MWEEN
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 482
- 207
Dear readers,
We are increasingly hearing reports of CCM backed victimisation of individuals, businesses and communities through the use of state organs such as the Police, TRA, local government officials for reasons that they did not support the ruling party during the past election. These acts seems to be organised either centrally by CCM machinery or locally by vigilantes seeking favours for selfish ends. Centrally, the system worked to deny opposition strongholds of any development projects such as roads, water, education (eg allocation of teachers), health (allocation of medical staff), assigning incompetent staff to opposition constituents, frustrating businesses owned by known opposition supporters through unfair taxation, denying business licences, etc. Locally by using the Village executive officers to harass opposition supporters, etc.
If I am not mistaken, part of the peoples aparthy to politics is attributed to this behaviour and so many have suffered needlessly. The purpose of this violence is to deter any thought of opposing CCM later during elections. This seemed to have worked over the past four multiparty elections so far. Many people who supported opposition in 1995 went back to CCM because of these acts which were being perpetrated with impunity while opposition did nothing to protect them. Many a times, even the local offices of the oppositions closed after elections leaving no one to defend the innocent people.
The purpose of starting this thread is to request the strongest opposition not to abandon the people which is starting to be apparent right now. The leadership is increasingly distancing itself from the veters who endured a lot to achive this success. I therefore suggest to do the following:
I submit
We are increasingly hearing reports of CCM backed victimisation of individuals, businesses and communities through the use of state organs such as the Police, TRA, local government officials for reasons that they did not support the ruling party during the past election. These acts seems to be organised either centrally by CCM machinery or locally by vigilantes seeking favours for selfish ends. Centrally, the system worked to deny opposition strongholds of any development projects such as roads, water, education (eg allocation of teachers), health (allocation of medical staff), assigning incompetent staff to opposition constituents, frustrating businesses owned by known opposition supporters through unfair taxation, denying business licences, etc. Locally by using the Village executive officers to harass opposition supporters, etc.
If I am not mistaken, part of the peoples aparthy to politics is attributed to this behaviour and so many have suffered needlessly. The purpose of this violence is to deter any thought of opposing CCM later during elections. This seemed to have worked over the past four multiparty elections so far. Many people who supported opposition in 1995 went back to CCM because of these acts which were being perpetrated with impunity while opposition did nothing to protect them. Many a times, even the local offices of the oppositions closed after elections leaving no one to defend the innocent people.
The purpose of starting this thread is to request the strongest opposition not to abandon the people which is starting to be apparent right now. The leadership is increasingly distancing itself from the veters who endured a lot to achive this success. I therefore suggest to do the following:
- Initiate a plan to document all acts of injustices against any citizen (irrespective of party affiliation) committed by the CCM government after elections. This evidence can then be used to disserminate the evils of the state against its own citizenry and if possible submit to ICC (Okampo will love this)
- Start a legal service to assist victims of such violence in the courts of laws
- Start new campaigns the likes of "Sangara" down to the village level even in areas where opposition did not do well in the elections. This will ensure that while the CCM is occupied by who gets the Ministerial post and Mayorial chairs, the suffering majority is reminded of the mistakes they made to put back the CCM.
- Establish a permanent committee of experts to challenge decisions on development projects allocation so that donors are kept informed of how their money is spent for political ends (fortunately, all development projects are run using donor money)
I submit
