Bunge-Lenye-Meno-A-Parliament-with-Teeth-for-Tanzania-LAXNNAJ547

Julius Nyerere on the one-party state
On class politics
“The British and American tradition of a two-party system is a reflection of
the society from which it evolved. The existence of distinct classes and the
struggle between them resulted in the growth of this system.
In Africa, the Nationalist movements were fighting a battle for freedom from
foreign domination, not from domination by any ruling class of our own. Once
the foreign power – ‘the other Party’– has been expelled, there is no
ready-made division among the people.
The nationalist movements must inevitably form the first Governments of the
new states. Once a free Government is formed, its supreme task lies ahead –
the building up of the country’s economy. This, no less than the struggle
against colonialism, calls for the maximum united effort by the whole country
if it is to succeed. There can be no room for difference or division.”
Against opposition
“The only voices to be heard in ‘opposition’ are those of a few irresponsible
individuals who exploit the very privileges of democracy – freedom of the
press, freedom of association, freedom to criticise – in order to deflect the
government from its responsibilities to the people by creating problems of
law and order… There can only be one reason for the formation of such
[opposition] parties in a country like ours – the desire to imitate the
political structures of a totally dissimilar society. What is more, the desire
to imitate where conditions are not suitable for imitation can easily lead
us into trouble.
To try and import the idea of a parliamentary opposition into Africa may very
likely lead to violence because opposition parties will tend to be regarded as
traitors by the majority of our people, or, at best, it will lead to the trivial
manoeuvrings of ‘opposing’ groups whose time is spent in inflation of
artificial difference into some semblance of reality ‘for the sake of preserving
democracy.’ The latter alternative I repeat, is an over-sophisticated pastime
which we in Africa cannot afford to indulge in; our time is too short and there
is too much serious work to be done...
Where there is one party – provided it is identified with the nation as a whole
– the foundations of democracy can be firmer, and the people can have more
opportunity to exercise a real choice, than when you have two or more parties.”
Source: Martin Meredith, The Fate of Africa, p167/8 (2005)
29