Mabadiliko tunayoyasubiri kama Manna kutoka mbinguni

Huwa tumezoea kusikia kuwa Mabadiliko ni mimi, ni wewe (Twaweza.org), ya kuwa tunatakiwa tuwe chachu ya Mabadiliko. na - tokea 2008, baada ya kampeni na ushindi wa Obama – ‘Mabadiliko huanza na wewe’.

Cha ajabu ingawa tunarudiarudia sana maneno haya na kuyasikia, bado kama Taifa na wananchi, sisi watanzania tunasubiri mabadiliko YALETWE na mtu au kikundi cha watu. Tunamsubiri Nabii wetu wa Mabadiliko, tunamtafuta Obama wetu wa 2008. Wengine wanasubiri Nyerere mwingine au Sokoine mwingine. Tunasubiri Nabii huyu ajitambue, azinduke, apate nguvu na ujasiri, ajitokeze na kisha atuongoze .. kuelekea wapi hatujui ila tusibaki hapa tulipo.

Hii ndo hali halisi na tupo tayari kuijengea hoja tena kwa nguvu na kutetea hali hii. Utamsikia msomi anayekaa mjini akisema, “Tatizo letu sisi watanzania wengi ni maskini..” “Tatizo ni mfumo wetu wa elimu” na tunachopenda kurudia sana sote ni: “Ujinga wa watanzania ndo mtaji wa viongozi wetu wabovu” Utamsikia mwenyekiti wa jumuiya ya kijamii (al maarufu kama CBOs yaani Community Based Organizations) akilalama, “Tunahitaji kuwezeshwa”. Wapo wanaosema “Wewe umefanya nini?” kana kwamba kutofanya kitu kwangu ndo sababu nao kukaa tu kusubiri kuletewa mabadiliko. Basi tu sababu lukuki. Mfano mzuri ni jinsi tulivyojaribu Change Tanzania kuhamasisha watu tukusanye sahihi kutaka uwajibikaji kamili katika kesi ya Tegeta Escrow. Wapo wanaohoji, “Itasaidia nini? Haisaidii kitu.” Basi tuendelee kukaa tu?

Ninawaheshimu sana na kuwapongeza wanaochangisha jamii kununua madawati, kujenga mashule, kuelimisha watoto nk kwani hata kama ni watoto wawili tu wananufaika na juhudi zao, ni hatua kubwa kuliko kutofanya kitu na kulalama. Tatizo tunalolifahamu sote ni kuwa bila mfumo mzuri wa utawala, misaada hii ni tone la maji katika bahari. Lakini juhudi zote ni muhimu tusizibeze.

Kwani tukibeze juhudi hizi ndogo na tukikubali kuwa sisi watanzania ni maskini, wajinga na tuna maradhi chungu mbovu.. swali ni je, kwa hiyo tuendelee kusubiri Nabii ajitokeze miongoni mwetu ambaye hatakuwa mjinga, maskini na atakuwa buheri wa afya?

Kwa leo sitaki kuingia katika suala la vyama vya siasa au kutaja majina ya viongozi, ninachotaka kufanya ni kuwachokoza watanzania wenzangu, hivi wenzangu hamjachoka? Mi naona hakuna Mkombozi atakayeshushwa kutoka mbinguni. Hakuna Sauti ya Mungu itakayosikika hadharani ikitupa mwongozo tufanyeje, kwa sababu sote tulipewa dira (compass) mioyoni mwetu na Mungu. Hiyo dira inatakiwa ituongoze na kutupa mwelekeo. Dira yangu inaniambia tupo njia isiyo sahihi kama nchi. Kama taifa tumekosa uadilifu, nidhamu, utu na upendo kwa binadamu wenzetu. Tumekuwa nchi iliyokata tamaa. Lakini naamini kukata tamaa ni kosa na nina matumaini kuwa kila mmoja wetu alizaliwa mtanzania kuishi mwaka huu na nyakati hizi kwa sababu tumepangiwa kazi. Hivi ndivyo Nyerere, Sokoine, Gandhi, Mandela na wanamabadiliko mashuhuri walivyofikiri. Waliamini hawakuzaliwa katika mazingira yao kwa bahati mbaya. Tuko hapa duniani kwa malengo makubwa zaidi ya kupata mkate wa kila siku.

