A letter to HE President Samia Suluhu Hassan on the call for the release of Tundu Lissu

Your Excellency

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that,” said Martin Luther King Jr. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”.

We are writing to add our voices to the call for the release of Tundu Lissu from custody, to bring the charges against him to trial without delay, and to permit the participation of Chadema in the forthcoming elections. Failing these actions, we would suggest that these elections will be (and will be seen to be) nothing more than a sham, and will negatively come to define your presidency, which began with the promise of reform.

There can be no free and fair election where the leader of the opposition is on trial and the party he leads is banned. Without a free and fair election, there will be questions about the entitlement of the party which wins the election to govern. The SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections adopted in July 2015 commits all member-states to “undertake to implement interventions designed to promote democratic principles and practices”. This includes the responsibility to “Guarantee and ensure a political environment that is conducive to the conduct of democratic elections”.

There are no shortcuts. A nation draws its will principally from the example of its leaders; a lack of leadership will invariably plunge a country into a quagmire of indecision and self-doubt of a sort that will appear familiar to any student of contemporary politics. Success requires a clear political vision, a willingness to meet criticism with reasoned responses in open debate, an economy of force and time, as well as the stamina and patience to get the job done.

Good leaders are more than good managers. They have to be able to motivate others by both reason and emotion in a manner that satisfies short-term interests but meets strategic needs. In this, there also has to be a moral dimension. The definition of good leaders has to involve more than having a vision or a cause and setting about its achievement. Good leaders have to not only make a difference, but do so in a manner that benefits a great number of people.

In forging a sense of national purpose, building a nation (or saving it), a good leader is one who rises to the challenge, not only aware of just knowing but actually doing the right thing.

We trust that this letter will offer food for thought as you contemplate your options over the next several weeks, and the impact these will have on your legacy. The thunder of history reverberates in the footsteps of great leaders.