By Ayub Mwangi
A democracy is built on dissent which gives power to the people to question and disagree within agreeable limits with the decisions that are made by their representatives.
Dissent thrives on free expression and gives the people power to freely express themselves and therefore question the action of duty bearers.
Dissent also finds a home in the arts- writers and creatives can freely question those in power without the fear of the midnight knock.
Yet, leaders abhor dissent because it exposes their assumed infallibility, inadequacies, and injures their fragile egos.
History is replete with examples of people who suffered because of giving dissenting voices.
At the heart of dissent is the demand for more open and accountable governance systems that are responsive to the needs of the people.
Dissenters have the best interest of the nation and like Former Czech President Vaclav Havel observed to look from the window of the aeroplane and see the effects of decisions made by the leaders. Nevertheless, because those in power don’t want to be questioned or have fragile egos, they put every stop to ensure that the opposing voices are silenced sometimes forever or in prison.
Writing about Parliament and Accountability in Tanzania, Tundu Lissu notes that the Tanzanian government has always viewed a new constitution that gives power to the people as a foreign ideology. From Nyerere to Samia Suluhu Hassan the executive has always argued that it does not need to adopt institutions of other countries even when they served those countries well. Nyerere for instance urged for a homegrown constitution that served the people of Tanganyika.
Although there have been attempts to democratize Tanzania, through a participatory, national consensus process, the efforts have always been frustrated by those in power.
Efforts to introduce checks and balances on the powers of the imperial presidency such as subjecting presidential appointments to parliamentary confirmations were thwarted by the executive.
The state instead responded to agitations with arbitrary arrests, detention, repression, abductions, torture, extra judicial killings and crackdown on the opposition and the media.
With the October 29, 2025 elections, the chicken came home to roost and citizens said that enough is enough. While the state may quickly reorganize and respond with more crackdowns and repression, the message is clear that citizens have had enough.
The state can no longer thrive on spreading fear and intimidation as it used to. The current crop of Gen Z’s are more informed and inclined to action compared to the past generations.
The state has the moral obligation to lead efforts that protects life and property and it should therefore open communication lines with the opposition and chart the way forward. In any case both the CCM led government and CHADEMA have the same interests at heart – the development of Tanzania.
The 2007 Kenyan “Nusu Mkate” government and the Zimbabwean truce between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsavangirai serve as good examples of statesmanship over personal ego.
Competing against self and gloating over the win is a useless venture that denies the President and the ruling party any iota of legitimacy. Embracing the opposition is more mature and acceptable to all people and works for posterity..
