Weekly Sneak: Taking Peace for Granted

Wasn't the end of this last Bunge session exciting. Seriously, who was expecting that anyone would employ a Motion of No Confidence to push the government off-balance. Our brand of politics has favored more direct forms of confrontation over those offered by the tools of public administration, so this is a step in the right direction.

Of course there was no way, no matter how swiftly the political activists moved on this one, that the Prime Minister was going to go down like that. If CCM hadn't found a reasonable technical loophole to escape this attack, they would have created one. And if all else fails, the President still has overwhelming powers to create law out of thin air by making a declaration. So truly, I don't think there was any particular danger other than hurt feelings and such.

For us regular citizens, politics is interesting because we need the products of improved governance: roads, schools, etc. The tangible stuff. But in order to get that, the crucial role played by long stretches of peace through successive administrations cannot be ignored- after all it is the foundation on which we have been able to build the state in the first place. So as long as we keep substituting legal, symbolic, democratic and administrative conflict for real physical conflict and civil unrest- we're doing great.

There's been a lot of huff and puff in the media about this being Africa's Century*. The only thing that would give this ideal any real legs, to me, is if this generation achieves its mission of creating a majority of states in which residents can take peace for granted. Kind of the way we take post-colonialism for granted now. And that starts with intelligent, pacific statecraft. This is hardly a new theme with me, but some things bear repeating. Coming to an East African near you:

"So much of our public dialogue these days has become consumed with questions of leadership, fighting corruption and getting the kind of governance we think we want. Most of the time, we frame our collective dissatisfaction with calls for great change, explicit change, explosive change if necessary. I wonder if we are all just a bit tired of living in a state of extended anxiety over the financial pinch, and anticipation that things will improve because surely they can't get any worse. But who is to say change will come all at once, and from the expected corners anyways? It would be fantastic if increasingly better governance and sensible politics could sneak up on us one concession at a time."

Hamstrung.

This isn't working out quite as hoped. Blogging about Bunge sessions is amazingly difficult to do when Tanesco refuses to provide power. Perverse company. So, this week has been a complete washout though The World's Best Housekeeper tries to keep me informed... apparently her corner of Mikocheni doesn't experience as many "technical difficulties" of an unspecified nature as our streets. I know for a fact that there are parts of Dar that don't get rationed at all. It helps to have a current minister/former or current President/retired military officer living on your street, if you know what I mean.

Protesters: 1, Mubarak: 0. Nice to see that the Egyptian youth who started the revolution won the Face/Off. Am interested in what this transition will look like in about two years' time in the hopes that perhaps something of democratic non-violent regime change might be learned from our northern sistren that can be reproduced in other countries. Like Zimbabwe. In the meantime, basking in the global glow. Everyone loves a successful revolution :) Now, on to Algeria. Bonne Chance! The revolution will be tweeted.

The Party That Cried Wolf, and Another Poll

Now, we're talking. Bunge has kicked of apace this morning, seems that the formal opposition camp is having a little trouble composing itself. In the previous session (the 9th Bunge) Hamad Rashid Mohamed (CUF- Wawi) was the head of the opposition and the shadow cabinet was composed of a good mix of CUF and CCM and Others- reflecting the collaborative atmosphere of the time.

Today, Freeman Mbowe (Chadema- Hai) is the head honcho and as such may form a Shadow Cabinet in Parliament as a formal institution so long as the opposition hold no less that 12.5% (Kanuni ya tano, sehemu ya pili)* of the seats in parliament. Result: Chadema have not only stated that they have a difference of opinion with their old cronies CUF**, they do not want to share any of their toys now that they are the majority opposition party in Parliament. In fact, they had quite the slapfest with the Speaker and other CCM parliamentarians and it took me over an hour to realize that they were pulling each other's hair out over...definitions.

... I was kind of hoping something like this would happen :) I think it's a fascinating time in our democratic development, when opposition has realized that being united against a common foe isn't quite enough glue to stick them together. And now we'll separate the girls from the women...

Much more satisfying, of course, is watching the various strategies in play. As a guest of Parliament apparently inquired after the morning session (anecdotal) "Is it normal for opposition parties to commit political suicide in public in Tanzania?" Nah. Only one particular party has made that it's modus operandi. More importantly- is it actually political suicide? For every person who finds Chadema's antics fatiguing to the extreme, there is someone ready to defend what they see as a vigorous assault on The Establishment's repressive ways.

I like a little blood on the floor in Bunge*** but I have to admit that I am in the former camp. There's only so many times you can walk out of parliament (Miz Mdee...)**** before I start to wonder if I voted you in so that I can watch your backside heading towards the exit door. And such feelings lead to voter regret, which leads to flirting with other parties and then who knows what can happen then? But that's just me- what y'all think? Poll on the right, you know the drill.

* Parliamentary Canon Number five, section two.

** Things got complicated when CUF formed a GNU with CCM in Zanzibar, thereby becoming part of the dreaded Establishment... according to some folks.

*** Soccer? Pah. Give me politics any day.

**** I understand the whole loyalty/discipline thing but... As a Kawe resident, I got other issues. I would so much rather my MP used that sharp mind for something entirely more productive than supporting the crazed elements in her party.

Discipline!

In a recent musing, His Excellently Handsome Highness wondered whether he has been a bit lax in disciplining the cadres of The King's Party. As a follow-up on the issue, the last TMR question was: "Do you think that corrupt public servants can be disciplined, and if they can what would happen?"

