Focus on issues, Warioba urges politicians

Former Prime Minister Joseph Warioba explains a point to a University of Dar es Salaam lecturer, Dr Ng’wanza Kamata at the Mwalimu Nyerere Resource Centre in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | SALIM SHAO

What you need to know:

The veteran politician said this yesterday during the Third Lecture in the series of deliveries organised and hosted by the Mwalimu Nyerere Resource Centre in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

        Dar es Salaam. Former Prime Minister Judge (rtd) Sinde Warioba has urged politicians in the country to focus on development of the people instead of engaging in character assassination of their rivals.

The veteran politician said this yesterday during the Third Lecture in the series of deliveries organised and hosted by the Mwalimu Nyerere Resource Centre in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Said Judge Warioba, “Instead of talking about development issues, some politicians have been complaining to wananchi about the conduct of their rivals.”

He noted that during the first phase government under the Founding Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, politicians preached development and not matters that could divide the wananchi. “As a political leader, one is expected to tell wananchi what to do in order to overcome the challenges they face,” he said.

From the observations of the Former PM, issues that affect Tanzanians are currently not given priority, a situation that is threatening the country’s unity.

He further said that the founders of the nation fought hard to build the country’s unity and ideology and it was unfortunate the current generation seemed to lack ample sense of direction.

“Although we don’t have tribalism nowadays, people are now divided along political lines; in some parties such a CUF, a member does not attend the burial or any other ceremony of a CCM supporter and vice versa; this is very bad for the country.”

Delivering his paper titled Higher Learning Education and Africa Development”, the vice chancellor of the United States International University-Africa, Prof Paul Zeleza, said although the number of higher education institutions has increased, the quality of education delivered does not meet the required standards.

For his part, the director of the Nyerere Resource Centre, Prof Issa Shivji, said the centre needs at least Sh500 million to improve its operations. He said so far the facility has only Sh130 million.