On Stability and Continuity VI

G. E. Gorfu

We have seen how two European nations, both steeped in tradition, were able to replace dictatorship by Constitutional Monarchy and achieve Stability and Continuity. England and Spain are not the only two with Monarchy in Europe. There still are half a dozen or so nations that have Monarchy for its traditional values and the benefits it contributes to national stability and continuity: Belgium, Sweden, Norway… etc.

If we look at African countries with Stability and Continuity there are a couple worth looking into. Let us start with The United Republic of Tanzania, which has never had a dictator since its independence from Britain in 1961. Today it is one of the few countries in Africa that enjoy freedom and civil peace free from any significant inter-communal strife. Though serious policy mistakes made in the 1960s and 70s had negatively impacted the economy, succeeding governments corrected it, and established a national identity, and an atmosphere of inter-communal tolerance between the more than one hundred and twenty tribes and the various distinct ethnicities. Tanzania also has a large mix of Christian and Islamic communities that live in harmony and in close cooperation.

Since the mid 1990s, Tanzania has enjoyed genuine, democratic multiparty governments, led by a president and a parliament elected in free and fair elections. It is one the poorest nations on earth, with most of the people living on subsistence agriculture. Mwalimu (Wise-Man) Julius K. Nyerere was the first to voluntarily relinquish power, and return to his farm. He left a blazing torch, which has since passed from one president to the next.

Tanzania is known as a regional peacekeeper in East Africa, and its barefoot army was welcomed with open arms when they crossed into Uganda to oust the evil dictator, Idi Amin da-da. Tanzania’s soldiers are known for their discipline and respectful manners, in that they do not loot or abuse the people. The example of the top leadership has gone all the way down to the foot soldiers. If the leadership was corrupt, that would be copied too.

Today Tanzania is host to millions of refugees from: Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique Zimbabwe, and the Congo. These refugees pose a serious security risk and an economic burden on an already poor country. But Tanzania seems to bear it all, and keeps moving peacefully on the road of progress to full democracy. All that can be traced back to the enduring contributions of the wise man – Neyrere. The lessons of integrity, prudence, and self control he left behind are what have secured Stability and Continuity in Tanzania.

To be continued…