Thursday, December 31, 2009

We need more than a new law

It's just a matter of hours before clock ticks to 2010. It is a year which Tanzanians are obliged to make crucial decisions that will live with them for the next five years.

It is known that towards the end of 2010, Tanzanians will be required to elect their head of state, parliamentarians and councillors.

To make sure that next year's General Election is free and fair, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), has already started preparations. It plans to introduce several changes to improve the exercise.

For its part, the Government has also planned several changes, one of which is the introduction of the Election Financing Act 2009.

Basically, the law, whose draft bill was published last week in several newspapers for general public to peruse, seek to put in place provisions on how parties and candidates could seek and utilise funds for election campaign.

There is no doubt that laws and regulations are some of instruments which could be used to ensure free and fair elections.

Nevertheless, these are not enough in themselves to guarantee free and fair elections. This is because fairness and freedom of people to elect people of their liking entails many things.

For one, there is a need to ensure that the body charged with the responsibility of overseeing election issues, is respectable.

For years, political parties, especially from the opposition and other stakeholders, have questioned the independence of our election body.

NEC might be independent as its managers claim it to be. But the persistence by some stakeholders in questioning the same, puts NEC credibility at cross roads.

Because the Government has seen it better to have a law which will make the elections more effective, there is also a need to address the sentiments by the opposition parties on the partiality of NEC.

For, if the Government aspires to make the elections more effective, overhauling the laws alone will not make a big difference if the stakeholders do not trust the body which manage the elections.

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