By THE CITIZEN | Thursday, December 13 2012.
Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema has demanded an explanation from the government on statements made last week by Works minister John Magufuli in support of the presidential bid of Kenyan politician Raila Odinga.
Chadema said a clarification was in order to avoid a diplomatic spat with the neighbouring country.
It was made clear at the Orange Democratic Movement meeting that Dr Magufuli and participants from other countries attended the event in their personal capacity as friends of Mr Odinga.
Dr Magufuli, along with delegates from Sudan, Zimbabwe and Uganda— attended the Orange Democratic Movement meeting in Nairobi last Friday, which endorsed Mr Odinga’s nomination for the presidential ticket in next year’s elections.
When he was given an opportunity to address delegates at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Dr Magufuli urged Kenyans to vote for Mr Odinga on the grounds that he was a principled politician capable of transforming Kenya.
But Chadema Foreign Affairs Director Ezekia Wenje said on Wednesday that Dr Magufuli’s presence at the meeting and the statements he made falsely signalled that Tanzania was taking sides in local politics.
Invited guests
“The government must come out and say if it condones Dr Magufuli’s statements and his presence in the ODM meeting in Kenya last week,” Mr Wenje said.
“If not, it should take action against its minister for getting involved in the politics of a neighbouring country.”
Given the fact that Kenya’s politics are driven along ethnic lines and its history of post-election violence, he added, Dr Magufuli’s statements were a diplomatic disaster.
Dr Magufuli is reported to have also said that the presence of invited guests from other countries signified that Mr Odinga was not only presidential material locally, but also enjoyed international support.
“In fact, if I faced Mr Odinga in a parliamentary poll in my own constituency, he would win and I would lose,” Dr Magufuli declared.
“This shows you how adept a politician he is.”
Tanzania played a big role in reconciliation and the formation of a government of national unity in Kenya after disputed presidential elections, Mr Wenje said, and such open sentiments coming from a senior Cabinet minister might signal to Kenyans that the country was backing a particular political party.
He added: “We are receiving calls and text messages of Tanzanians expressing concern about the implications of Dr Magufuli’s words in Nairobi last week.”
Several international leaders attended the meeting, including Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, but they did not support any side in their speeches.
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