Mr President, its time to let Makamba go!
source: The Citizen Thursday, 13 January 2011
Mr President Jakaya Kikwete, Happy New Year! Your Excellency, I have only one request for you as the Chairman of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM): Get rid of Yusuf Makamba, your Secretary General.
For the sake of Tanzania let me call a spade a spade; please bear with me.
Mr President, last week our nation was embarrassed when police in Arusha went on a rampage, shooting indiscriminately, beating people, smashing cars, chasing cars, exploding tear gas near Mount Meru Hospital, Kaloleni graves, homes, markets, places of worship, hotels, businesses, etc. In the end, property was damaged, people injured and lives lost.
The whole world, as far as Australia, reported on the incident via television, radio, newspaper, and the Internet condemning the Tanzania police. One Botswana television station showed the victims screaming in agony prompting an Angolan to ask one Tanzanian jokingly: Have you become Darfur?
What really caused our police to cause anarchy? Did they want to vindicate the public for calling them criminals in uniforms? Who sent them to castigate poor Tanzanians? Of course, conveniently, Chadema is the one to blame.
Yes, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Said Mwema, banned Chadema from holding the demonstration under the pretext of intelligence reports suggesting that there could be violence but allowed their planned rally to go ahead.
Now, did Chadema hold a demonstration or merely walk with a handful of supporters as pictures show?
Whatever the answer, Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) has stated that the IGPs order was unconstitutional. Truly, police have no right to stop BRUTALLY peaceful demonstrations. Absolutely no right! Mwemas intelligence reports are now a humorous anecdote.
Shockingly, even the permitted rally was violently assaulted by the police. The story that youths were marching towards a police station to free their leaders was a spin. Do you believe the slain Kenyan Paul Njuguna was attempting to free Chadema leaders?
Mr President, the day after the polices heinous crime, Makamba rushed to congratulate them. He further quoted a Biblical verse to justify his tirade prompting Arushas clergymen to respond emotionally, an initiative that brought religious flavour into the whole fracas. I hope Makamba wont play with the Quran.
As analysts predicted, Arusha sheikhs launched a countering statement, allegedly sponsored by CCM, to attack the priests. Is this the Tanzania you want to leave us with Mr President? Home Affairs Minister, Vuai Shamsi Nahodha, probably unaware that he was spilling the beans, said the episode was political, meaning police were on a politically motivated operation. Vuais suggestion for a political solution hit a snag when Makamba stubbornly rejected the idea.
Before the killings, Makamba had dismissed a call from his buddy Edward Lowassa to settle the matter amicably. Why? Did Makamba engineer dirty tricks to grab the mayoral seat in Arusha? Was Makamba still on a mission to rescue CCM elsewhere through unjust means? Mr President, people are worried whether in Tanzania justice means fairness as a 20th century American political philosopher, John Rawls, argued.
Makambas position is an internal matter in CCM, but the truth is that CCM affects the life of virtually every person in Tanzania.
Mr President, it all comes down to one truth: Makambas leadership. Makamba controls party machinery all over the country giving out authoritarian orders as he wishes. When Arushas mayoral election got messed up intentionally, your minister in charge of local government affairs, George Mkuchika, was supposed to step in.
However, Mkuchika is Makambas deputy. What justice could he have done? During the last election, Tanzanians complained that police cooperated with electoral supervisors and district commissioners to unjustly favour CCM. Certainly, Tanzanians know their democratic rights were violated.
In the primary polls, CCM carelessly elected its candidates amidst corruption and nepotism with Makamba telling the Immigration Department that they dont know immigration law. CCM denied justice to many.
Makamba couldnt even manage your campaign properly. Worse, you launched CCM campaigns without a printed Election Manifesto. Subsequently, Makamba barred all CCM candidates from debating.
Makamba didnt even know that CCMs popularity had diminished significantly. CCM officials faked crowds by ferrying fans from neighbouring regions to deceive everybody.
Supposedly easy process to nominate the CCM candidate for the Speakers race became havoc. During the campaigns one newspaper accused Makamba of instigating religious hatred in the country as part of CCM tricks to entice voters, a typical sign of political bankruptcy. He couldnt deny it.
Mr President, when you came to power you promised to resolve the Zanzibar stalemate. Unfortunately, you let Makamba lead the process and the project failed. Zanzibar was rescued when Amani Karume and Seif Shariff Hamad agreed personally.
The list of issues is too long to finish, but do you know why? Let me tell you Mr President.
CCM has never had such weak leadership before. Can we compare Makamba to former CCM chief executives such as Alhaj Daudi Mwakawago either, who went on to become Africas top ambassador at the United Nations?
I beg you to look at the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the party that drives the world left and right. CCM should learn from these guys.
Mr President, your trusted buddy Makamba is pushing Tanzanians to question if a definition of government as argued by a 14th century Arab political theorist, Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun, applies in Tanzania. Khaldun defined government as an institution, which prevents injustice.
Mr President, an 18th century British political philosopher, William Godwin, once warned: False opinion, superstition and prejudice, have hitherto been the true supporters of usurpation and despotism.
Something of this nature is haunting Tanzania but I am sure this is not the legacy you want to leave us with. Please, fire Makamba. He wont harm you. Buffoons dont make great leaders.
Dr Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned: Without justice there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
Mr President, we still love our stable and united Tanzania. Thank you.