Kila mmoja wetu akitambua hili, ndipo Taifa litazinduka na ndipo tutaona kuwa nchi itageuzwa na mabadiliko yatatokea. Na watu wa mataifa mengine na wanahistoria watajaribu kutafuta mashujaa wa kuwapa sifa zote na kuwatunuku nafasi hii ya kinabii, bila kutambua kuwa mabadiliko haya yaliletwa na kila mmoja wetu na kila mtanzania. Hii labda ni ndoto, achene niote tu.. bora niendelee kuota kuliko kukata tamaa na kukaa kuangalia mbinguni nikisubiri kishushiwa Nabii wa mabadiliko.

A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY – TRANSFORMATION OF TANZANIA CAN BE A REALITY

This is my first English language blog entry since I was nominated by President Jakaya Kikwete to the Constituent Assembly in February. And I do not intend to spend any time discussing events that took place so far. Instead I want to point out one pertinent matter or idea that I believe we should all embrace inside and outside the Assembly.

How we got here or this far in this historic process of writing a new constitution can be a topic to fill tomes of books but what I would like us to focus on is not the past but rather the future. Consider this: despite the fact that this Assembly consists of delegates who did not vie nor were we elected by citizens to be part of the Assembly, there is an interesting mix of delegates, albeit mostly favoring the powers that be. But who would have thought that someone as controversial as Reverend Mtikila will be part of this Assembly? Many delegates are uneasy and even fear Reverend Mtikila who has published his paper calling on the dissolution of the Assembly. Yet despite his avid stance on the revival of Tanganyika, Reverend Mtikila has taken the oath to be faithful to the United Republic. There are pastoralists, farmers, religious leaders and many others. Another interesting personality is Esther Milimba a Maasai woman from the pastoralist community, who in her full Maasai outfit represents the bold, industrious women of Tanzania. Then there are the elders including Kingunge Ngombale Mwiru –a stalwart CCM member and functionary with a wealth of historic information, but there is also the octogenarian John Lifa Chipaka who was political rival of Nyerere since the 50s and jailed for charges of attempted coup d’etat. These two elders have a totally different experience and view of history that may prove valuable in this process.

What we all have to realize inside and outside the Constituent Assembly is that we have a historic opportunity to finally transform our nation and get it right! We have been experts at criticizing and complaining about many things and here we have this unprecedented chance to act on it. This is the chance to unleash the potential of our people, our youth; to overhaul the system that has held back our development; to ensure that services are delivered properly to all citizens; to ensure that we have a well informed and educated citizenry… what we dreamt about can become reality.

But this can only happen if collectively and individually we put aside our cynicism and bring back our idealism. This is the second awakening of Tanzania .. let us aspire and dream big! In the words of the Founding Father Mwalimu Nyerere: “That is the way we ought to look at this constitution. We got to have a little amount of faith…. Democracy is a declaration of faith in human nature”. Call me naïve, call me an idealist but I have a lot of faith in human nature but most importantly I have a lot of faith in Tanzanians.. it is this faith of mine in the incredible generous and patriotic spirit of the citizens of Tanzania that our movement of #ChangeTanzania  has become a movement that cannot be ignored and that has given me this responsibility to represent the people of Tanzania. So I believe and trust, I have faith in the individual and collective nature of Tanzanians, let’s make history by changing our course and create a better future founded on equality, freedom and justice.

UBABE WA WALIO WENGI NA KATIBA YETU

Katika mjadala unaoendelea katika Bunge Maalum la Katiba nilibahatika wiki hii kupata nafasi ya kuchangia na nilizungumzia suala la ubabe wa walio wengi au kwa kiingereza “Tyranny of the Majority”. Nilitumia hoja hii ya msingi kuelezea kwa nini katika mchakato wa kurekebisha rasimu ya katiba tunahitaji kura ziwe za siri. Ila kutokana na ufinyu wa muda sikupata nafasi ya kujieleza kirefu na pia sikuwa na lengo la kuanzisha darasa kwa sababu mi si mwalimu wala haikuwa nafasi yake hapo.

