The Weekly Sneak: Et Tu, Mizengo?

The man seemed so reasonable. Mizengo Pinda, I mean. If anything happened anywhere- and my goodness we've had a lot of excitement lately- he'd usually show up at the scene looking as grave and concerned as necessary. Making the right soothing noises, creating some space for calm decision-making. And then off he goes and tells the police to beat 'law-breakers.' Harsh reminder that underneath it all, he's is part of the Establishment after all. Disappointing, but a welcome reality-check nonetheless:

"... “Wapigwe tu!” was unexpected. There are plenty of thugs in short-sleeved suits from whom such a pronouncement would have been thoroughly unremarkable. What happened to that spirit of conciliation we have come to depend upon from the Prime Minister, considering our Head of State's aversion to dealing with complicated domestic issues? Surely, if for no other reason than to uphold the tattered pride of the Grand Old Party, silence would have been a better option. Not a perfect one, but one that displays the common sense that is becoming so scarce."

On the flip side, there has been a lot of attention paid to the police force in the media lately which is good. It is a long shot, but perhaps this will encourage them to start working on long-overdue reforms. They need to assert their independence from the government and especially from CCM, try to become a non-partisan institution which upholds at least a few professional standards. Yes, a pipe dream, but at least now there's no need to mince words about the situation. One too many civilians harmed.