Climate Change Ambassador for Tanzania Rev Prof Aidan Msafiri
“They should make realistic and achievable promises to the
electorate because Tanzanian voters have finally woken up from their
slumber and to the importance of the electorate pledges,” pointed out
several political analysts in the city yesterday.
The Guardian yesterday published a story in which scores of
parents of students studying at Usevya Secondary School in Katavi Region
have refused to contribute money for their children’s food because
Kavuu MP, Dr Pudensiana Kikwembe promised to take care of students meals
during her campaigns last year.
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday political analysts have said
politicians are known for making empty political promises to get
people’s votes and turning their back after getting the people’s
mandate. They pointed out that the incident should serve as a wake-up
call to all politicians.
They pointed out that the incident should serve as a wake-up call to all politicians.
They noted that times have changed and they should not take the
voters for granted. The pledges such as ‘I will build roads, I will
build schools and dispensaries’, ‘I will bring jobs’ and so on without
any concrete plans nor clear source of funds, has no room in today’s
Tanzania.
Apart from cautioning politicians who trade empty-worded promises,
the Climate Change Ambassador for Tanzania Rev Prof Aidan Msafiri also
urged voters to critically analyse pledges made by politicians during
election campaigns and demand implementation plans before buying the
promises.
He said that although some of the pledges given are viable most of them are utopia- they cannot be implemented.
“Politicians give unrealistic pledges during campaigns because they
are aware that their voters lack critical analytical mind,” he said.
Msafiri noted that although the MPs make promises such as offering
meals in schools, in practical terms, the implementation of such pledges
are almost impossible and maintained that parents should better get
used that it is upon them to feed their children studying in community
schools that are not government funded boarding schools.
Analyst Eric Mwakibete said that during campaigns most of the
contestants give political statements to please voters but in the back
of their minds, they know that ‘this is not possible but I must tell
them what they want to hear so that they vote for me’.
“Pledges given by politicians during campaigns are driven by
voters’ ‘psych of the moment’ thus giving unrealistic promises,” he
said.
He said that voters are supposed to question the candidates over
their pledges and analyse if there are practical strategies to be used
to attain them.
Mwakibete further cited the pledges given by presidential
candidates from all political parties who participated in the last
year’s General Election, saying that they were so many and not all of
them were realistic.
“Voters have failed to take them to task and demand to know clear
strategies for the implementation of their pledges instead they were
driven by political affiliations,” he said.
He however said it was the responsibility of parents to contribute
for food of their children even if the MP had pledged because failure to
do so means punishing the children who have not even voted for the
lawmaker.
“If they want to punish the MP, they should wait after the expiry
of her term instead of refusing to contribute food for their children,”
he said.
The Coordinator for Tanzania Women Cross-party Platform (Ulingo),
Dr Ave-Maria Semakafu said that the challenges facing most of the
leaders are due to the people’s failure to understand the meaning of
representative politics at the levels of legislator or chancellorship.
Citizens have been made to believe that politicians ‘bring development’
by using their resources, which is not true.
“Being either a Member of Parliament or the Councilor does not mean
to use your own money to solve problems facing people in your area,”
she said.
She said that in Tanzania being an MP or the councilor was a
chaotic affair and a heavy burden on the leaders because voters demand
too much from their representatives in order to solve their problems.
They wake up and find queues of constituents waiting for them on the
door with this and that problem, which is not fair, she said.
“This has resulted into commoditisation of political leadership
whereby only the rich can afford to carry such heavy burden ,” she said.
Semakafu said that being a representative means to understand the
problems facing people at your area of jurisdiction and assist on how
they could be addressed.
Tanzania Constitution Forum Chairman, Deus Kibamba faulted
lawmakers and councilors for abandoning their main role of being the
voice of people by engaging in giving unrealistic pledges.
He said that it was high time for politicians to leave aside unrealistic pledges and tell the people the truth.
Kibamba also faulted the free education policy saying it has
resulted into inconveniences by parents especially those who believed
that they were not going to contribute anything for the education of
their children.
“There are parents who are waiting for their children to be
provided with exercise books, pens, compass and other school materials
while it is not so… there are political gimmicks and empty promises
…politicians should stop giving unrealistic pledges,” Kibamba insisted.
The University of Dar es Salaam Lecturer, Gideon Mbalasa said that
the electorate should give politicians time to implement their pledges
because it is too early for them to fulfill them.
That is exactly what MP Kikwembe said when contacted on Sunday.
She admitted to have had made the pledges during her election campaigns
last year.
“I appeal to parents to be patient as I have just entered the
House; let them give me time. For the time being they should start
contributing food for their children.”
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