Igunga by-election an embarrassment

By Mobhare Matinyi, Washington DC. The Citizen, Tanzania. Thursday, 06 October 2011. Yes, the Igunga by-election is over, but what lessons can we draw from this rather embarrassing political event that has cast another shadow on the political future of one of the most stable nations in Africa? Is it possible for a truly patriotic, honest and well-informed Tanzanian to be proud of everything that happened in Igunga? Certainly not! Our political parties, the media, electoral commission, and law-enforcement organs have let us down so badly. This could be the sign of bad things to come! Arguing that whatever happened in Igunga was part of a democratic process is either a deliberate misinterpretation of what democracy means or simply ignorance. Democracy does not mean law-breaking, corruption, intimidation, or anything like that. Never! Unfortunately, the thinking of some corrupt politicians in Tanzania, and Africa in general, has been that political process under a multiparty system entails everything under the sun to ascertain victory. The rule seems to be: the ends justify the means. That’s appalling! Millions of shillings were spent, and in the end the hungry jobless guy who can’t read, write or count will have another four years to suffer in agony! What a shame? The Igunga campaigns stink, to say the least! The facts speak for themselves. The National Electoral Commission (NEC), which is accused of being too partisan, announced that CCM’s candidate had won by 50.4 per cent, a slim margin compared to 72.78 per cent one year ago. The entire CCM and the government had to help this guy but he almost lost. Secondly, Chadema came from having no candidate in 2010 to claiming 44.3 per cent of the votes cast. Thirdly, Civic United Front (CUF) is finished as they dropped from 23.1 per cent in 2010 to merely four per cent. Fourthly, other opposition parties were a mockery. Fifthly, although by African standards this by-election was peaceful, it was not harmonious. Sixthly, the voter turnout of 31.38 per cent is a disaster despite the fact that the president of the country called upon all eligible voters to turn up in big numbers. We can’t alter these facts. On top of that, disappointing things happened including biased coverage by the media and, unbelievably, police inaction whenever the opposition complained. So, who should Tanzanians depend on when the law is broken during election campaigns? The governing CCM used flat out lies and at least one incident on YouTube showed a CCM candidate apologizing in a debate. Then CCM cadres were caught with lists of voters, buying voter registration cards, distributing scarves and cash money but the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) remained numbed throughout. Dangerously, CCM trained hooligans as Green Guards to work as police auxiliaries, while the opposition recruited thugs as bouncers and distributed flags with cash money too. Then both sides engaged in voter intimidation, and couldn’t control their mobs either. While some people believe that CCM was torching people’s huts so as to put blame on the opposition, others claim that the opposition youth set ablaze some huts too. On voting day the illiterates were cheated at the ballot box as well. Why all this mess? As expected, some sheikhs came forward asking Muslims not to vote for Chadema. The stuttering sheikhs accused Chadema of roughing up a Muslim woman, District Commissioner, wearing a hijab, but it turned out that she wasn’t wearing a hijab and she is not a Muslim. Who sent these poor sheikhs? Instead, police arrested two Chadema lawmakers, not the culprits, and left the DC who was allegedly caught red-handed breaking the law. Interestingly, the launching of the election campaigns was accompanied by the distribution of food by the government to curb starvation. What a coincidence! Then, imagine ministerial statements like this one: “If you don’t elect CCM, roads and bridges will never be built.” When people got tired of police, they attacked them. Finally, Chadema fired their agents to get rid of the corrupt ones. If the war against corruption is anything to go by, then this was a brilliant move, but shockingly, CCM complained bitterly. If we truly want to maintain our peace, tranquility and stability, then the Igunga campaign tactics need to be checked. Somebody blaming the opposition or the opposition emulating dirty tricks, and government expecting that anti-riot police will take care of the last minute chaos is irresponsible and unsustainable. This country belongs to all of us. The day Tanzania burns, we will all be in that furnace! The Igunga madness heeds a serious warning. This is not the time to be stubborn as winning does not cleanse anybody of foul play. The country is falling apart, exactly the same as we saw in other African countries. Frankly, the Igunga by-election is nothing to be proud of. With this trend, one not need be an astrologer to predict that Tanzania will explode in 2015. God forbid! Link: http://thecitizen.co.tz/editorial-analysis/47-columnists/15830-igunga-by-election-an-embarrassment.html.