Mbowe laments the faulty system of access to leaders in Tanzania

The Chairman of the Democratic and Development Party (Chadema), Freeman Mbowe said that what contributes to poverty in the country is the way in which Government leaders are found.

He said that Tanzania is preached as poor when it is loaded with abundant resources including minerals, fertile land, forests and wildlife.

Speaking yesterday at a public meeting held in the Municipality of Kahama in Shinyanga region after the protest, Mbowe said the new Constitution and the policy of the states is the solution to change the country due to the systems he called bad, including that of government leaders.

“If there is the first source of poverty and oppression in this country, it is the way we find government leaders. We, CHADEMA, in our proposals for changing the constitution, say we should abolish the positions of district heads, they are unemployed, we should abolish the positions of regional heads, they are unemployed, we should elect governors to be elected by the votes of the people,” said Mbowe.

He said that Tanzania has two types of leaders, elected by the people and those appointed by the President.

“We are going to the campaign, the President is asking for votes, MPs are asking for votes and other councilors are asking for votes, but at least the candidates come to you to ask for votes and you chose them, when you finish choosing you hear the news that the President has chosen someone to be the governor of Shinyanga region. Are you wondering when this person who was elected as the head of the region applied to be the head of the region? You don’t know someone, he comes to manage your life, he manages your resources, you hear him on the news, this is no,” said Mbowe.

While mentioning CHADEMA’s policy is to have a government with eight states, Mbowe said that even states that understand themselves as wanting the welfare of the people, set up a system to choose their leaders.

He has said that if the current system is analyzed in detail, he claims that it has a big deficiency because of the allegations that the heads of districts and regions do not work for the people, but for the authority that appointed them.

“After speaking with our CCM colleagues, we told them, we think the place where this country is stuck, the first place to start is the Constitution that governs our country. In the internal meetings they say it is true, but we will not get tired of telling the President (Samia Suluhu Hassan) We must start with the Constitution.

He said the journey to change Tanzania is not as easy as many think.

“We believed we could speak like Nyerere spoke and we got freedom. We have a job to do, don’t sit around playing pool table and then rely on change. When Tanzanians get their minds off CCM, they are quick. Today we will march and return home, there is a vote day we will march, and we will not leave the station,” he said.

He turns to the youth

Speaking about the issue of young people, Mbowe said that the fate of who should lead from the local governments this year or the Central Government in next year’s general election, is in their hands claiming that they are the largest group of voters.

“This year’s and next year’s election will be decided by you young people who don’t even want to get married, as soon as Mwajuma passes by you look at him and say Mwajuma sir! See if you feed him pebbles.”

Earlier speaking in the meeting, the Chairman of CHADEMA Region of Shinyanga, Emmanuel Ntobi, said that among the challenges facing the residents of the region, is to be compensated less money compared to the value of their fields if they are found to contain gold minerals.

Another concern he presented to Mbowe is the claims of pensioners being tortured by benefits, calculators, businessmen complaining about being charged especially high service charges.

And the Acting Chairman of the Serengeti Chadema Region, Gimbi Masaba, said that one of the challenges that afflicts the residents of Kahama is the poor infrastructure at the bus stand, as well as pregnant women being charged Sh10,000 for the clinic card.

“The big bus stand has only one door for years, the infrastructure is bad when the buses come and go and they are taxed,” said Masaba.