|
Challenges faced by opposition parties
2006-12-26 10:10:19
By Philemon Kasiya
The results of last year’s general elections clearly showed that the opposition had been demolished. They had been demolished by the the powerful, wealthy ruling party – Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) – which has always had all the means and muscle to defeat any political party since the ’days of Adam’.
Hopes that the opposition parties would increase their lot in parliament went up in smoke after the results were out as Goliath came out the victor.
For level-headed observers, CCM’s victory has never been news to anyone during the general elections.
The party has everything which will enable it to come out victorious in any elections – reckoning with the current arrangement which enables it to have all resources. It has all the funds ’in the world’ to buy its way through to any victory.
The opposition parties which are poor minnows are headed for the unknown if the current arrangement which tilts matters in favour of CCM continues.
Save for the Civic United Front and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) to some degree, the opposition parties are a crippled lot, which has always lacked steam and ability to challenge the ruling party.
When CCM says that it is going to rule this country for more than 100 years, such remarks are truly founded as far as the current state of things remains intact.
Lack of resources on the part of the opposition has not only caused chaos there, but has also culminated in defections of its members to the wealthy CCM.
Such situations might be activating smiles from quarters hostile to the opposition optimistic that the respective parties are soon bound to come to their end.
While CCM coffers are bulging with each passing day, the opposition continue nose-diving into abject povertry and chaos as they lack the resources to put their houses in order.
It is from this backgroung that CUF’s Chairman, Professor Lipumba, underscored the need for a level playing field in politics and, among other things, he asked the electoral commission to be independent.
He also asked the government to ensure that crucial institutions such as the police force and the national intelligence service remain independent from any political meddling.
Neutral observers have always believed that the said government institutions have played a major role in orientating matters in favour of the ruling party particularly during elections.
Intimidations and other hostilities against the opposition are normally manifest during the period towards elections.
Applications for political rallies by the opposition to the police force are normally turned down on lame reasons.
In some parts of the country the police officers are let loose in large numbers in voters’ areas as a sign of scaring them for no apparent reason.
When meeting a visiting group of Finish parliamentarians in Dodoma, the opposition complained to them that the government had gagged the media and in the process undermined fair play in the coverage of opposition parties which was the main link with the electorate.
’’The government uses state organs to humiliate people who want to join opposition parties, but pamper those who remain with the ruling party,’’ said John Cheyo of UDP.
He told the delegation that the government prevented academics from joining opposition parties, and some of them had lost their jobs after defying the order.
Thomas Ngawaiya, then Chief Whip from the opposition told the legislators that the government did not pay adequate subsidies to opposition parties, a factor which had contributed to their poor performance.
’’Sometimes the government spends the money given by donors to develop coffee growing on its political aspirations,’’ he said.
In a formal speech earlier, Ngawaiya had listed four challenges faced bythe opposition in parliament.
The challenges were few opposition seats in the House, low capacity of opposition legislators in parliamentary affairs, inadequate participation and lack of resources.
|
