Professor Saffari quits from the CUF

Professor Saffari quits from the CUF to an unknown destination

By Elias Mhegera
HAVING been disillusioned by party politics, Prof Abdallah Saffari now is planning to venture into another type of political activism.

Borrowing words of a great political philosopher Aristotle, that man is a political animal by nature, he says there are many ways in which he can pursue his political agenda like through academic networks, forums and publication of books and brochures.

During the exclusive interview with The Express shortly after announcing from the Civic United Front (CUF), he promises that he will even increase more participation in politics by providing legal guidelines and counseling which can eventually end up fostering a political agenda like the ongoing debate in the formulation of a new constitution in Tanzania.

The prominent lawyer has a stint of years in teaching human rights, international law and constitutional law and judicial procedures in conflict resolution like mediation, adjudication, arbitration and facilitation. He taught these at the Centre for Foreign Relations (CFR), Zanzibar University, and the Open University of Tanzania.

Holding the title of Director of Studies and Programmes at the CFR, the lawyer did not appease the political oligarchy that found him lacking the humbleness of high esteem that they would have expected of him at that sensitive centre and as a highly qualified academic.

It is in records that a good number of academics and civil servants that identified themselves with the opposition in the early stages of the multiparty making were either co-opted or subjected to many ways of psychological torture though in subtle forms.

Prof Saffari did not hesitate to inform journalists on Thursday last week how he lost his job at the CFR after he carried Prof Ibrahim Lipumba from the Kisutu Court in his car a Mercedes Benz with diplomatic registration. He was providing legal counsel to the CUF chairman after the Temeke fracas in 2001.

It is under these circumstances that many lecturers that had contested through the opposition decided to subside or re-join the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi in order to avoid trouble. The difference is though, only few have made it to the top after going back to the party which is currently ravaged with serious internal strives.

For instance there was Dr Festus Limbu who ran for the Magu constituency through the National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR) in 1995 just to rejoin the CCM shortly before the by-election in 1997 he rose up to the deputy ministerial post, another in the same style is Dr Harrison Mwakyembe and Dr Masumbuko Lamwai.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), was once a centre for political strategies for the opposition in collaboration with some few lecturers in the department of political science like Prof Mohabe Nyirabu and Prof Mwesiga Baregu.

Today only a few lecturers can be heard uttering strong political statements that might not sound sweet to the political oligarchy. With Dr Lamwai working for the CCM as a legal counsel, Dr Mwakyembe striving to strike a balance between radical politics characteristic of the academics and the humbleness interwoven within the guise of ‘collective responsibility’ and ‘party discipline’, he has indeed difficult time to match the two.

Prof Saffari is not a man to be underestimated at any rate because he has stood firm giving regular comments to the media whenever he is requested to do so. It is clear that the media has a big contribution in changing the political scenario in this country, therefore informed comments from people of his caliber cannot be underrated.

His long political ally and fellow academic Prof Lipumba has already commented that his party has lost nothing in the absence of Saffari because he ceased to appear in any party function for al most two years now.

Even if its is a blow for the CUF, but Saffari has vowed not to join CCM, quite opposite to what a distinguished academic Dr Walid Kaborou who had chosen to work under the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) finally called it quit and rejoin the ruling CCM.

Academics have been silenced in so many ways to the extent that up to now only Dr Sengodo Mvungi is still raising his voice but not at the ‘Hill’ as the University of Dar es Salaam is also known, but at the non existing University of Bagamoyo which is still in the womb.

This trend of a clandestine clamp against the academics that chose to support or work in alliance with the opposition has had adverse effects to their survival because it created political opportunism which is unhealthy particularly if done by highly trained professionals.

Therefore it was a bit surprising to see Prof Kulikoyela Kahigi vying for the parliamentary post through Chadema in the Bukombe constituency after so many years of absence of such academics in the opposition. In the recent past the opposition was identified as a camp of the disgruntled politicians who had failed to make it to the echelons via the CCM, today after the resounding results last year during the general election that will no longer be the case.

There is positive trend towards the opposition while CCM is still trying to recover from the wounds of big losses of seats and startling results in the presidential race. With this kind of situation it is expected that academics and other people who had decided to shun away from active politics might decide to swim back in the political game.

Prof Saffari who has vowed to play his role through essays, public lecturers and networking might find himself back in party politics. During his press conference with journalists in his office he explained at length that the CUF was losing its appeal, thus he chose to drop before it reached its final anchorage of collapse.

The truth of the matter is very soon some political parties will disappear after they have failed to function in the turbulent nature of politics which during the last year’s election saw two parties re-solidifying themselves, namely Chadema, and NCCR, the ruling CCM has already sensed a threat, it is looking for a re-birth, thus recent harsh statements from its youth wing (UVCCM) on the payment of a hoax company Dowans.
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