Prime
Samia better focus on these three reform areas
President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a council of political parties stakeholders meeting in Dar es Salaam on September 11, 2023. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE
What you need to know:
- The third area of immediate importance for Samia is about borrowing a leaf from what happens in Madagascar. In that country, when a general election approaches, the sitting president has to resign from office. I'm not aware of any other state in the world that applies that law. It is most progressive in my estimation.
In his column for the Washington Post dated 10th of March 2023, the distinguished Indian-American journalist, Fareed Zakaria, wrote as follows: "For most of the 20th century, Mexico was a one-party state whose fraudulent elections ensured that the ruling party always won. That changed in 2000, when President Ernesto Zedillo's electoral reforms enabled the country's first free and fair elections, which the ruling party lost. Out of the same spirit of democratisation came the National Electoral Institute, which has developed a reputation for being independent and competent.”
Zedillo's wonderful work was given special mention by Bill Clinton, former US president, at the World Economic Forum twenty years ago. That part of his Clinton's speech has remained etched in my memory. Zedillo's place in history is assured for cutting short several decades of PRI rule. Of course, the electoral reforms may have been easier to carry out as Mexico's presidents only enjoy a one-term of office that lasts six years.
I’ll add that the logic of a departing head of state doing everything possible to bequeath a legacy seems to be the inverse in Tanzania.
It is extraordinary that the autobiographies of Mzee Mwinyi and the late Mkapa omitted any mention of the state of affairs in their political party of CCM when the hour of presidential succession arrived.
This was where the real challenge lay. They rather inform us of the time they became the candidates. I thought the more important matter is when you are exiting than coming in. Some leaders assume power honourably only to leave dishonourably.
Turning now at Samia, I saw in her early days echoes between herself and Zedillo. She indubitably touched the right notes. Listening though to her speak on Monday to political parties and other stakeholders at the Julius Nyerere Convention Centre, the tone was one of despair to my mind. Samia sounded like the high moral priestess belabouring over rectitude.
My basic message to Samia is that Tanzania is one of the easiest countries in Africa to run. She herself said on Monday that Tanzanians are unlike many other people. The fundamental problem we face is that of a poverty of politics.
If Samia is to be the Tanzanian Zedillo, let her focus on these three areas of critical importance.
A sine qua non matter is the Office of Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP). In her speech, Samia spoke on how the opposition parties need time to go out to the country and gain membership. Yet there was deafening silence on how any new parties would need even more time than the existing ones.
As I wrote some time ago, the ORPP is a major stumbling block to our democratic health as a nation. It is incredulous how the registrar, Judge Francis Murungi, can be entrusted with additional work by Samia when he is most disinterested in his core business of registering political parties. It is as if one is seeking a special favour from him to register a party.
To shed more light on the arrogant nature of the registrar, when a reporter from the Kiswahili sister newspaper of The Citizen asked Mutungi in July when he will announce registration of any new parties, his response was that he can’t do so until he first undertakes an assessment of the current ones first. Yes, believe it or not! That’s how chutzpah he is! It is also as if we had awoken him from hibernation on his everyday work.
To worsen matters on Mutungi’s remark, there was no mention of the duration of the assessment. So we were just left to pray that the exercise would conclude as soon as possible so that the real headmaster can start to have an ounce of pity on us.
In the meantime, our constant efforts to seek the control number in order to effect the payment necessary did bear fruit albeit what we learnt was most alarming. On the website of the ORPP, the fee shown for temporary registration is Tshs 25,000 whilst permanent registration is Tshs 50,000.
Now when we received the control number, it showed a staggering amount of Tshs 1 million and Tshs 5 million for temporary and permanent registration respectively. It appears that these changes were made during the Magufuli years in order to stem any emergence of new parties.
The general public has never heard of these changes such that one can only confirm a sinister motive.
Faced then with an impossible situation, we have had no choice but to pay the registration. But even after paying the temporary registration fee, nothing is automatic. We are still on tenterhooks.
Consequently, we were tempted to do the unthinkable on Monday. As it were, I believe Samia had once spoken about how frustrated some of the masses become and resultantly display placards for leaders.
Our exasperation with the ORPP led us to the verge of displaying placards for Samia as much as we most likely would have been just cast aside or even arrested by over-zealous officials.
Beyond the ORPP, the second immediate area of importance for Samia has to be the provision of independent candidates. This matter has been gratuitously torturous for the country. Even Nyerere made a plea for its provision in 1995. It would for certain go a long way in instilling discipline in our political parties that are driven by personality cults.
The third area of immediate importance for Samia is about borrowing a leaf from what happens in Madagascar. In that country, when a general election approaches, the sitting president has to resign from office. I'm not aware of any other state in the world that applies that law. It is most progressive in my estimation.
Come 2025, Samia will find herself in the similar boat to her predecessors who were accused of misusing state resources. She can avoid all that by opting for the unconventional here. Samia can still become Tanzania's Zedillo if she focuses herself on my narrow set of areas.
