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Voters reject certain candidates before election date
2005-09-20 08:08:12
By Keregero Keregero
Hisrory seems to be repeating itself but in a different way. For general and parliamentary elections have been long held in this peaceful country.
An election history ranging from the single party supremacy to the present era of multiparty politics confirms the veracity of the foregoing statement.
We have heard of and even participated in the campaign programmes, much as casting our votes during the periodic elections.
Both the past and present campaigns and elections served a similar objective of propagating policies of the then single ruling party and later the policies of respective contesting political parties.
There was, just as there also remains to be, the ultimate objective of acquiring the reigns of power by the political party that wins the election.
For the acquisition of the reigns of power through and by means of the ballot box has ever been the obligation of any serious political party. And, that has remained to be the concern of the contesting parties to-date.
However, the campaigns for this year, unlike those of past years, have unfolded a very interesting salient feature that will go down into the annals of Tanzania’s chronicles of electoral history as a marked difference.
That is, in some parts of the country, part of the electorate has expressly stated in very clear but decisive terms that they are not going to cast a yes vote to some of the parliamentary or counselor candidates.
The reason being that the present candidates are not of their choice. ”We shall give you all our votes for the presidency.
We have no problem with you. But we live to cast a no vote for some of your parliamentary and counselor candidates,’’ they could be heard saying. That is not all.
In some areas, they have been shouted at by some of the voters, expressing their disapproval. In the circumstances, the voters have unanimously become adamant and the submissive clamour by the candidates to have the voters take it easy and forget the past seems to have miserably crumbled to dust.
But what has actually happened? What lessons do we draw? And exactly what does this change justifiably augur?
These are but some of the important questions of the day that we need to ask ourselves and provide answers to.
As I pointed out right from the onset, history seems to be repeating itself but in a different way.
For some parliamentary and counselor candidates are being rejected outright and openly.
This is certainly a new development. It is indeed a vital aspect of democracy. WHAT happened in the past is what is actually happening now.
There has been a lease of a new historical epoch. We are witnessing a new era in which the voters are rejecting some candidates unceremoniously even before the Election Day.
As a matter of fact, the situation has changed so much that the electorate can powerfully dictate over the election of a person they want and not otherwise.
In other words, there has been a comprehensive degree of political awareness among the voters, an aspect that marks a qualitative departure from the status quo. We, therefore, can learn several lessons from this kind of development:
That, part of the electorate seems to be too unwilling to take on board any candidate they deem unfit, or for one reason or another, has not been within the scope of their preference or perhaps that the candidate had long ’’overstayed.’’
For some contestants had almost won lifetime constituency titles. However, a critical analysis of the present development tends to augur in future for the amendment of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977 as amended from time to time.
The amendment of the basic law ought to spell out and, indeed, limit the tenure of office of the Members of Parliament (MP) to a definite period, beyond which no MP or Counselor could be allowed to contest.
That would help to get away with the problem of having MPS overstaying in constituencies, leave alone those rejected by the voters themselves.
Secondly, the amendment ought to include an impeachment provision for the MPs or Counselors. The amendment should provide for the impeachment at anytime of any MP/Counselor by the constituency members when he or she fails to deliver.
But more importantly, the Constitutional amendment should also spell out the maximum age for both the Union and Zanzibar governments’ presidential candidates.
As of now, even a 90-year-old presidential contender could become a Union or Zanzibar president upon election.
This is because, whereas the mother law states the lowest requisite age for the president, it is silent over the maximum age beyond which one ought not be allowed to stand for election or become elected as president, as a matter of law.
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