After poll gains I would consolidate myself

We are witnessing quite some exciting times. The political climes are changing. Opposition parties, Chadema and the Civil United Front (CUF) have made agreeable gains in the just-ended general elections while very questionable things have been coming from the ruling party, CCM and its government.

Political pundits have felt that CCM has for long been engaged in political self-destruct. It has been conducting political hara-kiri, thinking it could always manipulate Tanzanians and literally get away with murder. The people, through their votes are saying no. Not anymore.

I don’t know whether it’s a heightened sense of euphoria on the part of the opposition or ill advice. But Chadema has come out and said that they don’t recognize the results of the presidential elections in which the Prez, Jack Mrisho Kikwete, has been given the go-ahead to continue with the job for his final five-year stint.

If I was a member of the opposition, I would, of course, voice my serious misgivings about the results. I mean, everyone in Bongo is questioning – what has happened to millions of votes in the presidential votes which simply ‘disappeared’. Word in the street is that the figures were crudely messaged by the National Election Commission (NEC).

Even the state organs, like sekyuliti, have been implicated. They have snarled their denial. But then, they would do that, wouldn’t they?

Everyone with common sense in Tanzania knows this is the last dime for the NEC. I doubt if it will last another 12 months. And I think that is what the opposition should be fighting – the scrapping of that one-party supremacy anachronism called NEC.

If I was in the opposition, I would also mobilize for a strong movement for a new constitution. Not for the review, but the drafting of a brand new constitution. This colonial joke we call the constitution should go – fasta!

It is ridiculous. What we have got here is a constitution for a monarchy. The president is almost God. He reins over us mortals at will. We are all ruled and exist at his pleasure. Thank God we have had relatively level-headed God-fearing rulers since independence. What if we would be unfortunate and get murderous clowns as rulers, you wonder.

If I was the opposition, I would consolidate by intensifying the ‘Operation Sangara’, which everyone knows has borne fantastic results. I would concentrate on civil and parliamentary mobilization. Aim for more legislators in Parliament. Then, come 2015 we would have expected change.

You see, one would have thought that the focus should be of the big picture, not one passport size photo. On winning the wider war, not a battle. Whether you like it or not, the ruling CCM has been thumped on the nose.

Now, thumps to the nose are usu

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ally very painful, especially to people who have been used to riding roughshod over others. Bullies.

Ideology is dead, you see. There is only the ideology - of making money. The campaigns for office have been not about improving peoples’ lives. One side people knows that by saying they want to fight and improve the lives of their people, the candidates were actually meaning the lives of their own bank accounts and that of their families.

We have a start. But, come 2015 people will ask what development has been introduced in their constituencies. That’s a good start. If there is nothing to show for it, then they should be kicked out and make way for those more capable of delivering!