Mobhare Matinyi
In the last two years, during the celebrations of our Union Day, I wrote to my fellow Tanzanians to sincerely remind them that our union, despite the current severe challenges, is still valid, valuable and victorious! Let me here recount the same message.
Today, as we mark the 49th anniversary since the two sovereign states of the Republic of Tanganyika and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania on April 26, 1964, we ought to be proud and resolve whatever problem that exists rather than hypocritically perpetuating the break-up of the union.
As we speak, we are the only existing united republic in Africa, and one of only four united countries in the world. Others are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). What a pride to be a Tanzanian!
Our union was not only created for political reasons such as Pan-Africanism, but rather for many more reasons including our unique history, economic links, cultural and social affairs, and strategic reasons as well.
Thanks to our founding fathers, the first president of Tanganyika, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and the first president of Zanzibar, Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume. Without their great hearts and minds, we would never have had a nation, a country, and a sovereign state by the name of TANZANIA.
Yes, cynics may oppose our union, but that’s normal in any united country or a federated state. Looking at some cases in highly developed nations like Canada and Belgium, Tanzanians ought not to feel inferior at all. We are probably better than we think.
Canada is a federated state with one French-speaking province, Quebec. In 2006 the Canadian House of Commons was forced to pass a symbolic motion to recognize the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada. Doubtless, it was an embarrassment.
Currently, the official opposition party in Quebec, the Social Democratic Party, advocates for secession from Canada. Their position is not much different from that of the Alaska Independence Party and the Puerto Rican Independence Party in the United States, which seek secession from the United States.
Belgium, another federated state consisting of Flemish and French-speaking people, in February 2011 broke the modern world record for the longest period without a central government. This embarrassment followed an awful election conducted in June 2010. After that debacle Belgium is now settled.
The United Kingdom is not safe either. When the famous convicted Lockerbie bomber, Libyan Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, was set free in August 2009 by the Scottish Government, some people around the world wondered how a non-sovereign state of Scotland could strike a deal with Libya without involving the union government in London.
The same complication exists in UK representation in several global sports bodies such as the soccer body FIFA, where all four UK countries, i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are represented individually unlike the United Republic of Tanzania, which participates as one united country.
In 1998 Northern Ireland, which joined the Union in 1800, succeeded in getting back their executive office and assembly, a clear setback to the union, but because the UK is a big power and highly developed things went smoothly.
On the other hand, Scotland has had its own Parliament since 1707 when it signed the Acts of Union with the Kingdom of England until 1999 when the referendum changed it into a devolved legislature, basically giving some powers to the UK Parliament in London.
Only England, which was formed in 927, functions totally under the political system of the UK, but again all four countries keep their flags as well as their national anthems including Wales, which has been part of the union since 1057.
In the US, Alaska and Puerto Rico are not the only headache. In April 2009 the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, repeatedly threatened Texas’ secession if certain things didn’t go their way. It is not a mere coincidence that the largest US army base is in Texas and Alaska is home to several air force bases.
Before his death in 2003 the famous Hawaiian historian, Glen Grant, vowed: “The struggle for Hawaiian sovereignty has not been dismissed as impractical or impossible, and many native Hawaiians demand a truthful and rigorous reassessment.” Hawaii, which joined the union in 1959, hosts a superior US navy fleet.
For Tanzania, having gotten to 49 years is no small feat; we should be proud of our nation and look for better ways to strengthen our union. We ought to remain an exemplary country in Africa and build a better Tanzania for our future generations.
The ongoing complex project of the new constitution should not shake our nation but rather prove to critics that we are truly one and united. God bless the United Republic of Tanzania!
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