DEBATE ON DEMOCRACY: Where Are We Planning To Go, Who Is To Lead Us There?

By Mdau Tuntufye

A true democracy will come from our people; if our people will value every single vote, we can move forward.  If every single individual will value a vote more than a precious stone, and consider it as, as valuable as an investing asset, our society can dismantle the vicious cycle of poverty. What if our people value a vote for only TZS 10,000, or for exchange of some token things? I'm afraid to say that majority of our people do not know whether there is a better life outside of what they live now, that is why, may be, they are easily ensnared by greedy culprit political aspirants. 

This is a fundamental problem. You can’t make a concerted effort for something you don’t aspire. Our aspirations drive and motivate us not only to work hard in anyhow but to stick to well- thought strategies, policies and plans. Our people should understand themselves that they are poor, therefore, should aspire for a better future and be determined to move out of the current condition. Here is where the power of vote or people’s power comes in, well informed people can decide about their own destiny.  

Outside of this, it is a deception and a self destructive means towards a true democracy. "People power" refers to the peaceful social revolution. Otherwise it is a manipulation of people’s mind by taking advantage of their ignorance and problems facing them.

A true change can’t be brought by mobilizing underprivileged groups to rally in the streets, yes it can be, but not a plausible solution. Let’s start with a very crucial things here, let’s educate our people how to exercise the true power, the power of the vote.  

It is really  absurd to see some media posting names of the so called presidential candidates for 2015 without telling us what exactly are they going to do. Let’s go back to the Mwalimu’s suggestions, let’s discuss problems that are most binding constraints to our societies before we discuss names of candidates. What are the critical problems that face Tanzania so far, then who are the suitable candidates to take us through those problems facing us? Here is where we can exercise our power. Mwalimu suggests that everyone should be honest and be convinced in his/her conscience about the true candidate to solve our problems, otherwise no one to blame, and if we will be still poor, it’s because we made that choice.

The fate of better life is in our votes, we are responsible for success and failure through our votes. It is real very sad to see most Tanzanian media never discussing about major issues, like what are the current economic, social and political status, then who, do we think can mobilize us together with our resources to make a move forward. Surprisingly, our media never discuss about strength and weakness of who in their perspective they think are the candidates for presidential election 2015. What you happen to see in newspapers, is only nicely painted names without any critical analysis of why do they think those candidates are suitable. 

Wake up guys, stop painting names, help Tanzanians to get a true partisan and son of Tanzania, who is free from, and not entangled in any enslavement, be it religious, ethnic, political, hatred or “mtandao.” At once, Mwalimu said, we need a person who knows that State House is not a place for doing business, neither a place for celebrity nor show off.  Rather, it is a place for carrying Tanzanians’ burdens, a place for someone striving to relieve Tanzanians from these burdens. We need a person who is globally competent and his/her first priority is Tanzania’s interest.

 It’s your role, you media people to help Tanzanians to identify who is that candidate, so that our people would have informed decision to exercise people’s power in their honesty through voting. Expose to us the strengths and weaknesses of people you paint on newspapers and other media and match with our problems whether these people are capable of solving them, then we can decide.