Tanzania: Why the US should Spare Africa of Intimidation
By Special Correspondent, Kampala – Intimidating independent nations across the developing nations is part of what the US defines as international democracy. They have caused endless atrocities in Africa, Asia and Latin America in that name.
They have assassinated Presidents, overthrown governments and provoked violence in many places. To them, the argument would be and is always democracy.
What is democracy to the US is something of a mystery-they have sabotaged democratically elected leaders, they have overthrown the leaders who were really transforming their countries and who bring about stability in those nations.
The Obama and now Trump administrations were believed to bring about changes to that old but stubborn US policy. The reality on the ground unveils continuation of the past. The recent statement of the US Embassy to Tanzania on elections and democracy in Tanzania is yet another testimony that things are all the same.
I did my post graduate studies in Dar es Salaam so I follow trends in Tanzania. I understand that on sunday12, this year, electorates in Buyungu constituency, Kakonko district in Kigoma region, Tanzania thronged polling stations to cast their votes to elect an MP in a by-election following the death of the area’s former MP Kasuku Bilago who passed away in May, this year.
After the voting, Eng. Christopher Chiza of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the ruling pay, emerged the winner with 24,578 votes (58.7 per cent) against his closest rival from Chadema, Mr Elia Michael, who garnered 16,910 votes, equivalent to 40.41per cent of the total votes and openly conceded defeat.
On the same day, the ruling CCM won 36 seats for local councillors in by-elections conducted in different wards and clinched 41 others unopposed. It should be understood that the late Bilago belonged to opposition party Chadema.
Soon after the polls when responding to questions from journalists, the Secretary General of CCM, Dr Bashiru Ally, boasted and declared that the secret behind the victory was due to the fact that the party was responding and addressing to problems facing the ordinary people.
Few days after the by-elections and to the surprise of many people including myself, the Embassy of the United States of America issued a statement claiming that the polls were marred with violence and irregularities.
The move by the US embassy amounts to blatant meddling of third world and Tanzania’s independence and internal affairs which are protected through Article 3 (1) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977.
Announcing the results, the District Returning Officer, Mr Lusubilo Mwakibibi, said a total 42,356 votes were cast, 41841 out of which were valid while the remaining 515 were invalid.
A total of 10 candidates featured in the election but failed to make it due to stiff competition between the winner and the candidate from the main opposition party Chadema.
It is apparent that the statement by the embassy in the aftermath of the by-elections aimed at tarnishing the image of Tanzania to its people and in the international community.
Given the fact that the United States has diplomatic ties with Tanzania it could have used proper diplomatic channels to engage local authorities rather than issuing a press statement.
The move by the US embassy, according to diplomatic circles, tantamount into interfering in Tanzania’s independence, inciting violence and eventually disturbing peace, harmony and unity which the country has enjoyed for years.
It is a well-known fact that Tanzania is an independent and democratic country with an electoral commission which is charged with supervising elections as per the constitution, laws, regulations and rules of elections and thus no country should meddle in its affairs.
Unlike General Elections held after every five year for Presidency, Members of Parliament and Local Councillors which are monitored by local and foreign observers, by-elections are hardy monitored by these observers.
One may thus wonder as where officials at the American embassy got such information of “Credible accounts of election violence and irregularities include refusal by National Election Commission authorities to register opposition candidates.”
In the statement, the US embassy further claimed that there was intimidation by police of opposition party members, unwarranted arrests, and suppression of freedoms of assembly and speech in the lead up to the by-elections.
Summing it up that; “Such actions undermine the rights that Tanzania’s Constitution guarantees its citizens and jeopardize peace, stability, and security in the country and throughout the region”.
Instead of pointing fingers at the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and police in the press statement, if indeed guided by sober motives, the embassy could have engaged the government, NEC and police to hear the other side of the story but that did not happen.
What is more, electoral legislations in Tanzania are very clear that any person or party who is not contented by the election processes should engage the courts of law for remedy; however, not even the losers in the election have expressed any intention to contest the results so far.
It is thus obvious that the “blanket claims” by the US embassy do not hold any water because even the so claimed criminal acts which were reported in pockets of areas are being dealt with by responsible authorities.
During the nomination process, a total of 25 appeals had been made by candidates and were all worked on by the electoral commission, the process was transparent to ensure laws and regulations were being adhered to.
Put that aside and focus a bit on American’s political scientist Jesse Rhodes who wrote that “America itself is no stranger to election violence”.
In an article which appeared in The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit media outlet that uses content sourced from academics and researchers, the political scientist squarely blamed President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric for invoking a long history of political violence in America.
The associate professor was of a view that the 2016 American presidential campaign had renewed concerns about the spectre of violence in American electoral politics, stressing that the poll was marked by tense—and occasionally violent—altercations between supporters and critics of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
According to the political scientist, Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to “knock the crap” out of protesters, and even suggested he would pay the legal fees of followers who assaulted his critics.
“It would be comforting to conclude that the menace of violence surrounding the 2016 presidential election is unique. But my research on the history of voting rights in the United States suggests that this is far from the case.
“Indeed, the threat and execution of violence around elections has a long, sad history in American politics,” Mr Rhodes states in the article.
According to the scholar, violent conflict surrounding elections goes all the way back to the beginning of American history.
As I open off over 300 newspapers across the US are petitioning for free speech following Trumps recurring assault and defamatory remarks on the media. Still you read from madam ambassador claiming free speech is curtailed in Tanzania and other African countries.
Looking at the three scenarios, it is suffice to say that no country should meddle into the independence and affairs of other countries since each state may have its own issues which can be solved by machineries stipulated in the constitution rather than irresponsible statements from foreign countries.
*The author is a political scientist based in Kampala, Uganda
