CCM: Our 10-cell leadership to thwart Ukawa dreams
CCM's Ideology and Publicity secretary Nape Nnauye
What you need to know:
The party’s Ideology and Publicity secretary Nape Nnauye says the party’s Ten-Cell leadership structure will effectively neutralise opposition indoctrination of the masses which some analysts say spells doom for the party’s survival in power.
Dar es Salaam. The ruling CCM says it is not feel intimidated by massive turnouts at Ukawa rallies and boasted that its structure at the grassroots level will neutralise the opposition coalition’s euphoria.
The party’s Ideology and Publicity secretary Nape Nnauye says the party’s Ten-Cell leadership structure will effectively neutralise opposition indoctrination of the masses which some analysts say spells doom for the party’s survival in power.
Mr Nape was responding to a question from a journalist who sought to know how his party interpreted the massive crowds opposition rallies were registering ahead of General Election slated for October 25.
“CCM’s heartbeat can be felt down to every ten households in this country. Let them cram their rallies to whatever degree. We have a good leadership structure to counter balance that. Our leaders at Ten-Cell level will move from house to house to offset opposition’s indoctrination,” he told journalists at the party’s Lumumba headquarters yesterday.
A cell comprising ten households is the lowest body of CCM’s leadership structure. The arrangement played a crucial role to the party during the single-party system and was then used to communicate the policy of the party to all Tanzanians.
A Ten Cell leader represents ten households cutting across even to those people not belonging to CCM.
The party is still using Ten Cell leaders today to bring information from the people up in the political structure.
Mr Nape says the party is not disturbed by the turnouts in opposition rallies, popularly known as Mafuriko, ‘floods of the masses’.
“For a stranger in Tanzania politics the huge turnouts can be a shock but not for CCM. If my memory works well the meeting of Dr Slaa when winding up presidential campaign in Mbeya in 2010 was by far bigger than Lowassa’s last week. Now, look at how many votes Slaa garnered in the region then,” he said.
He went on: “The same happened in 1995 when Mrema vied for presidency. He pulled the masses but how many votes did he earned at last? Asked Mr Nnauye.
Yesterday, Mr Nape announced names of candidates the party will field in nine constituencies that were ordered to re-run nomination polls over massive irregularities including corruption.
The party has endorsed Mr Jerry Silaa to represent it for Ukonga constituency, Edward Mwalongo (Njombe South), Venance Mwamoto (Kilolo), Dr Raphael Chegeni (Busega) and Edwin Ngonyani (Namtumbo).
Others are Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa (Rufiji), Norman Sigala (Makete), Martin Msuha (Mbinga Rural) and Joel Makanyanga Mwaka (Chilonwa, Dodoma).
