TANZANIA: Cardinal Pengo’s take on key Tanzanian issues

Polycarp Cardinal Pengo yesterday broke his silence and spoke out on a range of issues, including a new constitution and allowances for Parliamentarians. He also commented on ethics among public leaders, same sex marriages and the 50th Independence anniversary—all of them issues that have dominated national debate in recent times. Cardinal Pengo urged the government and other players to make sure that a new constitution is in place before the 2015 General Election. He was delivering a message to the nation on the Independence anniversary and the Christmas and New Year festivals.

If a new constitution is not available before the 2015 General Election, he cautioned, the country risks plunging into chaos “because everybody looks forward to having the new law in place ready for the elections”.  Cardinal Pengo added: “If we play with this new constitution agenda, the nation will be at peril. People have already complained about the inadequacies in the prevailing constitution. 

They will not trust it for the General Election; therefore we need to have a new one. Because we have agreed that the current constitution is bad, we should take this issue very seriously.”

Political situation

The Catholic prelate expressed his dismay that, even after more than two decades, Tanzanians were not at ease with multi-party politics. “Many people are still living in the mono-party era and our perceptions and stand are based on the single party system. That is why a stand by the (ruling) party is generally taken as the position of the government.”

If the focus shifted to the constitution, he added, the problem would be solved by clearly stating and putting in place mechanisms that would make plural politics genuinely active in Tanzania.

Same sex marriages

The clergyman objected to a campaign, recently championed by the United Kingdom and the United States, to back the rights of gay people. “Homosexuality is craziness,” he said, before querying: “How can people of the same sex have a sexual relationship…they are meeting to do what?”

He warned those practicing homosexuality that they were acting against God’s wishes and praised the government for rejecting outright donor conditions tying aid to recognition of same sex marriages.

The Cardinal said the rise by 185 per cent of MPs’ sitting allowances was clear evidence that Tanzanian leaders are selfish.

 “Public servants and leaders should know that they are in their positions to save the masses,” he said. “They should emulate Jesus Christ, who was sent by his Father to save the world.”

He challenged the basis upon which the MPs raised their pay, which was that the cost of living had risen.  The leaders were not the only ones who faced a tough life, he argued. All Tanzanians had been hit hard and leaders should first think of the people they lead and not themselves.

50 year of independence

Tanzanians should continue to cherish their independence, he said, but they should also reflect on how they have benefited from the past 50 years. “Yes, we are celebrating, but how many did indeed celebrate and feel happy on that day (December 9)? Our leaders should ask themselves this question,” he said.

True independence does not involve only celebrations, he said, but also hard work which will assure Tanzanians prosperity economically, socially and politically. “Mwalimu Nyerere taught us that Independence is work,” he added. “This message should be treated the same way today. Without hard work, our independence will have no meaning.”

 Strikes in universities

He urged the government to critically look at what ails the education system if it wanted to solve the recurring strikes in higher learning institutions. But he also had reservations about the means the students have used to demand their rights.

“There are ways of demanding for one’s rights without causing loss. Some youths from Dar es Salaam University came to me asking for advice. I told them that we are all aware that they should stand up for their rights, but there was no need to use force in doing so.”

Still, he said, the government should make sure that student problems at the universities are solved to avoid unnecessary confrontations.