nngu007
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 2, 2010
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Wed, Oct 19th, 2011| Tanzania
Dar es Salaam. Political parties accused each other of training illegal gangs during the 2010 General Election and the recent Igunga by-election.The rationale of such groups, according to the well-established Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), was that they were for security reasons during campaigns against assumed ‘opponents.' The ‘Green Guards for CCM' and the ‘Red Guards for Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema)' were household names during the elections.
CCM being the independence party has a huge economic power built during the one-party state era and it is using the same now in the multiparty era to recruit the gangs and claim support from wananchi.For instance, they claim to be the sole owners of many public areas like football stadiums such as CCM Kirumba and Mandela in Sumbawanga, and currently its youth wing UV-CCM is in the process of establishing a bank. But is it for the nation, the party's fans and members?
We have four questions to raise as a nation and a country; who is a threat to our nationhood? Who is a threat to our unity? Who will save us if things become bad? And lastly, for whose interest are these gangs trained?
Let us understand the Jamaican gang garrisons in Kingston and its streets such as Trench Town and others to speculate and have some suitable answers.
The Jamaican gangs' history started in 1980s when two major political parties in Jamaica were competing for votes.
The major problems by then were, among others, unemployment and poor living standards as well as poor housing, especially in the main city of Kingston.
In 1980, elections pitting Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) were fierce.
Each party provided its gang with guns to fight its opponent in order to win votes.JLP won under Edward Seaga following rising inflation and unemployment. The election was characterised by politically-supported gang violence to secure votes.
After the 1980 and 1983 elections in Jamaica, the two parties started to raise big buildings to be rented by their supporters as a way of fulfilling their election pledges and easing life woes brought by inflation and the high rate of unemployment.This was the turning point for Jamaica and in particular Kingston's name as one of the most violent and bloody cities in the world.
Back home, the multiparty political era has witnessed in recent years political parties training some youth militia in the name of providing security to their party leaders and members during public rallies and preventing opponents from intruding such gatherings. This was revealed during the 2009 Busanda by-election and the 2010 General Election.
If I am asked: "What is the role of the police force and its rapid response troupe, FFU?" My answer could be: "May be these political parties are preparing for the vote alias turf wars."
We are told that buildings constructed during the one-party era are sole properties of CCM, but they were built when everybody was doing so for the sake of the nation, not the party.
The monopoly exercised on something built by all Tanzanians by a party, to me translates into divisive politics and hypocrisy by some people in CCM, who want us to believe that since we joined another ideological vehicle we are not part of this country's history and that it holds a solution to people's problems and that it is the best ideological vehicle! Where was CCM 30 or so years?
Of recent, the news are fed into our ears that UV-CCM wants to establish a bank to help reduce unemployment in Tanzania and that youth will be emancipated through it. Where on earth do political parties own banks and other financial investments and yet claim to bring unity?
This will be made in Tanzania political profile that will go down into historical books and would make good headlines.
Recently, we have had some renowned and all-season politicians from CCM asking their youth wing how they are prepared for a loss by their party to control State House?
Such questions are a foundation for a declining party.What we can see from the onset is a loophole for plunder of resources. Therefore, it is no surprise to see the ‘longest ruling political party' in East and Central Africa having an excuse to interfere with the well-established spirit of nationhood and unity we have built for the last 50-plus years in the name of competitive politics!
Is it true that political parties can create employment outside the state government? Is it also true that when elections are being held, whether general or by-elections, security forces are sidelined in safeguarding peace? Do such forces only decrease in number during the run-up to polls and on election days?
We will cite some hidden agenda behind the genesis of Kenya's Munguki in the next Political Platform issue.
Mr Ogana is a social analyst with Agenda Participation 2000,
Dar es Salaam Joseph.ogana@yahoo.com.
By Joseph Ogana, The Citizen
