No need for registering new political parties in Tanzania?
By Elias Mhegera – Although he did not suggest a stoppage of such registrations but he warned that a good number of registered parties will wither away through a process of ‘natural attrition’, and therefore paving way to the consolidated parties particularly the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA).
CCK’s chairman Constantine Akitanda and the party secretary general Renatus Muhabi displays a sample of their party’s flag to journalists and other onlookers.
He was commenting to Shout-Africa.com exclusively after being asked his opinion following the registration of a 19th political party in Tanzania, the Chama Cha Kijamii (CCK). The party was issued with a provisional registration certificate in July 2010 after the de-registration of the Chama Cha Jamii (CCJ) whose big number of followers has moved to a newly formed CCK.
The CCJ had caused a lot of mayhem to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) prior to the General Election in 2010, after it was claimed that a good number of its new members were to crossover from that dominant party which has remained in power since the independence of Mainland Tanzania.
Meanwhile the CCK’s chairman Constantine Akitanda has boasted that his party will come up with a new agenda despite of skepticism from a big number of Tanzanians. Of recent many political observers have been suggesting that there was a need to strengthen existing parties by identifying one which could succeed CCM sooner or later.
Falling in the line of thinking of his party boss, is Renatus Muhabi the party’s secretary general, who was once holding the same post in the CCJ, argues that the idea of registering a new party is rational because non of the existing parties including the CCM adheres to what the fathers of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere and Abeid Amani Karume stood for.
For instance he claims that of recent many parties in Tanzania have been using a lot of funds including the use of choppers during general elections, and by-elections a sign that they are now distancing themselves from the downtrodden people.
He also charged that these parties lack the requisite policies that reflect visions that were enshrined in the Arusha Declaration Blue Print document that set aside ethics and code of conducts to leaders of Tanzania; he claims that this is one reason for the ever growing rampant corruption in the country.
“Today indigenous people of Tanzania are sidelined, investments are not for the benefit of the majority but for few unscrupulous politicians, even if corruption scandals are reported in the media stern measures are not taken against the culprits,” he commented.
He reflected the name of his party ‘jamii’ meaning that the main target of his party is to fulfill the desires of the majority poor, meaning the society of the majority downtrodden people.
He also charged that during Nyerere’s era he had abolished mining which could not benefit Tanzanians but currently the mining sector is full fledged but not beneficial as it was anticipated by the majority.
