Of course there is a lot to reflect on the 15 years of the politics of choice in Tanzania. Certainly the Parliament is more exciting. But my overall verdict: it will take a generation to have a decent opposition that hasn't been in bed with the current rulers. All of them have somehow been compromised by favours, deals, etc. What we have now for an opposition leader is a demagogue who cuts a sorry figure - think Mbowe (a man who would rather be a slave under the Brits because he hates being a "Freeman", an opposition leader speaking his mind freely. He hates being a businessman and entrepreneur under the Black rule).
As for the young crop of opposition politicians (Mnyika, Zitto, etc), it remains to be seen whether college agitation can turn into mature political posture. With Zitto's misjudgement (taking someone's wife who is infected with HIV/AIDS) and demagoguery, with Mnyika's ineptness - all resulting from lack of proper political grooming and guidance - I don't see hope.
Mtei, Mapalala, Marando, Fundikira, Lamwai and the crowd kick-started the idea of alternative to CCM. A coterie of opportunists - Kighoma Ali Malima, JJ Guninita, Mashaka Nindi Chimoto, et al - joined in. The result: false hope and disappointment for many Tanzanians who were looking for an alternative.
The bottom line: with the current opposition leadership, CCM is not going anywhere, despite thievery and incompetence. If you read Jambo Forum, and have not visited Nkasi, or Ileje, or Kamachumu, you would think CCM is going down tomorrow. People like Mnyika, Kabwe and Mbowe and their army of supporters spend their days here - and smell State House as a result.
I think the idea of robust opposition newspapers such as Tanzania Daima is a good one, despite its managerial issues and business difficulties. The opportunity that Tanzania Daima provides for CHADEMA cadres to communicate their grievances (that is what is being done, because I don't see a solid alternative ideas and philosophy) is certainly immense. We have the likes of Ngurumo, Kibanda, Ben (Mwanakijiji), and so on writing. But I think a party needs more than cadres with sharp pens. You need to develop cadres with a strong ideological orientation, responsive to the ideals of our nation not to the populist deformed rhetoric of a latter-day intellectual. And you can't do that by kissing the colonialists' ass, and you certainly can't do it by asking your supporters to make sacrifices that you are not willing to make, or that your pampered upbringing has not allowed you to make. You build a solid base of support by providing a message of hope, not of self-hating.
My two humble cents. I now pass you on to Abdul Mtemvu - the mercenary, according to Ngurumo. (simply because he likes Jakaya)
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Miaka 15 vyama vingi nchini: Je, yapo matumaini ya upinzani?
Abdul Mtemvu
KATIKA toleo la jarida la New African la Juni, mwaka huu, Rais Jakaya Kikwete alifanya mazungumzo na mhariri wa jarida hilo maarufu barani Afrika, na katika moja ya maswali, aliulizwa kuhusu upinzani. Swali na jibu lake nanukuu hapa chini.
"Buffour: In your maiden speech in parliament on 30 December 2005, you said: ‘My victory and that of the CCM is, infact, a vote of confidence in our party and its policies, a vote of confidence in the dedicated leadership of my predecessor. As a CCM member, I am pleased with the results. But as president, I should like to assure everyone that we have no intention to wipe out the opposition.' That was a noble pledge, wasn't it, considering that in many African countries, opposition is a dirty word.
Kikwete: Yes, of course we need the opposition. I cannot build the opposition myself, but I am not going to take measures to strangle them. We are quite keen to see them flourish, and we give them the opportunity and the freedom they need to grow. This is all we can do. The rest of the job is theirs." Mwisho wa kunukuu.
Kwa rais wa nchi ambaye, pia, ndiye mwenyekiti wa chama kinachoongoza serikali, hayo ni maneno ama kauli nzito sana. Ni kauli iliyojaa dhamira na hata, pengine, kuonekana kama kitanzi kwake.
Hakika itakuwa ni muhali kwa Kikwete kuujenga upinzani ili uwe tishio hapo baadaye na hatimaye, kukiangusha na hata kukipokonya madaraka chama chake!
Inapokuwa dhamira na malengo ya chama cha siasa ni kutwaa hatamu za dola, inakuwa jambo la hoja bayana, kwamba, kila chama cha siasa kitafanya kila liwalo kuyatwaa madaraka na, pale, kunapokuwa chama kimeshashika madaraka, basi, lengo linakuwa kuendelea kushikilia madaraka hayo, kwa kila njia iliyo halali. Na pengine, na hata kwa baadhi ya nchi zingine, kwa njia za haramu! Ni ukweli ulio dhahiri na tumeshayaona yakitokea.
