The President told a well-attended consecration ceremony at the Azania Lutheran Church in Dar es Salaam that she was confident this year's civic election would be peaceful
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan assured Tanzanians yesterday that the government was committed to preserving peace and stability.
She warned that no room would be left to chance for those bent on disrupting the country's unity ahead of the coming polls.
"We are determined to preserve our unity. Tanzania would remain peaceful," she stressed during the installation of Bishop Alex Malasusa as the new Head of the Lutheran Church.
She told a well-attended consecration ceremony at the Azania Lutheran Church in Dar es Salaam that she was confident this year's civic election would be peaceful.
The polls will be held ahead of next year's General Election in which the Head of State is expected to run for re-election.
President Hassan gave the warning in response to an appeal made by the newly-installed church leader, who called for calm during the November 2024 civic polls.
Bishop Malasusa hinted that the local government polls slated for the end of 2024 should not give room to any chaos, as this can affect next year's General Election.
However, President Hassan downplayed the fears and instead urged people to turn out in large numbers to elect "suitable leaders."
She added that the government not only valued peace and national unity but also the principles of democracy in discharging its duties.
However, she told the clerics from inside and outside the country who attended the ceremony that some people agitating for democracy were mere activists.
She noted that CCM’s democratic credentials are impeccable considering the fact that it has embraced dialogue with the opposition within the framework of unity in diversity.
Earlier, in his acceptance speech after being installed as the Lutheran Church leader, Bishop Malasusa outlined a number of challenges facing the country.
They included what he described as freedom without limits, same-sex relationships, and failure by the young people to abide by religious teachings.
"We are going through difficult and challenging times. Some individuals are averse to being guided by principles rooted in religious beliefs. This is very dangerous," he said.
On same-sex marriage, Bishop Malalusa said the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) issued its position on the matter way back in 2010.
Dubbed 'The Dodoma Statement', the church congregation in the country maintained that there was only a marriage between a man and woman.
He said that, much as Tanzania was generally peaceful compared to some of its neighbours, it should be concerned by political turmoil in the Great Lakes region.
He cited persistent insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has led to increased poverty levels in the vast country.
"The Great Lakes region is going through turmoil and insecurity. We (the church) need peace and stability there," he said.
Bishop Malalusa said he does not regret being seen to be working closer to the government after his reelection in August last year.
"I am leading an institution of God and should, therefore, not distance myself from the government," he said.
However, he stressed the need for the government to make sacrifices on its part by embracing dialogue with the opposition when necessary.
"Dialogue is very important. Do not turn down dialogue. Tanzania belongs to us all. We need peace, stability, and development in the country," he stated.
In that vein, he called on the government to ensure the coming local government polls were credible as a prelude to next year's General Election.
President Hassan said she was aware of the governance challenges facing the country and called for support from religious leaders.
The Head of State, however, expressed her dismay over the social challenges facing the country's young generation and families.
She partly blamed the woes on excesses on social media, saying religious institutions have a role in family upbringing.
President Hassan said the marriage institution in Tanzania was under a grave threat because more than half of Tanzanians in the marriage age bracket were not married.
This has been compounded by the breakup of marriages and the rise of gender-based violence (GBV), largely targeting women and children.
Bishop Malasusa was consecrated yesterday for the second time as the Head of the Lutheran Church, whose head offices are in Arusha.
The 63-year-old church leader served in a similar position between 2007 and 2016 before he was succeeded by Bishop Frederick Shoo.
He is the only of the five bishops who have headed the ELCT since it was constituted in 1963 to have served as the church's head twice.
The other Lutheran Church's heads were Stefano R. Moshi (1963–1976), Sebastian Kolowa (1976–1992), and Samson Mushemba (1994–2007).
