LÄNDERBERICHT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. TANZANIA RICHARD SHABA THE STATE OF POLITICS IN TANZANIA - PROJECT MANAGER IN THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2010 DAR ES SALAAM/ TANSANIA October 2010 I. INTRODUCTION their favour; the results www.kas.de/kenia could be ‘arranged’ well TANZANIA political in advance. The new landscape changed system saw CCM mem- dramatically in the bers at the grass- third quarter of 2010 roots/branch level casting due mainly to three the preferential votes. factors: Their numbers made it difficult for the contest- ¾ CCM allowed a ants to even attempt to broader participa- ‘manipulate’ them. tion of its grass- roots members to The entry of Dr. Wilbrod vote during the pre- Slaa into the presidential liminaries race caught the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and its govern- ¾ The entry of Dr. ment machinery; other Wilbrod Slaa, Sec- opposition political par- retary General of ties and even voters the opposition alike; by surprise. His en- CHADEMA party in try also triggered a new the presidential wave of political excite- ment in a country where race since the conception of citizens by the colonial and later the one-party ¾ A more visible and regimes as essentially active Prevention passive subjects and and Combating of source of labour, revenue Corruption Bureau and other resources led (PCCB) during the to their disempowerment preliminaries and the nurturing of a subject, quiescent or submissive political cul- In the past a handful of ture. CCM leaders at the grass- roots/branch level were Likewise, in a country voting during the pre- characterized by political liminaries. In most cases exclusion and relatively the potential winner was high intolerance of op- predictable well in ad- posing views and opin- vance. It was easy for ions, especially in rural the contestants to ‘ma- areas, and in a situation nipulate’ the voters in where the Kiswahili term 2 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. for “opposition” (wapin- tion campaigns. zani)” is equated to trea- CHADEMA which since its TANZANIA son, the entry of Dr. Slaa formation in 1995 was RICHARD SHABA has widened the political labelled as tribal PRIOJECT MANAGER IN space to a higher level. (Chagga) based party, DAR ES SALAAM/ TANSANIA Pro-democracy groups with the rise of Dr. Slaa are now looking forward was now renamed a Ro- October 2010 to a bright political future man Catholic sponsored given that nearly half of political party. CUF on www.kas.de/kenia voters this time around the other hand, continues are young people born to be labeled “Islamic when the wave against fundamentalists” led single party authoritarian party. regimes was sweeping across Africa. In addition to such char- acter assassination, the Most of the candidates state party devised other were made aware that methods including all- PCCB shall not hesitate to the-well-known financial take legal and other ac- means of weakening and tion against any contest- dividing opponents and ant who was proved to their organizations: brib- have contravened the ery, the maintenance of Election Expenses Act intra-opposition rivalries, and related legislation. restrictions on opposition parties ‘funding’, political violence and disinforma- tion campaigns. II. THE DAYS OF LONG POLITICAL KNIVES The dissolution of Parlia- ment to pave way for the The reaction of the ruling October general elections party to the entry of Dr. and the entry of Dr. Slaa Slaa in the presidential in the presidential race race has proved one witnessed massive thing, absence of political movement of both sitting civility. The low level of MPs and prospective civility in the political challengers from both the campaign has manifested ruling and opposition po- itself in the violent lan- litical parties rushing to guage unleashed by rural villages to canvass party hawks in the ruling for support. party against the opposi- tion and more specifically In a country where most Dr. Slaa. MPs only visit their con- stituents in times of elec- The entire leadership of tions, the rush was basi- CCM took upon itself to cally triggered by political character assassination, panic given the high mudsling, name calling stakes involved in losing and outright defamation. or winning political elec- Religion, racial, ethnic tions. and even sex orientation took its toll in the elec- 3 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. With research findings by things the purchase of REDET (Research and ships to ply the Victoria TANZANIA Education for Democracy and Tanganyika Lakes re- RICHARD SHABA in Tanzania), a political spectively; construct PRIOJECT MANAGER IN think-tank at the Univer- houses for teachers. DAR ES SALAAM/ TANSANIA sity of Dar es Salaam Given similar promises (UDSM) predicting the made in the past, people October 2010 fall of up to 143 MPs in tend to be skeptical. The the 232 constituencies, above