Samia Suluhu Hassan has been appointed for the first time in that country as the first female president of Tanzania.
The Woman Post | Margarita Briceño
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On Friday, March 19, the whole world would receive one of the most surprising news at the international level: Samia Suluhu Hassan had been appointed for the first time in that country as the first female president of Tanzania after the death of then-president John Pombe Magufuli, who became one of the most controversial leaders for ensuring that his country was protected from the coronavirus by a "divine intervention," adopting very few measures against the spread of COVID-19, without making any effort to ensure vaccines for its population.
The management of her government in the face of the coronavirus pandemic in the future is one of the great challenges that this political leader will face. The expectation of her management puts her in the eyes of social leaders such as activist Sarungi Tsehai, known for her online campaign "change Tanzania" to promote participation in the generation of positive changes in political affairs, who affirms against the new president "I believe that it is still necessary to continue to pressure Suluhu Hassan, her government and also everyone else to make sure that the coronavirus is not politicized…that it is assumed and treated in a scientific way…and that it also start preparing Tanzania for a vaccination plan."
In contrast to her predecessor, Suluhu Hassan has a very different leadership figure, in fact, she has been described as a much more diplomatic political figure, known among her colleagues for following correct procedures and calmly handling conflicts between MPs. In her first public speech as president, Suluhu Hassan, who is affectionately known as Mama Samia, emphasized that "this is the time to come together and connect…It is time to bury our differences and show love for each other and look forward with confidence."
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Hassam is making history by being one of the two women currently in power in Africa, along with the Ethiopian Sahle-Work Zewde thus heading a shortlist of women on this continent who have led her countries. With her conciliatory position, it is expected that the legacy of repression and serious human rights abuses left by John Pombe Magufuli, whose political formula was his since 2015, will not be repeated. "For the past six years, President Magufuli oversaw abusive laws and policies that seriously undermined human rights in Tanzania," said Otsieno Namwaya, Human Rights Watch director for East Africa. "The new government now has a chance to start over by ending problematic past practices."
The opposition and human rights groups have their eyes on the actions of this new government so that the abuses of the previous one do not go unpunished. The whole world longs for the reconstruction of national unity and respect for freedom and justice for the people of Tanzania under the leadership of Samia Hassan.
