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RC flies into anger over speech by senior citizens
2007-10-04 10:30:50
By Elisante John, PST, Singida
Celebrations to mark the International Day for the Elderly turned sour in Singida township early this week when Singida Regional Commissioner Parseko Kone got enraged by a message by elderly people in the region read at a rally which criticized the government for not taking due care of its senior citizens in the country.
Kone sounded distraught after listening to a fairly long speech read by Joseph Mnyambi on behalf of his fellow senior citizens expressing dissatisfaction with what they termed as empty promises by government officials who had abandoned them.
RC Kone felt that a politically-motivated person might have prepared the text to highlight personal feelings or resentment under the guise of representing the sentiments of the elderly in the region.
``I honestly doubt the authenticity of the message. Does it really represent the views of the elderly or was it simply a guise to express individual feelings? Did you all take part in preparing this message?” Kone asked. However, there was no coherent answer save for some murmuring.
Among issues raised in the message was delayed implementation of CCM`s election manifesto and the government policy with regard to the welfare of the elderly.
The elderly had claimed that the policy had never been effected during the past seven years, thus leaving the elderly in a dilemma.
The elderly demanded explanation on various issues such as undue delay in pension payment, inaccessible free medical services for them and being sidelined when it came to official functions such as meetings.
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