“Have you seen my aides wearing bracelets? Because I know who they slept with today at home, but the main thing is to put God first, God willing even without Corona you will go, even with Malaria you will go, this is the time to really pray to God” – President Joseph Magufuli (21.02.2021)
There are some men who let their pride take control of their actions. One man like that is the Tanzanian President Joseph Magufuli. Who rather uses God and Faith, than trusting in science and conventional wisdom in concern to the COVID-19 or Corona Pandemic that has hit his Republic. The last COVID-19 Numbers came out 29th April 2020. So, now a year later. There been high ranking officials dying of it and also others.
Even all of that he still has the guts to say this:
“Do not despise the smoke, there is a medicine called BUPIJI people have recovered to the hospitals have used the drug, there is COVIDOL there are all kinds of drugs used by Tanzanians, I ask my Christian brothers and Tanzanians not to be afraid of Corona we will pass” (Magufuli, 21.02.2021).
His denial and act of mischief. Promoting treatments that hasn’t been tested and been checked if it actually work. Because, something in his mind isn’t adding up.
When statement’s like these are leaking out of Tanzania: “The Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) has called on President John Maguguli to declare the presence of Covid-19 in the country – and announced mandatory preventive measures after the Society had lost 25 lawyers. Also, the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) has issued new directives aimed at reducing the number of worshippers attending masses in churches countrywide while making social distancing mandatory” (Javira Ssebwami – ‘Tanzania Episcopal Conference, law society take on Magufuli after 25 prominent lawyers succumb to virus’ 20.02.2021).
With the knowledge of TLS and TEC, you would think a President would reconsider his stance and listen to wisdom. No, he closes his ears and wants to pray to the holy father. God will intervene and make it all vanish. Not like God has given humans a brains and wants us to use it. No, it is just hanging fruits to have an option to put on hats on top of our heads. We are not supposed to use it and use our two ears. Because, common sense isn’t always common.
Now, that the President have yet again said he wants to have Three Days of National Prayers. The same President did that in 2020 as well.
“Tanzanian President John Magufuli has declared a three-day national prayers period to help combat the novel coronavirus as the reported cases in the country rose to 94. “Fellow Tanzanians, due to the pandemic, I urge to use these three days, from April 17 to April 19, to pray for God’s protection and healing,” the President tweeted on Thursday evening” (Beatrice Materu – ‘Tanzania: COVID-19 – Magufuli Declares Three Days of National Prayers, The East African, 17.04.2020).
So, he has done this before without any luck. He repeats himself and denies it. He accepts that people are dying. Because we are all going to die anyway. That is how he values the lives of his citizens. They are perishable and if they died. They didn’t pray enough or had faith enough.
Maybe his in the M.O of Jurassic Park: “Dr. Ian Malcolm : When you gotta go, you gotta go” (Jurassic Park, 1993). So, it seems that Magufuli is living in the same head-space. The same sort of actions. As he don’t want to act or do anything real in consideration to the COVID-19. No, he rather let people die, than actually act rationally. It must be his pride and arrogance. As he see people are dying. People are getting sick and there are evidence of high ranking officials who has died of this. He even let his son who got it drink a ginger mix to save himself. A man who doesn’t trust the testing-kits, vaccines or anything else, unless its produced locally by his fellow peers. That is the sort genius Magufuli is.
A man who claimed the Nation was COVID-19 free and stopped all counting. While people have gotten “mysterious diseases” and died. That doesn’t happen on the blimp, but is a cause and effect. The virus is still around and the Republic still has cases. Even if the President claimed it was gone. The Prayers haven’t worked and his resilience towards any scientific approach is hurting the Republic. That is the decision the President has made.
He wants to live on Bon Jovi’s “livin’ on a prayer” instead of living in the real world. Where the sickness is deadly and people are dying. Instead of being a reasonable Head of State and try to mitigate. He rather wants people to fence it on their own. See if they can survive and he can survive carefree in Chato in Geita Region.
Just to state the fact of the precautions affairs. The ACT-Wazalendo leader and Zanzibar’s First Vice-President Seif Sharif Hamad died this week after testing positive for COVID-19. So, the President knows perfectly well the dangers of this virus. However, he lacks courage and stamina to combat it.
His a arrogant and a coward… who cannot be a real leader. When he knowingly let his people die. He knows better, but instead he prays and hope God solves it. When God has given men the tools and the wisdom to combat things.
Just as the Bible says itself on this matter:
“On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13, New International Version) .
Even Jesus Christ says the sick needs the doctor. Therefore, the President should prescribe the medicine and treatment, the doctors are saying is needed in this instance. Instead of letting people die. It is disgraceful, that the President isn’t letting the words of wisdom of doctors and medical professional get a word in.. He rather bulldoze them with his hack-work and call it a day. Because, that is how it looks from the outside.
A man who rather say a prayer, than do a honest days work. Peace.
MinBane 