Then Tanganyika President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, shares Union documents with first Zanzibar President, Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume. PHOTO | FILE
By Polycarp Machira
The Political Platform Reporter
Zanzibar. The quest for secession by a cross section of Zanzibaris is slowly and steadily gaining momentum, with the main message being ‘no more union without a treaty!’ The Political Platform has witnessed.
As you walk along the streets of Unguja, you will notice posts reading ‘usiseme muungano, sema mkataba’, loosely translated, ‘don’t say the union, say treaty-based union’. This is the kind of civic education going.There are a lot of meetings and seminars here to sensitise members of the public on what to say before the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) currently in the Isles to gather public opinions on the establishment of new Constitution.
A committee of six people, mainly comprising politicians, formed to spearhead the move for secession has vowed that it would not relent on the mission to see the People’s Republic of Zanzibar, sooner or later.
The committee, which played a very instrumental role in helping the establishment of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Zanzibar believes with such a success record, they are only destined to bring back Zanzibar’s lost sovereignty and nothing else.
And with the constitutional review process going on, the group is working tirelessly to ensure Zanzibaris use the process to push for secession in the name of treaty based union. They conduct public debates to educate the public on what to do.
The Political Platform this week managed to speak to the two committee ‘commandos’ reportedly championing the move strongly. The former Civic United Front (CUF)’s deputy secretary general, Mr Ismail Jusa and prominent businessman, Mr Eddy Riami, are the key figures in the committee.
The committee chairman is Mr Hassan Nassoro Moyo of ruling CCM, while other members include Mr Abubakar Khamis Bakery from CUF, Mr Salum Bimani and Mr Mansoor Yussuf Himid from CCM. Mr Mansoor was a minister without portfolio in the GNU. And Mr Moyo, who was among the founding fathers of the Zanzibar Revolution, is currently in India for treatment, but the committee works tirelessly and always informs him on the progress.
Speaking to this reporter, Mr Jusa explained how the committee has lived up todate, saying after they successfully managed to bring together the current second vice president, Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad and the former President Amani Abeid Karume into negotiations that eventually gave birth to the GNU, the group has always been there to intervene in contentious issues.
Since then, they have been meeting to brainstorm on the contentious issues around the union, its challenges and the way forward. But, this was compelled by the vigorous utterances and threats caused by the Islamic Revival Group popularly known, as ‘Uamsho’.
He said the committee, comprising members of different political parties with varied ideologies, at first could not easily agree on the best approach to handle debatable issue on what kind of union will best suit the country.
“CCM has always supported two governments, though also welcomed the idea of one government, while the CUF all along has been campaigning for a three government union,” he said.
The Mji Mkongwe legislature said after further debate and research on what is happening in other countries, they agreed that he two-government union would be the best option.
In September last year, the committee approached President Ali Mohamed Shein with the idea of what they think is best for Zanzibar, and the president gave them go ahead to sell the idea to the people, saying the government would only support people’s views.
Mr Jusa noted that the civic education they provide was paying off and now many youths are enthusiastic on the demand for Zanzibar’s sovereignty “It is a treaty-based union or nothing at all, that is the message we are spreading and many have understood”
He said almost all CUF members in the House of Representatives and at least half of CCM counterparts support the idea, saying they work for the interest of Zanzibar.
Mr Mansoor Yussuf Himid, the minister without portfolio, for his part said, after 48-year experience in the current union format, and failure to find solutions to teething problems, they thought this was the best way to end squabbles
“We believe by restoring Zanzibar’s sovereignty, we will solve all the problems that have existed for decades, and by so doing, we will build our unity,” he said.
He warned that the mood on the ground is quite hostile for anything different from treaty-based union, though the majority is not for a complete break up of the Union.
Mr Eddy Riama, another key figure in the committee, said the Constitutional Review Commission should not distort the message Zanzibaris are sending. He noted, “People here do not want any constitution, all they need is a treaty-based union”.
He warned that anything contrary to what people say may trigger anger from other groups of people, who may use the opportunity to push for complete secession.
Source: The Citizen |
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