Abstract
Since the era of colonialism to date, Tanzania has been practicing representation—a key democratization pillar. Throughout this period, the question of who is representing who and at what cost continues to feature in political discussions in the country. Nevertheless, of all periods that representation has passed through, the represented seem to have always been at a disadvantage. This is particularly so due to an absence of effective accountability mechanisms for ensuring that the representatives remain accountable to the electorate. The represented have been the victims of a control triangle that started during the colonial era when they had limited influence on the functioning of legislative council. Even after independence, the new government usurped the powers of the electorate on the grounds of nation-building and consolidation of socialism. Electorate’s subject stature has persevered even under liberalism as their pre-supposed powers and influence are diluted through a surfeit of strategies employed by members of parliament; the notable one being material incentives. Using documentary sources, this paper submits that the way representation has been practiced, especially following the adoption of liberalization, sets an alarm on the need to rescue the represented from absolutely surrendering their sovereignty to the representatives.
Recommended Citation
Babeiya,, Edwin
(2015)
"Political Representation in Tanzania: Its Development and Anatomy in Perspective,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 4
:
No.
1
, Article 4.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v4.i1.3
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