Magufuli must learn from Africa’s political history

The election of John Pombe Magufuli as Tanzanian president in late 2015 brought in rare energy in leadership, not only in the country, but also in the entire continent.

For once, Africans could actually look up to a leadership that was committed to its word, forceful on corruption and, more importantly, prudent with taxpayers’ money.

A product of a Chama Cha Mapinduzi succession plot going off-script, Dr Magufuli was not burdened by political patronage or pleasing power brokers. In a continent plagued by wastage, his frugality campaigns became so popular that they inspired the twitter hashtag, “WhatWouldMagufuliDo”.

For instance, he selected to lead the country in picking litter and cleaning up streets rather than splash millions of shillings on Independence Day festivities. Upon his election, he put a moratorium on international travel, an indictment of former President Kikwete, who was jocularly referred to in many quarters as “the visiting president”.

Dr Magufuli’s impromptu visits to government offices and a consistent demand of a specific work ethic for public officials has seen several high profile individuals lose their jobs and thousands of ghost works purged from the payroll.

TURNING NIGHTMARISH

But the Magufuli way is now turning nightmarish not only for Tanzania, but also for Africa. Signs that all was not well emerged after the botched Zanzibar elections, which many observers agree the opposition won. A repeat of the poll boycotted by the opposition saw the selection of the ruling party’s candidate by over 90 per cent of the vote. Only dictatorships produce such fabulous results.

Dr Magufuli’s government has become a one-man act, where the agency of the person of the president precedes all structures. Following the dismissal of several senior government officials for simply expressing an opinion, a culture of fear has engulfed the civil service, effectively shipwrecking creativity and personal initiatives of genuinely hardworking civil servants. Further, most of the decisions taken by the president are populist rather than pragmatic. For instance, the relocation of the capital to Dodoma was done in a gung-ho, Rambo fashion. With no budgetary allocations for the transition, ministers have been forced to share offices with academics at a public university.

There are valid fears that the president is increasingly becoming intolerant to any form of dissent. Dr Magufuli insists that he needs little distraction to lead and that any calls for reforms constitute “politicking”, which, according to him, must wait until 2020. As such, Tanzanians’ hopes for a new constitution are effectively dashed. Political rallies remain banned. So far the government has detained many people without trial, shut down several media houses, and is sponsoring laws designed to constrain a freer media. Live parliamentary broadcasts were recently stopped.

UKUTA BANNER

As a result, a coalition of civil society and opposition groups recently convened under the banner of Ukuta (Umoja wa Kupinga Udikteta).

Dr Magufuli’s response was unprecedented in Tanzania’s history. Heavily armed police began marching in streets and residential areas in a script most likely borrowed from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni. A few days to September 1, the date set by Ukuta to hold a protest rally, the police announced that it would simultaneously celebrate “the 45th anniversary of its founding”, a day never before marked in Tanzania.

Strangely, the celebrations were to be done in the “streets and residential estates” of major towns. Ukuta got the message and called off their event, and so did the police. Intimidation won.

Still, President Magufuli remains hugely popular, both in Tanzania and in Africa, as a symbol of a clean mwananchi-centred leadership. While there is so much that other African political leaders can learn from Dr Magufuli’s 10-month reign, the president himself must learn from Africa’s political history, otherwise, he will be condemned to repeat it.

Dr Duncan Omanga is the head of Moi University’s publishing and media Studies department. [email protected]