Former President Jakaya Kikwete
Dar es Salaam. Former President Jakaya Kikwete’s call on Africa’s ruling political parties not to view opposition outfits as enemies but rather as partners has been well received back home.
Speaking to The Citizen on separate phone interviews yesterday, political scientists and commentators said the advice served as a wakeup call at a time when democratic space in the country was shrinking.
Discussing a paper presented on Thursday by former Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa, Prof Barney Pityana, on Good Governance and Rule of Law at the African Leadership Forum 2017 meeting in Johannesburg, Mr Kikwete challenged continent’s political parties to co-exist amicably.
He said instead of viewing the opposition as enemies, they should rather be treated as partners in fostering democratic principles based on rule of law. A political analyst from the Ruaha Catholic University (Rucu), Prof Gaudence Mpangala, said President Kikwete’s statement was commendable.
He noted that it was important that the statement came from him, being a senior member of ruling CCM will help in solving the current political stalemate in the country.
“I support the statement issued by Kikwete. There is a big problem and we need to find a solution on how to deal with it,” he said, adding “continuing to prohibit opposition politicians to freely conduct their activities in the country is tantamount to depriving the people’s right to development.”
Prof Mpangala explained that many problems facing Africa can have their roots traced to limiting of democratic principles.
University of Dar es Salaam Political Science lecturer Richard Mbunda said what President Kikwete advised was a reflection of what he has been doing in his ten years of presidency.
“We have achieved a great deal in promoting democracy and rule of law in the recent past, but now we are in reverse gear. We must return to the right direction,” he said adding, “This attitude of the ruling elite to take opposition as enemies is forcing the opposition to see the government in the same way. We are all working to build the same house here, it’s a joint work.”
For his part, the national coordinator of Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Ole Ngurumwa, said Mr Kikwete’s statement is a strong lesson for political players in the continent but especially in Tanzania.
He called on other former leaders to come out openly and address the matter and advise the opposition not to shy away from reaching out to President John Magufuli and seek an audience with him to sort out the current state of affairs. “Kenya offers us a good example in this area. The opposition there enjoys democratic space and it has helped in defusing tension and boost development activities.
For his part, the secretary of Politics and International Affairs for ruling party CCM Col Ngemela Lubinga said they support President Kikwete’s call and CCM doesn’t treat the opposition as enemies.
He said CCM played a key role in restoration of multi-party democracy in the country and therefore it was impossible for them to treat the opposition as enemies. “The only enmity, if there’s any for that matter, is in pursuit of votes during elections. Yes, the government has banned political rallies and demos to let people concentrate in productive activities. For those who lament that they are routinely arrested, the question is, if they had won the polls would they let others disrupt them?”
Meanwhile, addressing his party’s annual general meeting yesterday, ACT-Wazalendo party leader and Kigoma Urban MP Zitto Kabwe said democracy is part of what makes Tanzania a country that it is and called on Tanzanians not to accept leaders who want to divide them along political lines.
“We should defend our democracy by all means…we should say no to leaders who are trying to suppress the opposition in the country. We should understand what opposition politics is all about and appreciate it for its role in our development endeavours.”
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