Ali Karume defiant after CCM kicks him out

Yesterday, the CCM in Kusini Unguja Region stated that Mr Karume’s membership was revoked for egregious misbehaviour, following a meeting that ended at 3 am.

Mr Ali Timamu Haji, the publicity secretary for the Kusini Unguja Region, said the decision was reached following extensive talks and consideration of submitted recommendations by the party’s grassroots leaders.

“This is in accordance with Article 89 (4) of the CCM constitution of 1977 that confers powers to the region Central Committee (CC) and sub-14 (14) directing members’ expulsion upon proven details of misconduct.

However, party procedures provide members with the right to appeal to the National Executive Council (NEC).

“Therefore, the regional CC has unanimously agreed to terminate his CCM membership card number C000/2809/993/1 issued March 17, 2022,” he said in the announcement.

Reached for comments following the decision yesterday, Mr Karume said he was still the party’s bona fide member, faulting the violation of procedures surrounding his expulsion.

He told The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi, that the regional CC arrived at such an important decision without his involvement.

“The meeting discussed my membership and arrived at decisions without my involvement. I remain a CCM founder who has no plans of leaving the party,” he said, insisting that he was waiting for the party’s official communication.

He said he has been reading reports of his expulsion on social media, noting that no official communication has been made by the party. “I have never been a CCM member of Kusini Unguja Region or CCM Zanzibar. Rather, I’m a CCM member at the national level,” he insisted.

According to him, members’ affairs, including issues of ethics, are usually discussed after being invited to attend the said meetings, as the grassroots did.

“The regional CC was supposed to follow a similar procedure, otherwise, it is a violation of party ethics,” he said.

However, Unguja South Secretary Amina Mnacho said after being grilled by constitutional committees, Mr Karume was supposed to mind his remarks.

“Procedures allow him to visit the party’s offices and collect official communication detailing his expulsion if he thinks the letter is delayed,” she said.

She explained that the CC decision was announced late due to the delayed conclusion of the meeting, which started at 4pm, and comprised different agendas.

Yesterday, Prof Ali Makame Usi of the State University of Zanzibar (Suza) said the decision was obvious because Mr Karume didn’t follow proper channels in presenting his opinion.

“He was supposed to use formal party meetings,” he said.

Furthermore, he said Mr Karume has little influence inside and outside the party, so the decision will do no harm to CCM.

He reminded the public that misconduct forced the ruling party to extend a similar decision to party cadres, including former Zanzibar President Aboud Jumbe.

Prof Bakari Mohamed of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) said the decision would have repercussions for CCM depending on pressure from people behind Mr Karume’s conduct.

“There will be no political implications if Mr Karume is acting independently, but consequences will be there if there are some people behind him,” he said, ruling that he doesn’t see the diplomat crossing over to the opposition.

The Open University of Zanzibar (OUT) student, Mr Mohamed Amin, said the recent political stance shows that there is a team behind Mr Karume.

Karume’s expulsion comes two days after his remarks that CCM was a single national entity, as required by the country’s constitution.

All this is happening 21 days after the diplomat was placed on observation by the party’s ethics committee over remarks against the party and its top leaders.

Mr Karume was summoned by the ethics committee for grilling over the said remarks circulated on social media.

They include the fact that CCM had never legally won elections in Zanzibar as well as publicly criticising President Hussein Ali Mwinyi’s policies.