Naomba nirejee tena kwenye hoja. Nasema, midhali dhamira na malengo ya chama chochote cha siasa ni kutwaa hatamu za dola, inakuwa muhali kwa, hata, chama kilichokuwa madarakani kuachia hatamu za dola, pindi kinaposhinda uchaguzi.
Labda, kwa sisi Waafrika, tubadilishe mtazamo huu wa lengo na kusudio la chama cha siasa ili tuepukane na mfumo hasimu unaojengeka baina ya wafuasi wa vyama tofauti vya siasa.
Shuhudia CCM na CUF, hususan, kwa upande wa Visiwani. Kweli, hawa watu ni maadui wa kiwango hicho? Ndugu wawili wakatenganishwe na mitazamo tofauti ya kisiasa kiasi cha hata kufikia uhasama wa kuuana? Inaingia akilini kweli? Mimi hainiingii akilini.
Nimepata kuandika kuhusu siasa na kuainisha, mathalan, kuwa sura ya mfumo wa vyama vyingi barani Afrika, ni tofauti na sura ya mfumo huo huo kwa wenzetu walioanzisha mfumo huo. Wale wenzetu wanatofautiana kwa kupingana, sisi tunatofautiana kwa kupigana. Wale wale ambao katika mfumo wa chama kimoja walikuwa makomredi, leo hii, kwa ujio wa vyama vingi, ndio mahasimu wakubwa. Tena wa kuuana!
Nini kimeusibu mfumo wa vyama vingi Afrika hadi tumefikia hapa tulipo? Kama tumelazimishwa kuwa nao huo mfumo, inakuwaje hao waliotulazimisha tuwe na mfumo huu wa vyama vingi wao hawafanyi tunayofanya?
Hatuoni wanaoshindwa kuingia msituni wala kuanzisha hujuma dhidi ya serikali halali. Bahati mbaya kwetu sisi, chama kilichokuwa tawala katika mfumo wa chama kimoja ndicho kinachoonekana kama afriti mkubwa au adui wa wananchi katika mfumo huo wa ushindani wa vyama vingi.
Vyama vingine, na pengine viongozi wake wametoka huko huko kwenye chama kilichokuwa tawala katika mfumo wa chama kimoja, ghafla ndio wanakuwa wakombozi. Wakombozi wa nini na wanamwokoa nani dhidi ya nini, huwa haisemwi! Mradi tu, kwa mfano wa hapa kwetu, chama kama CCM kinatakiwa king'olewe madarakani!
Wachambuzi na watafiti wa masuala ya siasa wanasema kuwa, kwenye uchaguzi wowote huru na wa haki, ni vigumu kutabiri chama gani kitaibuka mshindi. Zipo ‘indicators' ndogo ndogo kama ‘opinion polls' na kadhalika isipokuwa haziaminiki kwa asilimia mia, lakini kutabiri kwa usahihi ni vigumu sana.
Kwa maana hii, chama chochote kilicho madarakani, na kwa kutaka kuendelea kuweko madarakani, kitahakikisha hata pale uchaguzi unapolazimika kuwa ‘free' basi usiwe ‘fair'! Shuhudia ya Nixon na Watergate. Kuna kuwepo na mbinu za chama kinachoendesha serikali ama kuoogoza serikali kuudhoofisha upinzani, kwa njia moja au nyingine. Ndiyo mchezo wa siasa.
Julai mosi, Tanzania tumetimiza miaka 15 ya kuhalalisha mfumo wa vyama vingi nchini. Tumeshakuwa na chaguzi tatu ambapo Jakaya Kikwete ndiye mshindi wa uchaguzi wa tatu, chini ya mfumo huo.
Upinzani haujasambaratika na wala kusambaratishwa rasmi, pamoja na jitihada za Katibu Mkuu wa CCM kuzibomoa ngome za upinzani, na hata kwa baadhi ya waliokuwa viongozi wa baadhi ya vyama vya upinzani kuingia CCM.
Labda mtu anaweza kujiuliza hii ‘bifu' ya Katibu Mkuu wa CCM na mathalan, Chadema ni ya nini? Hivi, na katika mtazamo mzima wa siasa, haiwezekani ikatokea siku moja chama cha upinzani chochote kile kikaungana na CCM? Kwani haiwezekani siku moja nayo CCM ikawa kwenye upinzani dhidi ya chama kitakachokuwa madarakani? Mbona KANU, leo hii, wako gizani?
