Unbanning public rallies good for CCM, democracy

We would like to congratulate fifth phase President John Magufuli for successfully presiding over his party’s first Central Committee (CC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings as the national chairman.

We believe the authority he wields as the supreme party chief will give him the clout he needs to ensure the country is steered towards the right direction.

In his opening speech yesterday, he expounded the maxim which was famously used by his predecessor, Mr Jakaya Kikwete—the end of one election marks the beginning of preparations for next.

Dr Magufuli indicated that CCM has already started preparations for the forthcoming polls, starting with the civic elections slated for 2019 and General Election to take place in October 2020.

The ruling party has seen it fit to prepare for the next polls by ensuring it implements its 2015 Manifesto. That is smart.

But then, as the CCM uses its NEC meeting to roll out preparations for 2020, there is a need to acknowledge that the Opposition too deserves the right to prepare.

One of the ways by which a party can prepare for elections is holding public rallies. That gives it the opportunity to meet with the people and sell its plans.

President Magufuli has curtailed that opportunity by allowing for internal political meetings that only members can attend.

The reason behind the ban is that he wants people to concentrate on nation building as opposed to politicking. But then, since we have agreed on plural politics, allowing opposition parties to function fully is part and parcel of nation building.

Discussions indoors

Holding political discussions indoors can never be good enough for any political party since such an arrangement doesn’t expose it to huge numbers of people. And, as we all know, politics is about numbers and those numbers should go far beyond party members who are the only ones who can attend indoor gatherings.

For a party to grow, it should be free to attract the wider population, which is only accessible at public rallies. According to Dr Magufuli, elected leaders are free to conduct rallies in their areas of jurisdiction but then, how about parties that have no elected leaders?

This means that such parties won’t have the opportunity to meet the wider electorate which needs to see and hear them if they are vote them in subsequent elections.

Meanwhile, for CCM to implement its plans well, it needs constructive criticism delivered transparently—mainly by the Opposition. Which is to say, banning public rallies only serves to starve CCM of the counsel that can only be gained in the open as the Opposition propagates itself.

A strong opposition, it has oft been said, is vital for a strong ruling party and vice versa. Given its massive responsibilities, CCM should master all the powers it can to ensure that, first, it remains at the helm and second, it must ensure it serves Tanzanians better.

So far CCM has outsmarted the Opposition by coming up with workable plans. That has been possible because it always managed to know what the Opposition was planning.

Now that the Opposition is being forced to work behind the scenes, the ruling party will rely on rumours. This won’t be healthy for the ruling party.