The results of the poll are in: 66% of respondents think that a little discipline will bring about socio-economic growth and the remaining 33% believe that discipline in the King's Party will bring about a combination of growth and instability. Hopefully that'll help HEHH make up his mind.

Speaking of serving the public, Bunge Season Premier** is in three days. Freshmen MPs are brushing up on their Parliamentary Canons, Timely Interruptions, Protestations of Unfair Play and The Red Chair I'm So Bored Slump as we speak. Can't wait :)

*Um. Gambling is illegal and I certainly do not encourage such a filthy habit. That said: I'm putting money down on the idea that the first MP to get into a quagmire of a confrontation (unwinnable) with Makinda and/or CCM is going to be Tundu Lissu.

** Politigeek alert: the newly refurbished Bunge website has uploaded the Standing Orders, in addition to the Hansards and other publications. While the search function for MPs isn't working but at least they can be narrowed down by region/constituency/party. Not too shabby.

So, that's what Em Pees get up to.

When I was studying how to exorcise the demon Underdevelopment, I had a veteran of a classmate who (over a pint) told me that two of the most useful assets in the field of development work were a sturdy liver and some conversational skill. I suspect this applies to politics too, at least the way we practice them here. Recently some friends and I found ourselves at a local bar in the company of a real live Em Pee. So we politely allowed Mheshimiwa to buy the refreshments and we got to chatting about stuff, like what his salary breakdown is, his plans for re-election, taxation, the cost of building roads, the work ethic of civil servants, voter registration. You know, a little light conversation.

I have to confess, I really like politicians. Not as much as sociologists, or artists, but I do like them quite well. Living in Dar, the center of the known universe, it always surprises and delights me how easily accessed they are, especially if you know how and where to drink. The only other places with such high concentrations of politicos are Dodoma- our mythical capital city in the middle of the Tanganyikan wilderness- and the National Stadium on Independence Day.

I got to ask our captive Em Pee about the activities that absorb the bulk of a garden-variety parliamentarian's time. Apparently there's a lot of time spent legislatin': roughly seven months out of the year if you attend every bunge session from start to finish including the pre-bunge sessions in Dar. Which, we all know, they don't. Then, there is the 'real work': procuring development for their constituencies. He told me that an MP's job is to compete with other MPs for the scarce resources allocated by the government through determination, networking and lobbying. With some creativity, opportunism and savoir-faire an MP can also access resources that are hidden in the musty financial plans of expiring bi-lateral projects, in the pockets of companies and wealthy individuals, in NGO bank accounts and... well, you get the drift. Somewhere in there they also have to stick in their duties to their party, hang out in their constituency so that voters remember them come voting day, and make time to argue politics with new friends over a whiskey or three.

So, going back to the Uwazi report on MP performance, and the urge to find out how political sausage is made: MP contributions in Bunge does not seem to be a robust measure of their effectiveness. It would be more instructive to follow these guys around for a couple of months- there's only 300 of them. Creating a record of their activities would shed light on what they actually get up to, how they apportion their time, what they prioritize and why, etc. And then, we can have that argument with them about why the hell they are snoozing on the job when it comes to the legislatin' part of business. But at least we'd know a hell of a lot more about what flavor of politics we have going on in Tanzania.

One last thing that I got: the constituency splitting issue is a mess. Between the government's "commitment" to increase the number of women legislators, the concern that MPs shouldn't have to serve constituencies of over 300,000 people and the Parliament that the Chinese built for us which can only accommodate a couple more snoozing bodies, there are 40+ applications for constituency split and six slots available. May the best lobbyists win. Bottoms up!

Is a leader still a good leader if his team is sucktastic?

So long as we are chewing some political fat... Deep in discussion at the dinner table last night about leadership, ideology and politicians, we got to the usual generational impasse. I believe that every individual only gets the one President to love beyond rational thought. My opponent got Nyerere (lucky girl). While I am very fond of the incumbent, it is actually someone else in his government who is the object of my political affections. As we battled back and forth (I called Nyerere a dictator, she scoffed at the impotence of the so-called 'young turks') we hit on that most baffling of arguments: "It is not the President who is ineffectual, he is surrounded by people who let him down." If I had a thousand shillings for every time I heard or read this statement I would be...well, not rich exactly but my entertainment budget would be well padded.

Look. I know that there is a taboo against holding the President accountable for any mistakes, but must we pretend that Tanzanian leaders are exceedingly inept at picking their executive team? The President's executive powers are vast- and apparently in no danger of diminishing anytime soon. He personally appoints ten MPs at his leisure, as well as innumerable Heads of Stuff. Parastatals, government organs, central bank, military generals, regulatory bodies, utility companies, you name it- his almighty finger is in that pie. His word is law, even in times of peace. The Parliament is tame in his mighty grip, he pretty much yeas or neas the head of the judiciary. Checks? Balances? Are you kidding? This is no-nonsense executive superpower at its finest- not quite despotic but certainly close.

And this is the guy who is apparently above reproach because anything can be explained away with the convenient notion that he is 'let down by his team.' I don't think so. Of course the political reality is finely nuanced and full of bizarre compromises, and any president has his work cut out for him if he wants to squeeze good performance out of an institution as big as government. Still, there is something sinister about this habit that prevents us from holding the President responsible for failures of his establishment while celebrating his apparent successes. A bad workman blames his tools.