo inabidi tuzungumzie tukio la pili (kama nilivyobainisha mwanzoni mwa makala hii). Wiki iliyopita, Waziri Mkuu Mizengo Pinda alitoa kauli ya ajabu na ya kutisha ya kuliruhusu Jeshi la Polisi kuendelea kuwapiga wananchi wanaoleta vurugu na kuwataka polisi kuwapiga.
Kilichonisikitisha na kunikera zaidi kuhusu kauli hiyo ya Pinda ni ukweli kwamba huko nyuma alilazimika kumwaga chozi bungeni baada ya kukurupuka na kauli isiyo na busara wala kuzingatia utawala wa sheria ya kuruhusu wananchi kuwaua wale wote wanaotuhumiwa kuhusika na vifo vya albino. Hatari ya tamko hilo ni kwamba lingeweza kusababisha vifo vya wananchi wasio na hatia kwa kisingizio cha “uhusika wao katika vifo vya albino.”
Badala ya kushurutishwa ajiuzulu, Watanzania wakalainishwa na machozi ya kinafiki ya kiongozi huyo. Naam, ni machozi ya kinafiki kwa sababu kwa mara nyingine amerejea kosa lile lile lililomfanya amwage chozi bungeni: kuruhusu polisi wavunje sheria kwa kuwapiga (tena zaidi) wananchi kwa kisingizio cha kuwashughulikia wavunja sheria.
Hivi kwa busara zake, polisi hao ambao Pinda anawapa ruhusa ya kuwapiga wananchi watakavyo watakuwa wanatumia kipimo gani kutofautisha mvunja sheria na mwananchi asiye na hatia? Inawezekana, Pinda hajui kuwa Jeshi la Polisi limekuwa likilaumiwa mno kwa matumizi makubwa ya nguvu (ambayo baadhi yamesababisha vifo) hata pale inapohitajika busara tu?
Pinda, anayefahamika kama ‘mtoto wa mkulima, si tu mcha Mungu (angalau kwa mujibu wa mwenendo wake) bali pia kiujuzi ni afisa usalama wa taifa. Inanitatiza sana kuona Pinda atageuka mcha Mungu asiye na huruma kwa Watanzania wenzake watakaoendelea kupigwa na polisi zaidi kutokana na ruhusa waliyopewa na Waziri Mkuu huyo. Pia inanikera mno kuona kiongozi mwenye ujuzi wa usalama wa taifa anapuuza usalama wa raia kwa kuruhusu polisi kuwapiga raia zaidi.
Rafiki yangu mmoja mwanasheria huko nyumbani (Tanzania) ameninong’oneza kuwa kuna jitihada zinaendelea kumchukulia hatua za kisheria Pinda kutokana na kauli yake hiyo ambayo kimsingi inavunja Katiba ya nchi yetu. Lakini wakati tunasubiri hatua hizo za kisheria- iwapo zitafanikiwa- inabidi ‘tuwe wapole tu’ kwani inaelekea ni wazi kuwa Pinda sio tu hatoomba radhi kwa kauli hiyo ya uvunjifu wa sheria lakini tusitarajie kuona filamu nyingine ya Waziri Mkuu kudondosha chozi la kinafiki.
Na kwa vile majuzi tu tumeshuhudia Rais Kikwete ‘akimzawadia’ Inspekta Jenerali wa Polisi Said Mwema kwa kumwongezea mkataba wa ajira yake licha ya miito mbalimbali kumtaka aachie ngazi kwa kushindwa kazi, ni dhahiri Kikwete sio tu hatomkemea Pinda bali hatomwajibisha pia.
Japo hakuna ushahidi wa moja kwa moja unaoweza kumhusisha Kikwete na chuki za wazi za baadhi ya viongozi wa serikali (kwa mfano Waziri William Lukuvi na Steven Wassira) au CCM (kwa mfano Nape Nnauye na Mwigulu Nchemba), ukimya wake katika kukemea matamshi yao unaweza kuashiria kuwa anaafikiana nao kama sio anayewatuma kutoa matamshi hayo ya chuki (kwa mfano kuituhumu CHADEMA kuwa inahusika na tukio la milipuko kwenye mkutano wake huko Arusha).
Pinda aombe msamaha (na siamini kuwa atafanya hivyo) au akae kimya, Kikwete amwajibishe (pia sioni hili kutokea) au amwache tu, Pinda achukuliwe hatua za kisheria au aachwe tu, ukweli mchungu unabaki kuwa kauli hiyo ya Waziri Mkuu ina madhara makubwa na huenda tukaanza kuyashuhudia hivi karibuni tu. Na madhara hayo si kwa raia tu bali hata kwa polisi wenyewe maana kama Pinda ameruhusu polisi kupiga raia ni wazi pia raia watajiruhusu wenyewe kujilinda dhidi ya vipigo vya polisi. Huu sio uchochezi bali ni ukweli usioepukika.
Nimalizie makala hii kwa kumwomba Rais Kikwete na Waziri Mkuu Pinda kuisoma mojawapo katika gazeti la Guardian la hapa Uingereza inayoeleza kuwa licha ya maendeleo ya teknolojia kuwa nyenzo muhimu kwa umma kupambana na tawala dhalimu, wananchi katika nchi mbalimbali duniani sasa wana uelewa mkubwa kuhusu nguvu za dola (power) na jinsi zinavyotumika isivyo (abuse) kiuchumi na kisiasa.
