President of Tanzania, John Magufuli, yesterday
said that he has forgiven the Mtama Member of Parliament, Nape Nnauye, for
‘what happened previously’.
Speaking in a video, which was circulated in the media by the directorate of presidential communications,
reveals that the two held a brief meeting at the State House, the President
said that although sometimes it is too difficult for one to forgive, but he has forgiven him.
Former Minister for information Culture, Artists and Sports, Nape Nnauye (left) pleading with President Magufuli at State House yesterday |
In the video Nape is seen asking the
president for his forgiveness ‘for what transpired recently,’ but he wasn’t
specific about what actually happened.
“I have come here to see the President
as my father, chairman of the ruling party (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) and as the President because
you are all well aware of what happened recently,” said Nape.
Former Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office for Union Affairs and Environment, January Makamba |
He added, “As a CCM child I deemed it
necessary to come and seek for forgiveness. I thank him for giving me a chance
to hear me out and for his forgiveness.”
Nape
is a vocal Tanzanian politician who
served as the ruling party's Secretary for
Ideology and Publicity since April 2011 and during general elections
that put Magufuli into power, was appointed as Minister for information Culture, Artists and Sports in 2015 and
replaced in both positions by Humphrey Polepole and Harrison Mwakyembe
respectively.
In a leaked telephone conversation
recordings allegedly involved former Minister of State
in the Vice President’s Office for Union Affairs and Environment, January Makamba speaking to
his father, Yusuph Makamba (former CCM Secretary General); Former Minister of Energy
and Minerals, William Ngeleja, other former CCM Secretary General Abdulrahman
Kinana and Nape.
The five have neither admitted nor
denied that they were indeed the ones heard discussing in critical way, matters
of a political nature and Magufuli’s style of leadership in the recordings.
The President, who said he was forced
to abandon another meeting, which was taking place at the State House to meet the
youthful politician, said during their meeting the main argument from Nape
was, ‘father please forgive me’.
On September 4, 2019 the President forgave
Members of Parliament January Makamba and William Ngeleja after the two were
allegedly implicated in vocal clips scandal that ‘insulted’ the Head of State.
January was sacked as a minister even
associated with the voices as well as the controversial letter his father
Makamba and Kinana authored calling for the party to defend its retired leaders
from defamation.
Former CCM Secretary General, Yusuph Makamba (left) with former Party leader and President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete |
With 13 months to go to the 2020 general election, President John Magufuli faces blatant dissent from senior figures in the ruling party.
Yusuf Makamba and Abdulrahman Kinana, who both served as CCM Secretary General, have accused him indirectly, through an open letter to party elders, of being behind a libellous campaign directed against them by the self-described activist Cyprian Musiba through a daily newspaper that Musiba edits, Tanzanite.
The newspaper is widely rumored to be backed by Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service.
The letter from two
former ruling party secretary generals—widely interpreted as an open criticism
of President Magufuli has caused something of a stir in Tanzanian politics over
the past two weeks.
Yusuf
Makamba and Abdulrahman Kinana took direct aim at the controversial newspaper
publisher, Cyprian Musiba, who has been accused of libel for printing
allegations that various high-profile figures within CCM and the opposition are
plotting to undermine Magufuli.
Addressing their letter
to the CCM Council of Elders, Makamba and Kinana warned that these “unfounded allegations”
pose a threat to the party’s “unity, solidarity and tranquility” and called on
the former presidents and party officials who make up the Council to take
action.
The two erstwhile Secretary Generals also emphasized that Musiba was being protected so that he
could “carry out a special mission for important people and with evil intent.”
The letter
triggered a flurry of reactions. Several CCM Members of Parliament lined up to defend the
President. Other responses, all coming from figures outside CCM, were more sympathetic to
the letter writers, suggesting they were right to break their silence.
Since
assuming the Presidency in 2015, Magufuli has made a concerted effort to tame CCM’s rival factions,
centralizing power under his control.
In the process, he has
alienated many party grandees as well as party-aligned economic elites.
This re-balancing and
especially some of the violent means through which it has been executed has fed
simmering tensions in the party with much speculation about whether and when
they could boil over into open conflict.
Former Foreign Minister and contender for the CCM presidential nomination, Bernard Membe |
In this
vein, observers have wondered whether disgruntled CCM heavyweights including
Makamba and Kinana might be
coordinating in the background, preparing the groundwork to challenge Magufuli
ahead of the 2020 elections.
While such coordination
efforts have seemed increasingly unlikely, the President and those closest to
him nevertheless continue to demonstrate a high level of paranoia, expressed in
part through the accusations published by the now infamous Musiba in his Tanzanite newspaper.
For instance, the
current Secretary General, Bashiru Ally, issued a public summons late last year, demanding that
former Foreign Minister and contender for the CCM presidential nomination, Bernard Membe, come see
him about allegations (again, published in Tanzanite) that Membe was plotting to supplant
Magufuli in 2020.
Viewed
against this backdrop, Makamba and Kinana’s letter implied the situation had
finally reached the much-anticipated boiling point.
Beyond simply exposing
those cracks, though, the letter marked a moment of reckoning for the ruling
party.
As the political
economist Mushtaq Khan argues, who has
power is not obvious until that power is subjected to a contest, at which point
the competitors see who can hold out and thus determine who has the upper hand.
So long as internal CCM
rivalries remain in the shadowy domain of rumor and allegation, there is room
to doubt who is really in control to query whether Magufuli’s grip is as strong
as it appears.
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