They led, then left with secrets deep in their hearts

Dar es Salaam.Tanzania’s retired leaders rank poorly in East Africa in writing their memoirs, a quick survey by The Citizen has established.

They are not alone. Also on the list are prominent people in the business community, whose struggle from zero to hero is worth documenting.

But, in 50 years of independence, not a single one – with the possible exception of former Finance minister Edwin Mtei – has told his or her story for posterity.

At a time when gender equity is a global agenda, who would not want to read an inspirational account of the life of Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, the immediate former UN Deputy Secretary-General?

What of Ms Anne Makinda, the first female speaker in the male-dominated National Assembly?

There is also Dr Gertrude Mongella, the first president of the Pan-African Parliament.

In 1995, she shot to fame as UN Assistant Secretary-General and Secretary-General for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

From 1996 to 1997, she was UN Under-Secretary and special envoy of the UN Secretary-General on women’s issues and development.

An illustrious and eventful career notwithstanding, she has yet to put an autobiography on the market.

Writing a memoir is pretty much standard practice these days.

In the West, it is an unwritten law that presidents, prime ministers, national assembly speakers, corporate executives, artistes, athletes and successful businessmen and women document their ups and downs—even detailing crucial events even well before they become public figures.

Accurate source

Since they are personal accounts, memoirs have become the easiest and most accurate source of information about public figures and their success and failure secrets.

The genre has also become a path to quick bucks, especially for celebrities.

Some authors use memoirs as an opportunity to set to right issues in their lives and perhaps controversies that were misrepresented or opinions they could not air while holding certain positions.

The books have, in one way or another, become their means to exercise their right of reply, in turn guaranteeing the public the right to know.

The absence of these recollections, according to analysts interviewed by The Citizen, denies the current and coming generations the right to hear it directly from the horse’s mouth.

Mr Ali Hassan Mwinyi succeeded Tanzania’s first president and founding father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, in 1985.

He served his two-term presidency and left in 1995 after the first general election held under the multi-party system, which Benjamin Mkapa won to become the third President.

Mr Mwinyi has yet to write the story of his political and personal life and it remains a secret known only to him and a few close allies.

He is not alone. His successor, Mr Benjamin Mkapa, has also kept mum on his story since he left the presidency in 2005—and this despite his background in journalism.

Though his close associates believe his recollections are worth penning, the former president has chosen to follow the path of his predecessors, including his mentor Mwalimu Nyerere.

The list of prime ministers of the United Republic of Tanzania between 1985 and 2008 includes Mr Cleopa Msuya, Mr Joseph Warioba, Mr Frederick Sumaye, Mr John Malecela, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and Mr Edward Lowassa.

They also have not given us a single political or personal memoire since they left office.

A quick survey by The Citizen reliably established that some of these leaders have great stories to tell.

Why they have chosen the code of silence is the billion-dollar question.

Mr Mwinyi’s tenure, for example, was clouded by challenges ranging from acute shortages of basic commodities, the push for both political and economic reforms, radicalism and strikes at the University of Dar es Salaam.

All these took place against the backdrop of the shadow of his predecessor, Mwalimu Nyerere, who continued to command respect within and outside Tanzania.

Between 1990 and 1995, Mr Mwinyi rode the waves of the multi-party system, which was officially introduced in the country in 1992.

He also faced rebel MPs from the ruling party, popularly known as G55, who demanded a Tanganyika government within the Union, forcing Mwalimu to step in to silence the dissenters.

He was also forced in the 1990s to shut down the University of Dar es Salaam after a series of strikes that targeted him personally, with some radical students calling him names.

Living in the shadow of Mwalimu was Mr Mwinyi’s serious challenge.

Mwalimu frequently launched thinly-veiled attacks on Mr Mwinyi’s leadership, accusing it of corruption and failing to defend the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

But also spearheading the first general election under the multi-party system, in which the then popular opposition leader Augustine Mrema enjoyed strong support from enthusiastic voters compared to Mr Mkapa in 1995, was another big challenge for President Mwinyi.

However, after leaving State House, Mr Mwinyi did not write any memoir on his 10-year presidency as well as the day-to-day challenges he faced as head of state and, above all, the behind-the-scenes situation during his leadership.

Political storms

Mr Mkapa is among the presidents who weathered many political storms, ranging from taking a near-bankrupt country to the MV Bukoba disaster in May 1996.

There was also a moment of pain and mourning when the father of the nation died in London on October 14, 1999.

