SO CCM WILL WIN BY ALL MEANS—EVEN BY RIGGING?

Yesterday, our sister newspaper Mwananchi published a front page story quoting the ruling party’s Publicity and Ideology Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye, saying CCM would win the forthcoming General Election by all means – even with a “handball goal” if necessary.

For those who do not know the language of football, a handball goal is scored illegally with the hand or arm. It runs counter to the 17 rules governing the game. The best known example came during the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico when Argentina’s Diego Maradona scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal against England in the quarterfinals. Television replays clearly showed Maradona jumping and knocking the ball into the net with his hand, but he later maintained that he scored with his head “assisted by the hand of God”.

Argentina won the game played on June 22, 1986 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City 2–1 and went on to win the World Cup with after beating West Germany in the final.

Mr Nnauye’s reference to the so-called miracle appears to suggest that CCM will win, come hell or high water. In the context of politics, especially where elections are concerned, the “handball goal” is equated to rigging the vote. What Mr Nnauye is telling voters then is that CCM will win regardless of how they vote.

This is a very dangerous statement, coming from a senior party leader. It is a reflection of a young man who has been absolutely corrupted by power.

We respect Mr Nnauye as an individual and a politician. We also respect his freedom to express his views, which is a fundamental right in civilised society. Nevertheless, we do not only consider his remarks reckless but we also believe that they set a disturbing tone ahead of the General Election.

24 million voters

If CCM is assured of winning the election, why then should the 24 million eligible voters go to the poll come October? The committed members of the party do not exceed four million countrywide—equivalent to 16 per cent of the total voters the National Electoral Commission expects to register.

It amounts to an insult to the electorate when someone at Mr Nnauye’s level declares in public that CCM will win the election even if it takes a “handball goal” to do so—implying that the party is ready to resort to illegal means if necessary. There are many ways of winning elections the underhand way. There is vote rigging, eliminating your opponents, bribery and even using the security forces to ensure ballot theft.

Mr Nnauye would be well advised to consider retracting his reckless remark if he did not mean what he was reported to have said yesterday. If he really meant it, we can only sympathise with him. Such remarks can only be uttered by those with dictatorial tendencies.

As we approach the campaign period, political leaders from both camps should proceed cautiously. They need to avoid reckless and inflammatory statements that are guaranteed to fuel chaos and violence. It is not a wise move to send out broad hints that there are plans to rig the election.