When Tanzania Mainland celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence on 9th December, 2011, and following the prodding (amounting to gentle ‘pressure’) from Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, then President of the United Republic of Tanzania, urging me to do so; I wrote and published a book titled: “A Concise Political History of Tanzania” (Nyambari Nyangwine Publishers, Dar es Salaam, 2013).
On 9th December this year, 2021; our country will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Tanganyika’s independence, (its diamond jubilee). One of the most outstanding political achievements during this post-independence period, was the rebranding of our country, formerly known as Tanganyika, but is now proudly known as the United Republic of Tanzania; resulting from the political Union of former Tanganyika, with Zanzibar, in April 1964. I have therefore considered it important for me to also put on record the other major socio-political and economic advances which have been made during this additional decade, (2011 - 2021). And that will be the subject matter of a two-part article: today’s article, and that of next week.
A resume of the major events of the preceding five decades 1961 – 2011).
It has been said that “the good or bad fortunes of a nation, will basically depend on the solid foundations, if any, that were laid during its early formative years”. In our case, it is, presumably, common knowledge, that during its formative years i.e. the immediate post-independence period, our country’s affairs were being managed by the legendary iconic leader, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, together with the then ruling party, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU).
Thus, in my book on 50 years of independence referred to above, I focused largely on the ruling party (TANU)’s performance and achievements during that period. This was because, in the country’s political dispensation of that period, TANU, as the ruling party, was the sole authority that provided policy guidance and decision-making in all the political, economic and social sectors of the country’s development. The ruling party was at the center stage in the business of policy- making and all other public decision-making processes, buttressed in that position by the constitutional provision which required “all public activities to be conducted by, or under the auspices of the party”; popularly known as “party supremacy”.
Therefore, it was under the auspices of TANU as the ruling party, but also due to its dynamic Organization and management capability, plus the requisite leadership skills of Mwalimu Nyerere and his comrades; that the major political achievements of that period were recorded.
On 9th December this year, 2021; our country will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Tanganyika’s independence, (its diamond jubilee). One of the most outstanding political achievements during this post-independence period, was the rebranding of our country, formerly known as Tanganyika, but is now proudly known as the United Republic of Tanzania; resulting from the political Union of former Tanganyika, with Zanzibar, in April 1964. I have therefore considered it important for me to also put on record the other major socio-political and economic advances which have been made during this additional decade, (2011 - 2021). And that will be the subject matter of a two-part article: today’s article, and that of next week.
A resume of the major events of the preceding five decades 1961 – 2011).
It has been said that “the good or bad fortunes of a nation, will basically depend on the solid foundations, if any, that were laid during its early formative years”. In our case, it is, presumably, common knowledge, that during its formative years i.e. the immediate post-independence period, our country’s affairs were being managed by the legendary iconic leader, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, together with the then ruling party, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU).
Thus, in my book on 50 years of independence referred to above, I focused largely on the ruling party (TANU)’s performance and achievements during that period. This was because, in the country’s political dispensation of that period, TANU, as the ruling party, was the sole authority that provided policy guidance and decision-making in all the political, economic and social sectors of the country’s development. The ruling party was at the center stage in the business of policy- making and all other public decision-making processes, buttressed in that position by the constitutional provision which required “all public activities to be conducted by, or under the auspices of the party”; popularly known as “party supremacy”.
Therefore, it was under the auspices of TANU as the ruling party, but also due to its dynamic Organization and management capability, plus the requisite leadership skills of Mwalimu Nyerere and his comrades; that the major political achievements of that period were recorded.
In other words, that is when the solid foundations for the country’s subsequent development were laid. And, by the grace of God, all the subsequent Administrations continued to build upon those solid foundations; which is what accounts for our continued enjoyment of peace and stability for all the six post-independence decades; and this is the leading factor which enabled our nation to achieve the magnificent major political achievements that have been recorded, including the merger of the Republic of Tanganyika with the Peoples’ Republic of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania in April 1964; and the subsequent merger of the two political parties, Mainland’s TANU, and Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi Party in 1977; plus the re-establishment of the multi-party political system in 1992. The processes which led to each of these achievements are succinctly described, and in great detail, in my book on 50 years of independence that was referred to above. Hence, under TANU’s management, the economic development sector was guided primarily by the philosophy, and vision, embodied in the ‘ Arusha Declaration’ of February 1967; whose basic elements included:-
*The eradication of the basic enemies of development, namely poverty, ignorance and disease. These had been identified by Mwalimu Nyerere right from the 1960s, even before Tanganyika gained independence. Thus the war against poverty, ignorance and disease, was embodied in the vision of the Arusha Declaration.
