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CCM rallies: Shows of power and fervent entertainment
2005-09-15 07:12:57
By Ludger Kasumuni
Political campaigns when conducted in a cheerful and peaceful manner normally provide a platform for entertaining the audience.
The cheerful campaigns tend to act as an important magnet for pulling a huge crowd.
But the crowd does not always signify the actual number of voters.
However, political observers say that at this particular moment CCM’s presidential candidate, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete who appears to possess charisma after the late Father of the Nation, will enable CCM to get a landslide victory without serious challenges from other 10 contestants from the opposition.
Other parties, which have fielded the presidential candidates include CHADEMA, CUF, NCCR-Mageuzi, NLD, TLP, Jahazi Asilia, Demokrasia Makini, Sauti ya Umma, PPT-Maendeleo and Democratic Party (DP).
The random survey by The Guardian in various constituencies in the eight regions have shown that other political parties excluding CCM have low capacity to use campaigns as a tool for entertaining people during the campaign rallies.
The presidential campaign rallies for CCM in Mtwara, Lindi, Ruvuma, Iringa, Mbeya, Rukwa, Morogoro and Dodoma regions, were a show of high level of organisational capacity.
Political analysts say CCM has been taking advantage of its ample resources to carry out rigorous campaigns to gain votes countrywide.
In practice political parties that do not have enough resources to carry out election campaigns scientifically, are likely to get fewer votes than the ones with ample resources.
According political scientists, among the resources used by political parties for political mobilisation, recruitment, interest aggregation and political communication are organisational strength, campaign funds and tools, popularity of candidates, capacity to enforce rules and quality of governance.
Other resources include political competence of candidates, cadres, supporters and members, ability to merge party interests and national interests, level of internal democracy, clearly defined policies and ability to access state and donor resources.
CCM has been able to access enough public resources internally and externally due to its high political competence and organisational strength.
The ruling party has been well entrenched in the rural areas with the use of its popular party symbols, songs and slogans.
In summary it is clear that CCM has the most powerful communication channels, especially the branch leadership, to reach the voters quickly in Tanzania’s political landscape.
The ongoing presidential campaigns for CCM’s candidate Kikwete have been entertaining people, specifically through his live and charming speeches and the traditional dancing troops.
The most entertaining campaign rally for Kikwete took place in Mbinga on August 27 this year, where thousands of people were packed in Mbinga stadium to listen to him.
The stadium was fully packed by people who had been scrambling to see the son of Kikwete.
Kikwete had been bombarding the electorates with his slogan of ruling the country with new vigour, pace and strength.
In Mbinga the CCM cadres performed a fictitious football match to demonstrate that the opposition was defeated one goal against zero by the ruling party.
What attracted the spectators was the manner in which the game was played with gender mix and varied age groups.
The players consisted of the young and the old.
Even the fat men and women were actively involved on the playground, but of course had poor knowledge on the rules of the game.
The commentator spent much time downgrading the players of the opposition parties.
A while after the match started, the commentator, who was also a CCM cadre declared that Augustine Mrema, one of presidential candidates, was given a red card by the referee.
When the referee decided to kick out of the pitch a fat male player nicknamed, Mrema the crowd burst into uncontrollable laugher.
After 15 minutes one young player scored a lone goal, then the announcer said it was Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete who demised the defense line of the opposition after receiving a well connected cross from one, John Samuel Malecela.
According to the announcer Malecela who is the Vice-Chairman of CCM, had managed to connect a cross following the good work done by a mid-fielder, nicknamed Mkapa.
The whole burst into laughter following the announcement.
What was also interesting to the audience was that after scoring the sole goal the game was over and there was no halftime for the game.
In fact it was a unique match perhaps its pattern can be likened to those matches played by the ancient founders of football, English people 300 years ago.
There was frequent laughter from the crowd as extremely fat women and struggled to control the ball.
The fat players with large bellies had been falling down occasionally after being overpowered by the young cadres.
That was a historic game, which can be equated to the results of the CCM’s preferential votes for nominating a presidential candidate out of 11 players.
During the nomination polls some players were red-carded, while the powerful party organs, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Central Committee (CC) screened others out of the race to remain with one, Kikwete.
Apart from a spectacular game, in Mbinga there were several traditional dancing groups comprising dancers from Lake Nyasa area with their popular local beat known as Mganda.
Kikwete was well impressed by the Mganda performers. He also watched other traditional dancers playing beats locally known as Kitoto and Lizombe by the Ngoni-speaking clans.
All the dancing groups had been competing to entertain the young CCM’s presidential candidate who was always in a smiling face.
Another fascinating ordeal was the exercise demonstrated by Ngoni elders in Mbinga, whereby Kikwete was compelled to follow the style of wearing traditional attire worn by the Chiefs of Ngoni, Manda and Matengo tribes residing in Ruvuma Region.
Kikwete received several tools symbolizing power platform to rule people in a certain locality of the traditional people of Africa.
The famous dancing troop of CCM, TOT plus did not spare the time to breeze the warm hearts of people with regular beats echoing party slogans.
What was also unique is the fact that Capt. John Komba, who is also campaigning for the parliamentary seat in Mbinga-West constituency, was also leading TOT plus in a spectacular manner.
Most of CCM’s dancing groups were well dressed in the party yellow and green uniforms that turned the grounds into a greenish – yellowish shade.
In Mafinga Town, one old man was heard saying that CCM was a tough party, because it had managed to provide its attire to almost everyone in the township.
The pace, which CCM has set through its campaign styles, has clearly shown that the new parties have an uphill task to reach the campaign peak being mounted by the ruling party.
At this juncture one can argue that the opposition should not only complain about unfair play and lack of a levelled playing field, but they should team up to mobilise enough political resources to win during elections.
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