Natoa wito kwa Balozi wa Marekani nchi Tanzania, Alfonso Lenherdt, kumfikishia ujumbe Rais Barack Obama anayetarajiwa kuzuru nchi yetu wiki ijayo, kuhusu ukiukwaji mkubwa wa haki za binadamu (kama unavyothibitishwa na kauli ya Pinda) sambamba na kukua kwa tishio la ugaidi huku serikali ikionekana kuzembea kuchukua hatua mwafaka. Wakati takriban kila Mtanzania anasikia fahari kwa Rais Obama kuzuru Tanzania, ni matarajio ya wengi kuwa kiongozi huyo wa taifa lenye nguvu kubwa kabisa duniani, na muumini wa haki za binadamu na uhuru wao atawakumbusha watawala wetu juu ya haja na umuhimu wa kuzingatia masuala hayo muhimu (haki na uhuru wa binadamu).
27 Jun 2013
26 Jun 2013
- 26.6.13
- Evarist Chahali
- No comments
The Committee to Protect Journalists wrote to U.S. President Barack Obama ahead of his meetings with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete next week to ask that he bring up the critical importance of press freedom to economic development and democracy.
June 25, 2013
His Excellency Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
White House
Via facsimile: +1 202-456-2461
Dear President Obama:
Ahead of your first trip to East Africa, we would like to bring to your attention the deteriorating state of press freedom in Tanzania. In your meetings with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, we ask that you discuss the critical importance of press freedom to economic development and democracy.
In the past year, CPJ has documented a rise in threats and attacks against journalists in Tanzania. In September 2012, CPJ documented the first work-related journalist killing in the country since we began keeping detailed records in 1992. Police shot at point-blank range Daudi Mwangosi, reporter for TV Channel 10, after the journalist confronted them over the arrest of another reporter. A junior officer was arrested, but several other officers seen as being involved have not been held accountable. Another journalist, Issa Ngumba, was found dead from gunshot wounds in January. CPJ is investigating to determine if the murder was related to his coverage of local farming issues. No one has been arrested.
In addition, several journalists have been attacked in connection with their work. In March, unknown assailants attacked Absalom Kibanda, chairman of Tanzanian Editor's Forum and managing editor of the New Habari media company, leaving the critical columnist with severe injuries. No one has been arrested. Local journalists also said they have often been threatened by officials and high-ranking businessmen via text messages, emails, or intermediaries. Reporters based outside the capital, Dar es Salaam, are often targeted, the sources said.
This new trend of attacks against the press in Tanzania occurs against a backdrop of restrictive anti-press laws. One of them, the 1976 Newspaper Act, which allows the information minister discretionary powers to suspend publications, was used to ban the leading independent weekly Mwanahalisi in July 2012. The constitution includes at least 16 other anti-press laws that have induced journalists to practice self-censorship, our research shows.
Tanzanian authorities said they would present a new press bill this year that would eliminate legislation that censors or restricts the press. But the contents of the bill have been kept from the public, and local and regional media outlets have said they fear renewed anti-press legislation.
As you know, the Tanzanian government is one of five African nations that signed on to your Open Government Partnership Initiative, a multilateral effort to promote transparency. Tanzania cannot uphold its obligation given the current media climate of threats against the press and existing restrictive legislation. Economic development that benefits Tanzanian citizens can only occur in a system in which officials are held accountable by a free and vibrant press.
Tanzanian journalists are working in a highly restrictive media environment and are being attacked with impunity. We ask that you urge President Kikwete to promote media freedom in the country, without which vibrant democracy and economic development cannot exist.
Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director
CC List:
H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, President of Tanzania
H.E. Mwanaidi S. Maajar, Ambassador of Tanzania to the United States of America
H.E. Alfonso E. Lenhardt, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Tanzania
Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Head of the Delegation of European Union to the Republic of Tanzania
John Kerry, Secretary of State for the United States of America
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs for the United States of America
Dr. Fenella Mukandara, Minister of Information of the Republic of Tanzania
Pansy Tlakula, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
Reginald Mengi, Chairman of the Media Association of Tanzania
Dr. Jeffrey Ashley, USAID / East Africa Mission Director
Kajubi Mukajanga, Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania
Mohamed Tibanyendera, Chairman of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Tanzania
Ernest Sungura, Executive Director of the Tanzania Media Fund
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon Bernard Membe has paid tribute to the ailing South African Father of the Nation, Mr Nelson Mandela saying Africa and the world still needs a healthy Mandela and his wisdom.
Speaking in a live Radio Clouds interview in Dar es alaam yesterday the Minister said Mr Mandela is one of the statesman on record for devising a successful peace and reconciliation with people who jailed him for nearly three decades.
"The world needs Mandela and pray to God for his quick recovery" the Minister noted in the Clouds' most popular program ' power breakfast'.
The Minister also said in the next one week Tanzania is going to host three major events, starting with the Smart partnership dialogue, the historic visit of the US President, Baraka Obama and First ladies Summit to be attended by George W. Bush, the former US President and his wife Laura.
Source: Mr Assah Mwambene, Director of Tanzania Information Service (Maelezo)/ Government Spokesman
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
