CCM not doing what it should and doing what it shouldn’t

Last week Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a rights activist, published an article that was intensely critical of CCM’s leadership – past and present. Even though the presentation was quite raw, the article provided multiple thought-provoking statements that made it interesting to read.

Quite early in the article, the author unleashed a powerful statement which caught my attention. She stated: “Having been in power since independence, CCM [has] lost the ability to formulate and implement any meaningful economic, political or social agenda.”

The statement inspired a series of visions in my mind where I looked at the myriad of decisions CCM has been making for years that were awash with colossal strategic, philosophical, and logical contradictions. At the end, one had to seriously consider Ms Tsehai’s thesis – the possibility that, at the core, CCM has probably lost it altogether.

On July 1, 2021, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. While the first 60 years of CCP were quite forgettable, the last 40 years have been quite momentous. In that period, under CCP’s leadership, China became a superpower – one that will shape world affairs for generations to come.

There are those who argue that the people of China developed themselves once the party got out of their way, but credit must go to the leadership for seizing that opportunity to modernise the nation. Thus, China increased its share of global manufacturing output from 2 percent to 25 percent while lifting 700 million people out of poverty in only 25 years.

Uncannily, many comparisons have been made between CCM and CCP lately. It’s possible that there are many within CCM who not only entertain the idea of being a Tanzanian CCP, but have also actively attempted to imitate CCP. While there is a lot that CCM could learn from CCP, the difference between the two parties is stark indeed.

Let’s look at CCM’s Tanzania. While the economy has been growing at the rate of about 6 percent for almost two decades, little progress has been made in modernising the economy and reducing poverty. Twenty-five percent of Tanzanians still live below the poverty line and, many are just above it – a little shock, and they are back in poverty. But that didn’t stop CCM’s leaders from encouraging people to reproduce as fast as they could! Can’t you accuse them of not knowing what they are doing?

In 2019, all top ten of Tanzanian exports were basically in their raw forms, and most of the imports were goods which could easily be produced internally. In essence, Tanzanians spent $1.5 billion on importing sneakers and nylons and iron sheets that year! Reports show that Tanzania imports 60 percent of its oil and sugar requirements, that is about $385 million in total. You have a nation where more than two thirds of arable land isn’t cultivated, where agriculture employs at least two thirds of the working force, where everybody sings that agriculture is the backbone of the economy – then that happens!

Looking at the enormous opportunities that are wasted by not capitalising on both the internal and external demands, that isn’t indicative of people who know what they are doing.

Some experts opine that the late president John Pombe Magufuli followed what are known as state-led development policies – another Chinese import. This was evident in his initiation, revival, and consolidation of state-owned enterprises such as Air Tanzania, TTCL, and TBA. He used that opportunity to award exclusive rights to those companies, effectively cutting off the private sector from doing business with the government.

Unlike Magufuli, the Chinese understand that state-led development policies are not meant to choke out competition but to stimulate productivity and growth in strategic sectors which require significant investments, especially in underserved areas. Demanding that all government institutions and employees use TTCL or Air Tanzania won’t stimulate growth. It will simply reward incompetence. Not a good way to grow the economy.

While guilty of not doing what it should, quite often CCM does what it shouldn’t. One may even argue that CCM is actually standing in the way of people’s development, destroying the good things that Tanzanians have fashioned for themselves. Consider the cashew nuts, maize or coffee debacles. Consider years of regressive policies and over-taxation of the telecom sector that is now threatening not only its development but also the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. Consider wasting trillions in needless projects – I have Dodoma in mind – and then arm-twisting the people into supporting them! Why not suspend those projects instead?

What CCM does often lacks logical coherence. Magufuli rushed to do some things, Mama Samia is fast undoing the things Magufuli did – and rightly so. But this is the same party that’s making many unforced errors that cost the nation deeply.

Even when you go beyond the economy, there are many signs that indicate that CCM is at the end of its wits. While CCP finds legitimacy by delivering fast development for the people of China, CCM has failed to do that. Is this the reason why it is becoming increasingly heavy-handed when dealing with the opposition?

It’s likely that the only thing that keeps CCM together is its desire to cling to power by all means. But has it occurred to them that they can achieve that by doing what is right instead?