50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE IN TANZANIA AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF CAST THE FIRST STONE

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone and 50 years of independence in Tanzania"

John Lennon once said that, “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life”.

The fun part of life is that we do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. But within this chain of events, we do choose our religious denomination and political party which form a government.

Life is busy everyone knows that: God  knew it from the beginning, and promised to help us if and only if  we will ask, in a perfect way and if you do not receive what you have asked, simple answer you have asked with wrong motives, that you may spend what you have asked wrongly.

In our jobs we are trying to maintain our relationship by protecting even sometimes those who are doing wrongs to our own benefits and not for the growth of our societies. Bible reminds us that “Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to fix it for someone inappropriate benefits. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

While we cannot deny the reality of the situation in our life we need to realize that there is a higher reality that we need to look at if we want to have victory and success in our life as government’s officials.

When leaders act with greed in spending public money, God speaks to us through our minds and hearts and remands us that, practicing, greed and taking more than one morally deserves is wrong. As John 10:2-5 (NIV) "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

I have always maintained that corruption is a deeply ingrained trait in Tanzania. Corruption will remain illegal or unethical in a good governance of our nation.

• In celebration of 50 years of independence we still request the government to continue to bring about a cultural change in our people by imbibing a sense of responsibility for corruption.  Make all of us realize that corruption is the collective result of our individual actions and not something limited to the political or administrative leadership alone.
• Do you think that if our government can Remove the opportunities for corruption especial for political and government officials and business men for the benefit of common people.
• Do you think that  our Government carry out overall judicial reforms to fast track corruption cases so that it should take as short time as possible instead of taking long time and finally the case ends in vain

I know that we have a judicial system to deal with corruption.  The present system has proved effective enough when there is a will to deal with corruption issues. The very fact that some of the government officials in this 50 years of independence have been sued for corruption is indicative of this fact.   

We need a movement against corruption. Let us all get together, irrespective of what we did in the past, and jointly fight the menace of corruption.  If that is not acceptable, let those who are without sin throw the first stones. 

The problem of us is when we let unaccountable leaders lead the movements against other uncountable politicians, business men the result is continuation of the corruption embezzlement of public funds;

From God philosophy we are all broken people. “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

This was a how Jesus challenged a few Scribes and Pharisees who were demanding that a lady caught in adultery be stoned to death. The rest of us turn a blind eye to government’s corruption and say nothing. It’s all right or at least justifiable. If we still allow few politicians, government officials and businessmen to lie, cheat and steal because we are all a nation of thieves and liars.

Jesus however did not excuse, condone or defend the woman’s sin nor did he seek to reinterpret the Law of Moses in an effort to get her off the hook. No! He did not condemn her but he held her accountable for her adultery. What we are required to do for those who are going against our constitutional law. “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more (John 8:11)” he said to this grateful woman. In fact, the only reason Jesus was able to forgive her, was because of her admission of guilt.

In celebrating our 50 years of independence do our leaders admit guilty?

It’s important to note that Jesus nowhere in this passage upbraided the people who brought this accusation against the woman. He could not have done so since they were acting in accordance with the Law of Moses (Deut 22:22-24). These men were only seeking to enforce the law and Jesus did not have a problem with that.

So why did he say to them “let him that is without sin cast the first stone?” He said this to draw attention to their hypocrisy and self-righteousness. These scribes and Pharisees felt and acted as though they were better than the poor woman when in fact they were just as sinful. They too were worthy of death.

Law of Land (Constitutional Law) like God’s laws and consequently his righteous judgment equally applies to all without any favor.

As Citizens and government officials we share and participate in a social contract to govern ourselves by a constitution and laws. These laws prescribe certain prohibitions and punishments. Every citizen therefore has the right to demand that such provisions be enforced whenever there are infractions or breaches. This is necessary if we are going to protect and preserve our democracy, the integrity of the judicial system and our society.

Law must be allowed to run its full course. We ought not to seek to derail, frustrate, exploit some legal technicality in defense of wrong, or reinterpret the constitution or law. Of course, those of us who are quick to point out other people’s failings and stone them to death must be prepared to accept a similar judgment when the shoe is on the other foot.

“Go and sin no more” and she immediately stopped her adultery the good thing we learned that she repentant. The massage here is that unless the government and other public officials can truly demonstrate an unyielding commitment to truth, integrity and righteousness, the people reserve the right to speak and show them their weaknesses.

What can we learn more from this phrase?

·        The problem of double standard of the law would Jesus has acted differently if both the man and woman had been brought before him?"

·        Was he primarily making a point against the double standard?

·        Where was the man she was caught with?

·        Was he allowed to discreetly slip away?

·        Was he in the crowd, stone in hand?

·        Did Jesus know that?

·        Was that why he said what he did?

·     Was Jesus making a point against the double standard?

·  Would he have acted differently if both were there to be stoned?

· The law should apply to both parties. Where is the man?

·        So in celebrating the 50 years of independence do our Laws have playing double standards?

·        Why it takes long time for justice to be fulfilled?

·        Nobody’s going to be very happy in a society in which promiscuity and violence are rampant. So God’s laws are designed to enable us to live life to the fullest and to grow closer to God.

·        Jesus, after saving the woman, quietly tells her to sin no more. Jesus seems to be sending the message that morality is something that we should impose on ourselves. It is not something that we go around imposing on others. And it is certainly not an excuse for us to exact different on another person.

·        The legitimate purpose of any criminal justice system is to protect the weak and vulnerable members of society and to rehabilitate offenders. It is not to maintain the privilege, power, and wealth of a ruling elite or greed group.

·  Jesus represented a clear threat to the money and power of the scribes and Pharisees and showing some weaknesses and highlighting some very profound things:

Why it is important to make sure that we implement laws in our society?

Because;

·        It is not easy to find one ministry, political party or institution considered by all to be “without sin”

·   Different perceptions emerge on who the drivers of change are, but all concur that it is very difficult for any driver of change to remain “honest and candid”

·       The civil society, is also criticized for not playing fully its role, but rather ending up caught often in the same non-transparent and personalized system of helping greed group