by Bayano Valy in Dar es Salaam – SANF 05 no 86
Tanzania’s ruling party motto promises “Maisha bora kwa kila Mtanzania (Good life for every Tanzanian)”.
Judging by the crowd that filled a football ground in Temeke, a district in Dar es Salam, on Saturday, Tanzanians believe that a vote for the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and its presidential candidate, Jakaya Kikwete, is a vote for good life.
The crowd, donning green and yellow colours of the ruling party, started gathering from the early hours of the morning and by mid-afternoon, when Kikwete arrived in a colourful motorcade, they numbered nearly 20,000. This was indeed a feat for CCM which is hoping to make inroads in opposition ground. Temeke is the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) stronghold.
Tanzanians are preparing to vote on 30 October to elect two parliaments and two presidents, including one for Zanzibar. Based on steady economic growth and improving living standards that Tanzanians have enjoyed under the leadership of successive CCM governments, Kikwete is expected to win the elections from a field of nine candidates.
The main challengers are Ibrahim Lipumba of the CUF and Augustine Mrema of the Tanzania Labour Party. Incumbent President Benjamin William Mkapa is standing down after 10 years in office. He is the third president of the United Republic of Tanzania, founded by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
As Kikwete addressed the colourful rally in Temeke, the best that CUF members could do was to sit at a distance watching the man favoured to be the next president charm the crowd and deliver his promises.
Kikwete told the crowd that a vote for him and CCM is a vote for continuity, and improved living conditions. “There’s no better party than CCM. CCM has better organisation and experience to take Tanzania forward,” he said.
To buttress his speech of CCM’s superiority, Kikwete introduced to the crowd some senior CUF members who had earlier on defected to CCM by surrendering their cards and flags, and giving their testimonies before the party supporters.
“Even CUF members have realised that only CCM can take this country forward by joining the revolution party,” he said.
About 15 CUF members defected on the afternoon, including Aisha Ngede, a CUF member of the outgoing parliament, and journalist Charles Charles, who drew large cheers with their testimonies.
To provide Tanzanians with a better life, Kikwete said that he would continue on the path taken by Tanzania’s former presidents – Mwalimu Nyerere, Ali Mwinyi and the outgoing President Mkapa.
He said that Tanzania will see the building of more schools and houses for teachers both for primary and secondary education, especially in villages. “Much has been done but we need to continue providing a better education for our children.”
Another area that a future Kikwete government will focus on is that of electricity. Although investments in the country’s power grid have been made, Kikwete thinks that more is still needed to take electricity to all corners of Tanzania.
“Towns and villages are getting electricity, and we’ll continue expanding this service to those who need it,” he said.
Kikwete also pledged to provide water for every Tanzanian. Water services have been privatised in Dar es Salam. However, after privatisation, problems started arising with the city going without water in some areas, forcing government to reverse the process.
A CCM government would continue improving the telecommunications network, and expanding it. “Now it’s possible for many Tanzanians to contact some villages in the far places, and I pledge to take telecommunications to other areas.”
Projects started under Mkapa will be continued. At the top of a future CCM government will be road reconstruction. Kikwete told the crowd that by December 2006 Tanzanians moving to Mwanza in the north will not need to go into Kenya to connect with regions south of it.
Mwanza is an agricultural area and a good road network would provide a quick access route for farm products.
On the economic front, Kikwete said: “We’re going to continue improving the economy of Tanzania so that living conditions can continue improving.” Tanzania has been registering positive economic growth, and in 2004 the country recorded a 6.7 percent GDP growth.
Inflation has been declining from 21 percent in 1996 to four percent in 2004.
A Kikwete government will carefully look into the smallscale enterprises so that the sector can become a big contributor of the country’s GDP, and by extension add to the drive to improve the living conditions of Tanzanians.
There will be a focus on job creation. “We’ll do everything to reduce unemployment,” said the presidential candidate.
He told the youth to expect opportunities in the new job schemes his government would establish. This is particularly important because about 28 percent of those aged between 15-24 are said to be unemployed in the rural areas. The country’s 2003 Human Development Report puts unemployment at five percent.
Opportunities would also be extended to women. The government would ensure that they get small grants to start small projects.
All these measures, Kikwete said, would go a long way towards reducing poverty.
Other priorities will be to reduce the rate of illiteracy, improve the health sector, as well as continue in the struggle against HIV and AIDS.
But all these pledges could not be realised without “your vote. We want to take the nation forward,” Kikwete urged his supporters. (SARDC)
