Julius Nyerere; The skeptic with a cause, can’t we be the same?

By correspondent Nova Kambota, 13th feb 2013

Renowned Kenyan scholar who commands global respect professor Mazrui  once quoted insisting that Nyerere had two main features, first a philosopher and second integrity, to put it in nutshell Nyerere goes down history as the most prominent politician to have led the country under the sun beating Kwame Nkurumah, Obama , Mandela and many others.

In recent years, criticisms have been put forward against Mwl Nyerere, indeed I don’t blame for such critique but what I call is a fair ground to gauge this true son of Africa. Facts are facts, let it be understood that there has never been even a single evidence to prove that Nyerere is nothing but a tyrant. I regret my analysis comes late though am sure it will make at least a little logical advance against those who foolishly tend to throw Nyerere in the gutter.

If I were asked, why such foolish argument goes on air I would put a blame on optimism among many Tanzanians. Observation shows that many people in the land don’t like to read, may be a question to pose upon ourselves is how do we get knowledge without reading? Certainly NOT! If we are not knowledgeable anyhow then few people can walk our ignorance, they can cheat us thousand time, telling us fictions, empty claims and of course every rubbish.

Nyerere was not of this type, in his book “Our Leadership and Tanzania Destiny” published in 1994 , Mwl went on insisting that in whatever we do we have to think, asking is a key to knowledge. In his own word Nyerere branded himself “a doubting Thomas”. This is how we ought to be, we must put a question mark everywhere, it is our very mission to be skeptic(able to question).

It is high time now we changed to become skeptic the way Mwalimu used to be, let’s ask our leaders, let’s question our “beloved mushrooming historians” who unsuccessful  try to display the so called “Nyerere’s dark side”. The power to question shall assure us with two main outcomes, first the right to information, second the right to expression. The two variables will frighten our leaders and eventually Tanzania’s political arena will undergo the “mutatis mutandis” before it is too late. Let’s wake up immediately and become skeptics with a cause copying from Nyerere.

We have remained with two chances, either to remain optimists and disregarded or turn to be skeptics with a cause so that we equally get our very share of the “national cake”. No more time to wait, note that, fifty years is too long period for us to keep on waiting for “a biblical manna”!

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