Opinion
Analysis
In the public’s eye
How much is a presidential candidate allowed to be seen in the press in one
week?
Perhaps we should not be surprised by Kikwete’s eagerness to get his picture
published in as many papers on as many pages as possible. Over the last few
weeks, Kikwete has met with the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, has held rallies
both on Mainland and Zanzibar, met with the Aga Khan at the Investors’ Round
Table Meeting in Dar es Salaam and has taken part in traditional rituals in his
home region, Bagamoyo. He also witnessed a beauty pageant.
And that is only a selection of his endeavours.
Certainly one could question what a Minister for Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation can add to a beauty contest, but from now on Kikwete
is no longer a Minister having to do mundane ministerial stuff. Kikwete is
building his reputation, is vying for votes and is getting used to being in the
spot light. The presidential spot light that is.
Slowly but surely we will see the gradual disappearance of Mkapa from the
presidential scene and the entering of Kikwete. Guided with a firm hand by
Mkapa, Kikwete will by the end of October be fully informed of his task ahead.
Kikwete must be every PR consultant’s dream. Not only does he belong to the
ruling party, is photogenic and ‘youthful’, but Kikwete also has the advantage
of being favoured by the media.
Getting his picture published has not been difficult. Wherever Kikwete has
travelled, the press has closely followed. Without much comments or analysis,
Kikwete’s pictures have appeared on front pages. But when will it come to an
end?
It is about time Kikwete returned from his honeymoon. The press has to stop
being blinded by the victory euphoria that has surrounded Kikwete ever since
that Wednesday evening in early May.
Waving, smiling, promising what everyone wants is one thing. Letting us know how
something altogether different.
Kikwete must start showing that he has something to offer, something of
substance; otherwise he will merely portray himself as a gold digger rather than
a serious politician.
Separate
public and party political interests!
As the general elections are drawing nearer, the opposition party CUF last week
claimed that some public institutions have abandoned their important
responsibilities and become part political by abusing public funds through
unnecessary advertising, congratulating CCM leaders.
CUF, through its National Chairman Ibrahim Lipumba, certainly were provoked by
the fact that some government institutions have congratulated CCM leaders,
chosen for the presidency elections.
CUF also went through a more or less similar process as CCM when it nominated
its candidates but the exercise did not arouse the same public interest.
Under normal circumstances, abuse of public funds is a serious offence, which
needs thorough scrutiny. In an era of transparency, the institutions concerned
probably have explanations on why they spend public resources ‘extravagantly’ as
CUF claims.
Congratulating people through advertising has been a long time tradition in
Tanzania, seen as a gesture of goodwill and mutual understanding. Nevertheless,
it does not justify the use of public funds for party political purposes.
We think that it is proper for all political parties to respect multiparty
democracy. State radio and television should be used properly to inform, educate
and entertain people.
We also call upon the registrar of political parties to be extra vigilant,
monitoring the various activities by political parties for the sake of
safeguarding democracy and good governance which always have to prevail.
back
to headline
Good intentions but where are
the action plans?
By Evarist Kagaruki
In Western countries, when election time comes, politicians vying for the
highest office in the land – the Presidency or Premiership – focus on big
national issues the electorate normally vote on: the economy, social programmes
(relating to education, welfare, etc), tax policies, employment and internal
security, especially as it relates to crime. Candidates must articulate these
matters in a way that convinces the public that they (the candidates) are the
right people for the job. They must prove (by way of argument and reason) that
they understand the real problems facing the ordinary people in their daily
struggle to live a decent life.
The candidates must also elaborately explain to the electorate how they plan to
go about tackling those problems and wiping them out. If it is about
unemployment, for example, a candidate should be able to bring before the voters
a sellable, coherent policy on job creation. And if the issue is taxes (the
public yearning for tax cuts, for instance) he or she should be able to show how
they can reduce taxes without hurting the economy by triggering higher budget
deficits that would, in turn, push up long-term interest rates and prices, and
fuel inflation.
They must tell the people how they could achieve growth through fiscal measures
that would not cause a recession. Indeed a serious presidential candidate in the
West has to have a set of policies revolving around issues which constitute a
national agenda that focuses on the expectations of the vast majority of voters
as they prepare to choose a leader who they believe would make their lives
better, not worse. It is the coherence of those policies and the strategies for
executing them, which normally woo the voters on the candidate’s side.
Tanzanians will be going to the polls in October this year. Although the
official campaigns have not yet started, the ruling CCM’s candidate Jakaya
Kikwete has, through various public rallies arranged by the party to formally
introduce him to the people, in his capacity as the party’s flag-bearer in the
forthcoming elections, indicated what his priorities will be, if elected
president. The two principal problems he has enumerated and pledged to tackle
seriously are youth unemployment and poverty – especially grinding poverty
afflicting the down-trodden of the society.
Ideally, these are good promises expected from any serious presidential
candidate. But they are not new! What is perhaps new is that the pledges are
coming from the lips of a different politician – the person who seems to have
won the hearts and minds of millions of frustrated jobless youths across the
country.
These young men and women see Kikwete (a relatively young politician by African
standards) as a person who understands their predicaments – the messiah, so to
speak, who is going to end their nightmarish joblessness and hopelessness which
have eluded the present and previous administrations.
But does Kikwete (hoping is our next president) really have the magic wand for
the problem of youth unemployment in this country? Maybe! We still have ample
time to listen to him and gauge his thinking on how he personally intends to go
about tackling this seemingly intractable problem.
During the campaign (and presidential debate – if there will ever be one),
Kikwete must tell the Tanzanian people about his specific plans and strategies
(not boring us with the stereo-typed CCM election manifesto) to create jobs,
which would differentiate him from his predecessors. We need to know from him
how the present skewed education system and the economic structure (in which
corruption is rampant and the imperatives of globalisation are menacingly
causing our national wealth to pour out in massive amounts) can really help him
to translate his good intentions on employment for our youths into reality..