The Citizen Newspaper dated 13 August 2016 reported on President John’s message on fighting corruption in his ruling party (CCM). The newspaper headline read, “I will crush all corrupt CCM cadres.”
Comment:
Since President Magufuli of Tanzania came to power and then elected to be chairperson of CCM (ruling party) he has been engaging in cosmetic measures in curbing graft and corruption within the government and now promised to deal within his party (CCM).
In his recent address at Dar es Salaam CCM Sub-Head office made emphasis on two issues:
Firstly, he will fight all corrupt members, and would not spare any unqualified corrupt leader who buys leadership positions, warned that should any of them even dare to pick up nomination forms during next year’s party election. Furthermore, he made clear that, it is high time for corrupt cadres to engage in other business rather than politics.
Secondly, he promised putting high alertness in managing parties’ properties, by ensuring that all party assets are used for the benefit of party. He showed astonishment on why CCM suffered financial constraints, to the extent of relying on well-wishers, while having numerous investments.
In a broader picture Magufulis’ cosmetic measures to clean up his party and government is an attempt to revive mass feelings and regaining lost support from despair, Tanzanians who are fed up with CCM that has been in power for more than 50 years. It is a strategy to regain lost glory and popularity of CCM suffered from its mismanagement and higher scale of corruption. The strategy is meant to distract mass from real root cause, which is capitalist ideology, instead presenting problem as is from only certain corrupted individuals and mischief-makers, making people to believe that, once the corrupted ones controlled and uprooted, things would again proceed smoothly.
This strategy is from neither Magufuli nor his party (CCM). It is likely that it is from US architecture since CCM is a staunch American agent. The strategy meant to conceal capitalist ideological failure in serving Tanzanians. Hence is an attempt to install life machine into CCM body. Through it, the US will maintain CCM survival, strengthen its hegemony, and influence to proceed smoothly exploiting massive Tanzanian resources.
On another side, the strategy targets to confine and uproot British influence in Tanzania by dealing harshly and violently with the British party (Chadema). Under the Magufuli presidency, it seemed the many state apparatuses utilized to reach that objective. It is obvious that British influence through Chadema has grown to a reasonable threat to American interest that need to be controlled.
It is a very sad situation that we have today in the absence of a Khilafah state, the capitalist world utilizes whatever means available in developing countries from lying, killing, causing violence etc provided that survival of their interests is in place.
Ali Amour
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania