Mrema: Slaa wrong choice
Daily News | Mrema: Slaa wrong choice
The CCM Vice-Chairman (Mainland), Mr Pius Msekwa said in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday that the move was a positive step towards strengthening democracy in the country.
"I urge other opposition political parties who are registered to emulate Chadema by announcing their candidates for all positions in the coming elections", he said when reacting to Dr Slaa's nomination which was officially announced on Tuesday.
"For a political party to be worth the name and trusted, it has to take part in elections, otherwise it remains to be a group of people with no real purpose," he said.
Mr Msekwa said, however, that this was his personal view on Dr Slaa's candidacy.
"The party will issue its own statement," he added.
President Jakaya Kikwete will be the CCM candidate in the polls, Tanzania Labour Party's flag bearer is Mr Muttamwega Mgaywa while the Civic United Front (CUF) has picked Prof. Ibrahim Lipumba.
Efforts to get CUF leaders for comments proved futile.
Earlier, Chadema National Chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe announced that the decision to pick Dr Slaa as the party's flag bearer was ‘well calculated'. Regarding the replacement of the Karatu Member of Parliament, Mr Mbowe urged party members not to worry that a fitting person will be picked and warned CCM that they will never get the Chadema stronghold constituency.
"We have many capable people in the party to take over from where Dr Slaa left off. Chadema MPs are well known all over the country for being good examples and we are going to ensure that we increase our representation in the forthcoming parliament," he stressed.
He boasted of winning the forthcoming presidential elections after the announcement of Dr Slaa's presidential candidacy.
"Come October and Dr Slaa will be the president of this country, the party has the will and capability. Rumours that Chadema is killing him politically are groundless because there is no one to defeat him," said the Chadema chairman, Freeman Mbowe.
Meanwhile, the Union for Multiparty Democracy (UMD) Party has hailed the political party registrar, Mr John Tendwa, for helping to bring back unity within the party following the division between the acting chairman and the party secretary.
The UMD party publicity secretary, Mr Omar Kimosa, told the reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the division within the party was threatening the existence of the party, saying the division started after the departure of the party's founder, the late Chief Abdallah Fundikira.
"We officially announce that we will take part in the coming general election as the misunderstanding is over," he said.
Mr Kimosa said UMD members had already started taking nomination forms in order to vie for the different positions in the coming general election, adding that the party will pick candidates for the Union and Isles presidencies.
He explained that fees for nomination forms for the presidency will be 100,000/- and 10,000/- for the Member of Parliament while those aspiring for councillorships would pay 5000/-, saying that the meeting to elect the aspirants will be held next Thursday. Mr Kimosa said they were optimistic of having a good number of representatives in the coming parliament.