By Munir Kalidushi, KAMPALA, 16:30 GMT
Intimidating
independent nations across the developing nations is part of what the
US defines as international democracy. They have caused endless atrocities in Africa, Asia and Latin America in that name.
They
have assassinated Presidents, overthrown governments and provoked
violence in many places. To them, the argument would be and is always
democracy, human rights and countless other meaningless phrases.
What
is democracy to the US is something of a mystery; they have sabotaged
democratically elected leaders, they have overthrown the leaders who
were really transforming their countries and who brought about stability
in those nations to destroying national institutions.
The
Obama and now Trump administrations were believed to bring about
changes to that old but stubborn US policy. Unfortunately, the reality
is different. The recent statement of the US Embassy
to Tanzania on elections and democracy in Tanzania is yet another
testimony that things are all the same; the US, leading in human rights
violations, continues to use democracy as a weapon to disturb other
countries. I will use the Tanzanian example to argue that the US has no
moral authority to continue with its evil policy of disturbing
independent African nations.
I
did my post graduate studies in Dar es Salaam so I follow trends in
Tanzania especially following the recent great work of the Tanzanian
President Joseph John Magufuli. For those in Kampala and other EAC
nations who didn't follow the issue I will try to make a recount.
On Sunday 12, this year, electorates in Buyungu constituency, Kakonko
district in Kigoma region, Tanzania thronged polling stations to cast
their votes to elect an MP in a by-election following the death of the
area’s former MP Kasuku Bilago who passed away in May, this year.
After
the voting, Eng. Christopher Chiza of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the
ruling pay, emerged the winner with 24,578 votes (58.7 per cent)
against his closest rival from Chadema, Mr Elia Michael, who garnered
16,910 votes, equivalent to 40.41per cent of the total votes and openly
conceded defeat.
On
the same day, the ruling CCM won 36 seats for local councilors in
by-elections conducted in different wards and clinched 41 others
unopposed. It should be understood that the late Bilago belonged to
opposition party Chadema.
Soon
after the polls when responding to questions from journalists, the
Secretary General of CCM, Dr Bashiru Ally, boasted and declared that the
secret behind the victory was due to the fact that the party was
responding and addressing to problems facing the ordinary people. He was
referring to the Magufuli effect known across Africa as
Magufulification.
Few
days after the by-elections and to the surprise of many people
including myself, the Embassy of the United States of America in Dar es
Salaam issued a
statement claiming that the polls were marred with violence and
irregularities. The statement, vividly a coward one, was not signed by
any US senior official, was just left posted on the Embassy website and
captured by the seemingly tipped off press.
The
move by the US embassy amounts to blatant meddling of third world and
Tanzania’s independence and internal affairs which are contrary to the Vienna Convention On Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
A
total of 10 candidates featured in the by-election but failed to make it
due to stiff competition between the winner and the candidate from the
main opposition party Chadema. It
is apparent that the statement by the embassy in the aftermath of the
by-elections aimed at tarnishing the image of Tanzania to its people and
in the international community.
Given
the fact that the United States has diplomatic ties with Tanzania it
could have used proper diplomatic channels to engage local authorities
rather than issuing a press statement.
The
move by the US embassy, according to diplomatic circles, tantamount
into interfering in Tanzania’s independence, inciting violence and
eventually disturbing peace, harmony and unity which the country has
enjoyed for years.
It
is a well-known fact that Tanzania is an independent and democratic
country with an electoral commission which is charged with supervising
elections as per the constitution, international laws, regulations and rules of
elections and thus no country should meddle in its affairs.
Unlike
General Elections held after every five year for Presidency, Members of
Parliament and Local Councilors which are monitored by local and
foreign observers, by-elections are hardy monitored by these observers.
One
may thus wonder as where officials at the American embassy got such
information of “Credible accounts of election violence and
irregularities include refusal by National Election Commission
authorities to register opposition candidates.”
In
the statement, the US embassy further claimed that there was
intimidation by police of opposition party members, unwarranted arrests,
and suppression of freedoms of assembly and speech in the lead up to
the by-elections.
Summing
it up that; “Such actions undermine the rights that Tanzania’s
Constitution guarantees its citizens and jeopardize peace, stability,
and security in the country and throughout the region”.
Instead
of pointing fingers at the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and
police in the press statement, if indeed guided by sober motives, the
embassy could have engaged the government the the Foreign Ministry as per the Vienna Convention, NEC and police to hear the
other side of the story but that did not happen.
 |
| National Elections Director in Tanzania |
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| Acting US Ambassador to Tanzania |
What
is more, electoral legislations in Tanzania are very clear that any
person or party who is not contented by the election processes should
engage the courts of law for remedy; however, not even the losers in the
election have expressed any intention to contest the results so far.
It
is thus obvious that the “blanket claims” by the US embassy do not hold
any water because even the so claimed criminal acts which were reported
in pockets of areas are being dealt with by responsible authorities.
Put
that aside and focus a bit on American’s political scientist Jesse
Rhodes who wrote that “America itself is no stranger to election
violence” hence lacking any moral good to attack other countries.
In
an article which appeared in The Conversation, an independent,
not-for-profit media outlet that uses content sourced from academics and
researchers, the political scientist squarely blamed President Donald
Trump's inflammatory rhetoric for invoking a long history of political
violence in America.
The
associate professor was of a view that the 2016 American presidential
campaign had renewed concerns about the specter of violence in American
electoral politics, stressing that the poll was marked by tense—and
occasionally violent—altercations between supporters and critics of
Republican nominee Donald Trump.
According
to the political scientist, Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to
“knock the crap” out of protesters, and even suggested he would pay the
legal fees of followers who assaulted his critics.
“It
would be comforting to conclude that the menace of violence surrounding
the 2016 presidential election is unique. But my research on the
history of voting rights in the United States suggests that this is far
from the case.
“Indeed,
the threat and execution of violence around elections has a long, sad
history in American politics,” Mr Rhodes states in the article.
According to the scholar, violent conflict surrounding elections goes
all the way back to the beginning of American history.
As
I open off over 300 newspapers across the US are petitioning for free
speech following Trumps recurring assault and defamatory remarks on the
media. Still you read from madam ambassador claiming free speech is
curtailed in Tanzania and other African countries.
Looking
at the three scenarios, it is suffice to say that no country should
meddle into the independence and affairs of other countries since each
state may have its own issues which can be solved by machinery
stipulated in the constitution rather than irresponsible statements from
foreign countries.
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