My tribute to Dr Reginald Mengi

I have received with shock and great sadness, news of the passing on of the IPP Chairman Dr Reginald Abraham Mengi.

I have known Mr Mengi for so many years and to me he will go down the history as a staunch nationalist who stood for the general welfare of citizenry.

He was one of the few national industrialists that we as a country have grown to be proud of.

He was a selfless philanthropist, clearly discontented with extreme poverty within our society and was deeply disturbed by the perennial income disparity.

He was simply an extraordinary statesman and a patriot who embodied so much that is best in our country.

During my presidency, Dr Mengi, through my various interactions, made me a better president.

He was always true to his opinion, even if it differed with my standpoint and that enabled me to immensely benefit from his wise counsel.

His role in helping the nation to nurse the-still nascent private sector can never be over emphasized. He considered this the imperative of every citizen that aspires to see this country make developmental strides.

In the midst of all this, a better way to honour Dr Mengi’s life of service is to continue being modest in our privileged positions while following his example to prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight against extreme poverty is not the preserve of the government, it is open to all of us, and in fact it is demanded of all of us as citizens.

We will honour him best by recognizing that there are some things bigger than money or fame or power, that the things that are worth spending our time energy and resources on.

At his best, Dr Mengi showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt.

May God rest Dr Reginald Abraham Mengi’s soul in eternal peace.

Benjamin Mkapa is former president of of Tanzania