By Elias Mhegera
AMID accusations of grand corruption now Rostam Aziz the Igunga legislator through the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has called it quit.
The 18 years legislator was among the youngest MPs when he assumed duties in a by election following the death of his predecessor the late Charles Kabeho in 1994.
Through his influence that was greatly caused by his affluence, Rostam Aziz was instrumental in the first attempt by the incumbent President Jakaya Kikwete to take the helm of power in 1995 serve for the final intervention of the founding father of this nation the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
He chose to maintain a low profile and even to use his ordinary passport rather than a diplomatic passport that MPs are entitled in order to make smooth his visa processes.
Speaking before elders in his constituency of Igunga Aziz said that he had decided to resign all his posts in the party including his parliamentarian post due to what he termed as “gutter politics”.
But a clear analysis will tell that his resignation should not be taken as a personal downfall but as a culmination of a long term process where business and politics have to be separated at least for sometime.
It was in 1992 immediately after the re-introduction of multiparty politics when CCM allied itself with influential business executives in its bid to pound the opposition that was still in its infancy.
This marriage between the CCM and business tycoons was cemented by the fact that a good number of opposition parties came up with what was termed as ‘uzawa’ which was cliché word for indigenization.
The concept which appeared to be racist on part of the newly established parties gave a considerable advantage to the CCM which created fear among the business tycoons of Asian origin on ground that they will be exterminated once the overambitious opposition parties were in power.
This and many other ill campaigns attracted many business people to contribute for the CCM and they could have a guarantee of getting juicy tenders afterwards. This now culminated with the signing of bogus contracts including the Richmond power supply which implicated Rostam Aziz and the retired Premier Edward Lowassa.
With this resignation one would expect other two prominent politicians Lowassa and Bariadi East MP Andrew Chenge who has served in various capacities as the Attorney General and Cabinet Minster to follow suite.
“Dear elders of Igunga I am resigning but not without remembering how you appointed me to represent our party in the 1994 by-election, I maintained the trust that you bestowed me, I worked diligently knowing that I had your support and I do believe that the same spirit is existing,” read part of his speech.
“It is this thrust that helped me to work with you in a good cooperation in order to encounter boldly the challenges that were facing us, I do cherish the fact that it was this spirit that helped me to survive for in the past 18 years as your representative in the capacity of a legislator,” he added.
He boasted that he has left the Igunga constituency that was once lagging behind of all the constituencies in Tabora region today it is in the forefront in so many ways. It had lamps alongside the road, health insurance a good number of dispensaries and ward secondary schools even exceeding the number of wards in the Igunga district.
Rostam Aziz admitted that of recent media coverage and even many public utterances were against him a situation that was detrimental both to his reputation, business his party where he was member of the National Executive Committee, and even to his conscious as a human being.
Aziz reminded his voters that since 2005 when the Fourth Phase President Jakaya Kikwete assumed power he has been subjected to so many accusations that were not called for he pleaded total innocence after all.
He did not fail to mention the fact that he had worked diligently taking into consideration he wanted to maintain the legacy of the political gurus that have hailed from his region. He mentioned those as the Chief Said Abdallah Fundikira, Christopher Kassanga Tumbo, and Kasela Bantu now both deceased.
He mentioned others in the same line as James Mapalala, Profesa Ibrahim Lipumba and many other who had put Tabora high in the political map of Tanzania. It was under this spirit that he had decided to ignore his adversaries accusations knowing that he had an uphill task in front of him.
Revisiting the history of his career he reminded the fact that when he was elected as a member of the CCM-NEC in 1997, there was one constituency in Tabora under the opposition but currently his party is firmly entrenched in all the constituencies, a situation that he is proud of.
Aziz admits that the recent mayhem for the renaissance of his party has partly contributed for his abrupt decision, but he called this as a mere attempt to show that he has to be party of the collective responsibility.
The immediate former legislator admits that he was one of those who have been targeted by a segment of some ‘unscrupulous politicians’ who have bent to tarnish reputation of their political adversaries and they have been doing so by being supported by some media outlets.
He notes that after the appointment of a new CCM secretariat under Wilson Mukama, the party secretary general and his new CC, every now and then there are utterances that some politicians must go if the party was to maintain its respect.
He admitted that the cleansing campaign that was established by his party under its chairman did not anyhow target him, but it was just because some politicians had bad intentions against him being party of dirty politics which have ravaged his party of recent years.
He also admits that after the deputy secretary general John Chiligati, and the party’s publicity secretary Nape Nnauye, had declared that within 90 days some big shot will have to go, some media outlets have been mentioning him and his two colleagues in the bid to frustrate them further.
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