Mzee Mwanakijiji
Platinum Member
- Mar 10, 2006
- 33,771
- 41,027
There is another enemy which we must add on the list of these enemies poverty, disease, ignorance, I think we must add another enemy. Let us face it sir, we can talk all this idealistic nonsense about the right of the people to govern themselves and all that. You establish a Government of the people. They have hopes and during the whole struggle of the nationalist movement we have been raising the expectations of our people.
They have been expecting a Government which is going to lift their standard of living. How? By raising taxes and using them to wage this war. Our people hope they are going to have a Government which is going to spend their taxes properly in waging this war. They expect they are going to have a government which is going to be determined to see that justice is done in this country.
What is the enemy of that? What is the enemy of this expectation? Not merely poverty; we can do something about poverty. Not disease; we can do something about disease as long as honest men are carrying out the job. Not ignorance; we know that enemy too, we know we don't want people who are ignorant. But if our people can not have absolute confidence in their Government, in the people to whom they have entrusted their welfare, how sir are you going to wage this silly war against poverty, disease, and ignorance? You have got to have the people with confidence in their own government and when I say in their own Government I don't mean in a few Ministers sitting somewhere around a Council of Ministers, I mean every man and woman in the county who is in a position of responsibility, in local government, in the trade unions, in the cooperative unions, in the political movement, and in the Central Government itself.
Now sir, I think I would be less than honest if I said that all is well, because it is not. There is corruption. Now sir, I think corruption must be treated with ruthlessness because I believe myself corruption and bribery is a greater enemy to the welfare of a people in peacetime than war. I believe myself corruption in a country should be treated in almost the same as you treat treason.
If people cannot have confidence in their own government, if people can feel that justice can be bought, then what hope are you leaving with the people? The only thing they can do is to take up arms and remove that silly Government. They have no other hope. I feel, sir, as we move, as we go forward, and we are going to wage war against poverty, disease, and ignorance, we have got to have the confidence of the people. We have got to have people in local government, in the trade unions, in the cooperative movement, in the political organizations, in the Civil Service, and in the Government itself, in whom our own people have absolute confidence.
If we can't have it then I cannot see how the people of Tanzania are going to get the true benefits of the independence for which they have been struggling.- Julius K. Nyerere
They have been expecting a Government which is going to lift their standard of living. How? By raising taxes and using them to wage this war. Our people hope they are going to have a Government which is going to spend their taxes properly in waging this war. They expect they are going to have a government which is going to be determined to see that justice is done in this country.
What is the enemy of that? What is the enemy of this expectation? Not merely poverty; we can do something about poverty. Not disease; we can do something about disease as long as honest men are carrying out the job. Not ignorance; we know that enemy too, we know we don't want people who are ignorant. But if our people can not have absolute confidence in their Government, in the people to whom they have entrusted their welfare, how sir are you going to wage this silly war against poverty, disease, and ignorance? You have got to have the people with confidence in their own government and when I say in their own Government I don't mean in a few Ministers sitting somewhere around a Council of Ministers, I mean every man and woman in the county who is in a position of responsibility, in local government, in the trade unions, in the cooperative unions, in the political movement, and in the Central Government itself.
Now sir, I think I would be less than honest if I said that all is well, because it is not. There is corruption. Now sir, I think corruption must be treated with ruthlessness because I believe myself corruption and bribery is a greater enemy to the welfare of a people in peacetime than war. I believe myself corruption in a country should be treated in almost the same as you treat treason.
If people cannot have confidence in their own government, if people can feel that justice can be bought, then what hope are you leaving with the people? The only thing they can do is to take up arms and remove that silly Government. They have no other hope. I feel, sir, as we move, as we go forward, and we are going to wage war against poverty, disease, and ignorance, we have got to have the confidence of the people. We have got to have people in local government, in the trade unions, in the cooperative movement, in the political organizations, in the Civil Service, and in the Government itself, in whom our own people have absolute confidence.
If we can't have it then I cannot see how the people of Tanzania are going to get the true benefits of the independence for which they have been struggling.- Julius K. Nyerere