Samia hints at government shake-up ahead of upcoming elections

Dar es Salaam. A major shake-up of the government looks imminent as President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is also the CCM national chairperson, seeks to get rid of “detractors” and “languid” individuals ahead of 2025.

This is what came up during the conclusion of the CCM’s national congress in Dodoma yesterday when some party heavyweights stated categorically that there were some “detractors” within the ruling party who were derailing the implementation of the 2020 election manifesto.

“I need your (party) blessings for me to go and shake up the government,” said President Hassan, adding, “I need a team that will be able to match my speed and implement the resolutions that the party has reached today.”

She said going towards 2025, she wanted the party to market itself to voters basing on tangible things that they have done and therefore, the need to have people who implement the 2020 election promises with the speed and zeal that will simplify the 2025 State House bid.

According to President Hassan, there were grudges in the party, noting however that for a CCM member who knows the party and the direction of its policies.

“In other words, members whose roots were grounded within the party, they can never stick to the grudges to the point of destroying their party,” she said, noting that those who would be ready to destroy the party would be those managed to secure some leadership positions through the party membership.

She said the task ahead of the party was to implement what it promised through the 2020 election manifesto.

Technocrats in the government, said President Hassan, must be compelled to work in line with the whims of the ruling party’s leadership. “They are there because this party has formed the government. As such, they are compelled to implement the ruling party’s election manifesto…thus implementation of our party’s manifesto is not an option but a duty for government executives,” President Hassan said.

Though she did not openly say the grudges within the CCM, her statement came after some influential party members voiced their concerns about the presence of ‘dissidents’ within the party.

Those who openly castigated the presence of ‘dissidents’ in the ruling party yesterday included former Secretary General, Yusuf Makamba and former President, Jakaya Kikwete.

Mr Makamba rushed at those who appear unhappy when the leadership of the country was being praised.

“Yesterday, they elected me to be chairman for assistant Secretaries General. We told Dr Bashiru (Ally) that you termed Magufuli (former President John Magufuli), the bulldozer and he called you the ‘hoe’. Now that your colleagues have decided not to call her a ‘hoe’ but they say she is performing wonders, is there any problem with that?” enquired Mr Makamba.

During that time, Dr Ally, who was also present in the meeting, could be seen laughing.

Mr Makamba’s statement was an apparent reaction to sentiments by Dr Ally, which he aired last month in Morogoro during a meeting of a Network of Farmers’ Groups in Tanzania, better known by its Kiswahili acronym, Mviwata.

During the meeting, Dr Ally is on record telling participants that Mviwata was not meant to be a “praise singing organisation”, but rather one that fights for the interests and dignity of its members.

He said farmers’ collective voice should make “the exploiters worried”. He did not, however, categorically state who the exploiters were, but said, “We will not be any different from their agents who praise them by deceitfully telling them that they are performing wonders (wanaupiga mwingi)”.

Mr Makamba said it was about time the ruling party made a resolution that come 2025, President Hassan should be its sole presidential candidate for the union government.

In his remarks, Mr Kikwete said there was no way that a CCM member could pick a nomination form to challenge President Hassan in the 2025 presidential race for the union government.

“It is not our tradition but if I am to say the truth, there no politician who is more popular than Samia in Tanzania at present. Seriously, there no one within and outside CCM,” he said.

He told the ruling party members to stop spreading lies that some of their colleagues were travelling to various countries collecting money so they can vie for the presidency in 2025.

He said those spreading lies that some possible 2025 candidates had the backing of some party elders were bent on dividing the party.

“You are giving our leaders unnecessary stress that could be avoided. Instead of using their energy to implement what is required of them in line with the constitution, they end up working on your disdainful lies…this is not fair…These people must be summoned to the ruling party’s ethics committee for grilling…,” he said.

Meanwhile, the party highlighted a number of areas of focus during the remaining three years of the implementation of the party’s manifesto.

The areas include improving business environment, upping the investment promotion drive, continue the execution of mega strategic projects and kicking off the implementation of the new ones as well as embracing economic revolution and strengthening the party

Other areas are, building a profound friendships with other parties and revolutionists globally, cementing the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar and increasing the budget for higher education.

The list also includes working on the pending issues when it comes to Universal Insurance Coverage, broadening the tax base and taking stern measures against those involving in corruption acts,

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said during the remaining three years before the 2025 General Election, the government led by CCM will continue improving the climate for investment to attract more investors, it was pledged yesterday.