Hata hivyo nilimsikia siku inayofuata kaka yangu Peter Serukamba akijaribu kujibu hoja yangu kwa kusema demokrasia ni ya wengi wape. Hii ni hoja ambayo wajumbe wengine pia waliibua. Na imenisikitisha kwamba pamoja na wajumbe hawa tumekusanyika nao katika bunge hili maalum la katiba na hawana uelewa mzuri wa maana pana ya demokrasia. Hawaelewi kwa nini kuna wawakilishi wa asasi zisizo za kiraia na vikundi vya kijamii katika bunge hili maalum la katiba ambao kazi yetu ni kuwasemea watanzania wasiosikika – watoto, akina mama, walemavu, wavuvi na kadhalika. Hawaelewi kwa nini rasimu yetu ya katiba ina haki za binadamu na haki za raia. Kama demokrasia ingekuwa “wengi wape” tu, katiba yetu ingekuwa ina ukurasa chache sana na tungeweza hata kuendelea kuwa na chama kimoja na mgombea mmoja. Lakini sivyo ilivyo na sivyo watanzania tunavyotaka kujenga nchi yetu.

Hoja yangu ya ubabe wa walio wengi huanzia kabla kura hazijapigwa na baada ya kura kupigwa. Umuhimu wa kura ya siri ni kuwalinda wale ambao wanaweza kutishiwa kwa njia moja ama nyingine yaani “protection from intimidation”. Lakini pia kuna hoja ya kuwa ni haki ya msingi ya kila mtu yaani haki ya uhuru wa mawazo na maoni. Kura ya siri inampa uhuru huu kila mtu. Lakini kwa mwonekano wangu hoja zaidi ni kama wataalam wengi wanavyoshauri kuwa kura ya siri ni muhimu pale ambapo uwezekano wa kutishiwa au kushurutishwa upo. Katika mazingira kama haya basi ni njia mwafaka wa kupata maamuzi. Bila kupoteza muda ningependa kurudi kwenye hoja wa “walio wengi” kwani hata dhana hii inabidi tuijadili zaidi.

Kusema wingi wa kura pekee ndo demokrasia ni mwonekano mfinyu. Hebu nifafanue kidogo kwa faida ya wale ambao uelewa wao haujapanuka kwa nini nimetoa tahadhari aliyoitoa James Madison na John Adams – moja wa vinara waliotunga katiba ya Marekani - kuhusu ubabe wa walio wengi.

Hoja ya “walio wengi” (majority) si lazima iwe hoja yenye maslahi ya taifa kutokana na ubinadamu wetu. Na John Adams alifafanua vyema maslahi haya kuwa yanaweza kuwa maslahi ya familia zao, vitongoji vyao au vyama vyao. Hivyo alisihi kuwa kuna haja ya kuweka vifungu katika katiba itakayotetea mfumo wa haki, kuwalazimu wote kuheshimu maslahi ya pamoja na ya taifa dhidi ya maslahi binafsi au ya kichama: “If a majority are capable of preferring their own private interest, or that of their families, counties, and party, to that of the nation collectively, some provision must be made in the constitution, in favor of justice, to compel all to respect the common right, the public good, the universal law, in preference to all private and partial considerations”

Hivyo basi John Adams alisisitiza kuwa vifungu hivi vya katiba yaani Bill of Rights ndivyo vitakavyomlinda mtu binafsi kutokana na kile kinachoitwa ubabe wa walio wengi. Haki hizi ni pamoja na uhuru wa maoni, uhuru wa kupata hifadhi, uhuru wa dini na kadhalika

Katika chapisho la “Federalist papers” maandiko yaliyokusanywa ya wale vinara walioshiriki kutunga katiba ya Marekani, James Madison pia alionya na kutoa hali halisi iliyokuwepo wakati huo katika siasa za Marekani. Alieleza ni jinsi gani wananchi wengi wanalalamika kuwa serikali haziaminiki, na maslahi ya umma yanawekwa pembeni kutokana na ushindani wa vyama vya kisiasa; na vitu vinaamuliwa si kwa kufuata misingi ya haki na kulinda walio wachache au wasio na sauti (minority), lakini kwa kufuata nguvu kubwa ya walio wengi wenye maslahi binafsi.

“Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

Na ndiyo maana hata James Madison alizungumzia umuhimu wa vifungu vya katiba vitakavyolinda haki ya mtu binafsi yaani Bill of Rights.

