TASTE OF POWER; TEST OF BLOOD?




“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power... Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.'' George Orwell, 1984.

Violence has already erupted and an atmosphere of fear, disbelief and uncertainty pervades Tanzania. According to human activist Thabit Juma; In the latest outburst at least three people were killed, including a mother of six and dozens were injured on Monday when security forces fired tear gas and bullets at crowds in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar. And some reports said that as many as nine people were killed in the shooting. Such a threat of unrest or rather an instability is unheard of in Tanzania, where the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi [CCM] has been in power since independence in 1961 under the Founding Father Julius Nyerere. It is well known that Tanzania is one of the most peaceful democracies in Africa, but this time; clock hands have rotated anti-clockwise.

There is nothing wrong in a political party or individual staying in power for a long time as long as that person or party's motive is of public interest. However, most regimes we've started seeing in Africa are those always think that they are different from the oligarchies of the past in that they know what they are doing. All the others, even those who resembled themselves, are tamed, cowards and hypocrites. The Tanzanian government has been accused of silencing dissent, the media and civil society groups. And this had somehow threatened to undermine the legitimacy of the presidential elections as well the country's reputation for 'political stability'. Western media and diplomats, opposition leaders and human rights groups have accused Presidents John Magufuli of trying to fend off his main opponent; Tundu Lissu, by restricting his political campaigns, cracking down political activities and barring journalist and passing laws that tighten his grip on power. 

With opposition figures harassed and arrested, and press coverage restricted; many have come to conclude that 'The president will win, but the country will lose'.The situation in Tanzania is similar to what happened two years ago in Zimbabwe. When Zimbabweans protested during the general elections, the ZANU-led regime's response was to deploy the military in the streets. Six people were killed in clear daylight. A commission set up to investigate the violence found that these people were killed by members of the military and police. Furthermore, a week ago, at least six people were killed in a port town in the southern Ivory Coast as supporters and opponents of President Alassane Ouattara trade blame for rising violence ahead of the October 31 elections. The authorities decreed a curfew in response to the killings in Dabou, and the Mayor Jean-Claude Niangne said the killings were carried out by men with assault rifles and machetes. Violence has broken out sporadically since August when Ouattara announced his candidacy for a third term, a move his opponents say violates the constitution. In all, more than 20 people have died in protests and clashes between rival supporters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ivorycoast-election-idUSKBN2771HX

The question that is often asked is; should there always be blood for elections in Africa to go on. The people have normalised killings and torture during elections. Africa is predominately young in populations statistics but the leaders are often old men; most of them whom are brutal and authoritarian. The question is; does a taste of power mean a test of blood. I end with George Orwell saying, ''...We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end''1984.

                                                      


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