No vocabulary can suffice to describe the size of the crowd that turned up yesterday at the Jangwani grounds in Dar es Salaam when four political parties forming the Coalition of the People’s Constitution (Ukawa) officially launched their general election campaign.
All roads leading to the grounds were temporarily closed, rendering some sections of Kawawa and Morogoro Roads impassable due to the huge crowd that turned to the election campaign inaugural rally.
A random check conducted by The Guardian on Sunday witnessed many businesses and transportation coming to a standstill following an outpouring of people from several parts of the city.
At around 8am this reporter arrived at Jangwani area, with highways that are connected to the city center and Kariakoo area posted with posters of the UKAWA presidential candidate Edward Lowassa and T-shirts. That is also what happened at the launching of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) nationwide campaign.
Motorcycle riders took up runs along Morogoro Road in a show of enthusiasm, often with CHADEMA flags, reminding some in the commuter buses that an air of change was afoot, as founding father Julius Nyerere once declared, that said 'If Tanzanian fail to get changes within CCM, they will seek it outside CCM.'
At Jangwani grounds, city residents started camping at the place even before dawn, some sleeping within the vicinity.
CHADEMA officials also stood to their word and reserved a special allocation of space for women.
The reason was to avoid pressing and pushing which would make women more uncomfortable while reducing confusion that could disrupt concord in the rally.
At around 1pm music groups started to perform, as visitors and representatives from various parts of the country started arriving, and finally the presidential candidate and his entourage chiefly of CHADEMA officials arrived at the scene.
Talent demonstration by entertainers was abundant while vendors had a field day as people sought to keep themselves occupied or buy gifts if they were in company.
Oscar Raphael, an opposition sympathisant at the rally said the gathering was proof that Tanzanians want change, and their turnout shows to UKAWA opponents how the opposition shall win this year's general election.
"I must say this is what we were expecting since UKAWA parties joined forces to win this race,” he said, excited with how the Jangwani rally was the talk of town all over the place.
Another city resident who attended the meeting, Mwantumu Saidi spoke about the massive crowd at Jangwani grounds.
She said this was realised despite several obstructive actions from the ruling party, as thousands of city residents thronged the ground to participate in the opposition campaign launching.
People gathered at the area since dawn and some enthusiasts had even gathered from nightfall the day before, enjoying coffee and thinking of daybreak and what follows later.
While the key phrase was people’s power and Lowassa being on everyone’s lips, the nasty remark by former president Benjamin Mkapa kept troubling UKAWA followers.
The former president had declared in the CCM launching rally at the same premises a week ago that those who call themselves liberators, forgetting that there is only one liberation party in this country, CCM, were “stupid and loafers.”
It was left to James Mbatia, chairman of the coalition partner NCCR-Mageuzi, to put to rest the ghost of the former president’s diatribe, with a quotation from Ecclesiastics that “better a poor and wise youth, than an old and stupid king.”
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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