ACT, CCM argue over the ideals of Zanzibar revolution

Zanzibar. The main opposition party in Zanzibar, ACT-Wazalendo, stated yesterday that the ruling party, CCM, has failed to guide Zanzibaris towards the revolution’s ideals.

Mr Mansour Yusuf Himid, the party’s cadre and advisor to the chairman, claimed at a rally in Tumbe grounds in Micheweni, Pemba, that CCM has lost direction and that all they rely on now is to rig elections every five years.

 “They have gone against the revolution’s ideals, which is why Zanzibar has lacked direction and hence cannot lead us to the future that we as Zanzibaris desire,” said Mr Himid.

However, commenting on the recent rallies by the opposition party’s cadre and publicity secretary, Khamis Mbeto said the recent utterances and demands by ACT about the leadership on the island were not in good faith and were not possible.

“These demands are only possible without the union, unless they want to break the union,” he said.

Mbetto said that Mr Othman’s claims that Zanzibar continues to be ruled by leaders who are not native Zanzibaris are not true because the foreign rulers who came from Oman, settled in Zanzibar, and led for more than a century

He said the Zanzibari leaders ruled from the first phase of Abeid Amani Karume to the eighth under President Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, and all of them were born in Zanzibar, natives of Tanzanians who are sons of Africans.

“We would like to remind Othman; perhaps he has forgotten the foreigners who occupied Zanzibar for many years. The first sultan was Sayyid Said bin Sultan from 1832 to Sayyid Jamsheed bin Abdulla,” said Mbetto.

He reiterated the recent call for full autonomy because there is nothing that Zanzibar can achieve without such powers, not in the current state where they have to beg for everything.

Also speaking at the same rally, Vice Chairman of ACT-Wazalendo Zanzibar, Mr Othman Masoud Othman, said in order for this country to remain strong, there must be a fair union without deceit and protecting the honour of both parties involved.

He said the violation of the Zanzibar Constitution of 1963, Article 132, before the United Nations, which specified the borders of Zanzibar that include the islands of Unguja, Pemba, Fungu Mbaraka, and other surrounding islands,

According to him, the borders have been manipulated after a study revealed that the island’s resources could directly benefit Zanzibar.

But according to Mr Mbetto, if ACT-Wazalendo intends to return Zanzibar to the hands of the same foreigners or others, they are not ready to bow to the demands of new slavery.

“All occupying forces were expelled from Africa, and the natives started to rule themselves. That was not for Zanzibar alone; the British, Germans, Arabs, Italians, and French returned to their homes. The development of 60 years under the natives is better than that during colonialism,” said Mbetto.

Elaborating further, he said great milestones have been achieved between the first phase of leadership and the eighth phase of Zanzibar, including providing the citizens with social services, something that did not exist during the colonial era.