Neither Electoral nor Constitutional Reforms Would Liberate Tanzania

News:

While Tanzania is expecting having General Election in October 2025, a wave of political division and divergent approaches toward it is existing among politicians and political parties that has caused huge political discussion.

Comment:

The current political atmosphere heading toward General Election later this year in Tanzania brought three major political points of view that enjoyed a great deal of support from different groups of people across the country.

The first group are those who stress an urgent need for electoral reforms pioneered by the main opposition party-Chadema under their slogan, “No Reform No Election.” This stance holds the view that in absence of reforms, elections would not be free and fair and should be boycotted. Others are those who appeal for constitutional reforms championed by the second opposition party - ACT Wazalendo. This stance emphasizes the constitution amendments, but unlike Chadema, this party is not in position to boycott elections.

The third group are those who support the status quo (government). They don’t see the necessity of the electoral management and the constitution. They support the current constitution, election rules and procedures. This group is under the influence of the current government and the ruling party - CCM.

All three groups of politicians, political parties and their supporters should know that they would never achieve anything beneficial for the country, masses as they all claim.

As for those who support the electoral reforms, they should remember that there have been many electoral reforms before, like the 2010, 2019 and the most recent 2023 reforms – the National Election Commission Act 2023. None of them have worked.

For those who support the constitution reforms led by the second opposition party ACT-Wazalendo, the campaign which was launched also in 2024, we would like to remind them also that, Tanzania since its flag independence in 1961 has been through many constitution reforms and amendments: for instances in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1977. Zanzibar on the other side also had reforms in 1963, 1979 and 1984. Since the there have been many series of amendments on both parts of the United Republic of Tanzania and none have been successful.

For those supporting the status quo, the supporters of the ruling party CCM and the current government contended with the current electoral rules and the current constitutions, they are not on the safe side either, as the weaknesses of the current rules and constitutions are openly seen by everyone.

All the three groups have failed to understand the main source of the problem which is not the election rules, the constitution or the opposition (for who support the government). The root cause is the capitalism ideology in which all current rules and laws in Tanzania and developing nations are foreign and colonial. Via these capitalist rules and laws, neo-colonialism is being imposed in Tanzania and the developing world; enabling capitalist nations to exploit these nations.

Thus, productive changes to liberate Tanzania and elsewhere should focus towards the elimination of the filthy ideology of capitalism by replacing it with Islam under its global leadership (the Caliphate).

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Said Bitomwa
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania