How the Berlin Conference Clung on Africa: What Africa Must Do

How the Berlin Conference Clung on Africa: What Africa Must Do

Monday, 8 October 2012

Call it a Congress of Connected Machiavellian (CCM)



I know. By saying CCM, without reading the first words, my enemies are wagging their tongues as they bay for my innocent blood. Spare me. I don’t mean Chama Cha Mapinduzi or Liberation Party which has been ruling Tanzania for over five decades. This, for me, is a decent party whose slogans and policy are second to none especially for those on the helm. Those who doubt this should be reminded of the President Jakaya Kikwete’s wisdom that when you see a lot of traffic jams it means the economy is growing and this is what he meant by promising better life for all. Don’t even if the cars causing heck are junk.
As indicated above, I am talking about the Congress of Connected Machiavellian which shares the acronym with CCM. Anyway, I mean that. And that is that.
Let me delve into what has forced my nose on the tablet. For those who still remember how the Machiavellian Party conducted its elections for ulaji will bear with me that if your name has no smell of power you can’t make it to the ulaji. Eating nowadays is by inheritance. If your father was or is president, like Joseph Kabila you are destined to become president. If your daddy is chair of his party, you soon will become one. This, nowadays, goes further. Even if your hubby is president you, too, are president of all wives in the country.
Power inheritance should not be mixed with nepotism. Power inheritance is realpolitik not nepotism. This reminds me what I discovered in some of our embassies abroad. The other day I went to our mission in the country of maple leaf to find that Rich Tibandebage and Jose Sokoine were full in office there. When I asked them how they reached there, Rich told me that his father was an ambassador under Mwalimu. Therefore, it is not a bad thing for him to work in the embassy now. This also happened in our mission in Washington where Rozie Nkapa is serving just like Job Msekwa (Sweden), Mwingira, Karume and many more still to be discovered out there. When we say realpolitik based on inheritance we mean things like this.
Don’t get me wrong that I am attacking Msekwa or Sokoine. Are they alone? Go to the parliament. You’ll hear big names such as Mwinyi, Malima, Kawawa, Nchimbi, and Makamba to mention but a few. You know what? If your father or mother is who’s who in the hunk can even tell when you are going to be appointed a minister as once Makamba said. This is not the end of the story. Go to special seats you’ll know what I mean. There are such big names such as Masaburi, Sitta, Kawawa, and Sokoine and so on. Go to BoT. It is just the same. There are such glorious names such Lowassa, Mwinyi, Mungai, Mahita to mention but a few. This game does not end up hither. If your father was an RPC, for example, you’ll use this to climb ladder in the police force. Who think the hunk is alone in this is but goofing. In a neighbouring hunk of Uganda president M7 appointed his wife a minister. So if you see the son or wife of president in your hunk in ulaji don’t commit suicide. This is nothing new. I know many people hate Riz and Sal simply because they are using mzee’s trump card to eat. Nowadays this is a normal thing under realpolitik. After all, kutesa kwa zamu literally eating by turns. If it is your turn to eat you make sure that all of your relatives eat with you. In "pori-tricks' we call this better life for all. Mind you! This all is not all of you but all of us namely me and my family. If your father was a professor or a doctor forget about becoming one for this does not depend on elections or manipulations.
This is realpolitik at work. If you are not connected nor have a network (mtandao) blame yourself if not your parents who did not jump into ulaji. You know what I mean. In 80s we used to goof thinking that being educated would propel us to glory and grace. This has nowadays changed totally. To climb the ladder to holiness you must bear a big name as a surname.
Let me go back to CCM, when you see a husband and wife and children are elected in party committes and organs mind you it realpolitik. Recently, Idodomya region beat all regions when it comes to applying realpolitik otherwise known as egomaniacs. Look at what the region offered, for example, in CCM’s recent elections. Competitors were Mboni Mahita, Ahmed Nyang’anyi the kids of former ministers, Antony Mavunde son of former mayor and Lulu Mtemvu whose father is an MP.
When I said that this is a Congress of Connected Machiavellian I mean that the ends justify the means and eating must be sought for all means legal and illegal. Those who did not read Niccolo Machiavelli’s Prince can go back to archive to look for one. Again, princes and princesses must maintain power by all means. If anything, this is what realpolitik is all about today. Well, well, call this party CCM.
Source: Thisady Oct. 8, 2012

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