Tanzania is not a troublemaker

Editor,Reference is made to the opinion, published in the Sunday Times, October 21, by Allan Brian Ssenyonga. In his article, the author stated, ’Tanzania needs to know that the game has changed and they are not dealing with Uganda of 1978.’ Why would the author use Uganda as a reference?The author is clearly suggesting that Tanzania is a troublemaker and a bully. On the contrary, Tanzania is a peace loving country.Tanzania has never stated that it owns Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi), neither has she ever claimed Lake Tanganyika nor Lake Victoria belong to her. What Tanzania stands for and will always stand for is that these lakes should be shared since they are at the border, and this is not due to fuel and gas Lake Nyasa has but because of the Africans who live around it, have all the rights to drink and fish and enjoy the waters of this lake.These Africans, either on the Malawian side or Tanzanian, have the right to use the lake and sharing the lake; that is what Tanzania is standing for.Tanzania never went to war against Uganda for self-justification of her military strength, the author clearly mentioned it was Idi Amini who declared war against Tanzania and he sent troops to Kagera and massacred innocent Africans. Tanzania had nothing but to defend herself and had nothing but one aim: to kick Idi Amini out of power.That was it, Tanzania has nothing against Uganda. Why then would someone say Tanzania is a trouble maker and bully, if her only hope is to defend her people, Africans? The game has not changed; Tanzania stands for what she believes in; peace and love of the motherland. This is Tanzania, a peace loving country, that is why we light a candle and put it on top of mount Kilimanjaro, which shines beyond our borders to give hope where there is despair, love where there is hate and dignity where before there was only humiliation.Africa can be united if only Africans have the courage and the will to do so. So, yes, Africans can unite if we want. Yet Tanzania is a living proof that even if Africa is united, it won’t be heaven on earth, problems will be there always, they have to be solved and people should always be ready.The tensions in Zanzibar show that even when countries are united problems will always be there.But Tanzania is never a troublemaker, she is and will always be peace loving country and will always fight for fellow Africans. After all, will Lake Nyasa be to Malawi or Tanzania if Africa is united?D.M, Dar es Salaam --------------------------------------------- Editor,I think Tanzania is just waking up. But it will pay for the cost of being slow and it’s now disturbing peaceful Malawians.Tanzania has also been sleeping and not concerned about the East African Community affairs, especially on issues to do with land, common markets, taxes etc, and they end up delaying the EAC integration process.So, the author of the story in question just put the record straight – that Tanzanians were not the only one to help overthrow Idi Amini but a combined force of many nations.Dr. Paul. N, Netherlands

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Tanzania is not a troublemaker