Author: DEUS NGOWI
AfricaPress-Tanzania: RENOWNED pan-Africanist and anti-corruption crusader, Prof Patrick Lumumba has confidently expressed his optimism that President John Magufuli will be re-elected for the second term.
Ahead of the much-awaited 2020 General Election slated for October 28, PLO Lumumba, a Kenyan law professor, asserted that other candidates from the ruling party, CCM, will overwhelmingly be elected as the opposition has nothing to offer.
Prof Lumumba said that after reflecting on what Tanzania has been going through, he has no even a grain of doubt that Tanzanians will maintain their trust in JPM and the ruling party due to many achievements registered in the five years that the fifth phase government has been in power.
The Director of the Kenya School of Laws, who once served as the Director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, said opposition parties that are from time to time being registered have failed to convince the electorate of what better they can offer than CCM, hence they will remain in the periphery, and grumpy.
“Let me say explicitly now, CCM is going to win massively, President (John) Magufuli has accomplished a lot. These opposition parties that are being formed and registered have nothing new nor do they show any reason why they should be given power, but have very minor validations and are full of unjustified grumbles,” said PLO Lumumba.
He was speaking at a webinar event organised by the East African Law Society (EALS) dubbed ‘Riding the Tiger in Tanzania: A Search for Democratic and Governance Paradigm – Reflections on Tanzania’s Historic Journey as a Liberating Space in Africa and the State of the Art’ systematised from Nairobi, Kenya.
Professor Lumumba said almost all the opposition parties in Tanzania and their leaders have failed to come up with alternative policies and are without anything to convince the electorate that they could be better than the ruling party.
He said their leaders and contestants in the election are full of emotions, ambiguity and hypocrisy.
“These parties that are being formed from day to day have nothing new or useful to offer. Even here in Kenya, everybody in the opposition and opposition parties want to be in the government; it is not possible. They are full of emotions, ambiguity and hypocrisy,” said the admirer of assassinated Zaire President Patrice Lumumba and Burkina Faso counterpart, Mr Thomas Sankara.
The eloquent lawyer who holds a PhD in Laws of the Sea from the University of Ghent in Belgium preceded by LLB (Literally Legum Baccalaureus) and LLM (Legum or Legum Magister) gave the opposition 15 to 20 years to be intelligent enough to ascend to the throne, but only if CCM declines in its aptitude.
He was of the opinion that utterances he recently heard from the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Freeman Mbowe; the party’s proposed presidential candidate, Mr Tundu Lissu and ACT Wazalendo Leader, Zitto Kabwe complaining of shrinking political and civil spaces are worthless and are as noises that could not destabilise the authorities.
PLO said there is no freedom without accountability and limit, so the opposition leaders should make sure that they abide with the laws that were put in place by people’s representatives in the Parliament.
If one is not happy with the law they could initiate the process, according to the constitution to get rid of them. He said that as leaders they should not keep complaining and expressing baseless claims and attacking President Magufuli unjustifiably.
They should, instead, come up with proper alternative policies that could show the electorate that they can do better than President Magufuli and the ruling party.
The scholar said that it is time that Tanzanians and Africans generally ask themselves if there is a need for multipartyism that was forced on the continent by super powers of Europe.
He said in future there will be discussion on the matter and resolve if it is possible to go without even a single political party and yet people retain the right to elect leaders.
He coined an opinion that it would be difficult for opposition parties in Africa to oust the ruling parties, saying as many voters are from the rural populations they still have ideas of founding presidents in Mwalimu Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Sam Nujoma of Namibia as their leadership keep ringing in their minds.
He blamed many scholars in East Africa and beyond who have been educated by Europeans for embracing their wicked ideas about democracy that multipartism is an icon of democracy.
He said there are some people speaking of liberation, but questioned what country is still under colonialism. PLO Lumumba expressed his concerns that having many parties in Africa has resulted in wars and chaos and cited countries such as Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Togo, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
He said what is needed is democracy in that people are given freedom of expression and choosing leaders but there should also be a limit. Tanzania was chosen by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) as a liberation centre in 1963.
Prof Lumumba recited former Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah who said the fundamental issue was wellness of the people and others could come later.
He urged the media to adhere to the laws of the land, whether are affiliated to the ruling party or some of the opposition, saying the proposition by Edmund Burke in the UK Parliament in 1787 that press and news media was a fourth estate should not make journalists be carried away.
He reminded them of former Sierra Leone President, Major General Joseph Momoh that a journalist’s pen, if badly used, was deadlier than a soldier’s gun. He made reference to Rwandan genocide that was incited by some sections of the media.
He was echoed by Dr George Gona who said that as some discussions have emerged about the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Nyerere, JPM’s name is as well surfacing because their deeds resemble. It will therefore be difficult for the opposition to beat Mwalimu’s CCM in the October general election.
The discussion was regulated by Mr Barrack Muluka who holds a Master of Arts Degree in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communications and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics, all from the University of Nairobi.
