Press Release
Democratic Parliaments are Thuggish Institutions

The Government of Tanzania sacks Home Affairs Minister Charles Kitwanga for allegedly turning up in Parliament while drunk that made him fail to respond properly to MPs question during the budget session.

The reason behind Kitwanga’s dismissal could be said as a laughing stock and disregarded by any enlightened observer. The issue of drunkenness can be regarded as a blessing in disguise since he is allegedly associated with the 37 billion Tsh Lugumi Enterprise Scandal. An enterprise that was granted tender to install 108 electronic fingerprints machines in Police stations.

Inspite of 99% of the payment having been made, only few stations have been installed with those machines.

However, whatever the motive behind Minister’s dismissal, the fact remains clear to everyone, that the democratic Parliament despite being given higher status as sacred institutions for legislating, accounting rulers, ratifying treaties, etc. Yet these Parliaments are not more than corrupt gangs.

We have witnessed many thuggish instances in Parliaments such as MPs fighting each other, slandering, making discriminatory statements, even some going as far calling for legalization of marijuana, prostitution and other immoralities. Yet they are the untouchable class, with a better remuneration and full enjoyment of immunity. In the wake of this dismissal, Parliament Speaker Job Ndugai made clear that many MPs are indulging themselves in heavy intoxication and drugs including marijuana, by which he mooted the plan to introduce compulsory alcohol and drug testing for all MPs.

The fundamentals of these thuggish behaviours of MPs and all corruptions in any democratic society come from the idea of secularism and ‘freedom’. ‘Secularism’ as a fundamental idea of capitalism dislodges God from politics and state affairs, instead left His role only in the houses of worship. While, ‘freedoms’ as pillars of democracy push and motivate people to do whatever comes in their minds in response to their enjoyment of so called freedoms. The repercussion of both ideas especially (secularism) God being marginalized and prevented from state affairs, caused a vacuum being filled with whims, manmade systems, laws and people being surrounded by their own desires in their actions.

From this fact and from the nature of democracy, it is not strange at all for MPs to engage in immoral actions, since their Parliaments adopt the ideology of Capitalism that managed to commit the gravest crime of not implementing the Laws of the Creator in the lives of humans. So what do we expect from the adherents of capitalism?

In short, Capitalism with its founding idea of secularism, plus its pillars of freedoms has put humanity in a chaos and pushing it astray by turning them into slaves of their own desires. Islam alone brings true liberation to humanity by restoring their natural position as slaves of God and applying His Laws in all life affairs.

[أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ]

“Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire?” [TMQ 25:43]

Masoud Msellem
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania