Tanzania Are So Boring!
AN article from Uganda Observer!
I had come down to Dar es Salaam expecting some real-time action in the just- concluded Tanzania Elections.
Well, I have been thoroughly disappointed by both the leadership and people here. These neighbors of ours are not serious, politically, first they have all their former presidents living in harmony after ceding power yes, I said ceding power.
All post- Julias Nyerere presidents are alive and kicking. Ali Hassan Mwinyi served his term and passed the reins to Benjamini Mkapa who also passed the leadership to Jakaya Kikwete. I though this Kikwete man would prevail upon Tanzanians and do the normal thing- change that damn constitutions and stand for another term or completely remove term limits.
You are a president of a country; it is up to you to know how to manage transitions. How can you in this age and times relinquish power? This Kikwete man is really backward. He even says that ten years is enough for president to accomplish what he set out to do for the country- really!
Let me educate you, Mr. Kikwete! You need to have a vision; you can?t accomplish all you set to do in only ten years. And you are tired? At only 65 years of age? Have you not seen people are much older than you? But still pursuing the ideals that brought them to power? I don?t get it Rais Jakaya.
I am even laughing, how can your people- Tanzanians-allow that to happen? They should have beseeched you to say on as Baba wa Taifa (Fathers of the
Nation). They should have sent delegation after delegation to assure you that without your leadership, Tanzania would be no more. Now without changing the constitutions, what legacies are leaving behind? What are you telling your brothers under the East Africa Community? That Tanzania is different? It seems your country is ideologically bankrupt.
For us in Uganda who were liberated by Tanzanians force in 1979, we abhor this exit behavior. We thought we were on the same thinking, since most of current leaders learnt their trade from Tanzanian trenches.
You even hold the election and former prime minister, Edward Ngoyai Lowassa, is allowed campign? Surely, something is amiss. Former prime ministers are not allowed to stand. A former cadre of ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) who defected the opposition Chadema and you allow him to traverse the country seeking votes?
So, what does Enerst Mangu, the inspector general of Tanzanian Police, do? Does he just sit back and watch Lowassa move around the country unhindered? What is use of the police force, if not to arrest and detain Lowassa whenever he tries to leave house, and generally clobber all those who claim to support him? Don?t you have tear gas? You gays are lousy?
How earth do you hold peaceful elections without shedding blood? And you guys have guts your ballot papers are not pre- ticked! And they printed in safe places. Is there no Nasser road in Dar es Salaam to print those damn papers?
Even as the counting goes on in some areas, you announce, on the national broadcaster, areas that the opposition has won! I am either missing something or Tanzanians are not humans. No arrest, no pre-ticked ballots, no bloodshed, no change of term limits and all is calm in the country? How then will we achive the East African Federation?
Your police chief Mangu needs few lessons from region. He should consult a master of policing at venue in Naguru in Uganda. His entire police force failed even to undress at least one woman?
What a waste of resources! So, Mr. Kikwete what are you going to do next? Do you have a farm to retire to? How did you convince your family that being a president was tiresome and you wanted to rest? At 65, you still could have had another ten more years.
I had come to learn something about good election from Tanzania; I have left a disappointed man. Let me leave Dar es Salaam and go back to Uganda where proper election are going to happen. My stay here has been disappointing. Kwaheri (goodbye) Tanzania with your boring politics!
Nkundad13@yahoo.co.uk
The author is human rights expect and specialist on refugee issue.
