Dar es Salaam RC Paul Makonda addresses journalists after opening Law
Day exhibitions in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Right is High Court Judge
Lameck Mlacha. PHOTO | SALHIM SHAO
Dar es Salaam — Dar
es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda has suddenly found himself
in ...
a public storm following a move by the US government to ban him and
his wife, Mary Massenge, from stepping foot in the country.
The drastic move on
Mr Makonda left many questions unanswered and would likely also put the
government, where he is a powerful figure, in unwanted spotlight. Mr
Makonda becomes the first government official in Tanzania in to be
slapped with such a ban in recent history.
The seriousness
with which the US was viewing the ban was amplified on Friday by the US
Secretary of State, Mr Mike Pompeo, who took to his twitter account to
reveal to the world the decision to designate Mr Makonda a person of
interest under the law.
Mr Mompeo's tweet
was followed shortly after by a longer statement by the State department
enumerating serious charges, some criminal, against the Dar RC. Mr
Makonda has not made any public statement yet and snubbed journalists
yesterday when asked about the ban.
Mr Makonda's
predicament immediately drew a frenzy on social media as Tanzanians
tried to make sense of the ban. Speculations were rife what the US
intentions were and what the move could portend to the government and
the country.
Authorities in
Tanzania were yet to make any pronouncements since the news broke out.
Efforts to reach out to the spokespersons of the relevant ministries
were also futile yesterday.
According to the
US, Mr Makonda was banned over several reasons related to gross abuse of
civil liberties. Among the charges were; "his involvement in gross
violation of human rights, the flagrant denial of the right to life,
liberty or the security of persons and his implication in oppression of
the political opposition." Other charges were "crackdowns of freedom of
expression and association and the targeting of marginalized
individuals."
"The United States
remains deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and
rule of law in Tanzania. This includes actions taken by the government
that curtail freedom of expression, freedom of association and rights of
peaceful assembly, target marginased people and the political
opposition and jeopardise life," the statement noted.
The US usually
leverages on visa bans on targeted government officials and businessmen
all over the world to force action and accountability against them. The
ban, according to past experience, could further trigger other sanctions
against such targeted individuals, their families and even their close
associates. "These actions against Paul Christian Makonda underscore our
(US) concern with human rights violations and abuses in Tanzania," the
Pompeo statement read.
There were heated
arguments by netizens who were discussing the implications of the
Makonda ban, with opinion divided whether it remained a personal
challenge or affect the relations between US and the government. Some
called for his axing from the government, arguing he was notoriously
controversial and has cost the government's image dearly.
Ever since he was
named regional commissioner, Mr Makonda has gone about his work with
zest, but some of which his critics say has leaned toward the bizarre.
From cracking on drug traffickers, smoking out deadbeat fathers and
hunting down alleged homosexuals, Mr Makonda who emerged from the youth
wing of the ruling party has stumbled from one controversy to the other.
He was famously
filmed leading armed security personnel in a midnight raid of a private
television station in the city in a scandal which led to the sacking of
then information minister Nape Nnauye when he took him head on.
Opposition party
officials have accused the RC, who wastes no time to wield his power to
attain his end, of leading a shadowy security team which they have
blamed on kidnap and torture of their supporters and critics of the
government. Mr Makonda rarely replied to these claims but in several
accession claimed he was being attacked for doing his work well.
He has at least
cried twice in public to express his frustration with his critics,
including during the time when he fought allegations of having forged
his academic credentials.
Yesterday, Mr
Makonda's ban would become apparently a hot potato for some, with the
Legal and Human Right Centre forced to drop from its pages a photo they
had taken of the RC during a visit to the organisation's stand at the
ongoing law day exhibitions in the city. Executive director Anne Henga
apologized after a backlash on social media of appearing in public with
Mr Makonda.
Political analysts
and diplomacy experts who spoke to The Citizen on the development
expressed mixed view, with the former Centre for Foreign Relations
lecturer and currently a consultant on diplomatic affairs, Dr Kitojo
Weitengere, saying that the US move intended at forcing the government
to adopt some favourable policies.
"In my honest
opinion this is a move by the super powers to push their agenda on poor
countries but they should be wary of retaliation," warned Dr Kitojo.
Tanzania Human
Rights Defenders Coalition coordinator, Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said the
US move should be an alarm to Tanzania, especially on the erosion of
human rights.
"Despite the fact
that Tanzania doesn't rate poorly in the human rights ranking, there is a
reason to worry... the government must rectify some of issues, some of
which are being raised by the US," said Mr Olengurumwa, adding that
there signs the country was moving on the wrong direction on an election
year.
Former chairman of
the Tanzania Constitution Forum, Mr Deus Kibamba, said the government
shouldn't downplay the US decision to ban Makonda from entering the US.
"Makonda's issue is not an isolated one, we should look at the matter in
a broader picture... we should address the matter through consensus
before it gets worse."
Addition report by Frank Kimboy
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