Dodoma. Reports of Tanzania ranking 12th position regionally and 86th globally in the 2023 Democracy Index report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) excited many supporters of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who credited the recognition to the Head of State’s measures to improve political pluralism in the country.

EIU, a research and analysis division of The Economist Group, a leading source of international business and world affairs information, assesses countries in five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties.

The EIU analysis categorises Tanzania as a hybrid regime, i.e., a country with elements of formal democracy and authoritarianism. Its overall score is 5.35 out of ten, an underperformance compared to its 2022 score of six. 

It scored 4.83, 5.36, 5.00, 6.88, and 4.71 on the electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties, respectively.

Many Tanzanians remain sharply divided on the state of democracy in their country. Some consider it fairly democratic, pointing mainly to regular elections as proof of their assessment. 

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Others, however, are doubtful, citing irregularities reported in the elections and a perceived lack of freedom of expression as the reasons for such an attitude. 

But beyond their differences in their assessment of the state of democracy in the country, many Tanzanians who spoke with The Chanzo expressed a thorough understanding of what democracy means to them and their lives. Many consider democracy synonymous with freedom, safety, happiness, and improved welfare.

Freedom

“Democracy means the freedom to do anything lawfully,” says Mohammed Said, a 46-year-old father of five and resident of Dodoma. “If I see people doing lawful things without being told not to, I say that’s democracy. It’s not democracy when people are prevented from doing things that country laws allow.”

Mr Said, a carpenter, gave examples of authorities preventing people from organising protests, which he says are constitutionally guaranteed as a form of people’s participation in their country’s affairs. He is also unhappy with the arrest of people just for sharing their opinions on issues of public policies and activities. 

Thirty-eight-year-old Frank Simon runs a women’s beauty parlour in Dodoma. He thinks democracy goes beyond people expressing their opinions to involve authorities’ decisions to work on those views.

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“It is a democracy that you come here to seek my opinion on particular issues,” said Simon. “But it should go beyond that. It should involve authorities working on people’s complaints and concerns. Without that, there’s no democracy.”

Haji Hussein, a resident of Mji Mwema in Dodoma, doubts that he can say what democracy means. The 37-year-old father of four thinks defining democracy is the intellectuals’ job. But he adds that if it means anything, it is the presence of public accountability.

“It must involve the accountability of public officials lest they behave as they wish,” explained Hussein, who makes a living by repairing bicycles. “You find that a given public official has either lawfully or ethically misbehaved, but no action is taken against them.”

Transparency

He also decried the lack of transparency in the government’s undertakings, which he doesn’t think is democratic. He says: “So many things are being kept in the dark; we barely know anything that goes on.”

Mariam Mlewa, a 48-year-old mother of four from Dodoma, also supports public transparency. In addition to transparency, Mlewa considers freedom an important indicator of democracy. She thinks the two go together, and nothing can exist independently.

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“Democracy is supposed to reveal things to people, not keep them from them,” she analysed. “Whether those things are positive or negative, they should be known to the people. Freedom means the right to have access to such information. That’s how we achieve progress, whose lack reflects the lack of democracy.”

To 28-year-old Philipo Gilbert, democracy means national cohesion. The father of one believes that democracy will mean nothing if people don’t understand each other and work together towards achieving their common goals.

“Democracy means people speaking the same language, understanding each other and staying united,” he opined. “Without that, you’ll not have joint plans to improve your welfare as a people. I think democracy should aim at delivering just that, people united in a common cause.”

Claud Ndelwa thinks democracy means having a government that responds to people’s needs and considers citizens’ input in running its affairs. He also believes that democracy involves citizens holding their leaders accountable.

“If the people can influence their government’s decisions and elected officials respond to the needs of their electorates, you can say that you have a democracy,” analysed 30-year-old Ndelwa. “When the opposite is the case, you don’t have a democracy.” 

Fair elections

Julieth Commino considers the presence of free and fair elections a determining factor in whether a country is democratic. The 41-year-old mother of two thinks that when people are free to participate in elections as voters and candidates, that’s democracy.

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“That’s what we try to do here in Tanzania, which makes us relatively democratic compared to other places,” Commino opined. “Now, we have to ensure that we improve the conduct of our elections so that they become fairer and freer. We’ve to conduct our elections in a manner that’s fair to all players.”

This is an important suggestion because, as 44-year-old Abel Majiko says, what meaning would democracy have if people were not free to vote for their preferred candidates?

“Democracy means the ability to vote for whom I want in elections and be confident that my vote counts,” Majiko, a peasant from Dodoma, told The Chanzo. “But if I’m restricted in exercising such freedom, or circumstances exist that lower my confidence in electoral processes, then that’s not democracy. For democracy means equality; it means fairness.” 

Jackline Kuwanda is a Dodoma-based The Chanzo correspondent. She’s available at Jackline@thechanzo.com.