What exactly will replace it, if anything, is much, much less clear…” Reuters News Agency Columnist, Peter Apps. THE most dramatic news this time around was the vote by British people to exit from the European Union, henceforth christened by the global media as ‘Brexit vote’.
For us here watching the news on television in the intervening period, what prompted the referendum to be taken on whether or not Britain should stay as member of the 28-member post Second World War European unity body was far from clear.
I guess not many of us here were interested in this development given the fact that Britain belongs to the club of what Mwalimu Nyerere once described as “wakubwa” – in a collective sense meaning the powerful wealthy North – as opposed to us who belonged to the impoverished South; in the economic sense.
But Britain matters. It is a former colonial power of this country and indeed the whole major states of East Africa today. Britain is, from a cultural perspective, influential because English language is one of the leading global languages that links up people across the planet.
So what happens in Britain is interesting to Europeans as much as to Africans. Following the opinion of the British national, a columnist quoted at the launch of the perspective, reading his article further, the journalist says that within the UK government no one “planned for the outcome of Brexit vote”.
“The results show the country savagely, bitterly divided. Essentially voters in London and Scotland voted to remain within the EU by a very substantial margin. “Pretty much everyone else voted to leave.
Already speculation Scotland might quit the United Kingdom is rising – although what it really means will not be apparent for some time to come. If anything, the country now feels even more polarised than it did the day before the vote.
Tying it back together is vital – but that will take time and effort,” writes Peter Apps. But for me as I followed the outcome of the referendum, broadcast live by the global TV networks including Al Jazeera, my head was up as I followed the live vote of those for the European Union and those against.
I was a little surprised that within my inner self, I was supportive of the British stay in the EU as I followed the news account on television. Why? I will explain later. But I was utterly astonished to follow the jubilation of some Britons as results of the referendum were being broadcast.
One of them, who were apparently for British exit from the EU jubilantly exclaimed: “We have won our freedom, freedom is here!” “Freedom” at long last? Eh! Bwana! Was Britain a colony of some power or something?
I asked myself as I watched the fellow. These were some of the feelings of British people I was watching on TV. To this day I am still astounded! But what I found most instructive was the reaction of the British Prime Minister himself, Mr David Cameron.
The youthful premier and clearly brilliant in his job did what I believe is a lesson to my fellow Africans especially, our leaders, be they in Tanzania or elsewhere. Announcing the outcome of the vote, the Prime Minister said he planned to step down as Prime Minister as a result of that vote.
He would “steer the ship” for a while until someone else is picked to pursue the agenda of the new roadmap outside the European Union brought about as a result of the pro exit vote. It is at that juncture that I learned that the British premier was himself against exit from the European Union.
But he could not continue to serve British people with a clear conscience while he was on the other camp of school of thought of unity is strength.
Of course the last two words are mine – unity is strength – although he did not speak as much; I retain the liberty to interpret him.
Now the specific lesson that African leaders and those fellow Africans aspiring for political leadership, picking a leaf from Mr Cameron’s respect of conscience decision is to realise that leadership positions are not to be kept at any cost.
Leaders everywhere should be principled and comply with consciences they subscribe, not to take leadership as necessarily divined to them. I believe this is the lesson we, African people especially Tanzanians should pick from the Brexit vote. Now let me address our own form of regional unity here in East Africa. We have in place the East African Community (EAC).
It brings together former British colonies of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in economic cooperation. A couple of states in this region have also joined the grouping, that is, Rwanda and Burundi.
Frankly, I do not know how much life there is in this grouping in our part of the world today. We hear little of it these days unlike in the seventies and eighties when leaders used to meet frequently.
Are we all supportive of the EAC and faithful to its ideals and spirit of its founding by its founding fathers? Is there an equal and fair playing ground today in the spirit of its roots?
Are Tanzanians able to find jobs and own land in Kenya, in the same way, as Kenyans are able to find jobs and own land in Tanzania and elsewhere in the region? News in the grapevine here point to a greater Kenyan presence in Tanzania.
According to the grapevine, Kenyans are comfortably employed here and some even own land compared to no Tanzanian presence in Kenya! If I am sounding up these complaints prevalent in the Tanzanian grapevine is just to make an analogy of what led to a pro-Brexit vote in Britain.
At issue also, as someone told me the other day with relatives in Britain that the issue of non-British grabbing more jobs in the labour market in that country is what has led to the vote to pull out of the European Union!
My advice to my fellow countrymen, especially our leaders here, is that they should resist burying their heads in the sand; pretending as if all is well!
One way or another, leaders should face the reality of our marriage in the EAC – and whenever possible rectify matters to make opportunities available to all across member countries of the EAC to avoid the fate that is bound to face the EU as a result of the Brexit vote.
makwaia@makwaia.com, makwaia@spicenet.co.tz
Source: Daily News

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