*Emphasis placed on national unity, and self-reliance. The “Twenty-Year Perspective Plan” (1964 – 80 – 2000, contained specific targets that were to be achieved in each of the various sectors that were specified therein.
*Emphasis placed on equality and justice for every citizen. The Arusha Declaration laid particular emphasis on recognizing and respecting the equality of all human beings, and their individual entitlements to human dignity.
*Emphasis placed on “man” as the object of development: The main focus of development policies attempted to place “ man”, or the human being, at the center of all development efforts, for example, in relation to providing easy access to public services, which was the main reason for the nationalization programmes, as well as the establishment of Ujamaa Villages.
*Special emphasis placed on rural development. The rural sector was made the cornerstone for the Ujamaa policies; and the rural development agenda was pursued in earnest, in pursuance of Mwalimu Nyerere’s dictum: “while other nations aim at reaching the moon, our aim is to reach the villages”.
*Special emphasis placed on rural development. The rural sector was made the cornerstone for the Ujamaa policies; and the rural development agenda was pursued in earnest, in pursuance of Mwalimu Nyerere’s dictum: “while other nations aim at reaching the moon, our aim is to reach the villages”.
*Exclusive public sector leadership; which led to the nationalization of all private investments.
* ‘Self-reliance’ as the right approach to development. This implied the strategy of solving the people’s development problems through their own efforts, and utilizing the resources which are available locally.
The subsequent failure of these economic policies.
In the said book, I did also acknowledge that the implementation of that vision subsequently failed, for the reason only that their implementation encountered some unexpected, turbulent, fast deteriorating economic and social conditions in the late 1970s and early 1980s; whose principal causes were:
The subsequent failure of these economic policies.
In the said book, I did also acknowledge that the implementation of that vision subsequently failed, for the reason only that their implementation encountered some unexpected, turbulent, fast deteriorating economic and social conditions in the late 1970s and early 1980s; whose principal causes were:
(a) the financial crisis which was caused by the Iddi Amin war of 1978/79;
(b) the sudden rise in the world prices of petroleum products; and
(c) the breakup of the East African Community during the same period.
Although Mwalimu Nyerere tried, as best he could, to handle the financial crisis that resulted from these unforeseen events, he obviously could not succeed in the very difficult conditions of the time.
For, although the political leadership of independent Tanganyika was determined to achieve great development results in the shortest possible time ( under Nyerere’s slogan of “we must run where others walk”), this turned out to be an extremely difficult undertaking, in view of the difficult conditions of those times.
Newly independent Tanganyika was a conspicuously poor country; as its productive forces were totally undeveloped. For example, the only noticeable economic activity for the vast majority of the people was small-scale peasant farming, which concentrated mostly on food production for the family; and was not integrated into the cash economy. Indeed, President Nyerere himself readily admitted the difficult conditions under which he was working in his farewell address to the CCM National Congress on 15th August, 1985; when he said the following:-
“ We were working under very difficult conditions, a factor which facilitated the making of certain mistakes. For example, we tried to implement many new programmes without having our own skilled manpower that was required. And because of that, we made the additional mistake of relying on the knowledge and skills of expatriate personnel, whose advice and performance was not always in the best interest of our country”.
President Mwinyi’s economic liberalization.
It therefore fell upon Nyerere’s immediate successor in office, President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, to introduce some fundamental changes in the policy framework, and in the general management of the country’s economy. The economic policies which were pursued under the leadership of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who became CCM national Chairman in 1990, fell under the blanket term “liberalization of the economy”; which earned him the affectionate name of “Mzee Rukhsa”, due to his easing of many of the various controls that had seriously constrained the operations of the economy. Some elements of these reforms (which were sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and fully endorsed by CCM); actually deviated from the basic tenets of the Arusha Declaration; which had, in any case, began to weaken in the early 1980s when the development process became guided by shorter term development programmes, such as the “National Survival Programme (NESP) 1981 - 82); and the “Structural Adjustment Programme” (SAP) (1982- 85).
The transition from the Ujamaa, to the market economy.
In December, 1992, the CCM National Congress approved a new policy document titled: “Mwelekeo was Sera za CCM katika Miaka ya Tisini” (Government Printer, Dar es Salaam, 1992), This was accompanied by the popularizing of a new party slogan of “ implementing Ujamaa under the present conditions”; obviously reflecting the Chinese slogan of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”.
