CCM flexes its muscles

                   Lolensia Bukwimba (CCM) celebrates her victory with supporters

(Photo by The Citizen)

In the last two months, a couple of polls made everyone excited after they seemed to indicate that CCM's stranglehold on power may be slowly eroding. I wrote about this here and here. The two by-elections held recently presented a perfect opportunity to test this proposition. And in both cases, CCM proved that the talks of a crisis were way premature. 

In the Magogoni by-election in Zanzibar, the ruling party's candidate, Asha Mohamed Hillal, secured a convincing 58% of the vote to defeat her Civic United Front (CUF) opponent. And at Busanda, Lolensia Bukwimba won a comfortable 10-point victory against Chadema's Finias Magesa. In the latter case, a strong showing in the rural areas managed to guarantee victory for CCM while Chadema's support seems to have been confined mostly within the urban centres.

What do these two results tell us? Put it simply, the ruling party still retains the trust and confidence of most Tanzanians. All this talk of CCM struggling and so on is for the most part a media construction. As Dr. Mohamed Bakari of The University of Dar-es-Salaam (UDSM) told The Citizen:

CCM still enjoyed wide support in rural areas, adding that the ruling party took full advantage of this fact in elections. 

He said CCM's win was not entirely surprising as media reports on campaigns concentrated to what was happening in semi-urban areas.

The opposition were unable to get through to these rural voters. Since 80% of Tanzanians are a rural people, to win, they have to come up with a coherent vision that will appeal to them. As of now, they don't have one. Hence, the defeats in Magogoni and Busanda. And until they do so, CCM will exploit this vulnerability all the way to another landslide in 2010. 

But one thing that I think all of us ought to celebrate is the fact that we have elected two more women to parliament. Our democracy is certainly better for it. 

One positive from the global economic crisis

For decades, African leaders have struggled to convince the most talented of their citizens to stay in their home countries and help build a better Africa. A significant number of those educated abroad tended to stay and work there, draining the continent of its most skilled workforce. But now that the West is experiencing its worst recession in almost a century, some from the diaspora have been forced to head home. From The Washington Post:

"I personally know many people who are going back," said Erastus Mong'are, who works as a program manager for an insurance company in Delaware and heads an association of Kenyans living there.

In a broad sense, the return migration to Africa is in line with studies suggesting that despite persistent poverty and civil unrest in places such as Congo, Somalia and Sudan, much of the continent has been buoyed in recent years by a sense of optimism driven by economic growth. Pew Research Center studies tracking global attitudes have found that people's level of satisfaction with their quality of life is rising across much of Africa, while it has stayed level or decreased in the United States.

This will definitely work to the advantage of Africa. Foreign investors often complain of a lack of a skilled workforce in sub-Saharan Africa (look below at that quote I pulled from The Economist). Folks from the diaspora should help plug that gap. Amidst the horrific state of the global economy, this is one silver lining that, here in Africa, we will embrace with open arms.

Wait! But I am way cooler than him!

At least that is what Kenyans are thinking after President Kikwete became the first African leader to meet with the new kid on the block, President Obama. Or as The Daily Nation put it, 'Tanzania elbows Kenya to become darling of US. It continues:

Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete this week claimed the honour of being the first African head of state to visit President Obama’s White House, in a move that will further highlight Kenya’s diminished status on the international scene.

The visit came on the back of a public snub by President Obama, who has opted to make Ghana the destination of his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Sunday Standard got all hot and bothered, whining, like an insecure child, that Mr. Obama and Mr. Kikwete were gossiping about Kenya:

[US Ambassador to Kenya] Ranneberger spoke against the backdrop of a closed-door meeting between Obama and Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete. It is believed Kenya’s troubled coalition and the gradual loss of grip by the weak-kneed Somali government featured at the meeting.

