Human rights yet to be taken seriously
By Elias Mhegera
THE symposium to discuss human rights issues in the different party’s manifestos have established that human rights issues have not yet been taken seriously.
The review of human rights in the party’s manifestos was conducted at the Karimjee Hall in Dar es Salaam where the Civic United Front (CUF) was considered as the most conscious on human rights issues.
In review were manifestos from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), the Tanzania Labour Party (TLP), the National Convention for Construction and Reforms (NCCR-Mageuzi) and the CUF.
The CCM election manifesto was considered as the most unconscious due to the fact that it is silent on the prospects of a new constitution while all the other parties are calling for a new one to replace the existing one.
Summing up the general issues that were deliberated upon by the party’s election manifestos Onesmo Olengurumwa from the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), said they were centred on peace and security, ownership of property and handling of people with disability.
Other issues were protection of vulnerable groups like people with albinism, elders and care for retirees in general. Almost all parties had promised to offer free education from primary to tertiary education level.
The NCCR-Mageuzi had articulated policies in environmental protection, peace security and ownership of land and residence.
On the issues of free education the CUF had clearly elaborated how it was going to handle that matter. While CHADEMA had a clear picture on how they were going to provide free health services. It has also mentioned how it was going to stop extrajudicial killings.
Moreover CHADEMA’s manifesto had a clear picture of how they were going to reduce salaries and allowances of the president and members of parliament although such matters are not directly related to human rights.
The CCM manifesto has a good approach in matters of good governance, but on human rights they remain the same as envisaged by its co-founder Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in his socialist “ujamaa” policy.
However the CCM manifesto had almost touched all the areas in education, provision of safe water, ownership of property and health issues. The ruling party had included policies
regarding labour laws and protection of children.
The major discrepancy of the CCM manifesto was due to the fact that it was silent on the demand for a new constitution which has always been a major concern for all Tanzanians.
The Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) has a manifesto which seems to copy a lot of what has been advanced in the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The party was more concentrated in human rights in regard to workers right reflecting its name but it falls short in other rights according to the presentation.
A critical review of the policies in the manifestos indicated that some parties did not advocate them during their campaign rallies although they were written down.
A human rights activist Khatib Yussuf said that a good number of promises from the CCM candidate Jakaya Kikwete do not appear in the party’s manifesto.
“If at all the CCM is considerate about who benefits from the minerals in Geita or Kahama then why is the majority of Tanzanians still very poor?” he asked.
He suggested that if the trend continues it would be better to stop mineral extraction until when indigenous Tanzanians will be well equipped with the technology to extract them.
Another human rights activist Benson Lupaya said the fact that CCM is reluctant to change the constitution is a sign that there is a group which benefits from the available resources than others.
Joyce Isaya a form six student at the Green Acres High School said that all parties had good policies on education being a human right issue, but they were not clear on the issue of how to get teachers.
“If at all education is a human right issue then motivation to teachers should as well be considered in the same light because without motivated teachers there would be no quality education,” she said.
Fratern Kwahhison, the Coast region Tanzania Teachers Union secretary general said there was a need for the CCM to consider the call from the citizenry on establishing a new constitution.
“Without a new constitution in place many issues that have been raised by parties will not be implemented, indeed this is an obstacle to democracy in so many ways,” he remarked.
Neema Olle a law student at Tumaini University said that there is still a very low level in the provision of civic education which is not only an obstacle in the democratization, but also to the zeal against corruption and protection of human rights.
Evodius Mulokozi advised Tanzanians that it was not necessary for whoever wins the presidency to stay in power for ten years but this should depend on one’s performance.
By Abraham Makinda
“MY husband died early last year leaving me with six children and no one to look after my family other than myself. At that time the shock was too much for me. I thought I couldn’t survive any longer. But, I went on by selling trees we planted before my husband’s death,’’ said Gloria Mng’ong’o, a member of the Tree Growers’ Associations from Nyombo village (UWAMINYO).
Tree Growers’ Associations were established after Forestry and Beekeeping Division (FBD) from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism initiated ‘Private forestry and carbon trading project’ under Public Private Partnership program intended to create a good business environment for private sectors, provide them with technical skills and remove key barriers facing small scale farmers.
Though she still remembers the tender moments when with her husband they were bringing up the family together, Mng’ong’o has sworn not to opt for easy and illegal ways of making money like other desperate women or youth in desperation.
“I looked behind and saw my six children crying, they knew I couldn’t manage any more, it felt like it was the end of the road, but, I did not give up. I prayed for God to give me strength. The prayer worked and I now manage my affairs just like a family with a wife and husband,’’ she proudly said.
When a Njombe district forest officer, Belson Sauga Ngullo and other from Forestry and Beekeeping Division of Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism visited Nyombo to tell villages the importance of forming tree growers association, she had easily accepted.
“I became one of the first members to join in UWAMINYO and I think I will be the last to walk off,’’ she says and adds: “I see a bright future. With UWAMINYO we meet time after time to discuss and plan on strategies for improvement of our tree growing techniques and there is hope of doing big things together.’’
Thanks to Public Private Partnership program which initiated a novel idea of formulating tree growers’ associations to help small scale farmers with technical and business skills of forestry, UWAMINYO’s members who at first believed in subsistence farming are now targeting to become large scale tree growers in the future.
“We have been taught effective ways of growing trees. We have agreed to plant at least one acre of forest for each member this year and as an association, asked for ten hectares of land from the village government where we intend to plant association’s trees,’’ Gloria explains.
Gloria is not alone. Neema Mbakilwa and Maria Mpogoro, from Matembwe Environmental Conservation and Tree Growers’ Group, share the same story. They have lost their husbands and remained with the burden of looking after families as single parents.
“My husband died in 2009 and left me with two secondary school children. I manage to look after my family by selling trees,” says Mbakilwa.
She adds that being a member of TGA has given her an opportunity to learn about technical forestry and other income generating ideas.
Mpogoro’s life situation does not differ much from the former and with eight children, hers, appear to be much tougher:
“My husband left me with eight children, six are in secondary schools and two are in primary schools. Through selling of trees and seedlings I manage to run the family without much difficulty,’’ she says.
In all, apart from technical and economic benefits offered by TGAs, they have also offered psychological support to the three widows. Through involvement in daily chores, women have been able to overlook their loneliness and hope for success.
“I enjoy when we are in our meetings because we discuss many things and plan for our future,” says Mbakilwa, what she explain as ‘extra advantage’.