These reforms, which basically entailed the inclusion of the private sector participation in the running of the country’s economy, effectively transformed Tanzania’s exclusively state-managed economy which had been decreed by the Arusha Declaration, to an open market economy. Whereas he Arusha Declaration had envisaged the creation of a wholly ‘state controlled and managed economy’; the new economic vision of the 1990s envisaged “enabling the people themselves to own and operate the country’s economy, either individually, or through their independent cooperative societies; or though public companies or joint ventures, wherein thousands of wananchi will be able to buy shares. In this way, the greater part of the economy will be controlled by the people themselves, thus enabling them to raise their individual living standards”.
From the ‘one-party’, to the ‘multi-party’ political dispensation.
The disbanding of the ‘one-party’ system and its replacement by the multi-party political dispensation, was achieved in 1992 under the leadership of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi.
President Mwinyi’s economic liberalization.
It therefore fell upon Nyerere’s immediate successor in office, President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, to introduce some fundamental changes in the policy framework, and in the general management of the country’s economy. The economic policies which were pursued under the leadership of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who became CCM national Chairman in 1990, fell under the blanket term “liberalization of the economy”; which earned him the affectionate name of “Mzee Rukhsa”, due to his easing of many of the various controls that had seriously constrained the operations of the economy. Some elements of these reforms (which were sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and fully endorsed by CCM); actually deviated from the basic tenets of the Arusha Declaration; which had, in any case, began to weaken in the early 1980s when the development process became guided by shorter term development programmes, such as the “National Survival Programme (NESP) 1981 - 82); and the “Structural Adjustment Programme” (SAP) (1982- 85).
The transition from the Ujamaa, to the market economy.
In December, 1992, the CCM National Congress approved a new policy document titled: “Mwelekeo was Sera za CCM katika Miaka ya Tisini” (Government Printer, Dar es Salaam, 1992), This was accompanied by the popularizing of a new party slogan of “ implementing Ujamaa under the present conditions”; obviously reflecting the Chinese slogan of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”.
These reforms, which basically entailed the inclusion of the private sector participation in the running of the country’s economy, effectively transformed Tanzania’s exclusively state-managed economy which had been decreed by the Arusha Declaration, to an open market economy. Whereas he Arusha Declaration had envisaged the creation of a wholly ‘state controlled and managed economy’; the new economic vision of the 1990s envisaged “enabling the people themselves to own and operate the country’s economy, either individually, or through their independent cooperative societies; or though public companies or joint ventures, wherein thousands of wananchi will be able to buy shares. In this way, the greater part of the economy will be controlled by the people themselves, thus enabling them to raise their individual living standards”.
From the ‘one-party’, to the ‘multi-party’ political dispensation.
The disbanding of the ‘one-party’ system and its replacement by the multi-party political dispensation, was achieved in 1992 under the leadership of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi.
This process was initiated by Chama cha Mapinduzi itself, which managed the political aspects of that process, before it entered the legislative segment for the purpose of enacting the requisite amendments to the country’s Constitution.
This fundamental political change was largely motivated by the political events which took place in the Eastern European countries during that period; which had resulted in the downfall of nearly all of the communist parties (which were also the ruling parties) in that part of the world); as a direct result of increasing demands being made for the introduction of greater democracy, which is based on multi-party politics.
This fundamental political change was largely motivated by the political events which took place in the Eastern European countries during that period; which had resulted in the downfall of nearly all of the communist parties (which were also the ruling parties) in that part of the world); as a direct result of increasing demands being made for the introduction of greater democracy, which is based on multi-party politics.
Such demands quickly spread to many of the African countries, and in some cases leading to violence and loss of life. This caused many of them, including Tanzania, to start giving serious consideration to the need to abandon that system.
It is such considerations which eventually led to the appointment by President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, of the Nyalali Presidential Commission in 1991; which was placed under the Chairmanship of Chief Justice Francis Nyalali. Among other terms of reference, this Commission was specifically tasked:-
It is such considerations which eventually led to the appointment by President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, of the Nyalali Presidential Commission in 1991; which was placed under the Chairmanship of Chief Justice Francis Nyalali. Among other terms of reference, this Commission was specifically tasked:-
“to examine and identify any adverse outcomes which might arise as a consequence of abandoning the present ‘one-party’ system; and, in particular, to consider how a change to multi-party politics will be in the best interest of Zanzibar, in view of its past bitter political history, plus the unique traditional customs of the Zanzibar people”.
I was fortunate in that I was appointed a member of this Commission. The details of the work that was done by the Nyalali commission, and the political and legislative processes which followed; plus the positive outcome of all these endeavours; are fully documented in the same book on 50 years of independence which was referred to above.
piomsekwa@gmail.com / 0754767576.
piomsekwa@gmail.com / 0754767576.
Source: Daily News today.
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