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| Sunday, 30 September 2012 00:57 |
By Sylivester Ernest, The Citizen Weekend Reporter Dar es Salaam. The Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) will fail to regain its lost glory ahead of the 2015 General Election even if it chooses many young leaders unless principles of the Arusha Declaration are brought back, party leaders have warned. They also feel that young people should not be left to take full control of the party without the guidance of elders. Their remarks follow last weeks nominations of the partys 5,000 National Executive Committee (NEC) aspirants for top posts, 54 per cent of them young. Young leaders are seen as a driving force in the party in a country whose majority of potential voters are youth and disillusioned by increasing economic difficulties. Former Prime minister Cleopa Msuya said the CCM move to take more youth in leadership was nothing but a reflection of the structure of the Tanzania population. Sixty-per cent of Tanzanians are aged between zero and 45 years. So, the increase in the number of young people in the CCM leadership reflects the structure of the population. There is nothing exceptional in this move, he said. He said the elders should not completely stay out of the party leadership for the health of the party. It is a good Idea to train young blood to take the lead on our countrys leadership but the elders cannot completely be left out. The elders have a very key role in sustaining CCM and we in CCM know that, he said. Turning his attention to the youth, the CCM national chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, said during the opening of the NEC meeting in Dodoma last week that old guards should prepare themselves for a tough competition during the nominations. However, party stalwarts, despite supporting the move have warned that more should be done rather than being contented with the youth drive. They say unless the young people are made aware of the principles in which the party founded, it will be impossible to have clean and credible leaders. And analysts say such leaders are nowadays rare. Former minister and long serving Kwela MP Chrisant Mzindakaya said young leaders should not expect to go the whole hog without the guidance of elders. Yes, we know it is their turn to take the lead in politics of this country but they can expect old guards to guide them you cant leave everything to the youth, he said. Mr Mzindakaya, who was Kwela MP, for 35 years, cited recent developments in Parliament where some youthful MPs have been misbehaving in debates, indicating that they still needed the old guards directives. Experienced politicians can influence meaningful proceedings. The former MP however, commended the move to give the youth more chances as that was in line with the current political waves in the country. He said it was important for those who served the nation for years to step down and give room for other people to use their talents fully. You have to make an appraisal of yourself and decide whether you are still having the potential to lead. If you feel that you have been exhausted, you better step aside before it is too late, said Mr Mzindakaya. He insisted that what was important was the integrity of the leaders being chosen rather than their ages as that was what Tanzanians were looking for. The youth should be ready to listen and learn from their predecessors for they have seen enough than them, that is the reality. A veteran CCM member and former governments said the party must nurture credible leaders who have nations best interest at heart. In a really socialist country no person exploits another; every able-bodied person works. So every worker obtains a just return for the labour he or she performs, said the politician, who requested not to be name, for fearing trouble for speaking the truth. He was critical of the current leadership for giving impression that the youth should not be given the freedom to make changes in the party. As a result, old guards have been in most cases using the youth to accomplish their political interests. |
