saidhorizons
Member
- Aug 10, 2009
- 37
- 4
A clear picture is slowly begin to emerge in the unfolding political drama in the run-up to the Kyela elections! The battle that has pitted two unlikely political bedfellows against each other in an unofficially declared campaign for the Kyela seat in the upcoming 2010 Parliamentary elections is hotting up!. And, what I see is not a pretty and hopeful picture, unfortunately!
This rivalry can be billed as the battle between two sumos; in one corner, is the incumbent MP for Kyela, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, and in the other corner is the young, dynamic and charismatic challenger George Mwakalinga. Unfortunately, what most of us expected to be the thrilla in Kyela, has not live up to its billing, at least not yet. Based on the bits and pieces of information received from Kyela, we can blame it all on the incumbent politician's supporters on the ground who decided from the get-go (with or without the incumbents permission) to do what political machines always do: muddy the water in order to distort and confuse so the rest of us remain clueless as to what is really transpiring on the ground.
What is transpiring on the ground, if you really want to know, is that George Mwakalinga's potential candidacy in the 2010 Parliamentary elections has galvanized Kyelans in record numbers, men and women, young and old, are all excited about the upcoming elections. Understandably that has become a great cause of concern to the incumbent camp. Kyelans have indicated in no uncertain terms that they want to see their representative in Majengoni place the Kyela development agenda at the top of his priority list. In other words, personal aspirations should take a back seat and make way for the greater good of Kyela development.
Kyelans, are by no means against a politician that is ambitious and has national aspirations, it's just that at this stage of their social-economic development they would prefer the development of Kyela and its residents to be at the top of the priority list, which I personally believe is not an unreasonable or outrageous demand. Fortunately for them (Kyelans), these demands are consistent with the platform that has been unofficially promoted in word and deeds by the young Mwakalinga (Kyelans know what it is, apparently, the rest of us will find out during the official campaign). This is what I am hearing from my contacts in Kyela, take it for what it is. For the rest of us, this explains why Mwakalinga's camp is slowly but surely gaining the upper hand in this epic battle for the hearts and minds of Kyela voters while the incumbent's political fortunes seem to be plummeting..
On the whole, I would argue Kyelans may have a valid point. The rest of us non-Kyelans can criticize all we want for looking at representation from their own narrow interests with what is arguably a selfish mindset. But there are other equally valid ways of dealing with this issue. It should be possible for example, for the incumbent MP to go run as a national candidate somewhere else, such as Ubungo or Kinondoni where his superstar status and national ambitions will be appreciated more by sophisticated voters in these constituencies. Surely, a man of his academic credentials and stature should be easily electable in Ubungo where his fame, combined with his national appeal would strike the right chord with a more culturally-diverse electorate. More importantly, it will be a win-win-win for the nation, Ubungo as well as Kyela.
Problem solved! Munasemaje wakuu?
This rivalry can be billed as the battle between two sumos; in one corner, is the incumbent MP for Kyela, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, and in the other corner is the young, dynamic and charismatic challenger George Mwakalinga. Unfortunately, what most of us expected to be the thrilla in Kyela, has not live up to its billing, at least not yet. Based on the bits and pieces of information received from Kyela, we can blame it all on the incumbent politician's supporters on the ground who decided from the get-go (with or without the incumbents permission) to do what political machines always do: muddy the water in order to distort and confuse so the rest of us remain clueless as to what is really transpiring on the ground.
What is transpiring on the ground, if you really want to know, is that George Mwakalinga's potential candidacy in the 2010 Parliamentary elections has galvanized Kyelans in record numbers, men and women, young and old, are all excited about the upcoming elections. Understandably that has become a great cause of concern to the incumbent camp. Kyelans have indicated in no uncertain terms that they want to see their representative in Majengoni place the Kyela development agenda at the top of his priority list. In other words, personal aspirations should take a back seat and make way for the greater good of Kyela development.
Kyelans, are by no means against a politician that is ambitious and has national aspirations, it's just that at this stage of their social-economic development they would prefer the development of Kyela and its residents to be at the top of the priority list, which I personally believe is not an unreasonable or outrageous demand. Fortunately for them (Kyelans), these demands are consistent with the platform that has been unofficially promoted in word and deeds by the young Mwakalinga (Kyelans know what it is, apparently, the rest of us will find out during the official campaign). This is what I am hearing from my contacts in Kyela, take it for what it is. For the rest of us, this explains why Mwakalinga's camp is slowly but surely gaining the upper hand in this epic battle for the hearts and minds of Kyela voters while the incumbent's political fortunes seem to be plummeting..
On the whole, I would argue Kyelans may have a valid point. The rest of us non-Kyelans can criticize all we want for looking at representation from their own narrow interests with what is arguably a selfish mindset. But there are other equally valid ways of dealing with this issue. It should be possible for example, for the incumbent MP to go run as a national candidate somewhere else, such as Ubungo or Kinondoni where his superstar status and national ambitions will be appreciated more by sophisticated voters in these constituencies. Surely, a man of his academic credentials and stature should be easily electable in Ubungo where his fame, combined with his national appeal would strike the right chord with a more culturally-diverse electorate. More importantly, it will be a win-win-win for the nation, Ubungo as well as Kyela.
Problem solved! Munasemaje wakuu?