Threat criticised

Dar es Salaam. The threat by a senior government official to deregister religious organisations whose leaders are making political comments from the pulpit has sparked a widespread backlash.

Human rights activists, politicians from both the ruling party and opposition, political pundits and clerics yesterday condemned the warning by Home Affairs permanent secretary, Major General (retired) Projest Rwegasira as unwarranted, calling it another attempt at silencing government critics.

Onesmo Olengurumwa, Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition national coordinator, dismissed the threat as having no legal ground.

“There’s a big difference between engaging in politics and giving a political opinion,” he said.

Mr Olengurumwa, a lawyer, noted that engaging in politics would involve taking part in elections and campaigning for political office.

Prof Bakari Mohammed, a political science and public administration lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam reacted: “What is surprising is that these threats and warnings come only when the State is criticised, and not when the same religious institutions applaud and commend it,” reacted

In a statement released Thursday, the permanent secretary told clerics not to use their pulpits to “talk politics”.

He threatened deregistration to those who go against the Societies Act, cap 337 of 2002, which requires them to stick to their constituents.

His warning came a few days after clerics roundly used their Christmas messages to express concerns over the state of freedom of expression.

“No religious organisation brought a constitution to the Registrar that includes commenting on political issues as an activity,” Mr Rwegasira noted. Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, executive director of the Legal and Human Right Centre (LHRC), said religious leaders have the same rights to freedom of expression as enshrined in the constitution.

She also expressed concerns over the government’s apparent double standards in its relationship with religious leaders.

“What is more ridiculous is that these warnings go to only those who criticise the establishment and not those who sympathise with it,” Dr Kijo-Bisimba said.

The human rights activist described the threat as the continuation of intimidations directed against individuals and groups perceived to be anti-government.

Contacted for comment, Tanzania Muslim Council (Bakwata) secretary general Sheikh Suleiman Lolila told The Citizen yesterday he was not aware of the statement.

Sheikh Issa Ponda, secretary of the Council of Islamic Organisations in Tanzania, said the government was engaged in a “smear campaign” against clerics.

The outspoken Muslim cleric, who himself has had brushes with the previous government, argued that it was their moral duty to not only speak in the interest of those they lead, but also advise the government whenever it was necessary.

“When a religious leader comes forward to tell the government that it has failed to protect its own people. Does it make any sense to interpret that as wrong, that he or she is using the pulpit to talk politics? No, that’s not it,” he said.

“Any religious leader can ask for an appointment with the President, or any public official, or even write an open letter to them and express their opinions, but from the pulpit,” he said.

Among other public figures who also expressed their dissatisfaction with the warning are Members of Parliament for Nzega Urban, Hussein Bashe (CCM) and Singida East MP Tundu Lissu (Chadema).

Mr Bashe took to twitter yesterday criticising saying the threat to religious leaders unwarranted. He said: “Heads of religious institutions are not breaking the law by commenting on political trends, (the) economy and other matters affecting the society. These leaders always have their position on these issues.’’

Mr Lissu, in what he termed ‘Letters from Nairobi Hospital Bed’, noted that the government’s warning was against freedom of expression.

But Iringa-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Pastor Kulwa Sadataley said religious leaders had a role to unify, and not divide, people across various beliefs and denominations.

He urged other leaders to avoid using the pulpits, but “other platforms” to raise their concerns with government.