Pres. Jakaya Kikwete
Plight of albinos
By Lydia Shekighenda
President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday hailed the efforts being made to identify, track down and stop criminals behind the recent spate of the cold-blooded murders of albinos in different parts of Tanzania.
Addressing a gathering at the end of a peaceful march in Dar es Salaam organised by the albino community to campaign against the killings, the president said the deep-rooted superstitious belief that albinos body parts could be used to earn a person wealth posed a critical challenge that his government must face up to.
He said the tight veil of secrecy behind the vicious murders had frustrated efforts to contain ``a situation that has stained the country`s good image``.
``If people disabused themselves of the mistaken belief, sought to correct the perception by appreciating the fact that legitimate wealth is obtained mainly through hard work, discipline and knowledge, there would be no market for albino organs and therefore no further murders of albinos,`` noted President Kikwete.
He stated that the government recognised the importance of the role of focused education in fighting the crime wave but added that it was difficult to change the people´s mindsets, particularly in communities where superstition is entrenched.
``If albino organs are indeed a source of wealth, why aren`t albinos themselves that rich?`` he queried, dismissing the belief as inherently irrational and the witchdoctors sticking to and propagating it as inveterate liars feeding on the folly of the superstitious.
The president said the government would not relent on addressing the problem through the identification of the witchdoctors, their ``customers`` and all other forces involved in the murders and the illegal business.
He revealed that 47 people have been nabbed in five regions so far in connection with 28 killings: 17 in Mwanza, six in Mara, two in Kagera, two in Mbeya and one in Shinyanga.
President Kikwete explained that the government was the main stakeholder in defending the rights of albinos ``because albinos are as much Tanzanian citizens as all others as all people are equal before the government``.
He refuted suggestions that the government discriminated against albinos, saying that immediate remedial measures were taken ``whenever and wherever signs of discrimination appeared``.
Special seats lawmaker Al-Shymaa Kwegyir, an albino, likened superstitious gangs targeting albinos to terrorist networks.
She requested the public to expose all people involved in the crime wave ``to spare albino communities endless fear of being attacked by these heartless elements``.
``The criminals involved in these superstitious networks should know that their days are numbered.
They should abandon their evil acts and engage in entrepreneurship to obtain legitimate income and make the country peaceful for all people,`` the legislator pointed out.
In his remarks, Albino Association of Tanzania chairman Ernest Kimaya said the mysterious killings have caused such untold uneasiness among members of the albino community that many now feel terribly insecure regardless of where they are or what they are doing.
``We are scared of even staying or moving along unaccompanied to avoid potential risks,``he said.
He requested the government to do the most in its power to end the problem, including taking legal measures against all those executing or supporting the killings.
Yesterday`s march, which started at Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School and ended at the Karimjee grounds, was meant to support appeals for an immediate end to violence against and a guarantee of security for albinos.
- SOURCE: GUARDIAN
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