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Presidential race of ‘takrima’ polls
2005-04-20 08:01:32
By Lorna Achien’g
The forthcoming October polls are threatening to be dreaded takrima votes despite President Benjamin Mkapa’s call upon the people to steer clear of corruption to truly exercise their democratic rights.
Topical in the presidential race around the country is the debate on takrima, money some spirants for the country’s top office give to their rural hosts or those who accompany them around the country as they seek sponsors in the hottest Tanzania’s race for its fourth president, the third leader since multiparty elections in 1995.
The prospective presidents defend their takrima as gifts or act of generosity, a tenet of the African culture that a visitor enjoys at the home of his host.
But opponents of takrima criticize it as corruption, asking why it is the guest who gives a takrima instead of receiving it rom the host in consonant with the tradition.
‘’Why does it take place only during elections time?” asks Ana Kidjo Bisimba of the Human Rights.
Amidst the hullabaloo, Mkapa has called upon the people to elect their leaders on merit and not because of gifts the candidates offer. But hypocrisy abounds.
Candidates vow by the scripture of their religions to be good leaders, but what they do once in office is quite the opposite, said the President at a religious ceremony in Dar es Salaam recently.
The takrima ghost, however, has refused to go away.
There are allegations that a businessman in the country is going around, dishing money out to people.
Many candidates are alleged to be giving various forms of bribes.
Registration of voters on Tanzania Mainland ended on 18 April, throwing the elections mood into high gear.
The time just about coincided with the deadline for ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) presidential candidates to return their nomination forms with a requisite minimum number of 250 sponsors.
The party has fielded eleven presidential candidates.
In the fiercest multi-party general elections the country has ever seen, the candidates are so determined to win that they are campaigning before the official date to start doing so and are ruthless in their fight for the posts that anything goes.
The outcome of voters’ registration itself promises a heated polling ahead as Dar es Salaam Region alone has registered more voters than 100 per cent, a reflection of the enthusiasm of the electorate this time around.
The ruling party has most contenders for the State House.
They are led by ex-OAU and now Chairman of Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, Dr Salim Ahamed Salim. Then there is CCM Vice-Chairman (Mainland) John Samuel Malecela, Prime Minister Fredrick Sumaye, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Jakaya Kikwete, Prof. Mark Mwandosya who is Minister for Communication and Transport and Ilala District MP Mr Iddi Simba.
There are also Minister of State (Planning and Privatisation), Dr Abdallah Kigoda , former Tanzania’s Ambassador to Germany Ali Abeid Karume, former Tanzania’s ambassador to Russia Patrick Chokala.
Not left out in the race are Sengerema Member of Parliament, Dr William Shija and the CCM National Executive Committee (NEC) member and National Chairman of the party’s parents wing, Magalle John Shibuda.
Out of these CCM stalwarts the party will elect one to fight it out with the opposition for the presidency of the United Republic of Tanzania.
To rival the CCM presidential contender will be James Mbatia Chairman of National Concention for Construction and Reform (NCCR), Augustine Lyatonga Mrema of Tanzania Liberal Party and the Civic United Front (CUF) National Chairman, Prof.
Ibrahim Haruna Lipumba. There is also Chairman of United Democratic Party John Momose Cheyo, a comic who talks of stuffing people’s pockets with dough.
Equally determined to give CCM a fight of its life for Ikulu’s glory, is youthful Sengondo Mvungi, dean of faculty of law at University of Dar es Salaam.
In fact, by the look of things, the opposition is yet to marshal if full assault squad.
Despite Mkapa’s caution for the people to guard against bribes and chose upright leaders, times are hard for many and money could be what will decided who occupies Tanzania’s State House for the fourth time in its independence history since 1961.
Inflation is around 6 per cent against the average per capital income of about 250,000/- at a time when food prices soar and school fees in private schools stagger at about 300,000/-German Paul, a woman of 28 years says, ‘’Nobody could refuse money.
I am running short of money for my basic needs such as buying clothes and other things.”
For people like Paul the future of the nation is immaterial.
What matters is the present, stuffing the bellies with a delicious meal washed down with a glass of gin.
He leaves no doubt whether he has any qualms about taking a bribe because bribe-money means a rosy tomorrow.
‘’If a presidential or parliamentary hopeful approaches me with money, I will take it.
There is no way one can throw out a fortune, which comes his way so easily.”
But what Godfrey August says shows that there are still many Tanzanians determined to go to the polls along the path of integrity, leaving the takrima-candidates with a dim hope of getting their votes.
‘’I will not allow politicians to buy my vote with money,” the 22-year old August says. Having read newspapers extensively August says he now knows “some basic concepts of democracy and my rights.‘’
There are many others with a stance like that of August. A 23-year old John Pius will not take a bribe of any kind from a presidential aspirant for fear of losing his basic and democratic right to vote for a candidate he likes.
“The chance of elections comes to the people rarely. I therefore do not want to play with my vote,” says Pius.
Still, August is afraid that takrima will still win hearts and severely divide votes. There are many people with no jobs who will find it hard to resist money and give their votes to a candidate they know to be useless.
In support of August, another Dar es Salaam resident says, “Whether we like it or not, many poor and distressed youths will vote for corrupt aspirants.
He advises that it is wrong to apportion blames of corruption.
Instead, it would be best to free the people from distress to protect them against voting into office corrupt people as national leaders.
“What is important to these people is not using the elections time to build a better future for the country.
They are interested in what the presidential aspirant is ready to offer them,” he notes.
Observers see the takrima cult threatening the country with a new corrupt government, making the fight against the vice even harder after Mkapa is gone.
The free economic field where the rich get richer in an uneven field of economy has attracted business sharks who will seek for the leverage of the State House by all means, ignoring Mkapa’s warning against corruption as totally irrelevant in the ruthlessly competitive world of today.
In the short time between now and the polls day, not many economic problems will go away no matter what the government may do.
It is personal integrity that matters and August warns fellow citizen to be firm and principled on their propriety for the nation’s pride.
“It is dangerous to sell your vote to a bad person because you will be the one who will suffer most from that persons’ bad decisions and poor work,” he says and adds, ‘’So think twice before making the decision.”
Many people agree with the President that if Tanzania wants peace it has to watch out for people who go to them dangling the takrima card.
A 34-year old Nuru Dikko who vows never to take a takrima cautions others that no honest and true leader will seek people’s support through corrupt means.
‘’If a person does that, the person is not a good leader,” says the resident of Dar es Salaam.
But when a prospective leader offers a bribe in the form of food to a hungry member of the electorate, listening to such advice is hard.
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