Of the 'skin shedding campaign' and Aziz Way

One man's meat is another man's poison is a statement that rightly applies to the historic events that took place last week within the country's ruling party. In as much as some people cry at a funeral of a notorious armed robber some will be celebrating his demise and attending the funeral to make sure that their terroriser is gone for good.

In other words, the resignation of one of the most prominent politicians in the country was met with mixed feelings. Many people from his constituency could not stomach it, with some of them failing to control their emotions. Some fainted while others were sobbing in disbelief.

But, not far from there, another section of wananchi welcomed it as not only historic, but a step towards cleansing a party that was fast becoming tainted by individuals mentioned in dubious deals. Though many were shocked and caught by surprise as this was not expected, they welcomed it and were happy that the way had been opened for others to follow.

The winds of change that recently swept across the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi's top echelon seems to be bearing fruits and with the look of things a dim light is beginning to show at the end of a long and dark tunnel. This undoubtedly brings with it hope that sanity will at last be restored in the party that is said to have lost touch with the people who voted them into power.

The resignation of Rostam Aziz, last week, though unexpected, throws a lifeline in the new party leadership’s drive to reinvigorate the part and rid it of all questionable elements. Though it is tantamount to a drop in an ocean as more party heavyweights are still to fall by the wayside, many people will agree with me that it’s a move towards the right direction.

The party, early this year, made a bold decision by replacing old brooms with seemingly new ones, in a bid to sweep clean the party that was slowly moving towards political abyss that could have seen the party losing its relevance and subsequently dying a natural death. The move, hailed by many, should be used as a springboard for the revival of the party. The new leadership is still expected to live up to expectations if ever they will entertain any thoughts of reviving the party that is facing its strongest ever opposition in history.

And, I hope that everyone still remembers that when the new secretary-general, Mr Wilson Mukama, assumed office, he promised fireworks, vowing to leave no stone unturned when it comes to tackling corruption. His efforts seem to have began bearing fruits and all eyes are on them now as the general public is waiting for more political gurus to follow the Aziz way. Now that the first step has been taken, the new leadership should confront the remaining questionable figures and advise them to follow suit or they expel them altogether.

After all, Mukama warned the party members, when he assumed office, implicated in corruption scandals to either quit or be prepared to face the music. But, though this is a good stance as corruption is fast becoming one of the causes of the party's downfall, many questions remain unanswered. One of them being the kind of music the secretary-general promised that the party hasn't played before. They should not wait for these people to resign on their own as their presence continues tainting the party. With the reaction of the other accused people, then it will take a lot of bulldozers to remove them from their positions.

Though simple as it might look, the problem has roots too deep to uproot. The crisis the party is facing can never be solved by a mere threat and requires action. The first mistake the party did was to allow corrupt individuals to manipulate the party structures to their advantage, to become powerful people who will become very difficult to get rid of.

The new broom that has been commission, without adequate support from senior party members, might find the going too tough and the dirty too heavy to sweep. They will obviously make a lot of noise when they are still new in office but mark my word, if they are not strong enough, their noise will quickly turn into silence, relegating them to being toothless bulldogs. Yes, the door has been opened but a final push is needed for them to sweep the party clean.

The party should have made these changes long back by banning all tainted leaders from vying for parliamentary and other government and party seats to avoid embarrassments such as these. Waiting for the MPs to step down and if they all step down, then there is no guarantee that the party will retain the seats.

It is no secret that the same people have used their financial acumen to penetrate the structures of the party to such an extent that getting rid of them seems mission impossible. With the look of things, the Aziz way will be the only solution to this situation.

If the restructuring exercise had begun before last year's elections, then the party could have managed to get rid of corrupt individuals by now. I know this might have a backlash on the party where divisions are likely to emerge but, it is for the betterment of the party as in the long run it would emerge more powerful than before.

The party gains nothing by harbouring controversial and corrupt individuals, who in most cases taint its image. Let me give free advice to Mukama and his team that the battle has just began and they should brace for a long and gruesome battle as these corrupt individuals are no push overs. They have stood their ground and managed to stay not only in the party but as leaders in various portfolios in government so this will be more of a David and Goliath battle.

The problem here is that when rotten tomatoes are placed in the same basket with fresh ones, they tend to spoil the good ones. And, this scenario does not only depict rotten tomatoes that were put in the same tin with good ones but those that have been in the basked for a long time, making it difficult to distinguish the rotten ones from those that are still good. This is the puzzle Mukama is facing to such an extent that the influence of the rotten ones has spread like veld fire within the party. It will be difficult to know which floor to sweep and which to mop.

An example has been set and all those who know that their hands are dirty should follow suit. We all know that power is sweet and once one tastes it, it will be difficult to relinquish it and this will make the whole cleansing exercise difficult.

It will remain to be seen whether CCM ‘itaweza kujivua gamba bila kujidhuru’. Only time will tell. God bless us.

bongoblast@thisday.co.tz