Is Chadema facing a major crisis? Ask the youth wing

Dar es Salaam. On the face of it, it seems to be business as usual for under pressure opposition Chadema. But the party’s increasingly vocal youth wing recently betrayed a brewing concoction of fear, frustration and pessimism.

Still smarting from their hugely failed bid to protest the ruling party CCM’s extra-ordinary congress in Dodoma last week, the youth wing, known by its Kiswahili acronym Bavicha, regrouped at a Dar es Salaam hotel to discuss the way forward.

At the end of their two-day meeting that was also addressed by the party’s former presidential candidate Edward Lowassa and secretary general Vincent Mashinji, there was general consensus that all was not well.

“We need to (re) evaluate the political situation,” Bavicha chairman Patrobas Katambi told council members in his opening remarks. 

Members of the youth wing made veiled references to “the need” for fresh ideas suggesting concerns over the sustainability of the opposition’s approach in the wake of a seemingly re-energised CCM. 

There were references to the failed Dodoma protests with the youth wing leaders suggesting the mission had not been carefully weighed, leading to theirs leaders sounding the ‘abort’ call.

Bavicha members rallied behind the idea to demonstrate against the police ban on rallies. They say the decision that President Magufuli also blessed nearly two months ago was biased against the opposition.

But the first attempt at demonstrating was met with a strong response from the police who were tasked with the duty to ensure the approximately 3,000 CCM delegates comfortably held their congress.

A group of opposition members and their leaders was arrested and charged with illegal gathering as the police maintained a heavy presence in the administrative capital days before the meeting.

Reportedly, Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe ordered the youth out of Dodoma to meet in Dar es Salaam where they were counting their losses at the same time that CCM peacefully held its congress.

Opening the meeting, former Prime Minister Lowassa, now seemingly a pillar of hope in the opposition, urged the party to invest its time and resources in the youth at the grassroots level as part of preparations for the 2020 General Election.  

“Our plan is to win the 2020 elections, but we need to go where the people are,” he told the youth.

At the close of the meeting, Chadema Secretary General, Dr Vincent Mashinji, echoed similar sentiments.

Resurgent CCM

He gave the biggest hint yet that the opposition would pin its hopes in the youth wing to fight a resurgent CCM.

The Chadema leader urged the youth to play a central role in efforts to ensure the party’s victory in the 2019 local government polls.

He said: “Those at universities will contest for leadership positions in local government polls and return to complete their studies. Therefore, start from today to identify who our voters are and where they are.”

Dr Mashinji, who succeeded Dr Willibroad Slaa to Chadema’s top position, tipped the youth wing to start now to “know how voters live” if they are to be convincing in 2020.

A restructuring exercise also looms within the opposition, with the party’s SG hinting at internal elections to appoint new leaders between this year and 2018.

Chadema’s governing council convened in March and resolved to hold elections to fill all leadership positions before 2018.

Bavicha leaders said they had stopped “hunting down CCM” but instead would now be focusing on countrywide rallies to drum up support for the party.