|
The work of the Friedrich Naumann
Foundation (FNF) in Eastern Africa aims to strengthen the young and
unstable democracies in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. The centre of FNF
activities in East Africa is Tanzania. Although the multiparty era had
begun in the mid 1990s, one can claim ...
...
that the country is still quite far away from being liberal
democracy. Some of the characteristic features of a single party state
such as censorship, state intervention in the economy and patronage
networks, have still not disappeared. Many laws and regulations date from
Tanzania's socialist past , and are not well suited to democracy and a
free market system. The position of President Benjamin Mkapa and his
ruling party, the CCM (Party of the Revolution) is almost unchallenged.
This is partly due to the weakness of the opposition, which is not only
fragmented and has neither a concept of what it should represent nor a
strategy to pursue it.
Given this background, the activities of the FNF focussed
on the protection of human rights, the development of political and
entrepreneur skills and the evaluation of liberal solutions to remove laws
and regulations that restrain development. The foundation also emphasises
the importance of forming a new political elite in Tanzania committed to
liberal democracy. To this end, the foundation supports a number of
liberal minded youth organisations such as the Youth United Nations
Association (YUNA), the National Youth Forum (NYF) and the Tanzania Youth
Vision (TYV).
In 2001, the FNF successfully undertook a range of activities
that involved methods of strategic planning as well as addressing issues
like human rights, starting and running a business, and the principles of
a market economy and liberalism. Some of the young participants are
expected to assume high level positions in the government or political
parties.
A shared characteristic between the generation that rules
the country and the younger generation, is the relatively limited spread
of education. To address this need, appropriate courses are being designed
by the FNF to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills
to participate in the political process and manage a political party.
The partnership with the Association for Regional
Integration of Eastern and Southern Africa (ARIESA) was highly beneficial
for both sides. ARIESA workshops now enable local politicians and
officials to deal with utility bills and other problems particular to
their communities.
The FNF also maintains particular, but not exclusive,
contacts with some political parties in Tanzania. These include CHADEMA
(Party for Democracy and Development), the United Democratic Party (UDP)
and the Civic United Front (CUF). Representatives of all three parties
joined a programme that offered further training by FNF in 2001 in
Tanzania, Germany and South Africa.
However, skilled managers and politicians alone do not
guarantee success. Tanzania urgently needs to modernise its administrative
structures and replace outdated legislation. Time consuming and
complicated regulations are still hampering the transition to a market
economy. In the course of the year, the Association of Tanzania Employers
(ATE) faced one of the major challenges confronting the business community
in the country, namely that of changing the country’s labour legislation
to make the free market system a legal reality. With the support of the
FNF, the leaders of the ATE had mastered the complicated legislation in
order to make concrete proposals regarding new labour laws.
As a member of the national reform commission, the ATE now
is able to submit simple and homogenous labour laws for Tanzania. The
partner presents itself as solid and very competent, and thereby
corresponding to the professional and political goals of the FNF.
The recently re-established East African Community (Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania) presents new opportunities for the coming year. The FNF has
maintained strong partnerships with both the Kenyan Employers (FKE) and
the Federation of Uganda Employers.
These likeminded employers’ organisations could play an important role in
speeding up the pace of privatisation and liberalisation
in the new transnational body.
|
.gif)
