IT has become virtually routine for Tanzanians to characterise our country as the land of love, peace and harmony.
Those amongst us who are given to swiftly apportioning blame may accuse the rest of their compatriots of being hollow praise singers.
The overall picture has to be set in perspective though, for the sake of setting the record straight.
Tanzania is populated by a section of the very human beings who are part of the broad family of humanity, fancifully known as the global village.
As such, we can’t be a nation of people who are wholly well-behaved. The deeds, pronouncements and other trends of some are negative.
These, naturally, provoke criticisms, and in extreme cases condemnations from their compatriots, the more sympathetic ones of whom earnestly wish that the wayward individuals would reform.
Overall, however, Tanzania is entitled to the love, peace and harmony credentials that they regularly invoke in reference to their beloved country.
The steady flow of tourists from various parts of the world who speak positively of our country, in terms of both the natural wonders that they behold, and the friendliness of their Tanzanian hosts, lends credence to the love, peace and harmony tripod on which Tanzania rests.
It would be extremely fallacious for us to sit on our laurels and ignore aspects within the social milieu that spoil the otherwise good show.
These include periodic murders which are motivated by trends that include superstitious beliefs, matrimonial conflicts and land disputes.
Delightfully, the targeting of people with albinism, which rocked us in the past, have virtually vanished and hopefully won’t resurface. On land disputes, a recent event in Mabale village in Kagera Region’s Biharamulo District is horrendous.
The police is interrogating seven suspects over the recent murder of Elizeus Rubante (35) and his wife Juliana Joseph (28). A group of angry people descended upon the couple at night and hacked them to death.
The assailants were apparently annoyed because Elizeus, who many villagers accused of being a notorious thief, had inherited a piece of land from his late grandfather.
Going by twisted logic, it was wrong for the presumed criminal to be rewarded.
The law will take its course, but we wish to emphasize that more steam should be injected into initiatives for curbing the mob justice madness-for that’s what it truly is: MADNESS!
