Lissu treatment saga leaves key pillars exposed

The issue of hospitalisation of Chadema Member of Parliament for Singida East Tundu Lissu has become a national matter and the most contentious ever.

There are sides that want to politicise it and there are those that want to utilise it as a public relations kick and hence boost their images. But, it is time we addressed it to ensure that the outspoken leader regains his health and is up and running again. Lissu is lying painfully at the Nairobi Hospital wanting to hear no word barrages nor utterances that add nothing to reduce his suffering and also which are nothing but political baggage than need to be thrown away.

To Lissu it doesn’t matter who foots his treatment bill. He will thankfully accept anything from anyone at this time, and the prayers being said on his behalf, are well accepted and he will say so when the right time comes. Some of us are thinking that the government failed to take leadership on this issue from day one and Bunge missed to step on it on day one, and instead the two organs preferred to stay in the comfort zone of government and Bunge procedures.

Everyone is aware that certain procedures need to be followed in processing treatment of a public servant to which Lissu is. But this was an extra-ordinary case, with high level of emergency and not a usual case where by it can wait for paper shuffling . The unprecedented issue needed leadership. It does not sound well for a person pumped with a number of bullets and hanging to his dear life and for the establishment to insist on following rules. The rules it appears are wrong and outdated. Options in cases like that of Lissu should be incorporated as soon as possible.

This country is growing and things that were never thought can occur are now occurring almost on a daily basis. A month ago, no one would have thought there could be an assassination attempt on the life of a sitting Member of Parliament, but here it is.

There would have been no need for Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu to come out in public several days after the incident to claim that the government was ready to pay for the treatment of Lissu anywhere in the world when it was not as open as that at the first place.

This was after the government had categorically stated it can only pay for the treatment in India and thus after a referral status at the Muhimbili National Hospital, which in this case, emergency was the main issue.

To me I would have loved to hear that the government was taking over all the treatment costs of Lissu and that statement should not have come into the public, but only after consultation and agreement with Chadema leadership and family members. For Minister Ummy to have gone out solo, it was a public relations bungle and would cost the government dearly as many doubt if it was sincere. The turn around on government stand has been miscalculated big time.

Well, every one of us is hoping that this was a one of and soon to be forgotten incident --in terms of its recurrence-but we should understand that we have crossed the line.

While care must be taken, vigilance should be the order and the government should step up on its core function--to protect the citizenry at any cost be it to politicians or any one else.