Political parties urged to train future leaders

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Mzumbe Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Josephat Itika.

MZUMBE University has urged political parties to train their members if they are truly keen to have future patriotic leaders and cadres with integrity.

Addressing political Symposium devoted to the contribution, virtues and merits of Tanzania’s Father of the Nation, Julius Nyerere on Wednesday, Mzumbe Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Josephat Itika, said that parties must accept the price of investing in their members in return of getting honest and patriotic leaders and cadres.

“At the moment we have a problem of getting accountable leaders with integrity in political parties and even in the government. The cause of this problem is that the good past practice of preparing future honest and dependable leaders have been abandoned,” he said.

But, the Vice-Chancellor argued, building purposeful and valuable democracy has a price tag and further explained that members of political parties have to be trained to embrace patriotism, accountability and the call of being loyal to their country and Tanzanians.

He said the trend of ignoring to prepare future honest leaders has rewarded Tanzania with political and national leaders with questionable integrity and they are the same leaders who have caused many problems to the nation.

He also rebuffed the present trend of having active political parties only during election time, arguing that the ideal thing was to have parties with clear programmes; Parties that invest in people and are felt and appreciated by Tanzanians all the time.

Professor Itika also argued that in the current efforts of building and consolidating gains of a multi-party democracy in Tanzania, it was probably not right for a person to join political party and become leader there and then, even before that person becomes conversant with what that party truly stands for.

The Chairman of the University’s Council, Professor, Daniel Mkude, described the late Nyerere as a person who embraced uprightness, adding that he is to be emulated by Tanzanians and even people beyond Tanzania’s borders.

He advised students and members of the University community to consider the late Nyerere as a valuable institution with inexhaustible things from which to learn.

The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor, George Shumbusho, told the symposium that had people truly valued what Nyerere stood for; Tanzania would not be where it is now.

“Mwalimu cherished uni-party system but when time was ripe he supported in earnest multi-party system. This was unique pro-people stand because to him the welfare of all Tanzanians was overriding.