That is the viewpoint of a Tanzanian lawmaker who has lamented the level of neglect and deplorable living of some aged people in the country’s hinterlands while their children who they suffered to educate are in the urban areas living flamboyantly.
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MP advocates for a law to punish people who don’t pick their parents’ calls
If the laws of the land oblige parents to be responsible for their children’s welfare and education, shouldn’t there be laws to compel children to take care of their parents in their old age?
MP advocates for a law to punish people who don’t pick their parents’ calls
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Kahama Urban MP Jumanne Kishimba lamented: “Parents are suffering in the village and yet their children are in Dar es Salaam living a good life, organising birthdays and yet the parent even had to sell his cows to educate the child. He cannot go to the court to complain. He cannot go to the police. It is not fair.”
The unhappy legislator argued that since equity demands fairness, children must be bound by law to assume full responsibility of their parents in their old age failing which they are punished.
“If you do not take your child to school today you will be arrested and charged in court. I am only asking the Ministry of Education to bring us laws so that when a parent educates his child to a point where he is working, and when the parent calls that child and he refuses to pick the phone, a law should be put in place to ensure the kid is punished,” Kishimba suggested.
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Aside from punishing children for failing to care for their parents, the legislator further urged the Tanzania government to formulate policies to deduct a percentage of people’s salaries when they start working to put in a fund to support aged parents since their children would not willingly care for them.
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“We are tired of cursing our children. A law should be put in place compelling police to take action against children who do not receive or return their parents’ telephone calls. Such a child should get a police order to send me money to parents. Educating children should be a direct investment to the parents. This sounds like a joke but it is not,” he said.
Well, Jumanne Kishimba has a valid point, doesn’t he?
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