Although political scenarios and styles in Tanzania’s two neighbours, Malawi and Zambia are different, they can provide some good lessons to Tanzania’s new President Samia Suluhu Hassan shall she aspire or plan to stay on after concluding her term in 2025. Signs show that she’d like to throw her cap in the ring in the coming elections. To jog you mind, two then Vice Presidents Joyce Banda in power (7 April, 2012–31 May, 2014) and Rupiah Banda (19 August, 2008–23 September, 2011) took the office of president after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika and Levy Mwanawasa respectively. Provided that the duo wasn’t prepared for big things–––for, if they’re, they’d continue to be presidents even after completing their predecessors’ terms–––the electorates showed them the door. There are various reasons for and lessons from their failures to recapture presidency. Firstly, they both lost elections and thus, were unable to continue to be in office due to various and related reasons that have to do with how they governed.
Secondly, their leaderships didn’t satisfy their citizens. Thus, they kicked them out through the ballot boxes also for different and various that were mostly connected to abuse of office and corruption.
Let’s look at them in particularity. Beginning with Joyce Banda–––I’ll use their first names to avoid slip-ups since they share the surname Banda. Truth to tell, Joyce failed to recapture the presidency after some squabbling groups erupted soon after the demise of Mutharika. These groups supported Mutharika’s brother, Peter and wanted him to take power instead of VP Joyce. However, sanity prevailed, and Joyce took power as per the stipulation of the constitution of Malawi. Later, Peter defeated Joyce after completing Mutharika’s term.
Apart from being sabotaged by power brokers, Joyce faced cashgate scandal as a straw that broke the camel’s back as far as her presidential ambitions were concerned. It was alleged that her government sold a presidential jet for US$15 million of which US$1.5. million was spent on purchasing maize and the balance just varnished. For the poorest country like Malawi, such an amount of money is humongous and the sin from it unforgettable or unforgivable. Thus, we can say that corruption was among the root causes of the fall of Joyce from power. After being defeated, Joyce went to self-imposed exile from 2014 to 2018 for fear of being apprehended. Apart from the above scandal, under Joyce’s watch, allegedly Malawi lost approx. US$250 million that’s paid to fraudulent businessmen for supplying the services that weren’t actually rendered (BBC, 27 January, 2014).
When it comes to Rupiah who was defeated by the late Michael Sata, nothing can be blamed for it like allegations that he stole US$11 million just in the three years he was in power. This scandal surfaced after Rupiah entered an agreement of purchasing oil from Nigeria, wherein his son Henry–––who’s been living in neighbouring South Africa for fear of being brought to book–––was allegedly involved. Because of this scandal, Rupiah was arrested in 2013 and charged. Apart from this scandal, Rupiah was accused of abuses of power, especially benefiting his family. As was for Joyce, Rupiah lost elections as the results of Zambians’ wraths for such allegations he failed to dispel.
Considering the above scenarios, there are some good lessons for Samia Suluhu Hassan (SSH). For her not to replicate what transpired in Malawi and Zambia, she needs to fight graft brutally and practically by seeing to it that she manages public funds wisely as was the case for her predecessor who performed wonderfully for the satisfaction of the majority of Tanzanians. By so doing, SSH will endear herself to citizens and voters. The second lesson is for her to avoid making her office a family business as was the case in Zambia. Normally, family members don’t know the burden/value of the trust bestowed on their relative. Thus, they can use her to mint and print money for his/her perils but not theirs.
Thirdly, SSH needs to know that even if she isn’t going to involve herself in corruption personally, she needs to keep tabs on those under her watch as well. For, much of what Joyce was accused of were the results of her not keeping tabs on her officials so as to cause the loss of between US$15-250 million for a poor country like Malawi. If anything, this irked many Malawians who decided to vote her out. Thereafter, Joyce joined the opposition led by the current president Lazarus Chakwera. When the opposition defeated Mutharika, Joyce was safe to return home as she did.
Fourthly, the two examples above show that citizens and voters watch carefully; and when an opportunity to punish the villains comes, they don’t miss it as was in the cases of two Banda in Malawi and Zambia. Thus, president SSH has a very good class from the two former presidents who took over after their bosses died in power to end up being kicked out of power through the ballot boxes.
In sum, abuses of power and corruption denied them opportunities to retain power. If anything, this is the cardinal lesson for SSH from Malawi and Zambia shall she want to proceed as the president after effecting her predecessor’s term 2025. As noted in the introduction, Malawi’s and Zambia’s political sceneries are different from Tanzania where the opposition is a wee bit feeble. Though, this shouldn’t deceive SSH. Things do change. The opposition can wake up from the slumber and gain traction after seeing and seizing an opportunity. If SSH works on the lessons this piece provides, she’s nothing to worry about but to entrench herself in power and deliver starting from where her processor ended. Essentially, SSH has what it takes to rule even after 2025. The capital her predecessor left behind will propel her to victory shall she maintain the speed and tempo. She’s already begun to show this by fiercely descending down on corruption and slackness in her government.
Source: African Executive Magazine.
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