By Amb. Dr. Ahmed Kiwanuka
This is the final week of election campaigns. It is going to be quite dramatic and vigorous. Political parties and their candidates will manifest their determination to retain and further consolidate their public support. They are going to be involved in all kinds of activities, talk shows, public debates, home to home campaigns etc. We are going to see presidential candidates criss-crossing the country using helicopters and small planes.
Their campaign teams will put in lots of energy and ingenuity than ever before . We will witness on-foot campaigns in crowded urban residential areas as well as free local beer offers in the villages. One-to-one campaigns to opinion leaders are going to be another feature, which is a last minute strategy to stem the tide of adverse public opinion, or to further consolidate public standing in areas where there is considerable support.
As we say in Kiswahili, this is Wiki ya Lala Salama , which, strangely enough, means Sleep Well Week, an occurrence which, for many candidates, could be impossible to come their way. This is the week during which political oratory shall be either maximized or exhausted, sometimes at the expense other people’s good reputation. It is a win or lose moment. Massive attendance is expected at political rallies. For Tanzanian democracy, this is a do or die week. However, it appears that all measures to ensure peace and security have been taken. We have to encourage a large voter turnout, reflecting the numbers we have seen attending the huge public rallies.
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