From Goatherd to Governor. The Autobiography of Edwin Mtei: The Autobiography of Edwin Mtei

Chapter 24 - Subsequent General Elections

209 Chapter 24 Subsequent General Elections The General Election of 2000 saw CHADEMA again trying to co-operate with other opposition political parties in order to put up a meaningful challenge to the ruling party. This time our collaboration was with the Civic United Front (CUF). CUF’s Ibrahim Lipumba was the candidate we backed for the presidency, and it was further agreed that in the parliamentary and civic elections, the two parties would ensure that it was only the stronger of their two candidates who would go forward to stand in a constituency or ward to challenge the CCM or other party candidates. However,asin1995,veryfewofthecontendingCUFcandidates agreed to observe the official party line. Each thought he was the stronger, and many exercised their constitutional rights to stand. The result was that the two parties found themselves opposing one another in most of the constituencies and wards, although they campaigned jointly for Lipumba as their presidential candidate. The opposition constituency votes were therefore split, and as a result CUF won only three seats on the Mainland, whilst CHADEMA won four. CHADEMA was able to control three local government district councils, whilst CUF won the majority of the parliamentary seats in Pemba Island. Once again, the presidential candidate we backed, Ibrahim Lipumba, came second after the incumbent CCM’s Benjamin Mkapa. At the subsequent review of CHADEMA’s performance in these elections, it was clear that at each of our attempts to co-operate with other parties we had sacrificed the chance of coming second, losing the position to the party with which we had co-operated. It was further realised that there was a danger of atrophy, particularly as the official subsidy to political parties was based on the number of votes won in the election and the number of candidates who secured parliamentary seats. It was therefore resolved that whilst efforts would continue to encourage parties with a similar approach to national issues to join forces, and if possible, merge with us before the 2005 elections, CHADEMA 210 must put up its own candidate for the presidency. In the meantime, the party should strengthen and widen its network from the grassroots level, reactivate the 1995 branches and establish as many new ones as possible, especially in the rural areas. The publicity and membership recruitment drive that followed was spearheaded by the Members of Parliament who, by virtue of the amendments to the Party Constitution that I had initiated, were all Members of the Central Committee. At the National Conference of 2003, the most active of the MPs in this effort, Mr Freeman A. Mbowe and Dr Willibroad P. Slaa, were elected Chairman and Secretary General respectively. Dr Amani Walid KabouroubecameVice-ChairmanandMrPhilemonNdesamburo remained Chairman of Kilimanjaro Region. Together with Mrs Grace Kiwelu, who had won the parliamentary special seat for women, they covered almost the whole country and put CHADEMA firmly on the political map of Tanzania, in time for the General Election of 2005. Preparations for the 2005 General Election were made with the aim of offering CHADEMA candidates in all wards and parliamentary constituencies. It had already been determined at the 2004 National Conference that we would field our own presidential candidate, if possible by inviting support for him from other opposition parties. Determined to make the party as transparently democratic as possible, CHADEMA decided that the six candidates who had come forward to compete for the presidency should together tour the country to address zonal conventions of the Party. These conventions would hear them and cast votes indicating whom they would want to be their candidate. In this way CHADEMA hoped to avoid the irregularities and unethical politics— including but not limited to corruption—that had become part of Tanzania’s political landscape. Many among the ruling party (CCM)’s candidates openly and liberally gave gifts in the form of party uniforms, food, alcohol and money, legally permitted under the so-called “takrima” (traditional hospitality), so much so that the whole country appeared to have been caught up in a frenzied fiesta with party members clad in black, yellow and green, the colours of CCM. 211 CHADEMA’s innovation of preliminary zonal conventions proved a resounding success. The country was divided into six zones and a large number of party members assembled at each of the venues and voted for the candidates after a huge rally in which he or she would set out how...