By Cyprian Nyamwamu via FB
Tanzania ???????? suffers a very acute democratic deficit.
It remains essentially a single party state that allows for the ornamental participation of several emasculated and impotent parties in order to claim the label of being a multiparty democracy. But it’s not a democratic state or society of any shade or form especially under the highly intolerant if not fascist Magufuli administration.
What is happening there today on October 28th, 2020, that is generally called elections is a ritual that CCM permits as I said in order to claim that CCM is in power legitimately. However It’s not an election at all and doesn’t meet even the most basic threshold for being termed a democratic election.
Tanzania should just settle for the system the Chinese use where CCM becomes the only party where delegates are elected upwards to national conference that elects the Union President. That, or they, the people of Tanzania decide to institute genuine reforms that truly save them from the pangs of repression, oppression and violations the monolithic organization called CCM continues to unleash on the nation with abandon continously.
Comments:
Anne Kathurima: It’s beyond democratic deficit Bro. Actually it’s a Consitutional deficiency anomaly. Their Constitution is the biggest deterence, for example it has no EDR mechanism n i believe its time we stepped into that space n help them. Otherwise they’ll suffer every electoral cycle until end of World if the Constitution is nt ammended. Felix Odhiambo, kuna kazi Tz
Charles Patterson Otwori: East Africa is a boiling pot. Uganda and Rwanda are military dictatorships, Tanzania a Pseudo Multiparty dictatorships, Burundi is under tribal military elites, Somalia is under fundamentalist gangs. Kenya is under corrupt elite that has captured state security apparatus to help it cling to power. We have no where to find freedom.
Gilbert Muyumbu: True Mtumishi Cyprian Nyamwamu. Tanzania has a serious democratic deficit. But this goes a long way. Magufuli has only worsened it. But the seeds were laid way back in the first republic, which adopted an imperial presidency and weakened society in building Ujamaa. So you have Ujamaa on the one hand doing the good things that it did around eliminating primordial identities, but on the other it exposed society to the sort of tyranny we are witnessing today. I think Nyerere should have done more during his retirement in moving the country away from the tyranny he had already exposed it to.
Lucy Minayo: I agree. Senior Counsel Fatuma Karume argues that the party is fused with the State legally and practically and having observed elections in the country a while back, I agree. This is where we were a couple of decades ago with KANU and our constitution ensured real political reforms. On the happenings today, it is unfortunate that the election is a mirage and Tanzanians will need to work hard to untangle CCM from the State for them to realize true democracy.
Jared Ongeri: They, Tanzanians, are at the level they need to be. Over time, they will get there. After all, what is the difference in Kenya? We elect a president but end up being ruled by the looser? Both countries have challenges and should work towards solving them.
Joey Masire: Actually I think kenyas problems are major, marred with corruption, highest level of impunity couple that with violence, tanzania is still way ahead from the shenanigans we call election.
Before we castigate tanzania we should deal with the shit that is Kenya, ours is retrogressive, marred with impunity and just like tanzania the govt controls which puppet becomes president, we’ve never had an election since “kibaki tosha” times, so begore we cast stones so far, let’s deal with our own SHIT
Sospeter Gichane: Cyprian, in my very personal view, better a positive dictatorship than a hypocritical democracy like we purport to have in places like ours. I believe the vsion, heart and person of the top most leader of a nation remains a key factor in its growth outside strong institutions like we put up in kenya. To me, democracies are sham if the growth of countries like singapore and china are anything to go. See rwanda and their growth rate today under an authoritarian Kagame. I admire Magufuli style outside his dislike kenya.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM