Tundu Lissu, a despot in the shadow?

By Masinde Masondore, Montreal, Canada, 01-04-2018: 

WHEN a learned politician brags of publicly embarrassing his President and counts it an honor while deliberately sabotages the nation's economic interests is a misfit in African traditions.

'Africans have had own ways of criticising the King, the way it happened in ancient Israel, however, in any case, the nation's interests were set apart from any sabotage," Gilbert Moshi.

Tindu Lissu, a controversial Tanzanian opposition politician would be leaning on a wrong wall. He chose a road less travelled by learned individuals who mostly were rational.

The road he walks and the philosophy he exhibit, only label him a tyranny of darkness.

Any democratic leader, whether in opposition or ruling party ought to be totally enveloped in wisdom which prevents monumental errors of judgment. Lissu does not exhibit a minute of it.

One of the pillars of customer-focused policies in the business world is reducing barriers which would prevent a volume of traded goods and services.

That is a strategy used by the Chinese to get what they want. They hide their real strength. You just see their weak side. They are now worlds largest economy.

One of the Tanzania's smart opposition politicians, Zitto Kabwe, does not see all darkness when an obvious ray of light is seen illuminating from Tanzania.

He recognizes the milestones toiled day and night by the 5th Phase Government's President John Pombe Magufuli to clinch Africa's top notch in assorted areas of economy. He, therefore, recognize the achievements and decently castigates what he considers, constructively, blunders.

President Magufuli is known for his reform minded administration

Nowhere in the World criticisms exist not but it is the way you criticise that matters, whether in US or Tanzania. There is a fine line between a constructive criticism and defamation.  For the interest of peace, opposition politicians should equally be accountable with their utterances.

Like in Washington, President George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Donald Trump, have all had their critics. It is human. Depending on their culture, the criticisms were never against American interests and USA point of view.

They challenged the leaders policies and offered alternatives but in no way do they attempt to sabotage American interests.

Lissu exhibits sheer lack of imaginations. Professor Albert Einstein attributes imaginations to intelligence. It is, therefore, wrong and lack of intelligence to attempt to think that Western nations were heaven and free of mistakes.

All nations on earth have had their own challenges. Whistleblowers and leakers were not only a challenge to African Governments but also to developed nations.

Julian Assange and Snowden were currently wanted in the United States for hacking claims. They were threatening the very interests of their mother land. The critics need to take care of the nation's social and economic interests.

Despite the flawed thinking of Tundu Lissu to disparage and completely down trod the economic initiatives made by his mother land to rid his fellow Tanzanians off abject poverty, yet his country does not deport him like Advocate Miguna Miguna in Kenya or sought to try him like Assange and Snowden in the US. 

Tanzania is tolerant. Coexistence is one of the attributes for the prevalence of sustainable peace in Tanzania. The country has always been a mediator and shelter in times of trouble for the neighbours. Dr Magufuli's Government further observes the same virtues.

President Magufuli who pioneers a continental economic revolution in Africa, does not condone the rhetoric and ethic goes 'two wrongs make a right".  Being a mathematician and chemist, he would not be caught in a fallacy of irrelevance. He does believe in wrongful conduct as a response to another's transgression.

Much as he believes in Tanzanianization amid globalised world, President Magufuli focused on the reforms that places Tanzania number ONE gold producer in Africa, ahead of South Africa, Ghana and Mali.

In his tweet to recognize this milestone, Opposition ACT leader Zitto Kabwe called on all Tanzanians, irrespective of their political affiliations, to congratulate President Magufuli for this historic achievement. It attests the resolve and policies that work for Tanzania.

Opposition MP Zitto Kabwe

MP Tundu Lissu

He called on every Tanzanian to be patriotic and applaud Dr Magufuli's historic achievements. It is only a mindless politician who would be in high spirits when the interests of his country were being sabotaged. In an African traditional society, such were outcasts.

It is this mindless irrational mentality that caused him 'self-created' enemies from all walks of life. He engaged in an aborted attempt to betray his own people by waging a lost battle to sabotage a purchase of a new aircraft from Canada, Bombardier Q400. As an East African citizen living here, I’m happy that the aircraft is finally flying to Tanzania.

I understand, like many other African countries, the country is determined to revamp its national flag carrier, Air Tanzania. Tanzania has continued to be a heaven of peace, sheltering most of the neighbours who fled from  afflictions of war and instabilities.

We know that Tanzania has always been and is still a beacon of stability and leadership across the region. Despite ones orientation and world outlook, Tanzania has never been a home to any autocracy as claimed by the embittered lawyer Tundu Lissu.

Tanzania is the leading country with the highest number of a pluralistic media. There are over 150 registered newspapers, 150 radio stations and over 32 television stations, far from many other nations.

According to Wikipidia, Malawi (2001), Mozambique (2000), Singapore (2006) and The Gambia (1997) each had one television station in their own countries.

In Europe, US and all over the world, there are laws pertaining to defamation (slender and libel). The Libel Act 1843, commonly known as Lord Campbell's Libel Act in the United Kingdon was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which enacted several important codifications of and modifications to the common law tort of libel.

Tanzania is among a few true democracies in Africa with laws whose legislations were subjected to the usual transparent processes through to signing by the President.  Relevant stakeholders would volunteer their views before the bill is taken to the Parliament for discussion and approval.

In Tanzania, any citizen could sue the Government and the Attorney General would defend it in a court of law. While the controversial politician is away, his fellow politicians continued to hold political meetings in their constituencies.

A record number of tourists and investors continued to flock in Tanzania, one of the leading countries in Africa with rich natural resources nation in the region whose policies influence the region. 

Israeli defense Minister and the British Secretary of State for Africa who paid a courtesy call on President Magufuli recently, vowed their commitment to deepen bilateral relations with Tanzania.