How Salmin Amour was catapulted to Zanzibar’s highest office
CCM’s NEC, with one accord, picked Dr Salmin Amour, 48, to become the presidential candidate of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government
Dar es Salaam. After the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Mr Idris Abdul Wakil, announced his intention of not seeking reelection on August 12, 1990, it took three days for the name of another presidential candidate to be obtained.
The presidential contestant of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar for the October 1990 General Election was known after a meeting of the National Central Committee of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party was held at the Karimjee Hall in Dar es Salaam Region.
According to the CCM Constitution at that time, the party’s National Central Committee was the organ mandated to think over and finally pick the name of a member of CCM to contest for president of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and as well propose the name of a presidential aspirant of the Union government to the party’s Congress after getting recommendations from the Central Committee (CC) of the National Executive of Committee (NEC).
One day before the meeting was held on August 14, NEC announced the agendas of a special meeting of the party, which decided that CCM chairman Mwalimu Julius Nyerere presided over the meeting until when the results of voting for the nomination of a presidential contestant of the Union presidency and new chairperson of CCM were announced.
At the meeting, NEC, with one accord, picked Dr Salmin Amour, 48, to become the presidential candidate of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government. Dr Amour, who was a member of CC of NEC and who doubled as secretary of NEC for Economy and Planning, was picked after scooping all 171 votes cast. There was no spoiled vote.
Announcing the results, Mwalimu Nyerere lauded the voting of members of NEC, which ended on August 15, by saying: “It has never happened before for the contestant picked to receive a majority vote”.
Speaking shortly after the announcement of the results, Dr Amour promised: “I will carry this burden with honesty and with all of my ability,” he said.
Then President of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government, Idris Abdul Wakil, who had already announced not to seek reelection as he was restricted by the Constitution to do so, thanked NEC:
“I’m not afraid of anything ... but the time has come for me to leave it to the young blood to continue with the struggle.”
Wakil said he hoped the citizens of Zanzibar would vote for Dr Amour to become Zanzibar’s new president, promising, however, that he would continue to give support and advice to Dr Amour whenever he was needed.Mr Wakil also said that he would continue to be an honest member of NEC until the end of his tenure in office in 1992.
Giving a clarification on Wakil’s decision about retiring politically, NEC’s Political Publicity and Public Mobilizations director Ali Ameir Mohamed, said of Wakil had made a premature retiring decision, which he earlier decided not to announce it.
He went on to say of Wakil that when the latter returned from his trip of West Germany, a day when CC was holding its first meeting of two days, he (Wakil) was not able to attend it because of fatigue, but later in the evening of the same day Mr Wakil told reporters about his decision.
“He (Wakil) decided to announce his decision through that way because he did not want to draw a debate,” said Mr Ameir.
On Tuesday August 21, Wakil started to drum up for Salmini Amour’s presidential race.
Speaking to leaders of the party and the government at the Kisiwandui CCM head office, Wakil, who was still the incumbent president of Zanzibar and chairman of the Revolutionary Council, called upon Zanzibaris to accept the decision of the party about proposing Dr Amour to become the sole presidential candidate of Zanzibar and make him receive a majority vote of YES.
“Dr Salmin is your young man, whom you have known very well. He is a smart guy, humble, hard-working and who was groomed by the party. I believe he will be accepted by people,” said Wakil, adding, “And I will introduce him to you and I will vote for him with all of my ability and this should be taken as my first campaign for him.”
Wakil called upon all leaders of the party, the government and all Zanzibaris in general to give every support and cooperation to the new president in waiting as they did to him.
He also thanked Zanzibar’s Waziri Kiongozi, Dr Omar Ali Juma (now deceased), for his good reputation and his positive signs of observing good governance and not being power-hungry.
“I congratulate my young man, Dr Dr Omar, who has encouraged me a lot. He is not power-hungry as even after I announced my intention of nor seeking reelection, he refused his name to be considered among the names of those proposed to fill the position. He looked ahead. That is the good merit of leaders should be,” said Wakil.
On Thursday August 23, while in Unguja Town, Dr Amour addressed a public meeting and promised that, if elected president, his government would continue to lead the country by mainly observing the Constitution and respecting justice and human equality.
“The Government of Zanzibar does neither belong to the people of Kunduchi nor the people of Pemba. There will be the government of all Zanzibaris ... My government which I’m going to create will continue to be the Government of all the people of Zanzibar. It will, first of all, respect humanity and ensure that justice is done to everybody.”
Over the economic situation, Dr Amour said, “If I’m elected president, I will work hard together with my fellow leaders to improve people’s standard of living and maintain unity within the Pemba Island inside Tanzania and the African Continent as a whole.”
Showering praise on Wakil, Dr Salmini said, “The footsteps of Mzee Idris are wider than mine, but I will try as much as I can to follow in them ... He is a grown up person with wisdom and leadership charisma, courage and bravery.”
On August 26 Wakil addressed leaders of the party and the government from South and North regions of Pemba at the Chachani Hall, by telling them, “I call upon you to accept Dr Amour and have trust in him by casting your votes of YES for him, for him to be elected with a majority vote as president on the voting day ... I believe Dr Salmini is a young man, whom you will love electing to become your president.
The following day, on Monday August 27 Dr Salmin while in Pemba’s South Region, addressed a rally and said, “Bestow me with the ability of leading Zanzibar. I’m determined to implement that. The reasons of bringing about those developments are there. I’m asking you to trust me and bestow me with the ability of implementing that resolve ... I’m asking you so that we can cooperate together to bring about the development for Pemba. Let’s build a new Pemba. Let’s cooperate together so that our islands can get transformed into the paradise of the world.”
Addressing separate rallies Monday on September 24 in Chonga and Wawi constituencies, Pemba South Region, Dr Amour said: “I’m ready to reduce a big part of my freedom to serve my country.”
On October 9, CCM Chairman Ali Hassan Mwinyi addressed the residents of Pemba, saying “Dr Amour is aware of the problems facing residents of both Unguja and Pemba and we will cooperate with him ti minimize the challenges facing our people here in Pemba.
“He is a humble person, who respects both his seniors and juniors and he works through consultations ...CC did not make a mistake to propose his name to NEC to be Zanzibar’s Presidential Candidate and fill the position to be left by Ndugu Idris Abdul Wakil.”
Zanzibar’s presidential election was held on Sunday October 21, 1990, whose results were announced on Tuesday on October 24, two days later.
Tomorrow, we are going to focus on how Dr Salmin Amour won the presidential election and how he appointed some members of the House of Representatives and formed the Cabinet of Ministers.