Our Kenyan brethrens can be so self-involved. Not everything is about you, man. Now I know this must hurt. You've always thought of yourselves as a more civilised peoples than us folks down south: better educated, more sophisticated, possessors of a more cultured sensibility. So the prospect of seeing Obama, someone whom you've embraced as one of your own, making nice with the Tanzanian President must sting a little. But this doesn't have to mean that you've lost your mojo. It's just that we have that 'peace' thing. Nowadays, that will get you a lot of play. Ask Obama, he'll tell you. No need to cry, though. We'll show you how its done, okay. Wipe them tears, now. Its all gonna be fine. 

They are laughing at you...

The Economist, in that self-righteous, holier-than-though tone, turn their focus on Tanzania:

Yet those who set up shop in the country are often disappointed. Tanzania, many complain, is a “slow” or even “terrible” place to do business—and “ungrateful” for foreign aid or investment. Even its boosters admit it is wrapped in red tape and lacks skilled workers. Almost everyone says Mr Kikwete is spending too much time burnishing Tanzania’s image abroad and not enough fixing problems at home. Last year he chaired the African Union. 

I like that 'ungrateful' for aid bit. But what do you expect when almost 50% of your budget is subsidized by foreigners. You are always going to be a joke to these people. Here is the lede from the same article:

THE country already gets 40% of its government budget in aid, but now it wants even more foreign cash to help it through the economic downturn. How much is enough? Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, smiles grimly. “We’re trying to bring down our dependency, but we’re grateful for what we receive.”

Where is your dignity, man? This is what we are reduced to: a bunch of beggars. It is embarrassing. Reading the article, you can't help but be ashamed to be Tanzanian. 

(h/t to Louder Than Swahili)

Road Rage, BongoFlava Style

From The Citizen:

A Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) soldier yesterday slapped a police officer at a busy traffic intersection in Dar es Salaam. 

The impatient army officer slapped the traffic policeman, identified as Sergeant Thomas, during the morning rush hour at the Morogoro Road, Mandela Expressway and Sam Nujoma Road junction. 

The soldier, whose identity and rank were not immediately established, was apparently angered by the police officer's decision to hold up the queue coming from Buguruni for over ten minutes and give preference to traffic heading to the city centre from Kimara. 

Now I am not the kinda guy who supports vigilantism. But any Bongolander who has gone through a similar experience - being made to wait by a traffic cop for minutes on end, through some weird logic, while he prioritises motorists from one route, oblivious to those of the other routes - will feel that soldier's frustrations. As Chris Rock said of O.J's alleged killing of his wife and her boyfriend: 'I don't condone it, but I understand.'

IN THE NEWS: ROSTAM WINS LIBEL, IPP MEDIA SEXES UP

• The High Court has ruled that MwanaHalisi is guilty of defaming the businessman and Igunga MP, Rostam Aziz, and has ordered the tabloid to pay Tshs 3bn/- in damages.

• The poet and Nobel laureate, Derek Walcott, is forced to withdraw from contention of the Oxford Poetry Professorship election after the resurfacing of decades-old sexual harassment allegations. For more on Derek Walcott, here is a 2004 profile from The New Yorker.

• As part of their 'Something From Nothing' exhibition, the Nafasi Art Space Gallery in Mikocheni, is showcasing a series of joint works by a group of Tanzanian and European artists to celebrate Europe week in the year of innovation and creativity. The exhibition will run till the end of May.

• Economists from the African Development Bank (AfDB) are forecasting that East Africa will bounce back quicker from the economic crisis than any other region of the continent due to its growing diversity of income generating streams and markets. 

• Last but not least, IPP Media's website gets a new, sexy makeover. 

Bongoland's Press

Sakina Datoo, the Editorial Director of The Guardian Newspapers Ltd, and Ayoub Rioba, of The Citizen, were interviewed on the talk show Channel Ten on Monday last night on the question of whether the behavior of the press in Tanzania can cause disharmony, or even violence. The subject matter was inspired by the government's statement earlier in the day that rebuked Reginald Mengi, the Executive Chairman of IPP Media and Rostam Aziz, owner of New Habari Media Group, for using their media outlets to attack each other, saying that such behaviour is potentially divisive and could sow 'the seeds of discord [and] disharmony [that] may lead to breach of the peace.' 