Mr Mkapa narrowly survived a road accident in Mwanza in October 1995 while campaigning for a second term in office, when a defective bus lost control and almost hit his car.

Thirty eight died in the bizarre accident, the majority of them people who had lined the Mwanza-Musoma road to see Mr Mkapa’s entourage.

He also faced a bloody demonstration in Zanzibar on January 27, 2001, that was organised by Civic United Front (CUF) to protest the victory of former Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds fled to Somalia and elsewhere.

From his schooldays to his rise to the country’s top job, Mr Mkapa weathered many political storms but his story is also buried in the sand just like that of his predecessor.

And then there were his days as the managing editor of the Daily News and when he was foreign affairs minister, eventually landing in State House.

Also in the league of former prime ministers is Mr Edward Lowassa, whose political career collapsed dramatically when he was forced to resign in February 2008 after he was implicated by the Parliamentary Committee that investigated a multi-million dollar power supply tender popularly known as Richmond.

His resignation created what President Kikwete described as a political storm. Mr Lowassa was one of the players who had a crucial role in securing President Kikwete’s victory in the 2005 election.

Some analysts believe Mr Lowassa’s role in the Richmond tender and the political accountability that came with it is worth a book because the scandal not only rocked the nation but also created sharp divisions in the Kikwete regime.

Five years down the road, the scandal still haunts politicians within the ruling party, with some of Mr Lowassa’s rivals planning to use it as a political card to deny him CCM’s nomination for the top job.

But Mr Lowassa has also chosen “the code of silence”.

And then there is Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, who concluded his term of office as Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity on September 17, 2001, after serving an unprecedented three terms covering 12 years.

Dr Salim, who came close to clinching the position of United Nations Secretary General in the 1980s but was blocked by the United States of America, was the Prime Minister of Tanzania between 1984 and 1985.

Dr Salim was elected Secretary-General of the OAU on July 27, 1989, and formally took over on September 19, 1989.

Prior to his election, Dr Salim held public office in Tanzania, where he served in various capacities for 27 years.

He was Prime Minister from 1984 to 1985 and then served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and National Service from 1985 until his election to the helm of the OAU General Secretariat.

From independence in 1961, this country has gone through numerous momentous happenings.

Mwalimu left a number of books but not a memoir.

Why are these distinguished men and women not writing their memoirs and what is the implication of this speaking silence?

Former PM Sumaye agrees that former leaders who were entrusted with huge responsibilities in national and international platforms should open up to their fellow citizens through memoirs.

“People have the right to know and there is a lot they can learn from us,” he said. “I am seriously thinking about it. I will definitely write an autobiography but I have not started yet.”

No comment

Mr Lowassa said he was out of the country and could not comment about the issue. And Mr Warioba had no comment.

But academicians say this intentional silence is a manifestation of the culture of patronage in the national body politics and public fabric.

They argue that party allegiance, as opposed to merit, is the main requirement for the movers and shakers.

“Legitimate achievers all over the world would want to share their stories,” said Prof Melchior Mlambite of the Saint Augustine University.

“Most of our leaders did not climb the ladder after debating issues but because they are staunch cadres of some political party.”

Tanzania is a country of oral literature and not readers and that includes leaders and wananchi, with few exceptions.

Even most of men and women who get leadership positions succeed mainly because they are pragmatic and not philosophical intellectuals, argued Dr Kitila Mkumbo, dean of Dar es Salaam University College of Education.

“The implication is that we end up with a mediocre society where major decisions are made based on cheap word of mouth.”

Mr Ali Mufuruki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Infotech Investment, described the silence of Tanzania’s leaders as odd. “Citizens are always curious but there is nothing to quench that curiosity,” he said.

The only high profile Tanzanian who has written and published an autobiography is former Bank of Tanzania Governor Edwin Mtei, whose book is titled From Goatherd to Governor.

A senior lecturer from the University of Dar es Salaam who did not want to be named told The Citizen, “You write a biography if you have a story to tell…some of our leaders have no story that can interest readers."

"They didn’t struggle to be where they are…they were just elevated by some powerful forces and lack a story to sell to publishers.”

A retired civil servant who once worked as an aide to President Nyerere told The Citizen, “The problem is time and perhaps lack of a will to do so, but all of these retired leaders and prominent people have a story to tell.”

He added: “Whether they were hand-picked or deserved their positions is not an issue…the big issue is that they still have a big story worth telling to current and future generations.”