Ni kwa nini vyama vinavyosema ni pinzani, vyote kwa ujumla wao ndiyo viwe na ‘bifu' na CCM tu? Vyenyewe kwa wenyewe havina tofauti za msimamo au ni kuwa tofauti zao ni ndogo kiasi cha kufanya tofauti zao na CCM ndiyo msingi wa uhalali wao? Na hii tofauti ni nini hasa? Haya ni maswali ambayo, kwa hakika, binafsi yananisumbua sana.
Sasa hivi, cha ajabu kwangu, ni uamuzi wa kambi ya upinzani kuanza kile ambacho nakiona ni kama ‘extra-political activities' nje ya siasa za majukwaa. Mathalan, na sielewi uamuzi wao wa kuzunguka nchi nzima kuamsha hisia za wananchi kuiona bajeti ya serikali kama ni onevu kwa wananchi, lengo lake au kusudio ni nini.
Bajeti tayari imepita au kupitishwa, sasa hao wa kuzunguka nchi nzima iweje? Na halafu itasaidia kitu gani?
Ni lini katika historia ya nchi yetu, bajeti ya serikali imekuwa kipenzi cha wananchi, hata leo hii bajeti hii kuwa kiroja? Ongezeko la bei ya mafuta ni kubwa kiasi gani hadi kusababisha manung'uniko yote kutoka kwa viongozi wa vyama vya upinzani na baadhi ya wahariri na waandishi wa makala za magazeti? Ni kweli ongezeko hilo ndiyo chanzo cha kufanya maisha ya mwananchi wa kawaida kuwa magumu au kuna lingine?
Hapa nchini, miaka yote, na imeikuwa kama utamaduni, kila unapofika muda wa bajeti, basi ni lazima wafanyabiashara watapata sababu ya kupandisha bei ya bidhaa. Huko nyuma hata baadhi ya vitu vilikuwa vinafichwa wiki kadhaa kabla bajeti.
Huu ndiyo utamaduni wa wafanyabiashara wetu, hata pale ambapo hamna sababu ya msingi ya kufanya hivyo ilimradi tu hoja ni ‘biashara ni faida'. Lakini kuna ‘element' ya ‘social obligation' kwenye kufanya biashara.
Lakini, kweli ongezeko la sh 150 hata 200 ndiyo, mathalan, mwenye teksi aongeze bei ya sh 1,000 halafu ilaumiwe serikali, ni halali kweli? Kwa nini sisi walaji tusiandamane dhidi ya wenye teksi badala ya kuilaumu serikali? Tax revenue ni moja ya sehemu ya mapato makubwa na ya msingi ya serikali.
Inasikitisha sana kuwa upinzani hadi sasa umepoteza mwelekeo wote wa upinzani na badala yake, unadakia mambo yaliyo nje ya hoja nzima na mtazamo wa kusudio la kuwepo kwa upinzani nchini.
Mwalimu Nyerere alipata kusema, na namnukuu: ‘Ubovu wa uongozi ndani ya CCM ndiyo ulionifanya nikapendekeza tuanzishe mfumo wa vyama vingi, nilitumaini kuwa tunaweza kupata chama kingine kizuri ambacho kingeweza kuiongoza nchi yetu badala ya CCM, au ambacho kingelazimisha CCM kujisafisha kwa kuhofia kuwa bila ya kufanya hivyo, kitashindwa katika uchaguzi ujao.' Wapinzani mpo hapo?
Inasikitisha kuwa serikali ya awamu ya nne imefanywa kama shetani wa kumlaani kwa kutupa mawe, kwa mfano wa sisi Waislam tuendao hijja. Kila baya lililopita au kufanywa na serikali za awamu za nyuma hitimisho lake ni kwa Jakaya Kikwete. Inakuwa kama vile udhaifu wa Nabii Daudi asukumiziwe Muhammad, eti tu kwa vile wote ni mitume na Mungu wao mmoja! Maajabu haya.
Majukwaa ya siasa yamehamishwa na kupelekwa kwenye vyombo vya habari kiasi cha hata kutia shaka kama baadhi ya tahariri na makala zinazoandikwa hakika si hotuba za siasa. Kulikoni?
Tatizo ni nini? Ni kwa Chama Cha Mapinduzi kuzidi kupeta katika chaguzi au kwa Jakaya Kikwete kuwa ndiye Rais wa Tanzania? Wasalaam
