Politicians counselled to embrace unity, avoid superstitious beliefs

ACADEMICS and political analysts have emphasised the importance of a politically centred approach as a key strategy for politicians to win elections.

They argue that focusing on hate speech and superstitious practices undermines peace and the nation’s prosperity.

The analysts were reacting to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s remarkable speech made on Tuesday during the closing of the annual general meeting of Senior Police Officers and the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Tanzania Police Force.

In her speech, the Head of State underlined the importance of clean politics, which entails constructive arguments to accelerate the development of people and the country.

President Samia said there have been ongoing killings of innocent citizens, including elders, children, and people with albinism as elections draw near.

She stated that the killings are linked to superstition beliefs. “Whenever elections draw near, we witness criminal acts that involve the killings of innocent citizens,” she said.

Reacting to the Head of State’s call for clean politics, Public Administration Expert Dr Adamu Mnyavanu from the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA) urged politicians to abstain from baseless politics of superstition and instead undertake detailed research to familiarise themselves with citizens’ problems and identify tangible solutions for addressing them.

Mr Mnyavanu said politicians aspiring to be public leaders through elections like the Local Government Election and the General Election can better connect with their voters by visiting their respective areas of residence to understand their problems and come up with constructive arguments better than their contenders.

He noted that the failure of some politicians to create a good rapport with citizens has been leading them to engage in superstition beliefs, which is impractical when it comes to bringing about development.

Furthermore, he called for concerted efforts from the government, especially state apparatus such as the Police Force, to carry out operations that will ultimately hold accountable religious leaders, traditional doctors and politicians perpetuating the malpractice.

He also emphasised the role of education in ensuring all political parties pick competent candidates for elections.

Political Analyst Professor Kitojo Wetengere, based at the University of Arusha, highlighted the fact that politics is a science and there is no way one can embark on killing people as a sacrifice and expect to attract votes as rewards.

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He said citizens elect leaders based on their merits, including their capacity to argue and accelerate development.

Moreover, another analyst, Mr Hamidun Maliseli, said greed for wealth and power leads some politicians astray.

In that regard, he demanded a mindset change among politicians, urging them to consider politics as a leadership responsibility rather than a source of wealth.

He urged the government to continue enforcing accountabilities for all leaders as a determining factor for electing competent representatives, including Members of Parliament (MPs), Village Chairpersons, and ward councillors.

Furthermore, Musoma Rural MP, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, said the road to success is clear only for those who effectively implement their parties’ election manifesto, which focuses on addressing people’s problems in their respective areas.

Prof Muhongo stated that he always visits all 68 villages in his constituency to ensure the implementation of the ruling party’s 2020-2025 election manifesto.

He said: “Words alone without actions are nothing; legislators and other leaders must visit people and supervise the implementation of development programs as stipulated in the parties’ election manifestos.”