Now, I don't want to contribute even more words to the soap operatic catfight between Mr. Mengi and Mr. Aziz but just to provide some context; a fortnight ago Mr. Mengi called a press conference where he listed, Joe McCarthy-style, five prominent businessmen, among them Mr. Aziz, he considers to be the most corrupt figures in Tanzanian society. Mr. Aziz responded in kind, accusing him of being a 'graft whale' and releasing his own list of charges against Mr. Mengi. And on it went, prompting yesterday's intervention by the government which in turn lead to that discussion on Channel Ten.

So, are reporters being used to propagandize the agendas of their bosses'?

Ms. Datoo was quick to rebut such charges, saying that none of her reporters are parrots. She went on to make a passionate defense of journalists arguing that they are a serious minded bunch who take their responsibilities of reporting the truth seriously. On this, either Ms. Datoo was being disingenuous or demonstrating a remarkable lack of awareness. Take a look, for example, how this story got reported. From the Daily News:

The Civic United Front National Chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, has criticised the IPP Executive Chairman, Mr Reginald Mengi, for his recent list of corrupt businessmen and accused him of eroding efforts on war against graft. Prof Lipumba said in a statement to the press yesterday that the style that Mr Mengi used to name five fellow businessmen as sharks of corruption can not be supported by any patriotic citizen. 

“Mr Mengi’s statement is dangerous as it intends to implant seeds of discrimination and hatred between Tanzanians of Asian origin and other members of the society. It is not true that those five are the perpetrators of corruption in the country,” he said.

Compare the above quote with Nasser Kigwangallah's version of events that appeared in The Guardian:

'[Prof. Lipumba] commended IPP Chairman Reginald Mengi for taking a bold stand by naming those he referred to as sharks of corruption...[He] said Mengi should name more corrupt officials in the government involved in graft (29th April, 2009).

Now, do you believe, as Ms. Datoo apparently wants us to, that the above graf made it into the article because that is what Prof. Lipumba said or is it because the journalist was spinning the narrative his bosses asked him to parrot, that of Mr. Mengi as a 'bold' anti-corruption crusader? I shall leave that up to your judgement. 

As I said before, I am not interested in the who-is-more-corrupt-debate between Mr. Mengi and Mr. Aziz. I actually think we owe a debt of gratitude to both Mr. Mengi and Mr. Aziz. Their little spat revealed, for all to see, how shoddy, unprofessional and unethical a significant part of our establishment media really is; how media owners shamelessly employ their newspapers and television stations (ITV, another one of Mr. Mengi's media outlets devoted a special programme to his press conference) to push their own personal agendas. But what is even more troubling is the sight of journalists, like Ms. Datoo, acting as apologists for such abuses of power.

Begging to Master

This little piece news was missed by most of the local press:

Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement on Tanzania today:

“In the context of the ongoing dialogue under the Policy Support Instrument, an IMF staff mission and the Tanzanian authorities have reached broad agreement on policies that will help Tanzania address the impact of the global financial crisis. These policies aim at bolstering the Tanzanian economy, which has been affected by declining receipts from traditional exports and tourism, and protecting the most vulnerable segments of the population.

“In support of these policies, and to help mitigate the exogenous shock stemming from the global economic downturn, Tanzania has requested financial support under the high-access component of the Exogenous Shocks Facility. It is expected that the request will be considered by the IMF's Executive Board before the end of May," Mr. Strauss-Kahn said.

The statement is too vague for my liking. What are the strings attached to this bail-out money and why is the government being so secretive about it all? Something fishy is going on here that they don't want us to know about. We'll be keeping an eye on this as it develops.