 By Polycarp Machira, The Citizen Reporter
Zanzibar. As the nation marks 13 years since the passing of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, his greatest legacy, the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, has come under greater scrutiny in the Isles in what could be construed as a snub to his nationalistic ideals.
The latest criticism has come from the upper echelons of the Isles’ own government with the first vice president Mr Seif Shariff Hamad publicly challenging the current structure of the union last weekend.
Zanzibar, he argued, deserves to be an independent state and should be given the freedom to decide whether it wants to enter into a treaty-based union with Tanganyika’s successor, Tanzania Mainland.
Similar sentiment is coming to the fore as the constitutional review process goes on.
Many of those who spoke to The Citizen on Sunday say that the current union structure has lost its relevance. A new approach is needed, they say.
Staunch anti-unionists argue the Tanganyika-Zanzibar partnership has survived this long because Mwalimu Nyerere went above and beyond to protect national unity. During the wave of multiparty politics in the early 1990s Mwalimu is known to have advised political stalwarts to safeguard the union by working towards inclusive representation in government.
13 years after his deathsome factions in Isles politics are saying the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has failed to provide decisive leadership. Its inaction, they say, has effectively weakened the union.
On the other hand there are those who applaud what Mwl Nyerere and union co-architect and Zanzibar’s first President Sheikh Abeid Karume did to jumpstart development in Tanzania. Still, some feel the union needs to be revised, even in these circles.
The first-ever chief secretary of post-independence Zanzibar Mr Salim Said Rashid sees marked changes in the question of the union today relative to how it was handled during Mwl Nyerere’s tenure as the President of Tanzania. He said back then government would not have tolerated separatist talk. Today, wananchi have the freedom to debatethe fate of the union. The walls surrounding union matters are slowly melting away, according to him.
This former Nyerere confidant argues that since Mwalimu’s passing, the union government has lost its influence in the Isles primarily because it has failed to address the many problems that have plagued this partnership since its inception in 1964.
Mr Rashid is supportive of a political union – on Zanzibar’s terms. Zanzibaris, he says, have voiced their displeasure with current union arrangements during constitutional review debates. “We wish to stay partners for the sake of peace and unity and the best way to do that is via a treaty-based union,” he said.
Others believe the union’s accomplishments far outpace its failings. The CCM deputy secretary general for Zanzibar Mr Ali Vuai Ali thinks the current arrangement works just fine, although he wants the government to hasten efforts to resolve any perceived problems.
He feels that the legacy created by Mwl Nyerere and Sheikh Karume has to be preserved because when they entered into partnership, they were acting in the best interests of their respective nations. “Any changes to the union are likely to ruin the mutual relationship we have built over the past decades,” he said adding, “I’m for the current union structure.”
Zanzibar Attorney General Mr Othman Masoud Othman agrees the union has served both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar well, but he feels it is due for a makeover. He told The Citizen on Sunday that national leaders need to map out a plan to tackle its many challenges.
“The union lives on because the government of Zanzibar has great respect for its founding articles. However, if we have a treaty-based partnership, things will get better for both parties,” said Mr Othman.
The Civic United Front (CUF) legislator for Mji Mkongwe Mr Ismail Jusa claims Mwl Nyerere single-handedly pushed through the union agenda. Those that did not support his position were branded anti-unionists, according to him.
He told this reporter that current opposition to changes in the union structure is based on unfounded fears. He argued that minor adjustments to the partnership could actually strengthen national unity.
“All we want is for Zanzibar to regain its sovereignty and international recognition as an independent country within the union,” insisted Mr Jusa. He wants the Isles to have a free courts system, an independent legislature, its own central bank and its own foreign policy.
His CCM counterpart does not share the same outlook. Ruling party Chief Whip within the House of Representatives Mr Salmin Awadh Salmin believes changes to the union structure after 48 years of stability will only endanger Zanzibar’s economic prospects.
While he declares the current national leadership has shown little determination to resolve union challenges, he insists that breaking up the Mainland and the Isles would be “suicidal.” “Any other mode (of the union) will only mess things up for Zanzibar,” he said.
Source: The Citizen
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