| JK: Don’t lose hope | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 10 December 2011 08:18 |
 By Florence MugarulaThe Citizen Reporter Dar es Salaam. President Jakaya Kikwete has told Tanzanians to feel proud of their nation’s successes, five decades after attaining independence, urging them to work even harder for a better and prosperous future.The Head of State used yesterday’s colourful national celebrations to mark 50 years of Tanzania Mainland’s independence to send a message of peace, love and hope. “As a developing country, we sometimes face challenges, but they should never discourage us from moving forward. I would like to ask my fellow citizens to continue working hard and not to lose hope,” said President Kikwete. He asked wananchi to work hard, adding that achieving the development goal needed both courage and collective efforts as a people. He said problems and other obstacles were among challenges that determined success. President Kikwete spoke before thousands of jubilant wananchi who gathered at the Uhuru Stadium for the fete that was graced by five heads of state and top government representatives. It was the first of such celebrations for Tanzania since 1961 when the country attained independence from Britain. The President took less than 15 minutes to deliver his address after a long display of pomp and colour by the defence and security forces. Mr Kikwete said apart from recording huge successes, the country still had a long way to go to improve the living standards of its citizens. He noted that he was aware of the apparent hardships that the people were going through in their endeavours to improve their lives. The government has recently come under pressure from a biting inflation and rising fuel prices that have seen consumer prices and the general cost of living go up. Food shortages in some parts of the country have also been a cause of concern. A crippling power shortage, coupled with poor revenue collections by the authorities, have left a shoe-string budget that is affecting service delivery. The execution of the government budget is also likely to take a knock from delayed disbursement of donor funds owing to various reasons, including the Euro crisis effects and the development partners’ disquiet about the manner in which the government has been fighting corruption. But yesterday a sense of patriotism swept across the mammoth crowd that turned up to enjoy the day’s events, including entertainment. In his speech, among other things, President Kikwete said the country boasts of peace and tranquility with its borders secure all the time. As the commander-in-chief, he praised Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) for their commitment and professionalism. The TPDF commemorative activities included a display of rare weaponry and fighter jets. He said Tanzania was the only country in the world that had fought enemies within its land and outside its borders. “In 1978, our military forces fought dictator Idd Amin’s soldiers. We pushed them out of our land in Kagera Region and even smashed his military forces within Uganda. Today Ugandans have a democratic government and they live peacefully” said President Kikwete.  According to President Kikwete, the country’s security was in the safe hands of a strong and well-organized army, adding that the government was focusing on modernising the force.“According to set plans, our military forces are being trained and prepared for any danger at any time, we expect to have the strongest and most modernised army ever by 2015,” said the President. Commenting on the country’s freedom to decide, the Head of State said his government was free to carry out its will without being influenced by any group or foreign countries. He noted that his government is independent in decision-making and has the ability to choose what is right for its people and ignore advice that is not important to wananchi. “Tanzania is independent in its decisions…we have the right and ability to decide what is important and reject what does not benefit us… we choose who to collaborate with and do not take orders from anyone,” said President Kikwete. Commenting on the struggle for independence 50 years ago, President Kikwete said credible policies and strong leadership by the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) were the main pillars of success. He acknowledged the founders of the party saying: “Our former leaders and political activists did a good and historical job…it is our responsibility to continue pushing for development projects.” The celebrations were attended by Vice-President Mohamed Gharib Bilal, Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shein and Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda. Also present were Zanzibar First Vice-President Seif Shariff Hamad and Second Vice-President Seif Ali Iddi. Others who attended the historical event included former Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Anne Makinda, as well as Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) chairman Freeman Mbowe who is the leader of Opposition in Parliament. A cross-section of religious leaders and members of the diplomatic corps, retired premiers and other leaders were also present. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 11 December 2011 00:22 |
