Opposition coalition goes for one post, one candidate

Chadema secretary general Willibrod Slaa speaks during a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday about Ukawa fielding single candidates in coming elections. Left is CUF chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba. PHOTO | SALIM SHAO 

By Athuman Mtulya The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

CUF and Chadema have a history of working together back in the 2000 General Election, when Chadema did not nominate a presidential candidate and supported Prof Lipumba for the top seat.

Dar es Salaam. Opposition parties under the banner of the Coalition of Defenders of the People’s Constitution have officially declared that they will join forces in the coming elections and place one candidate in every contested position.

The coalition, popularly known by the Kiswahili acronym Ukawa, is largely made up of the three main opposition parties with representation in Parliament--Chadema, Civic United Front (CUF) and NCCR-Mageuzi. Small opposition parties with no representation in Parliament, like the National League for Democracy and the Democratic Party, are also members of the coalition.

The Ukawa co-chair and chairman of CUF, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, told journalists yesterday that the coalition members will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of their supporters at a public rally to be held in the city next Sunday.
“We are very serious about this, beginning with the local government elections which are due in December,” he added. “The same thing in the next year’s General Election--one post, one candidate--all the way to the presidential seat. Our technical teams are already busy on this historic move.”

The coalition was born out of the ongoing constitution-making process. The quest for a new Katiba has been an opposition agenda for two decades. Knowing that the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was against the main proposals in the Second Draft Constitution--including the establishment of a federation with three governments--the opposition parties formed a coalition to counter CCM’s dominance in the Constituent Assembly.

The main act that the coalition has managed to pull off so far, sending shockwaves on the political scene, was walking out of the CA back in April on the grounds that it did not respect the wishes of Tanzanians that were documented in the Second Draft Constitution. The coalition accused CCM of using the second draft to protect its interests.

Said Prof Lipumba: “It is clear that, with CCM at the helm, we will not get the desired new constitution. We are going to combine forces and oust them (CCM) from running the country in order to register positive political and economic reforms, and we are calling on all organisations and individuals sharing our thinking to join us in the cause.”

CUF and Chadema have a history of working together back in the 2000 General Election, when Chadema did not nominate a presidential candidate and supported Prof Lipumba for the top seat.

But the last General Election (2010) saw the three main opposition parties deeply divided after Chadema decided to go it alone as the official opposition in Parliament. It was a far-fetched notion then to imagine they would be seriously playing for single candidate in every position only four years down the line.

But all that appears to be water under the bridge now. As Chadema Secretary-General Willibrod Slaa pointed out: “Nothing will see us parting ways this time. We have a mutual and committed vision for this country. The constitution-making process has helped us realise that and we are set to turn the political tables....”

According to Dr Slaa, the Proposed Constitution is the turning point of Ukawa’s “struggle” and they will galvanise the public to reject it in the referendum.

Ousting CCM will not be easy, if the results of the past four elections are anything to go by. The ruling party has maintained a track record of victory at 60 percent and more, the highest being 80 per cent in 2005.
To Mr Emmanuel Malya, a political science lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania, said the development in the opposition camp was expected and the most important thing is what the opposition parties will agree on.“I’m waiting to see their MoU,” he said, “because, at the end of the day, we need to know what they will offer us and how different it is from what we have now.”According to Mr Malya, it is well known that the parties do not have enough muscle to independently compete against CCM and their coming together is crucial. He added: “Just having a single enemy is not enough. In the end, if they want to take over the state, they must come up with clear strategies and attainable objectives. Failing this, it will be business as usual.”

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