AfricaPress-Tanzania: NATION building is a collective enterprise, in which every citizen who has attained junior manhood and womanhood, at the very least, is supposed to play a role.
This means that exceptions are those in our midst who are in the category of those who are spared, and for justifiable reasons. These include very young children, elderly individuals, as well as sick people.
Right from the leadership tenure of Founding President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to incumbent Dr John Pombe Magufuli, the principal of joint efforts in the nation-building enterprise has been stressed.
Idlers, who, on that very basis, are the equivalent of ticks that feed off the blood of some animals and birds, are being, and should consistently be frowned upon.
In general terms, we characterize Tanzania as, broadly, a nation of workers and peasants. But there-in are hosted several other classifications.
Delightfully, Tanzania boasts of a constituency of men and women who, through their diverse roles, make invaluable contributions to the nation-building enterprise.
Public service and politics are among the categories that host men and women who serve the nation through them, and on the basis of which, for the principled and hardworking ones amongst them, they deserve praise.
They do, because that approach is a manifestation of patriotism, which is one of the hallmarks of nationhood.
That species belongs to the plus side, whereby someone applies one’s position as an agency for contributing to nation-building, the salary and other benefits being incidental.
On the minus side are those who manipulate the positions to which they have either ascended via the promotional ladder, or been appointed, at say, board of directors level, plus, higher up, presidential appointment.
Somewhere along Tanzanian nationhood, an ugly trend sneaked into the picture, of some individuals perceiving some positions as openings for personal and family enrichment.
The position of Member of Parliament is apparently one such position, since it is amongst the holders that the Head of State mainly picks ministers, among other key posts.
It is apparent, going by President John Magufuli’s sentiments at recent public functions, that, some individuals, including presidential appointees, are eyeing parliamentary constituency slots as potential stepping stones for Cabinet slots.
Thorough soul searching is critical, the focus being national service and thus patriotic inclinations, rather than financial and related fortunes!
