Tundu Lissu feels betrayed by lack of reform

The current wave of abductions, arrests and the brutal killing of an opposition official in Tanzania appears to be dimming the ray of political hope that got here with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s rise to energy in 2021.

There was big reduction when Samia – Tanzania’s first feminine president – took workplace, with opposition events allowed to organise rallies and criticise the federal government with out the worry of grave repercussions.

However concern is rising that Tanzania is sliding again to the period of her autocratic predecessor, John Magufuli.

Within the span of weeks, two of essentially the most senior opposition leaders have been arrested twice, and one other opposition official, Ali Kibao, was kidnapped, killed and his physique doused in acid by unknown assailants.

“The political scenario in Tanzania is worrisome within the excessive,” mentioned the deputy chief of the primary opposition Chadema get together, Tundu Lissu.

He was talking to the BBC every week earlier than his arrest on Monday, when his get together had deliberate to protest towards the killing of Kibao and the alleged disappearance of a number of different authorities critics. Lissu was later launched on bail, together with get together chief Freeman Mbowe.

He was additionally launched on bail final month, following his arrest on the eve of a banned opposition rally within the south-western city of Mbeya.

Chadema mentioned about 100 of its members had been detained to forestall the rally from happening.

“We’re starting to see the form of the wave of repression and state-orchestrated violence which was attribute of the interval from 2016 to 2020 [during the Magufuli administration],” Lissu advised the BBC.

In 2017, Lissu sustained heavy accidents throughout an assassination try, when his car was sprayed with a minimum of 16 bullets.

He was handled overseas and stayed in exile in Belgium till his return final yr to, as he put it, “write a brand new chapter” for the nation after the president lifted a ban on rallies.

Lissu now sees the promised reforms as a façade.

“[There have been] no reforms by any means. No reforms of a democratic nature,” he advised the BBC.

The violent incidents are politically motivated and “related to the safety forces” he alleged, including that they had been a harbinger of worse to return.

The police have denied involvement, whereas the ruling CCM get together’s secretary-general, Emmanuel Nchimbi declined to talk to the BBC.

There is no such thing as a doubt that the crackdown has sullied the picture of the president.

Rights teams and western diplomats have known as for an instantaneous finish to “arbitrary detention” and have demanded “unbiased and clear investigations”.

In her response, the president warned “outsiders” towards meddling in Tanzania’s affairs however she additionally denounced the killing of Kibao, and ordered speedy investigations.

“Our nation is a democracy, and each citizen has the correct to reside,” she mentioned.

“It’s shocking that the dying of our brother Kibao has stirred up such an enormous outcry of condemnation, grief, and accusations of calling the federal government murderers.

“This isn’t proper. Dying is dying. What we Tanzanians should do is stand collectively and condemn these acts,” she added.

Tanzanian political analyst Thomas Kibwana mentioned there seemed to be an absence of fine religion between the primary political events, which has led to negotiations aimed toward bringing about reforms stalling.

He added that whereas being confrontational might go well with the opposition to win votes, it fuelled tensions.

Samia had indicated that she was “very open to dialogue” and, from her perspective, Chadema had “shut the doorways to negotiation” and had resorted to protest motion, Mr Kibwana mentioned.

“That is as much as each side – for them to sit down down and are available again to the talks,” he added.

Initially, Samia was very a lot targeted on her much-publicised mantra of the 4 Rs – reconciliation, resilience, reforms and rebuilding.

Her strikes to fix fences with the opposition and provoke reforms – particularly when she didn’t appear to be below political stress to take action – received her reward domestically and overseas.

There are nonetheless indicators of the optimistic picture she desires to retain.

One billboard within the centre of the capital, Dodoma, says: “The president of all Tanzanians – no matter their get together, faith, ethnicity or gender. Mama [Samia] delivers”.

The billboard bears her image sitting in a dialog with Lissu, now certainly one of her fiercest critics.

Different billboards, together with within the largest metropolis Dar es Salaam, present her with different opposition leaders, depicting her intention to unite individuals throughout the political divide.

They seem like marketing campaign commercials forward of native authorities elections subsequent month and presidential and parliamentary elections a yr later.

The elections will likely be her first actual check. She was Magufuli’s deputy, and inherited the presidency following his sudden dying throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Like Magufuli, she belongs to the CCM get together, which has received each election it has contested since independence from Britain in 1961.

In response to the second-biggest opposition get together, ACT-Wazalendo, Samia’s reform drive might have been stymied by the CCM’s worry that it might lose elections.

“Now we have heard a CCM bigwig saying that if she had maintained that tempo which she got here in with, she would lose the nation to the opposition,” get together chief Dorothy Semu advised the BBC.

“So possibly she absorbed that worry that in case you reform, you’ll finally finish giving in to the opposition,” she added.

However Semu feels the political local weather is best than throughout the Magufuli period, even when authorities officers generally acted like “they’re doing us a favour”.

“Now we have now a extra open civic area. We will speak about politics freely. We will talk about as political events. We will participate in political rallies. We will organise conferences,” she advised the BBC.

Semu added that as elections method, “we’re hopeful, however we not assured all the things goes to be OK”.

Lawyer and activist Fatma Karume advised the BBC that real reform hinged on overhauling the nation’s legal guidelines in order that the president has much less energy.

“In Tanzania now we have one thing known as an imperial presidency,” she mentioned.

“All now we have is a head of state who’s much less oppressive… as an example, not as snug as Magufuli in utilizing the oppressive powers of the state.”