Ni dhahiri kuwa hao “walio wengi” leo, kuna siku lazima watakimbilia kutaka kulinda haki zao kwa mfano haki ile ya “kila mtu anastahili kuheshimiwa na kupata hifadhi kwa nafsi yake, maisha yake na familia yake na nyumbani kwake, kutoteswa au kudhalilishwa na pia heshima na hifadhi ya maskani yake na mawasiliano yake binafsi”. Kila mmoja wa “walio wengi” atapigia kelele haki zake binafsi kwa sababu kuna uwezekano mlio wengi mkawa wachache. Historia ina mifano ya kutosha.

Hivyo basi huwa napenda kusema kuwa historia ina mengi ya kutufundisha na wala tusidhani kuwa eti tumevumbua sisi demokrasia au suala la katiba. Kama tumeamua kuwa Tanzania iwe nchi inayoheshimu demokrasia basi tufuate misingi yake na tujikite kuelewa vyema misingi hii.

Ubabe wa “walio wengi” inategemea hao walio wengi ni kina nani na katika mazingira gani. Je “walio wengi” ndani ya chombo maalum kinachoandika katiba ndiyo kweli “walio wengi” Tanzania? Je hawa “walio wengi” wana wingi wa nini na je tunaweza kuwaamini kuwa watakuwa na wingi huo siku zote? Je tunaweza kusema kwa uhakika kuwa “walio wengi” wanasukumwa na maslahi ya umma na kila mmoja wao ataheshimu siku zote msingi wa haki? Jibu ni hapana. Na si kwamba hawa “walio wengi” sasa ni wabaya sana kuliko wengine lakini ukweli ni kuwa kama nilivyowahi kusema katika siasa hakuna malaika wala shetani. Hivyo kama mchakato wa sasa wa katiba mpya iko katika chombo ambacho kimetawaliwa na wanasiasa basi tujue hapo tunatakiwa tuwe makini sana. Tujikite kutetea haki za wote na tuweke misingi itakayohakikisha kuwa maslahi binafsi au ya kichama hayatawali.

Sasa kwa nini niliibua hoja hii ya ubabe wa walio wengi? Niliibua kwa sababu kabla hata hatujaanza mjadala kuhusu rasimu ya katiba, tukiwa bado tunajadili rasimu ya kanuni zitakazotuendesha, ubabe huu umeonekana na ni hatari kwa mustakabli wa taifa. Kwani inaashiria kuwa ubabe huu utaendelezwa mpaka kwenye mijadala ya hapo mbele kuhusu rasimu ya katiba bila kuelewa vyema kilichotuleta pamoja hapa Dodoma.

Hivyo kwa mtazamo wangu, walio wengi wasijitetee na wasitake kutushawishi kuwa ni malaika, na mimi binafsi pamoja na wengine hata tusipokuwa na mitazamo iliyofanana nao tusitake kuwafanya “walio wengi” ni waovu, ila tutambue hali halisi na tufuate misingi ya demokrasia.

Kwa kumnukuu Edmund Burke mwanasiasa na mwanafalsafa wa Uingereza: “the greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse” yaani jinsi nguvu inavyozidi kuwa kubwa ndivyo dhuluma inaongezeka. Basi nguvu ya walio wengi isiwe ya ubabe na dhuluma, bali iwe ni nguvu ya kweli na yenye kujitambua inayotaka kujenga utaifa na kujali raia wote na haki zao. Kama msanii wa kifaransa, Paul Cezanne alivyosema “the awareness of our strength makes us modest” yaani kutambua nguvu tuliyo nayo hutufanya tuwe wa kawaida au kujishusha. Mtu mwenye nguvu ya kweli na anayejitambua kamwe hawezi kuwa mbabe na siku zote hutafuta njia ya kuwasaidia wasio na nguvu. Si kwa sababu ya huruma, lakini kwa sababu anaelewa nguvu yake imetokana na nini.  Hawa “walio wengi” leo watakapopata jibu kuwa nguvu yao imetokea wapi wataelewa kuwa misingi hii ya demokrasia na utaratibu tunajijengea sote kwa sababu hata kama si leo au kesho lakini hatimaye mpanda ngazi hushuka.