Lessons from Blair: Time to think the unthinkable , Mama Samia

By Andrew Bomani

Listening to Mama Samia at an induction seminar for her ministers last Thursday, a particular message struck out.

This was on the point of the office of the president as an institution and therefore ministers should respect the office even if they may dislike the holder of the office.

Without any hesitation, I believe Samia is a rather different kettle of fish compared to some of her predecessors who I’m sorry to say carried themselves with airs and graces. Her demeanour is a breadth of fresh air that I sense is in danger of being taken for granted by sections of the country.

On Samia and her ministers, despite her seemingly good intentions, she patently finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place. CCM is a proven draining pull on any leader who would be committed to serving unswervingly the public.

This is compounded no less by her gender in my estimation. Someone once told me even her being from the Isles doesn’t help her cause.

It is my considered view that going by Samia’s rather accidental circumstances that she finds herself as head of state, I believe it would be in her interest to consider with the utmost seriousness, the need to adopt a completely new way of doing politics.

One can only imagine the obstacles ahead for a woman at the highest level seeking the direct vote from the voting public. This is a problem not only in the least developed countries but even in some developed countries. President Samia is at a vantage position in being able to push for a much more even playing field that would be a lasting legacy.

This well ties into her emphasis time and again for Tanzania to pursue a ‘home-grown’ approach to its development. I agree wholeheartedly and on this score I’m for instance not at all for presidential term limits as an end it itself. Why limit a leader with a genuinely progressive agenda? For this, I’m a strong believer in a parliamentary rather than presidential system of government where the component of democratic accountability may be easier to effect.

I have often sat back and pondered what it would have been like having our past presidents having to appear regularly before MPs. In the UK as an example, other than the PM having to face weekly questions at the dispatch box, he or she also has to face the heads of parliamentary select committees twice a year. One can only imagine in the Tanzanian scenario what would happen where flip-flopping of positions is frequent.

Specifically, the incredulous about-turn on Covid would be enough to endanger the survival of the CCM government. It would be a clear way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Tanzanian presidents, by and large, are adept at escaping tough questioning such that I dare to say they easily sleep hours like most of the working population. It is interesting how in a book from 2018 by Ambassador Juma Mwapachu titled Tanzania in the age of Change and Transformation, he writes: “I wonder what could happen were Tanzania to adopt the Westminster form of government in its new constitution and ditch the current Presidential system? After all, one of the most ardent concerns about the Presidential system of government centres on the extensive powers of the President and the resultant subjugation of the powers of Parliament.”

Most unfortunately, it appears to be the case that so few Tanzanians know that we did once upon a time have a parliamentary system. What followed was a familiar story on the continent of an overbearing presidency.

Curiously though, Samia has been in close consultation with the former British PM, Anthony Blair, who I happen to have much respect for despite the Iraq catastrophe during his premiership.

There is a lot on modern political governance that Samia can pick up from Blair for certain. She has to be ambitious for a start. It was the same Tony Blair in his powerful address to his party conference in 2002, who said: “The radical decision is usually the right one. The right decision is usually the hardest one. And the hardest decisions are often the least popular at the time. We are at our best when we are at our boldest.”

I must though add that Blair during his early premiership faced accusations of practicing a presidential style of government. It was felt he relegated the importance of parliamentary scrutiny. I believe though that he rectified this and went on in fact to put forward the idea of twice yearly sessions with the heads of the select committees.

Finally, it was Julius Nyerere who postulated in his presidential inaugural address in 1962 that “to build this country we have to make many changes. And to change it we must be willing to try what is new. It is useless to long for the good things of today if we are not prepared to change the habits of the past which prevent our making use of the means to achieve those good thongs.”

Mwalimu had in mind here peasant farming. I have extrapolated it to our political arrangements and given we are told that “politics is at the centre of gravity of development”, it is most appropriate.

Think the unthinkable Mama Rais! I hope all I’m saying is not a chimera.

Andrew Bomani is a political scientist and acting publicity secretary of UDP: [email protected]