not-with-standing www.kas.de/kenia ripples of fear among in- CCM is busy trying to cumbent MPs were trig- prove that most of the gered. promises made under the ‘2005 Manifesto’ have Voters according to RE- been respected – barring DET study, accuse sitting a few. MPs of incompetence, ab- senteeism, corruption, Dr. Slaa’s agenda has set self serving interests, to overhaul the outdated negligence, arrogance, Constitution within the complacence and unre- first 100 days in office sponsiveness to voters’ saying topping the concerns in the constitu- agenda will be to trim the encies. excessive presidential powers and cut down the Indeed as predicted by cabinet size. His argu- REDET several political ment is that; the exces- heavy weights, including sive centralized presiden- seasoned politicians like tial powers were inimical John Malecela, Joseph to principles of democ- Mungai, Bakari Mwa- racy, good governance pachu, Jackson Mak- and separation of pow- wetta, William Shel- ers. He would like to see lukindo, Joel Bendera and clear cut checks-and- many others were booted balances between the out in preferential voting Executive and Parliamen- within the ruling party. tary powers. What this means, is that, MPs will The fall of several candi- cease to be Ministers in dates during the prefer- order to play effectively ential voting within re- their watchdog role. spective parties trigged movement of potential contestants from CCM to the opposition parties III. MEDIA BECOMES and from opposition par- WEAPON OF DE- ties to CCM. All taking STRUCTION OF ‘PO- place in the hope to LITICAL ENEMIES’ clinch the coveted nomi- nation. The proposition that those who invest in the With regard to campaign media industry do so to agenda, CCM is sticking promote their selfish in- to their ‘2010 Manifesto’ terests and not necessar- promising among other ily to expand democracy 4 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. came to its fruition dur- eras could not show the ing this quarter with the footage but also the fol- TANZANIA conversion of media out- lowing day there was RICHARD SHABA lets into weapons of de- blackout in both public PRIOJECT MANAGER IN struction of “political media (Daily News and DAR ES SALAAM/ TANSANIA enemies”; Dr. Slaa and Habari Leo) and those of his party being the main IPP media (ITV, Radio October 2010 target. One, The Guardian and Nipashe). www.kas.de/kenia Much as Tanzania enjoys a plethora of media out- Instead of discussing the lets never experienced health status of the before, some of the President (Kikwete has newly created media, collapsed three times in which greatly helped set public since 2005), the the democratic transition media turned their atten- in motion, have become tion to trivial issues of no excessively partisan and public interest. polemical. Articles and editorials too often exude And to show their true anger and other violent colors, when CHADEMA passions, which neither inaugurated her election help clarify public debate campaign at the same nor inform citizens re- venue on 28 August 2010 garding key election is- TBC temporarily discon- sues of national interest. nected the live broadcast allegedly because the And as if that is not speakers were using enough, during campaign “abusive” language. The trail period a number of broadcast was only re- media outlets including stored when it became editors and individual apparently clear journalists fell trap to the CHADEMA supporters power game and became were not going to lie low hostages to the ruling like envelopes. party and its candidates. On 04 September 2010 With price tags dangling Mwananchi reported that in front of their noses, a copies of Changamoto (a number of media outlets weekly tabloid) were be- were turned into “political ing distributed free of daggers” all out to charge in Arusha and slaughter opponents - Dr. Mwanza regions appar- Slaa and CHADEMA their ently with a story scan- main victims. dalizing Dr. Slaa. It is rumored that Changa- When President Kikwete moto is owned by one of collapsed in front of TV state intelligence agents, cameras during the inau- meaning, state institu- gural of CCM’s election tions were being used il- campaigns on 21 August legally in favor of CCM 2010 at Jangwani and its candidates. grounds in Dar es Sa- laam, not only TV cam- 5 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Elsewhere individual in Eastern Europe after journalists have taken up the fall of communist re- TANZANIA leadership posts in the gimes has found its way RICHARD SHABA competing political par- into the East African PRIOJECT MANAGER IN ties as publicity officers, country of estimated DAR ES SALAAM/ TANSANIA campaign media strate- 45m, out of whom almost gists and in some cases 13m are illiterate. October 2010 have contested elective posts as youth leaders, Thus the rush for parlia- www.kas.de/kenia women league activists mentary seats must be or simply practise paid up seen from that angle.