‘Ndiyo Mzee’ poet Prof Jay jumps into politics

One of the greatest Bongo flava artistes in the country Joseph Haule, famously known as ‘Professor Jay’, publicly declared his support to Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) a fortnight ago. In this interview with Polycarp Machira,the Political Platform Reporter, Prof Jay clarifies his new political path. Excerpts…

QUESTION: How can you describe your involvement in politics before you joined Chadema?

ANSWER: I have always been in politics albeit without serious engagement. I was formerly a member of the ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), of which I still have my membership card. Both my parents are still CCM members, but may soon defect too.

Why have you defected from CCM at this time?

Every politician in this country must at one point or other been a member of the ruling party, and others opted out of the party because of their own reasons or interests.

Prof Jay is not different, after being in the party for that long; I have seen it wise to take a different political route in a bid to push for change in the country.

Sometimes it is difficult to bring change from within, thus forcing those interested in change to abandon the rest of the team, looking for an alternative way for bringing about the desired transformation.

Your two singles released in the early 2000 dubbed Ndiyo Mzee and Siyo Mzee were a mockery of the political class so to speak. Why are you engaging yourself in serious politics now?

Music is an art used to convey messages to relevant people and that is what I was doing. I did not hate politicians, and of course I have now decided to actively practise it.

Political choices often result from influence from different corners. Who specifically had influenced you to take this decision?

This was my own decision after serious soul searching on how to bring changes that will save the Tanzanian youth and the future generation.

The mere fact that my fellow artiste Sugu (Mbeya MP Joseph Mbilinyi) presented the Chadema membership card to me in Dodoma does not mean that he convinced me to join his party.

I took serious scrutiny of all the political parties in the country but realised that it is only Chadema that can bring about the desired change at the moment.

I have decided to effectively contribute to the opposition party’s quest for taking Tanzanians to their‘promised land’ where natural resources will benefit all of them. The land where there will be no brutal kidnapping and killings that we have experienced in the recent past.

Key artistes have aligned themselves to political parties in recent years. Has any political party wooed you to join it before?

Good question. I want Tanzanians to know that I have not joined Chadema because they approached me.

Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe and Ubungo MP John Mnyika invited me to join the party ahead of the 2005 General Election, but I declined.

It took me eight years to brood over the invitation. I now feel it is the right time to not only accept it, but to fully participate in building the party in a bid to improve people’s lives.

Where do you see yourself politically by 2015 given that it is an election year?

Time will tell, but I want to use my talent to appeal to the young generation that the time for change has come. They should not just sit there waiting for change to descend from heaven as was the case with the Biblical manna. My message simply is: the new generation must join forces in seeking the much-needed change.

We cannot continue to sit on the fence when artistes lose their rights to few greedy individuals.We cannot just watch as journalists are tortured and killed in broad daylight with no action being taken. I believe I am the only artiste who can make anybody in the country happy. I will do it politically too.

Are you eyeing any elective post come 2015?

I did not join Chadema to vie for any elective post in any constituency. But if my new party sees I can represent any constituency, I have no objection.