Tanzania’s Main Opposition Leader Incarcerated In Dreadful Conditions

Africa | Commentary | Tanzania August 4, 2021

Tanzania’s main opposition leader Freeman Mbowe who has been languishing in incarceration over terrorism related allegations since July 21, 2021, has observed that he has been incarcerated in dreadful conditions hence his constitutional rights have been violated. That was reported by some Tanzanian media on August 4, 2021.

More specifically, Mr Freeman Mbowe has reportedly said that during his ongoing incarceration, he was, among others, deliberately humiliated, mentally tortured, verbally abused, and compelled to sleep on a bare concrete floor for five days. As such, on August 2, 2021, Mr Freeman Mbowe through his attorney, is said to have filed a petition to the country’s High Court, requesting the court to declare his arrest, incarceration, and allegations against him unconstitutional.

Within the context of Mr Freeman Mbowe’s narration about his incarceration, it is rather ironic and incomprehensible that a country that in the 1990s willingly chose to adopt multi-party-political system can at the same time engage in sabotaging the very system it created itself, by treating some of the system’s main actors in such uncouth and disrespectful manner.

Opposition is a crucial component of a true multi-party-political system. It offers monitoring and check of what the ruling party is doing and keeps the latter on its toes hence ensuring efficient and good governance. In this way, opposition becomes a force to reckon with in a democratic country’s development. Sabotaging the opposition in a democratic country is therefore sabotaging the country’s development per se hence nationally self-destructive and non-patriotic! _____________________________ © 2015 - 2021 Africauptodate. All Rights Reserved