AfricaPress-Tanzania: ‘A voice is heard in Dodoma, mourning and great weeping, residents weeping for Dr John Pombe Magufuli and refusing to be comforted, because he was no more’.
Grief, anguish and weeping yesterday reined at Parliament grounds in Dodoma at the event to pay last respects to the late President Dr John Magufuli, while the Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai disclosed his last conversation in which the late President phoned him to tell him where he was to be buried after his death.
Ndugai said Dr Magufuli’s death has been engulfed in much grief as Tanzanians have lost their strong leader – man of the people.
“Our responsibility as a nation is to continue praying for him, today I would have liked to give opportunity to at least three legislators to convey their condolences, but the time is very short, hence on March 30 during a Parliament secession
we will have in place a procedure for our own resolution on the sad passing,” he said.
He said it was hard for him to forget the late Dr Magufuli due to the closeness between them as he frequently used to phone him to discuss various issues of the country.
“I remember one day the late President rang me and asked where shall I be buried when I die. I answered him that I will be buried at my home place in Kongwa. He also asked me where he (Magufuli) should be buried when he dies, and responded that he will have to be buried at Dodoma because he was responsible for the socio – economic of the government capital. He told me no. I would like to be buried at my home place Chato,” Ndugai recounted.
He said the late President Magufuli was part of the Parliament for 26 years, hence the event to pay him last respects has been engulfed with unbearable grief to them as Members of the Parliament.
He added: “This House entrance, as well as the one for Msekwa hall were the ones used by the late Dr Magufuli during his 26 years in Parliament since he was first elected MP in 1995, and today it is much grief, Tanzanians are crying, and we say “Thank very much God for giving to us Dr Magufuli’.”
The body of the late Dr Magufuli arrived at Parliament grounds at 8.05am and when some MPs saw the convoy coming they started crying loudly.
After the bier was offloaded, Ndugai called for calm so that a schedule for paying last respects should immediately start.
He started by giving the stand to three MPs each of who made short prayers for the late President.
The first MP was Shally Raymond who was Chairman for Catholic MPs, and was followed by Anna Lupembe, Chairperson for Protestant MPs and then Omary Ally, Wete MP who read prayers on behalf of Muslim MPs.
Thereafter Ndugai invited Deputy Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson who said her holding of the Chair was greatly contributed by the late President.
“Today I will not speak much due to the difficult environment, but Hon. Speaker, you know my history, the one to who we are today saying farewell to him contributed a lot in me holding the position I have now,” she said.
She said during his entire presidency, the late Dr Magufuli strived to do what was good even though there are people who deride him by saying they have never seen his good deeds.
Dr Tulia said she hopes the late President died after he had already accomplished all that God gave him to accomplish during his life.
She also said they hold high hopes that the new President, Samia Suluhu Hassan will lead Tanzanians during this difficult period.
“We very much trust her because she is our Joshua who will carry us across, there should be no reason for Tanzanians to be in doubt as already Magufuli accomplished all that was necessary,” she added.
For his part, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said he was not able to speak when he sees the body of the late Presidency Magufuli in front of him in a coffin.
“Hon MPs, I ask you to excuse me, I cannot speak as I continue seeing my leader who used to frequently telephoning me, was now laying here in front of us,” he added.
Majaliwa said from the multitude coming up to view the body of the late President, it shows how he was able to touch the hearts of Tanzanians when he was alive.
Soon after MPs and other government leaders paid their last respects, his body was placed into a special vehicle to Jamhuri Stadium for the national event to pay last respects.
Along the route, the body was accompanied by multitudes who were waiting outside Parliament grounds to the stadium singing various songs as they walked along.
