Giving your honest opinion makes you a National Security Threat?!
Charge: Every day being negative! negative! negative!
This Sunday evening, I start receiving an influx of calls, messages on social media and notifications online. I sensed something was up and was quickly updated that a person that I believe I met passingly few times, a former journalist and who-knows-what-he-does-to-earn-a-living has held a press conference and has announced a list of dangerous people who are a threat to National Security. He ordered, beseeched and told the Security Service to immediately take action against us. So who are these “dangerous people”? It includes Freeman Mbowe — head of opposition in Parliament (yeah like official elected MP and legally the head of opposition of the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania); Mange Kimambi — a Tanzanian living in Los Angeles, USA, mother of three who is a socialite turned activist and has a huge following on Instagram; Zitto Kabwe — another high profile elected opposition Member of Parliament and head of the ACT Wazalendo party; Julius Mtatiro — one of the top leaders of the opposition party of CUF; Evarist Chahali — a former secret service agent living in exile in the UK; Yericko Nyerere — a commentator and writer who wrote and published a book on the Secret Service; John Heche — elected MP from opposition party CHADEMA and one of the regional and national leaders of the party; John Marwa — accused of being the body guard of the recent CHADEMA candidate in the Kinondoni by election who has no clue why he is on the list anyway and then of course yours truly.
So each person had a charge read as of why they are a threat — mine was being always negative about the government! So apparently despite the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania guarantee of my freedom of expression, now there is a new unspoken law or decree that all we can do is praise! praise! the Government?!
It would sound utterly nonsense and in the normal world, the Security organs would at least call him in for further questioning his source and probably his sanity but there are more serious events developing in the country that do not make this as funny as it sounds.
Just in two weeks, there have been recent developments that have caused a lot of angst and concern among citizens as we saw the abduction and mysterious murder of an opposition district leader in Dar es Salaam, the shooting of demonstrators which led to the death of Akwilina Akwilini an innocent passenger on public bus — her life cut short by a stray bullet, the hacking to death of an elected opposition councillor, the imprisonment of opposition MP Joseph Mbilinyi for what has been called “hate speech” against the President, then this list. These are like recent developments — I have not even mentioned the brutal gunning down of opposition MP Tundu Lissu in broad daylight — who miraculously survived and now recovering in Belgium; the disappearance of journalist Azory Gwanda who was writing about the mysterious disappearances of children in Kibiti, the shooting of people in Kibiti; the abduction of musician Roma by unknown people; the disappearance of the assistant of the Head of Oppoisition Ben Saanane and the list goes on.
What is evident is that, Tanzania is no longer an island of Peace because we the citizens don’t feel safe. We can argue whether it is real or perceived but when the security organs are either unable to react or directly/indirectly implicated then even if it is a matter of perception, deliberate steps have to be taken to show citizens that this government respects the right of people to express their opinion and tolerates dissent. It also is important for the Government to prove beyond doubt that it is working hard to restore peace and order to the country and that these are rogue elements at work.
The government has been put on notice by the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, by the European Union Delegation and many international bodies and representatives are getting worried. This is not a good trend and not good news for Tanzania whichever way we look at it.
Without freedoms, there will be no sustainable and real development.
Until then please follow the hashtag #ChangeTanzania (@ChangeTanzania) for more discussions by Tanzanians on where we think the country should head.
