THE electorate and the general public in Zanzibar have been commended for ensuring peace since the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) nullified presidential election results last October citing “massive irregularities’’.
In its statement to hail the peace trend after the disputed poll result, the Association of Civil Society Organisations, AZAKI, also wants top leaders in Zanzibar to reveal to the public the progress of the ongoing discussions on the political stalemate as the country commemorates the Zanzibar Revolution tomorrow.
Speaking at a joint press conference, the National Coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said it is high time Zanzibar President Ali Mohammed Shein and Opposition leader Seif Sharif Hamad came out publicly and brief the people on the development reached in their negotiations.A few days ago, Zanzibar Second Vice-President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi, said the talks were on track and that a joint statement would be released as President John Magufuli has also been pushing for quick solution for the political impasse.
Yesterday, AZAKI leaders insisted that citizens were important stakeholders in the ongoing political crisis; therefore they deserve to get information on the discussions that are conducted behind closed doors.
“We urge all religious leaders and development partners to intervene in order to seek for the final solution to the crisis and we also urge the political class to stop making inflammatory statements that are confusing people on the progress of talks between the ruling party and the main opposition party in Zanzibar,’’ said Mr Olengurumwa.
Speaking on behalf of civil societies, Mr Olengurumwa underscored the need to provide information on every stage of the discussions. He said top Zanzibar leaders should use the celebrations as a platform to reveal to the people what is currently going on to avert any possible act that is likely to plunge the nation into chaos.
“People have severally been fed with wrong information. That is why they are curious to know when will the leaders in Zanzibar conclude their discussions, how far have they agreed on one another and when do they intend to give a joint statement regarding the political impasse,’’ he added.
According to Ambassador Iddi, while the Civic United Front (CUF) members were being fed with wrong information, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and other political parties “were eagerly waiting for the fresh polls’ timetable from ZEC. He reiterated that the polls were nullified due to massive cheating, hence a repeat.
Zanzibar will mark the 52nd Mapinduzi celebrations tomorrow to be attended by Dr Magufuli, ministers from the Union government; heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Tanzania and retired national leaders.
However, Mr Sharif has turned down the invitation. At a news conference yesterday, the Director of Communications at Rural Women Development Initiative (RUWODI), Mr Ibrahim Salum, urged members of the civil societies, religious leaders and other stakeholders to join hands in ensuring that the Zanzibar crisis is resolved.
“We want to ensure that there is rule of law, good governance and observance of human rights,’’ he said.
/Daily News.
No comments :
Post a Comment