Of Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s ‘new’ line up and public rallies

The migratory birds are on the move. As CCM crowned their new party chairperson in President Samia Suluhu Hassan, she announced that there were those who had told her they wanted to join in her efforts of turning this country into a prosperous one. As usual, there was the exhausted phrase of one ‘returning home’, with added bits of religious wisdom to turn the whole thing into something more than it is not.

The good part, was the new lines of why one is ‘returning home’, gone was another exhausting phrase of an individual claiming to return home to ‘support’ the president’s efforts. All this ignores the many tongues a politician have in his mouth, making them the only profession where it is laughable to even attempt to hold anyone to account of their piles and piles of lies, double-speak and half-truths. The standards of accountability we have placed on politicians are irredeemably low. We accept this as part of ‘the game’.

A trade-off, if you will because no one as is given the same treatment but politicians even though they are the least productive group in society. Now, while it is generally a good thing when new people join your party, which would point to them believing you over your rivals, it is never so clear cut with politics, and most especially in this country where there is no political ideology to speak of as something that could bind politicians in a broad-based political church that is CCM.

These political migratory birds are more of a liability than an asset to the long ruling party in the long run.

President Samia’s crowning was completed with the naming of a ‘new’ party secretariat. It pointed to two things; one, it was about change in continuity, and two it was a team geared towards the return of public rallies and all the colours, the madness and the intoxication they bring with them.

On the first account of change in continuity, the secretariat is not entirely new, as many some of those who formed it below remain, at least until next year when CCM holds their own internal elections. It is an adept political move to keep at bay many would-be detractors, attracting new supporters while retaining those of her immediate former predecessor. She has made the same argument in government in saying that she and her immediate predecessor ‘are one’. No one is deliberately alienated but certainly new followers will line up. That is what power does, whoever holds it, there are many who will gravitate towards her.

The appointment of CCM’s secretary general and its secretary for ideology and publicity were keenly watched because they point to what kind of a future is prepared for the party. The individuals who were appointed to these posts have a long history of being involved with public rallies regardless of whether one agrees with what they say on them or not. Unlike their immediate predecessors who nearly perfected the art of indoor meetings and press conferences which sounded like public rallies at times, and were heavy on the intellectual bent at times, the new batch is the opposite.

Party chairperson in her capacity as president has said she wants people to be free to express themselves and the corollary of that in terms of politics is the return of public rallies. For the past five years as public rallies were no shows, CCM continued to hold the stage because they form the government, giving them opportunities of holding public rallies while their opponents grumbled on the sidelines. While elected political leaders were allowed to hold rallies, those on the opposition were frustrated in many ways.

The other reason for the return of public rallies has to do with developments in Parliament in Dodoma. The rising political temperatures among CCM MPs need a new target for their political missiles which can only be possible through public rallies. To a degree, it will rekindle them with their own political identity that they play for the same team even if; from time to time the endgame is not the same. More importantly though is that all the troublemakers will be much of a headache outside than inside.

Even though CCM has held court in this country for all years in various forms, in the multiparty era, it has struggled than its opponents on political podiums. Perhaps there is a new, better winning formula in the pipelines after all.

The journey to 2025 is well underway.