Mobhare Matinyi,
Washington DC.
source: The Citizen Thursday, 13 January 2011
Mr President Jakaya Kikwete, Happy New Year! Your Excellency, I have only one request for you as the Chairman of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM): Get rid of Yusuf Makamba, your Secretary General.
For the sake of Tanzania let me call a spade a spade; please bear with me.
Mr President, last week our nation was embarrassed when police in Arusha went on a rampage, shooting indiscriminately, beating people, smashing cars, chasing cars, exploding tear gas near Mount Meru Hospital, Kaloleni graves, homes, markets, places of worship, hotels, businesses, etc. In the end, property was damaged, people injured and lives lost.
The whole world, as far as Australia, reported on the incident via television, radio, newspaper, and the Internet condemning the Tanzania police. One Botswana television station showed the victims screaming in agony prompting an Angolan to ask one Tanzanian jokingly: Have you become Darfur?
What really caused our police to cause anarchy? Did they want to vindicate the public for calling them criminals in uniforms? Who sent them to castigate poor Tanzanians? Of course, conveniently, Chadema is the one to blame.
Yes, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Said Mwema, banned Chadema from holding the demonstration under the pretext of intelligence reports suggesting that there could be violence but allowed their planned rally to go ahead.
Now, did Chadema hold a demonstration or merely walk with a handful of supporters as pictures show?
Whatever the answer, Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) has stated that the IGPs order was unconstitutional. Truly, police have no right to stop BRUTALLY peaceful demonstrations. Absolutely no right! Mwemas intelligence reports are now a humorous anecdote.
Shockingly, even the permitted rally was violently assaulted by the police. The story that youths were marching towards a police station to free their leaders was a spin. Do you believe the slain Kenyan Paul Njuguna was attempting to free Chadema leaders?
Mr President, the day after the polices heinous crime, Makamba rushed to congratulate them. He further quoted a Biblical verse to justify his tirade prompting Arushas clergymen to respond emotionally, an initiative that brought religious flavour into the whole fracas. I hope Makamba wont play with the Quran.
As analysts predicted, Arusha sheikhs launched a countering statement, allegedly sponsored by CCM, to attack the priests. Is this the Tanzania you want to leave us with Mr President? Home Affairs Minister, Vuai Shamsi Nahodha, probably unaware that he was spilling the beans, said the episode was political, meaning police were on a politically motivated operation. Vuais suggestion for a political solution hit a snag when Makamba stubbornly rejected the idea.
Before the killings, Makamba had dismissed a call from his buddy Edward Lowassa to settle the matter amicably. Why? Did Makamba engineer dirty tricks to grab the mayoral seat in Arusha? Was Makamba still on a mission to rescue CCM elsewhere through unjust means? Mr President, people are worried whether in Tanzania justice means fairness as a 20th century American political philosopher, John Rawls, argued.
Makambas position is an internal matter in CCM, but the truth is that CCM affects the life of virtually every person in Tanzania.
Mr President, it all comes down to one truth: Makambas leadership. Makamba controls party machinery all over the country giving out authoritarian orders as he wishes. When Arushas mayoral election got messed up intentionally, your minister in charge of local government affairs, George Mkuchika, was supposed to step in.
However, Mkuchika is Makambas deputy. What justice could he have done? During the last election, Tanzanians complained that police cooperated with electoral supervisors and district commissioners to unjustly favour CCM. Certainly, Tanzanians know their democratic rights were violated.
In the primary polls, CCM carelessly elected its candidates amidst corruption and nepotism with Makamba telling the Immigration Department that they dont know immigration law. CCM denied justice to many.
Makamba couldnt even manage your campaign properly. Worse, you launched CCM campaigns without a printed Election Manifesto. Subsequently, Makamba barred all CCM candidates from debating.
Makamba didnt even know that CCMs popularity had diminished significantly. CCM officials faked crowds by ferrying fans from neighbouring regions to deceive everybody.
Supposedly easy process to nominate the CCM candidate for the Speakers race became havoc. During the campaigns one newspaper accused Makamba of instigating religious hatred in the country as part of CCM tricks to entice voters, a typical sign of political bankruptcy. He couldnt deny it.
Mr President, when you came to power you promised to resolve the Zanzibar stalemate. Unfortunately, you let Makamba lead the process and the project failed. Zanzibar was rescued when Amani Karume and Seif Shariff Hamad agreed personally.
The list of issues is too long to finish, but do you know why? Let me tell you Mr President.
CCM has never had such weak leadership before. Can we compare Makamba to former CCM chief executives such as Alhaj Daudi Mwakawago either, who went on to become Africas top ambassador at the United Nations?
I beg you to look at the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the party that drives the world left and right. CCM should learn from these guys.
Mr President, your trusted buddy Makamba is pushing Tanzanians to question if a definition of government as argued by a 14th century Arab political theorist, Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun, applies in Tanzania. Khaldun defined government as an institution, which prevents injustice.
Mr President, an 18th century British political philosopher, William Godwin, once warned: False opinion, superstition and prejudice, have hitherto been the true supporters of usurpation and despotism.
Something of this nature is haunting Tanzania but I am sure this is not the legacy you want to leave us with. Please, fire Makamba. He wont harm you. Buffoons dont make great leaders.
Dr Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned: Without justice there can be no peace. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
Mr President, we still love our stable and united Tanzania. Thank you.
Mobhare Matinyi,
Washington DC.
