|
Is the opposition overwhelmed by Kikwete’s tsunami?
2005-05-16 07:20:39
By Hillary Joseph
It is nearly two weeks today since Chama Cha Mapinduzi nominated Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete their flag bearer in the race to the State House come October this year.
There are all indications that the ruling party has nominated the right candidate.
The euphoria that accompanied the nomination of Kikwete at Chimwaga in Dodoma and engulfs almost the whole country is testimony to that.
To say that the battle for the nomination to fly the CCM colours in the presidential race was tough is to make an understatement of the decade, if not the century.
There were eleven very strong contestants with devastating credentials, which made predictions almost impossible to venture into.
They went into the first sieve and five went through.
A few tears were shed after the first sieve, and that was when most people began to realise that it was hopeless to try to enter into the betting game.
Only hard core gamblers ventured into putting bets on one candidate against the others.
It was also an indication of how serious the CCM organs responsible for the screening of the aspirants were in choosing the best out of the best.
Two more fell at the second stage where the sieve holes got much smaller.
Even the hard-core gamblers now began to give up because high profile names were cancelled out.
And on the final day, some people sat beside their television or radio sets watching or listening to the live broadcasts of the proceedings from Chimwaga hall in Dodoma, the capital designate, until finally the name of Kikwete came out to a tumultuous welcome.
The nomination process of the CCM aspirants for the presidential battle mesmerized the whole country.
CCM members, supporters and fans (if there is any difference) were eager to know their candidate.
But even the staunchest members of the other political parties were also eager to know the CCM candidate. And the reason was not hard to understand.
It is an open secret that most people, including the opposition, believe that the CCM candidate for the presidential race will most probably be our next President.
One thing stood out loud and clear, though, which was appreciated by all and sundry.
Invited dignitaries and political parties from outside and foreign envoys in the country took their hats off to CCM\'s democratic way of nominating their candidate.
Again, even those in the opposition had to give credit, even if reluctantly, to the democratic process maintained by the ruling party in the nomination.
And the opposition was duly urged to borrow a leaf from CCM.
That is now history, a remarkable history, indeed.
What makes this history interesting is that it sets in motion another exciting scenario, that is preparations of the ground for the battle of battles, or, as the former Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein would say, the mother of all battles, next October.
The ruling party knows it, and the opposition political parties know it too.
The individual candidates are also aware of it, or they should if they are serious.
I am sure CCM members and supporters are not taking it for granted that it is going to be smooth sailing for them.
Indeed, it will be folly for CCM to allow complacency to overwhelm them, their seemingly strong candidate notwithstanding.
For those lovers of soccer, isn’t it often that big and stronger teams are humiliated by nonentity teams?
Haven't we seen superior teams the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United being beaten by First or even Third division teams in the English FA Cup?
Closer at home, haven't we witnessed Yanga or Simba being beaten by relatively small teams the likes of Toto Africa?
One can say that October is near, but far, or the other way round.
The opposition may seem weak now, especially after learning that they have a Goliath as their adversary.
Anything can happen in between now and October and the opposition may find that they have a David in their midst.
I apologise to those not familiar with the Bible for this analogy.
And I sincerely wish that the opposition find their David. They can even make or create their own David by forging a united front and together help their David make the sling and supply him with the stones.
Alas!! This has been and it seems that it will remain to be a cry in the wilderness. They are simply not listening.
Political bubbles have it that some of the opposition political parties were eagerly waiting for the CCM to make the mistake of 'dropping off' people like Kikwete in their nomination process so that they sign them on and declare them their presidential candidates.
Like the story of the hyena and the man, the man’s hands did not drop off for the hyena to have its dinner.
In this case, CCM saw the hyena following them and got wise.
Worst of all, the nomination of Kikwete seems to have disoriented the opposition soundly, so much so that they have lost their agenda and, sadly, perhaps unknowingly, singing the CCM agenda.
Look at the way they waste their precious time picking on small non-issues with the ruling party in an effort to win …what? Sympathy perhaps.
But how many ordinary Tanzanians understand the intricacies of the advertising through the congratulatory messages in the print and electronic media.
After all, after the 'crushing' response from the government, what next? When Prof. Ibrahim Lipumba and Seif Shariff Hamad were nominated by their party, the Civic United Front (CUF) last month to represent their party in the race for the Union and Zanzibar presidency respectively, didn't they march to the Jangwani grounds in their thousands in the name of introducing (kuwatambulisha) them to their members? So, what is wrong with CCM introducing their candidates?
Wouldn’t it have been better for the opposition to lie low, as it were, for a while or at least until the euphoria of Kikwete's nomination died down before they came up with some well planned strategy to win back their members and supporters who we hear are now crossing over to CCM?
Of course, leaders of some of the ‘strong’ opposition parties are denying that they are not cowed and badly jolted by Kikwete's nomination.
But at this point, who believes them? In fact, to most people their denials only help to confirm that they are, indeed, intimidated.
In other words, they are still being tossed out and about by the Kikwete tsunami and dancing to CCM tunes.
Please, for democracy’s sake, let the opposition come up with their own agenda.
|
