CCM national chairman President Jakaya Kikwete, Vice President Mohamed Gharib Bilal, and former CCM vice chairman for Zanzibar Amani Abeid Karume on their way to one of the past meetings of the ruling party’s organs. PHOTO | FILE
By Polycarp Machira
The Political Platform Reporter
Dar es Salaam. The speech by former Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume during the Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) 8th national congress in Dodoma last week should not be taken for granted, political pundits warn.
The warning comes few days after Mr Karume’s posters were reportedly torn in Zanzibar suburbs in protest of his speech in Dodoma. The former President called for, among others, the need for people with diverse opinions on contentious issues regarding Zanzibar to be heard.
His plea speaks volumes about what is currently aspiring in the Spice Islands and the country at large, some of the pundits say.
But with the Union debate uniting Zanzibaris from all walks of life, the former President may be adding his voice to Zanzibaris seeking a treaty-based Union, other argue. But reports from Zanzibar say Mr Karume’s posters portraying him as a development agent were torn mainly because his stance on the ongoing movement against the Union was unknown among CCM members and activists.
The immediate retired vice chairman of the ruling party for Zanzibar was bidding farewell to the CCM national congress when he touched on a host of issues pertaining to the welfare of the country. He spoke on Union matters, the ongoing constitutional review process, the Zanzibar Government of National Unity (GNU) and the recent turn of events causing unrest in the home of cloves, among others.
Mr Karume asked CCM members to refrain from pointing an accusing finger at critics airing their views on the Union before the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC). Admonishing them to let the commission administer the whole process, he said: “As long as we are democratic, we should be sober.”
He urged the CCM members to uphold the Afro Shirazi Party’s (ASP) ideals including of accommodating people with views different from theirs. “Three types of views on our Union are surfacing…there are those advocating for a contractual or treaty-based Union and others who think of having a three-tier government and two governments,” he observed, arguing that the best way was not to restrict the people from discussing the format of the merger freely.
While the CRC will know how best to handle the diversity of ideas, the freedom of expression should prevail, he stressed. His position greatly differs from that of the Zanzibar Second Vice President Seif Ali Iddi who was recently heard discouraging critics from wasting their precious time in proposing alternative Union structures before the CRC.
Analysts have in separate interviews with the Political Platform been commending Mr Karume for acknowledging the need for accommodating varied opinions in the constitutional review process. Contentious issues would be amicably resolved only if all members of the public expressed themselves freely on issues affecting them, they said. Afterall, wananchi themselves would finally suffer from decisions they make, he stressed.
The former Zanzibar President had shown great leadership skills when he helped in the formation of the GNU, University of Dar es Salaam’s (UDSM) lecturer Bashiru Ally noted.“His statement should be accorded due attention,” urged the UDSM Political Science lecturer, cautioning that the Zanzibar situation being fragile, the use of force would end up worsening the state of affairs. “Grave revolts normally crop up from differences in opinions. When any of the parties feels aggrieved and oppressed, rebellion ensues,” he explained.
With the Union debate taking a new twist by bringing together politicians from all parties, the former Zanzibar President may be construed to be adding his voice to those seeking the treaty-based Union. But Mr Ally says the truth remains that the sentiments of the majority Zanzibaris should not be ignored.
Mr Karume surprised the world on November 5, 2009, when he announced along with his political foe, the Civic United Frond secretary general, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, that they had jointly resolved to bury the hatchet ‘in the best interests of Zanzibar’. The Karume-Hamad meetings were kept secret even to top CCM leaders including President Jakaya Kikwete.
Commenting on Mr Karume’s speech over the phone from Unguja, the former CUF deputy secretary general for Zanzibar, Mr Ismail Jussa Ladu, said: “It is not surprising to hear the former Zanzibar President stating clearly that we should freely express our opinions for people to decide,” he said. “Those who are gagging people from airing their proposals on the Union format will, at the end of the day, end up losing,” he said.
Dr Benson Bana, co-chair of Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (Redet) said the Zanzibar situation was not yet out of hand and that change stood a better chance of containing it. Dr Bana admitted that there is more than meets the eye in Mr Karume’s speech, which, according to him, was not just like any other politician’s rhetoric. “His message was deeper than words can elucidate,” he added, explaining that Mr Karume had not only played key role in forging peace in Zanzibar, but he was also keen in watching and guarding it,” he said.
Source: The Citizen
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