|
|
Tanzania: Democratise the Parties
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
EDITORIAL
9 July 2008
Posted to the web 9 July 2008
A vibrant opposition is good for democracy, as the opposition party Chadema has continued to demonstrate. The campaign for good governance and the onslaught on corruption in the public sector would probably not have gained so much momentum, had it not been for the contributions of its leaders.
It's the Chadema 'List of Shame' unveiled at a public rally in Dar es Salaam last year, which upped the tempo in what has turned out to be quite an effective crusade against graft.
However, the national spotlight has now turned on Chadema itself, with a national leadership wrangle that paints a not-so rosy picture of its state of internal democracy. As it continues to play a key role in nurturing multi-party democracy, it's important that dissenting voices within the party are not stifled.
But the party could be on the way to self-destruction unless its leaders commit themselves to values and principles that will enhance rather than diminish the democratic space in the national political set-up.
With the raging leadership wrangles in Chadema, its effectiveness is likely to suffer. It is a pity that the party's national leadership is embroiled in a bitter dispute, which has led to the suspension of one of the top officials over alleged "unbecoming conduct".
|
While the leadership has every right to take disciplinary action against any member or official not seen to be toeing the party line, it's important this is done in a fair and democratic manner. The opposition must conduct itself in such a way that it demonstrates that it can be the alternative government should the people decide so.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
