NATIONAL CCM Chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, and his former Secretary General, Mr Yussuf Makamba, have given the ruling party’s Union presidential aspirant, Dr John Magufuli, an overwhelming vote of confidence, saying he is the right candidate for the job.
“I have no doubt in the ability and commitment of Dr Magufuli as my successor,” stated Mr Kikwete yesterday, noting that he should be able to relax and enjoy his sleep upon Dr Magufuli’s election, come October 25.
Addressing a mammoth campaign rally at the Jamhuri Stadium here, Mr Kikwete explained once again that Dr Magufuli emerged the sole candidate after a gruelling and meticulous screening process, which saw him claim a landslide victory during the party’s national congress.
The party chairman also urged the public to ignore politicians who have since crossed over to the opposition, after accusing the party of unfair treatment of them as they vied for the presidency on the ruling party ticket.
“Don’t listen to such baseless claims, we adhered to our normal party procedures,” said Mr Kikwete, revealing that one of presidential hopefuls who have now defected to the opposition, former Prime Minister Mr Edward Lowassa, had also voted in the process to pick the CCM presidential candidate.
Earlier, Mr Makamba counselled Dr Magufuli to make full use of the party’s election manifesto to elaborate on development issues the Fifth Government would be implementing.
“Don’t worry about what to tell the public, everything is clearly stipulated in our party manifesto,” said Mr Makamba who quoted Biblical verses to encourage the party candidate in his mission.
He was however quick to urge Dr Magufuli to address any other issues not included in the manifesto as long as they are pertinent.
The former secretary general also used the opportunity to blast Mr Lowasa and former Premier, Mr Frederick Sumaye, questioning their integrity and branding them as corrupt and selfish individuals who did not deserve to be entrusted with any leadership position in the country.
Mr Makamba said Mr Lowassa had accumulated ill-gotten wealth and “is mocking Tanzanians in claiming to be pro-poor’’. As for Mr Sumaye, Mr Makamba said he had grabbed vast tracts of land in various parts of the country, and had failed to justify ownership of the same.
Meanwhile, CCM Union presidential candidate Dr John Magufuli has pledged to immediately resolve the conflict between smallscale sugarcane growers and sugar factories over pricing of the raw material for the sweetener.
Dr Magufuli made the pledge here when addressing Ruaha villagers who are locked in tug of war with investors, whom they accuse of frustrating and underpaying them.
“I understand things are not as smooth as they should be between you and factories around here; but trust me this is one of the issues that I promise to address immediately if you elect me the fifth phase president,” said Dr Magufuli.
The presidential hopeful said he would like to see farmers benefiting more from their labour. He also pledged to ensure lower price of the commodity in sugarcane growing areas.
He added that his government would also look for more investors in the region to increase competition and provide small-scale growers with more markets.
Meanwhile, it is a case of ‘water water everywhere but not a drop to drink’ for Ruaha villagers, Kilosa District in Morogoro Region.
The village borders Ruaha River, but according to John Asumwisye, the taps are mostly dry.
“It defies logic that this village should have dry taps while one of the largest rivers in the country passes through it,” noted Mr Asumwisye, who is originally from Rungwe District in Mbeya Region who settled in Kilosa twenty years ago.
He may as well have been speaking for the entire crowd going by the cheers and ululations that greeted Dr Magufuli’s pledge to address the problem.
Culled from Daily News
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