|
Chadema buys choppers ahead of poll
2005-07-22 07:51:24
By Mwondoshah Mfanga
Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) says it has purchased various election materials including helicopters, several small cars, motorbikes and bicycles to ease mobility in this year’s general election.
Chadema Secretary-General Dr Wilbroad Slaa told The Guardian in a telephone interview that the party has embarked on measures to equip itself as a step towards facilitating mobility during the October 30 elections.
He said the materials bought include cars, bicycles and motorbikes, but would not divulge their number and value. However, he refused to comment anything on the helicopter purchases.
’’It is true we have purchased election materials including some cars, motorbikes and bicycles, but I wouldn’t like to comment on their number and value,’’ Dr Slaa, who is notable for his staunch stand and vocal behaviour in Parliament, said.
He hastened to add: ’’Nevertheless, we have decided to put ourselves corpulent because as an opposition party we are facing up the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), a party, which has been in power for generations, while we are only a small and juvenile organisation.’’
Impeccable sources within Chadema, however, told this paper this week that the party had bought at least 56 new cars, 80 motorbikes, 700 bicycles and two helicopters.
Asked to give the value of the materials, Dr Slaa said he was not in a position to divulge either the number or the amount of money.
However, he said the money came from both the party’s members and its friendly organisations under the International Democratic Union (IDU).
Dr Slaa said from the same financial and personnel assistance, his party had trained legislature and council aspirants from different parts of the country.
The training was given by friendly parties from Great Britain and Norway and conducted at Morogoro, Mwanza, Babati and Iringa for 200 parliamentary aspirants.
’’Just as CCM has friendly relations with socialist parties, we also have friends in the democratic world who are assisting us,’’ Dr Slaa, who is currently the MP for Karatu, said.
Meanwhile, he divulged that Chadema has already picked nomination forms from the National Electoral Commission (NEC) for its presidential candidate.
This makes the number of parties, which have collected the forms so far to reach eight.
He said they were yet to fill them because they ’’are still grappling with the primary electoral process.’’
’’Yes, it is true that we have collected presidential nomination forms from NEC, but have not started filling them because we are still working on the primary election,’’ he said.
Other parties, which have picked up the nomination forms, include Demokrasia Makini (Makini), National League for Democracy (NLD), Civic United Front (CUF) and NCCR-Mageuzi.
Others include the Democratic Party (DP), Tanzania Democratic Alliance (Tadea) and Tanzania Labour Party (TLP).
|
