Opinion
Analysis
Farewell Pope
John Paul II
Last week the world was left in mourning after the sad demise of Pope John Paul
II, who peacefully passed away at his apartment in the Vatican, after suffering
from Parkinson’s disease for some time.
The Pope eventually chose not to go to hospital. He died following high fever
caused by urinary infection along with breathing-related illnesses.
The late Pope certainly made an extraordinary human being who was deeply loved
by people across the world, for the instrumental role he played advocating for
human rights in every corner of the globe, and particularly in uniting the
Christian communities of every race and every tongue in all the continents,
never has there been such a diligent traveller.
His strong attitudes against communism in Eastern Europe, his stance against
abortion and mercy killing of the elderly and the disabled, as well as his
opposition to the war in Iraq are some of the things that made him more popular
and regarded as a political figure in addition to being a spiritual leader.
In his tribute to the Pope, President George W. Bush said: “The world has lost a
champion of human freedom and a good and faithful servant of God has been called
home.”
Adding that: “Pope John Paul II left the throne of St. Peter’s in the same way
he ascended to it, as a witness to the dignity of human life.”
The love that people felt for the Pope could be seen from the masses of people
from various religious faiths that gathered at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome,
when it became known that his health was failing.
In Tanzania most people, but especially Catholics, are very saddened by the
passing of the person who most people describe as a Servant of God. It’s
remarkable that the holy Father had some special feeling for Tanzania; it seems
that the last delegation he received was that of Cardinal Pengo.
In his recent book Pope John Paul II spoke widely about harmful activities that
the world embraces, such as homosexuality and sexual immorality generally.
May the almighty God keep his soul in eternal peace.
Amen.
ZANU-PF’s
victory passes without objections
Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF won over a two thirds majority in the parliamentary
elections last week, and is expected to change Zimbabwe’s constitution to
increase its hegemony. The opposition is crying, citing cheating and the
country’s crisis is far from over. Mugabe has ruled out a coalition.
Zimbabwe’s neighbours (including Tanzania) approved the election. By doing so
they ignored the opposition’s accusation of polling irregularities, and the
criticism from the US, Britain and other western countries.
Election observers representing SADC, headed by South Africa, came to the
conclusion that the parliamentary elections ‘reflected the will of the people’
despite irregularities in the registration of voters and a biased media
reporting in favour of the ruling party.
Even election observers from the African Union approved the elections, and
concluded that the level of violence was much lower now than in the elections in
2000 and 2002, which should show that Zimbabwe is taking political steps
forward.
The leader for the opposition party MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, said Mugabe’s
victory stemmed from widespread cheating and was deeply disappointed with the
election observers from SADC.
“Frankly speaking, I am tired of all of those who take SADC seriously,” said
MDC’s general secretary Welshman Ncube.
No observers from the US, Britain, Australia, EU or the Commonwealth attended
the elections. According to the Zimbabwean government, they were not welcome
because of their hostile attitude towards Mugabe and ZANU-PF, forcing them to
rule out the election beforehand.
It is a great shame that SADC and AU cannot be braver and speak the truth about
what is happening in Zimbabwe. They are doing Zimbabwe and the rest of the
continent a disfavour by protecting and supporting Mugabe’s regime.
For how long can they go on pretending that what is taking place in Zimbabwe
(food shortages, silencing of opposition, human rights abuse) is not there?
Opposing Mugabe is not about being in favour of the west trying to tell us what
to do; it is about common sense!
back
to headline
Successful vote rigging
unlikely
By Evarist Kagaruki
When Tanzania chose to change from a single party to a multiparty
system, there were mixed feelings of both apprehension and optimism among the
citizenry. Apprehension because some people honestly believed that having many
political parties would usher in an era of chaos, religious and ethnic tensions,
animosity and strife, and thus threaten not only the unity, peace and
tranquillity which our country has enjoyed since independence, but also the
social and economic gains that have been registered.
And optimism because there was the prospect that, with an opposition waiting in
the wings to take the reigns of power, the government would become alert and
responsive to the needs and aspirations of the population; and that the economy
would prosper and the conditions of the poorest in society improve.
Sadly, almost fifteen years down the democracy road, the apprehensive citizens
seem to have been vindicated. Now it would be self-delusion to think that we
still enjoy our unity, peace and stability the same way we did during the
single-party era. Each day brings to the fore the prospect of the danger and
nightmare of those pillars of our nation collapsing under the very weight of
precipitous pluralism and its concomitant divisive politics.
The divisive politics and hostilities that underlie the relations between
members of the ruling party, CCM, and those of the opposition parties, have now
become a permanent salient feature of our political culture that appears more
pronounced at election time. The electoral politics bring with them into the
opposition parties the suspicion and fear that the government is going to rig
the elections in favour of the ruling party!
While there is no disputing the fact that in Africa, by and large, election
rigging is a problem, it has become something like a “myth” in Tanzania’s
multi-party politics. This myth holds so much sway in the psyche of some people
that, even when the electoral process was reasonably transparent, and the
elections judged as “free and fair” by both the local and foreign independent
observers, rigging would still be cited by the opposition as the main reason
behind their defeat in the elections that had been won by the ruling party –
even when it was a landslide victory!
Interestingly, the faithful in the opposition political parties have been
conditioned to believe that CCM “cannot win” without stealing votes!
Recently, the Chairman of the main opposition, Civic United Front (CUF), Prof.
Ibrahim Lipumba, was quoted by the press as saying that his party was preparing
agents in every constituency in order to check vote thefts. He said that the
party agents would be provided with motor-bikes, making their work easier.
Certainly, this is commendable. It puts the party in a better position to
monitor the electoral process. All political parties are expected to do the
same. The law allows them to post their agents at the registration and polling
stations to monitor the process of the elections. If all the political parties
intending to participate in the elections next October will do that, then one
wonders how the problem of rigging at the polling stations could arise.
Fortunately, in this year’s elections, the introduction of the Permanent Voters’
Register and special voting cards bearing photographs of the prospective voters,
by far minimises (in fact almost eliminates) chances of a person voting more
than once. It is not fool-proof, but it enhances the credibility of the
electoral system.
If only those who have been registered to vote are the ones who will be allowed
into the polling booth; and if all the electoral procedures of counting the
ballots at the respective polling centres in the presence of the political
parties’ agents are adhered to, and the election results (that have been tallied
and attested by the agents and election supervisors) published there and then, I
can see a very remote possibility of any rigging attempt succeeding.
It defies commonsense when claims of rigging are raised in such a transparent
procedure of polling!
Unless the Electoral Commission finally announces controversial election results
which contradict the ballot tallies in the constituencies, (as was the suspicion
in the 1995 Zanzibar Presidential election results), the fear of “rigging” in
our elections seems to be a problem of the mindset.
back
to headline