Speaking in a press conference yesterday at the Karume International Airport in Zanzibar after arriving from Dar es Salaam, he said that in previous general elections there were some tricks conducted by the ruling party and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) to spoil results, and he has been accepting those unfair results.
Maalim Seif said this year CUF members will battle tricks by the ruling party which uses its control over the process to spoil the results, insisting that his party will maintain its stand to ensure they win this year’s polls.
Maalim Seif who is also the First Vice-President in the Government of National Unity in Zanzibar said that he used to stop his members to enter into the street fighting for their victory but if there will be any conspiracy, the CUF will not accept it.
He said that he had expressed that sentiment in a recent press conference where he expressed his concern over the voters registration process. The way it is being conducted shows that some tricks were planned by the ruling party to list ineligible voters.
The CUF has deployed a number of officials to follow the voter registration process to identify if there are ineligible voters registered, he stated, elaborating that after ZEC presents the total number of people registered for each voting station the party will issue its stand.
He urged Isles residents to unite, intoning that CUF will speak with one voice to enable it to win the presidency, despite that he had contested four times and being denied victory repeatedly.
Outlining his theme for the 2015 election he said this is not only a year of elections but it is the time for making proper decisions for the benefit of Isles residents.
“Our goal is to have strong leadership and remove a discriminative administration that doesn’t protect the public interest. We intend to build a new Zanzibar and ensure it attains full authority as a country,” the dissident vice president indicated.
He said this is the year for the Zanzibar people to take the fate of their country into their hands. The journey to victory has started and people should not accept to continue being undermined by the ruling party.
Maalim Seif also said for the five years he has served as first vice-president of Zanzibar there were challenges but he had also learnt that different political parties with different outlooks on the society can work together for the benefit of the nation.
He cited his priorities as to ensure Zanzibar becomes a sovereign state, to unite Zanzibaris, to end all forms of exploitation, civil division and unemployment, to raise salaries for employees, free education up to higher learning institutions, a free Zanzibar port, raising pensions, strengthening the port of Zanzibar, exempting tax on jet fuel and fuel for ships, starting a Zanzibar airline among other needs.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
No comments :
Post a Comment