Several Swahili newspapers reported in October that during elections for leadership positions in CCM’s mass organisations there had been further dissension. The party’s Central Committee and National Executive Committee (NEC) rejected certain prominent candidates. Party members wanted to know why they had disqualified Musoma Rural (MP) Nimrod Mkono for the party’s Parents’ Wing (Wazazi) and a final decision was postponed. For the CCM Women’s Wing a controversial candidate had stated that she wanted to withdraw from the race because of ‘corruption and dirty campaigning’ but was eventually allowed to stand. For the Youth Wing (UVCCM), it was decided that the chairman should come from Zanzibar and that a controversial candidate named Nape Nnauye, who had been expelled earlier as a member allegedly for uttering unproved statements against the party’s senior leaders, should not be allowed to stand. But he remains a National Executive Committee (NEC) member.

CCM’s Secretary General Yusuf Makamba was criticised following the by-election defeat (see below) but no action was taken – Majira.

Government reacts forcefully

Mwana Halisi published a story to the effect that several top CCM officials were plotting to make it difficult for President Kikwete to win the next election in 2010. The Government then asked Mwana Halisi to show reason why steps should not be taken against it over this conspiracy story. In the past the paper had been warned several times about its radical stories according to Majira.

One day after this the State House Director of Communications, Salva Rweyemamu, told the press that the story was a pack of lies aimed at tarnishing the image of Kikwete and his family (his son was mentioned in the story), while instigating hatred among the leadership. He said allegations were a figment of imagination of the newspaper aimed at boosting its sales. Meanwhile, one of the politicians named in the story filed a lawsuit against the editor of the paper, Saed Kubenea, as well as its publishers and printers.

Kubenea said he stood by his story and was prepared to meet the bigwigs in court – Mwananchi.

Mwana Halisi was then banned for three months by the government.

Demonstrators at the protest

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It is virtually unknown for Tanzania’s formidable ruling CCM party to lose a parliamentary by-election but, on October 13 it happened – in Tarime, Mara region. The by-election was caused by the death of the controversial CHADEMA MP Chacha Wangwe who died in a car crash (TA 91). The new MP Charles Mwera (CHADEMA) got 34,545 out of 64,795 votes cast at 406 balloting centers. 2,938 votes were spoilt. At least 149,919 voters had registered for the by-election and were expected to vote. CCM’s candidate got 28,996 and two minor parties got 949 votes and 305 votes respectively.

In a parallel council election CHADEMA also triumphed by 4,820 votes to 3,239.

Voting was peaceful but the campaign was one of the hottest on record. The CCM sent some of its top people to campaign and spent a vast sum of money in trying to regain the seat from the opposition even though CHADEMA has only ten seats in the National Assembly and CCM has most of the remaining 222. There was sporadic violence. The leader of a small party was stoned and injured as he was addressing an election rally, a group of CHADEMA supporters were beaten up.

Freedom Mbowe (leader of CHADEMA) speaking at the Tarime by-elections (photo courtesy Mussa Juma http://haki-hakingowi.blogspot.com)

When CHADEMA leader Freeman Mbowe arrived in Tarime to campaign he was greeted by thousands of party members and accompanied by a procession of some 200 motorbikes and cars. Three kilometres from the town he left his car and started marching with the crowd, entering the town in style as people chanted: “commander, commander”. Mbowe was in his signature khaki safari suit. Police said that CHADEMA had ‘declared war’ on them and that the party’s supporters stoned police and smashed their vehicles, as they were dispersing an unlawful assembly – Mwananchi and all other Swahili newspapers.

British High Commissioner Philip Parham and ambassadors Staffan Herrstrom (Sweden) and Janeth Siddall (Canada) with the Head of the Police Special Unit, Commander Venance Tossi. The ambassadors visited Tarime during the run up to the by-election and met with the police and the consituency returning officer (photo Mussa Juma)

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Kanga on sale in Dar-es-Salaam

‘We share America’s excitement in Obama’ wrote the Tanzanian Guardian’s editor, the morning after the historic American election results came out. The paper went on: ‘Americans have spoken – and spoken well. The world is genuinely excited for the United States, whose election has made history by producing a black president, and for the world as a whole….Indeed President-elect Barack Obama’s victory is not only an inspiration to millions of people all over the world but also has special resonance with the people of Africa, where his Kenyan father originated.

Another significant fact is that Americans have taken us through a major lesson in democracy – and this is that, despite the intensity of the contest and the stakes for the contestants, they have come out of it gracefully and truly tested.

One lesson that African politicians must take note of comes from the telephone call made to President-elect Obama by his main rival, Republican Party candidate John McCain. In that call, McCain acknowledged defeat with dignity and went on to concede the historic significance of Obama’s victory to the American people and their country`s politics. “I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him (Obama) but offering our next president our goodwill, `” McCain stated.

That is how politicians in Africa should conduct themselves if our democracy is to grow to maturity and stabilise the continent……We wish the new US president and the American people well.

A contribution by Lawrence Cockcroft with the assistance of Gerald Belkin, and Ralph Ibbott.

In responding to a call from the late Julius Nyerere in 1960 to people to work hard and work together on farming in the interest of the country’s development, a small group of the TANU Party Youth League (TYL) led by Ntimbanjayo John Millinga (see obituary below) established, in the Litowa valley in Songea District, what became known later as the Ruvuma Development Association (RDA). Millinga had a vision of developing a village where its families, by working together, would improve their lives and provide a better future for their children.

From this small start in 1961 other groups came for advice and as a result the RDA was formed. All members had agreed that a large part of the work would be carried out communally. In 1966 Griff Cunningham, the Principal of Kivukoni College wrote, “An unique set of circumstances prevailed in the RDA, for the founder and chief sustaining drive behind the settlements is undoubtedly Ntimbanjayo Millinga…(who) has provided a genuinely charismatic leadership from the beginning and has, by his messianic zeal, created a small group of disciples.”

The RDA type villages came to be known as ujamaa villages which soon attracted considerable attention. President Nyerere became very interested. He began to see it as a pattern for the rural development of Tanzania. In the villages and the association there was always much practical discussion, which often led to new enterprises. From past experience, the people knew that if their children went far enough in the school system, they generally went off to work in the big city. This led to them setting up a school at Litowa for the children from all the RDA villages. Millinga’s position had enabled him to select a fine person to be head of this school and to get the authority from Nyerere for them to develop their own curriculum suitable for the needs of the villages.

Discussions also led to the questioning of the law which only allowed the sale of people’s excess maize to the local inefficient co-operative which sold maize flour at more than three times the price at which it purchased the grain. A better price for them would mean earning more development capital. This led to them buying out the Songea grain mill. President Nyerere helped with this purchase by donating Tsh 90,000/- Later the association also purchased the timber mill. Continue reading →