It is disgusting! The East African Federation is not yet adopted, but tempers are already flaring.
I can’t help harbouring the feeling that someone out there is scared of the unknown. My colleague Alfred Ngotezi made a thorough analysis on the same subject last week, Let me add some few points.
I mean, why would a person of the calibre of Charles Onyango-Obbo, who is a renown journalist in the region come to the conclusion that Tanzanians are against the federation?
Divinising what he had in mind when lashing out at the Tanzanian media may prove difficult. Indeed, he has a right to his opinion. Just like I do and any other citizen of the free world does.
With due respect to Mr Onyango-Obbo’s right to speak his mind, I do have my misgivings about his article published in the East African of October 23, 2006.
Mr Obbo seemed to have wanted one to believe that his judgement about the Tanzanian media is drawn from an article published online by www.habaritanzania.com. Well and good.
Secondly, he, knowingly or unwittingly, chose to ignore the fact the website is by no means a mainstream media outlet in Tanzania. I’ll give Mr Obbo the benefit of doubt.
The fact that the article in question carried the views of the author, just like Mr Obbo expressed his opinion in his column, was also seemingly overlooked.
The views in question were not representative of any survey or poll by random sampling as to how Tanzanians regard the Community. It is sad that Mr Obbo turned an individual’s personal opinion into a yardstick to gauge popular Tanzanian attitude about the Community.
Furthermore, Mr Obbo was talked about neighbourly love, and downplayed the likes of a caricature in the Kenyan press depicting the Tanzanian press boot-licking President Jakaya Kikwete as “most mildly critical articles and cartoons”. So much for neighbourly love!
It even gets scarier. Mr Obbo went on to refer to Kenyans and Ugandans as “part-time patriots and only rally to defend their countries when a European or American criticises them”. Maybe they need to be full-time patriots for a change.
I feel that Mr Obbo failed to explain why the Kenyan press launched the “mildest” criticism against President Kikwete and the Tanzanian press instead of the Bush administration. After all, it was the American government official who briefed the press on what transpired during the closed door meeting between Mr Bush and Mr Kikwete.
Allow me to bring to the attention of Mr Obbo one fact he might have overlooked.
As Kenyan government officials issued protest notes to Dar es Salaam and Washington demanding evidence and clarification of the alleged instability, US Senator Barrack Obama was busy denouncing Kenyan government spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua and Kenya’s ambassador to Washington Mr Oginga Ogego.
It was over their criticism of the American Senator’s speech on corruption and tribalism when he visited Kenya recently.
Obama accused Mutua and Ogega of breaching diplomatic protocol of attacking his person and character, instead of addressing the issues he raised on his Kenyan tour.
He noted that the Kenyans’ response lacked intellectual depth. I doubt if the Kenyan press had published “most mildly critical articles and cartoons” in response to Obama’s statement. And the problem may well be the part-time patriots’ attitude!
There is no doubt that Mr Obbo’s judgement was misplaced. I truly think that the problem lies elsewhere.
It seems the likes of Mr Obbo fear that Tanzanians media has more freedom and people air their views freely more than in other East African countries.
Mr Obbo should understand that times have changed. Neighbours would never get anywhere if all they do is bicker. I just had to put matters into perspective. No hard feelings!
kmtambalike@yahoo.com;
kmtambalike@dailynews-tsn.com
