Mrema: In the twilight of his political career?

Dar es Salaam. When Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) leader Augustine Mrema convened a meeting with bodaboda operators and former drug addicts in Dar es Salaam early this month, for some, he was the sight of a committed appointee going about his business in his newly-found vocation as chairman of the Parole Board. But for others, he cast the figure of a strongman in the twilight of his political career.

Can Mr Mrema survive the complex political field that Tanzania has evolved to become over the years? Has he been thrown at the deep end? Or, will he live to fight another day?

Events of the past weeks have sparked fresh questions on the political future of the three-time presidential hopeful and former senior cabinet minister, who once held the powerful Interior docket.

Exactly a month ago, President John Magufuli appointed the opposition leader the new chairman of the Parole Board, replacing retired judge Eusebia Munuo whose term had expired.

Mr Mrema will now lead the Board during a three-year tenure. His main role will be to lead the panel that decides whether or not an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge.

Many see his appointment as a consolation for the serial presidential hopeful who was unceremoniously booted out of parliament after losing his Vunjo Constituency seat in last year’s General Election to National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR-Mageuzi)’s James Mbatia.

Interestingly, Mr Mrema quit CCM to join NCCR-Mageuzi, on whose ticket he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency against CCM candidate Benjamin Mkapa in 1995.

He also later jumped ship from NCCR-Mageuzi to join TLP. His bid for the highest office in 2005 on the ticket of TLP also hit a wall after he came fourth in the election.

Despite his loss, Mr Mrema’s popularity earned him respect within and outside government. Subsequent years were, however, to be a mix of ups and downs.

Last year, his fate was sealed when a united opposition snatched his constituency from him in an election described by many as the toughest since the introduction of a multiparty system in the country.

Handicapped by the increasing popularity of the Opposition coalition he refused to join ahead of the election, it seemed the veteran politician was, this time round, left in a tight corner.

Seeking relevance

For a man whose own party appears to be in the doldrums, speculation was rife over the past few days that the former cabinet minister is bidding for a second chance with a seemingly revitalised CCM.

There are some who may view the Parole Board chairmanship as ‘Manna from Heaven’ for the 71-year-old who has not been good at hiding his desire to play a more active public role.

And last week, he also could not hide his admiration for the current ruling party leadership when he controversially remarked that his TLP could serve the country better by forming some kind of an ‘alliance’ with CCM.

“I don’t want to join the current Ukawa because it does not know what exactly it wants to do,” he said during a Power Breakfast show on Clouds FM radio.

He hailed President Magufuli’s administration for doing a great job, in comments that may be interpreted by his critics as a bid to cajole CCM into his proposition for a partnership of sorts.

Just a few weeks into his new role as Parole Board chairman, Mr Mrema has already sent tongues wagging in various quarters with many criticising him for “stepping out of bounds”.

During the recent meeting with bodaboda operators at Riverside in Ubungo, he told the mostly young taxi drivers to give him a list of traffic police officers soliciting bribes. He promised them he would submit the names to President Magufuli.

Under the auspices of the Parole Board, he’s also embarked on a crusade against drug abuse, and has already held a meeting with former addicts in the city.

“I know there are people questioning why I’m working on matters that do not fall under the mandate of the Parole Board, but my goal is to help these young people not to go to prison because a higher percentage of those in remand are drug victims,” he noted.

Dr James Jesse of the University of Dar es Salaam told the Political Platform that Mr Mrema was simply performing his role in helping President Magufuli to transform the society.

“It is his duty as a patriotic citizen. Anyone in the country can decide to do the same. He needs to be encouraged to do that,” he said.

Legal and Human Rights Commission (LHRC) executive director Kijo Bisimba said the opposition leader’s new-found “vocation” was a matter of “public interest”.

But she said it could not be done under the auspices of the Parole Board.

“If Mr Mrema is doing that in his individual capacity, he is not supposed to be issuing orders and directives. He is supposed to reveal the intensity of the problem for law enforcers and responsible government institutions to take action,” she suggested.

Former Tanganyika Lawyers (TLS) president Francis Stola says there is need to clearly set the parameters for Mr Mrema in his new role. Mr Stole is a former vice chairman of the Parole Board.

“When I served as the Parole Board’s vice chairman, we devoted most of our time to listening to requests presented by regional boards on prisoners being considered for parole,” he said.

A coordinator with the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Ole-ngurumwa, agrees.

He notes that the Parole Board chair is supposed to be supervising decision-making on matters concerning parole.

An advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, Mr John Seka, says there nothing wrong with what the opposition leader is doing as long as he is doing it in his personal capacity. “But that, definitely, is not the job of a Parole Board chairman.”