LAKE ZONE: Madaraka: Very few leaders honour Mwl. Nyerere’s legacy

By  Midraj Ibrahim and Emmanuel Chacha,The Citizen Reporters

• Madaraka said the two or three govt structure did not bother him much but he said it was necessary to follow majority opinions as gathered by the CRC

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BUTIAMA.Madaraka Nyerere, the sixth child of the late Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, has said 15 years after his father’s death there are very few leaders who still honour him and follow his legacy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Citizen at the weekend, Madaraka also said if he were a member of the Constituent Assembly (CA) he would vote NO for the proposed constitution, saying it fell short on some essential issues like leadership integrity and ethics.

“Very few leaders honour the late father of the nation…as most of them just respect him by mere words but not in a practical way…nowadays it is allowed for civil servants to double as businesspeople. During Mwalimu Nyerere’s leadership it was impossible for a public leader to engage in business. They had to choose between remaining as public leaders or being businessmen,” he stated.

He added; “I once heard President Kikwete saying public leaders should not engage in business but his ten years of leadership are almost over and nothing has been done to address this challenge.”

Commenting on the ongoing public debate on the proposed constitution, Mr Nyerere said he did not pay adequate attention to the Katiba Assembly sessions.

However, he noted that there were some basic issues that ought to have been included in the document including leadership ethics, saying they were significant for the prosperity of the nation.

On the Union structure, Mr Nyerere said two or three governments did not bother him much but he said it was necessary to follow majority opinions as gathered by the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) led by Judge Joseph Warioba.

He added that Judge Warioba, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and Joseph Butiku were close allies of his father, noting that he hoped that the trio clearly knew Mwalimu’s vision of the country.

“I believe that they can’t betray him and perhaps what they are trying to suggest especially the re-establishment of Tanganyika government represents Mwalimu’s view,” noted Mr Madaraka.

He further defended Warioba’s commission from the current wave of criticism over the ongoing Katiba process, saying the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was the one to be blamed for it remained silent when the Zanzibar Constitution was being overhauled despite knowing that it contradicted the constitution for the United Republic of Tanzania.

Mwalimu Nyerere died on 14th October at St. Thomas Hospital in London, the United Kingdom.