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Minister`s prison visit commendable
2007-10-26 09:31:10
By Editor
There is a saying that says that man was given one mouth and two ears precisely because he has to talk less and listen more. This is life as it should be.
A person who listens solves a lot of problems without uttering a word. And, if that person happens to be a leader, so much the better.
We were therefore gratified when we learnt that the Minister for Public Safety and Security, Bakari Mwapachu, and the deputy Director of Criminal Investigations, Peter Kivuyo, would conduct a visit to Keko and Segerea Remand Prisons in Dar es Salaam.
When the minister went there, he was accompanied by the regional police commanders of Ilala, Kinondoni and Temeke.
The main grievances of the remand prisoners are framed up charges and delayed court cases, as some of them have been languishing in remand for years.
The stand off between the remandees and government authorities has continued for months at the expense of the country’s good image, as the remand prisoners sought to show that there was preferential justice in Tanzania that depended on who knows whom.
Until a few weeks ago, this has been the major grievance that they highlighted to citizens living outside prison walls through the pasting of placards on trucks that brought them to court and boycotting court proceedings.
As the remandees` protests continued unabated, the government was tempted to apply a strong hand against those it thought were perpetrators of the prolonged protests, especially when it chose to file charges against them.
It goes without saying that the authorities have eventually realized that the best way to address a problem is to admit that it exists, and that there is a need to listen rather than continue issuing threats and directives.
This was a sober realization in the sense that there is a grain of truth in what the remandees are complaining about, which is within the power of the government to address.
Apart from the two grievances we have mentioned, the remand prisoners have been demanding an improvement in prison conditions, a need that was acknowledged by none other than the President himself when he visited some prisons in Dar es Salaam.
Given that background, we wish to acknowledge the step taken by Minister Mwapachu of having face to face meetings with accused persons locked up in prison cells.
Such a quality is known as humility, although there are those who confuse humility with weakness.
We are not intending to portray all the remanded persons as innocent, what we are stating is that it is proper to lend them an ear, then discern on what needs to be done.
We in Tanzania have to do away with the culture of downplaying serious issues and imitate the example shown by the Minister of Public Safety and Security.
Finally, we urge the authorities to honour any pledges that they have made to the remandees, knowing full well that such task is not so easy, but where there is a will, there is a way.
This is a good start.
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