With each of the eight presidential aspirants striving to explore every opportunity at their disposal commuter buses, popularly known as daladalas, have now become hot campaign zones especially in Dar Es Salaam city Tanzania.
As Dr John Pombe Magufuli of CCM and Mr Edward Lowassa of Chadema criss- cross the country, drawing thousands of people to their rallies, the canvassing for support in public transport by their avid supporters could be equally scoring significant points for their respective camps.
Debates in daladalas have turned so intense and fierce, physical fights have been reported in some instances.
A survey by The Citizen for the past two weeks indicated that some people have been going from bus to bus as a political platforms to solicit votes and to campaign for their candidates.
The long routes between Kimara-Posta, Ubungo-Gongo la Mboto and Msasani to Mombasa found election politics have dominated debates between passengers of the buses in Dar es Salaam.
Our correspondents across major towns also reported that the same trend was witnessed from the terminal and along the busy routes in their regions.
Corruption, poor governance and the need for a change of guard in government still dominate debates as they do in the rallies.
University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) lecturer on political science and public administration, Dr John Jingu, said increased debates among the ordinary citizens in all public spaces including daladalas is largely and positive thing.
“I Recently boarded a daladala and saw commuters fiercely engaging in discussion. This implies that political awareness has increased,” he said. Both men and women are exchanging their ideas in an animated manner.
Two rivals in the October 25 polls— Dr Magufuli and Mr Lowassa who is backed by the opposition coalition, Ukawa, are the main focus of the debates.
Some supporters, however, lost their cool and resorted to blows.
Last week passengers travelling between Mwananyamala and Stesheni forced a fellow passenger out before reaching his designation for supporting a candidate they do not agree with.
When refused to get off the bus, they went far as to threaten him with a beating.
At times, these fierce debates are provoked, not by passengers, but by FM radio stations airing programmes on the election in their morning or evening talk shows.
Two passengers travelling in a daladala from Makumbusho to Tegeta nearly came to blows after they differed on a radio chat on election pledges aired by Dr Magufuli and Lowassa.
One passenger from the backseat commented: “These are the issues we need to hear form our president.” This comment won huge support in the daladala including the driver.
But later the intensity of the debate between the driver and a few who disproved his candidate forced him to stop the bus at one point to defend his ideas to the passengers.
As the election day draws closer, these daladala campaigns are becoming a popular points for political marketing by candidates.
The significant of this campaign may have been exemplified by Mr Lowassa who in the early days of the campaign rode in a daladala with ordinary city residents headed for Gongo la Mboto.
Using daladalas to solicit votes is a style now taking shape in other parts of the country. A parliamentary candidate for ACT-Wazalendo in Mbeya Urban this week launched his election campaign by moving from one daladala to another to solicit votes in this new style.
Mr Lusekelo Amimu decided to reach voters in a daladala from Kasbwe bus stop while asking them to air their grievances and responding to question until he reached his destination at the Mbeya main bus stand.
“Today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) I will be talking with passengers in daladalas travelling between Kabwe and the main stand; Kabwe to Iyunga and those of Iyunga to the main stand and from the main stand to Uyole to ask for your votes,” he said.
He said other groups of voters he was targeting are food vendors, hawkers and people working backyard garages and markets.
Source: The Citizen
Source: The Citizen
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