Mwinyi’s focus in the next two years
Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi
It was pomp and glamour over the weekend as the newly elected CCM vice chairperson and Zanzibar’s President Hussein Mwinyi made it home from Dodoma, thousands of people lined the streets, and performances were staged at the Maisara Grounds.
They had come from as far as Mwanakwerekwe, Bweju, Paje, Nungwi, and many other places to welcome him home.
But as the beauty of fireworks lit the night skies in Kikwajuni, shortly before Diamond Platnumz got the crowd dancing, one thing was on President Mwinyi’s mind: he has to deliver on the election manifesto.
Speaking at the Kisiwandui party headquarters, Dr Mwinyi told party faithfuls that it was time to go back to work and deliver to the electorate what they promised in 2020.
“I am indebted to you for all that you have done in electing me as the new party vice chairperson, and the only way I can repay you is through service delivery,” he told hundreds who had gained access to the Kisiwandui headquarters.
There were four issues that he says his administration will dwell on in the next two years before the General Election in 2025.
These include peace and security, breaking the factions within the party’s hierarchy, building a united party, and implementing the CCM manifesto.
According to President Mwinyi, there are signs of deteriorating peace in the isles though he did not exactly mention what exactly prompted him to say so. Analysts have cited the different meetings that point towards a fractious relationship in the government of National Unity.
“Peace and security in our country are critical elements; though people say I keep repeating this, there is no alternative to peace because without it there is no economy. I call upon you to continue preaching peace,” said President Mwinyi.
As they headed for the elections right from the primaries, in his own words, CCM was a divided party with different factions that rooted for different candidates, something that he said there’s no room for now because the elections are over.
“The party’s leadership is now complete, and we can only expect elections in 2027. All we have to do is break the factions and join hands with the elected leaders. The team that we have elected is the winning team,” he said.
He added: “In Dodoma, I was not elected by 100 percent of the vote; some three people said no, but I now extend my hand to them and say let’s work together.”
He also decried the current state of the party’s infrastructure, saying it does not suit its status given the number of members and number of years it has been in existence.
“We need to rebuild the party’s infrastructure: we need to build modern offices that fit the profile of a party like CCM, we need to train party officials on how to deal with modernity, and we need to digitize our operations to keep up with the times,” Dr Mwinyi said.
He added: “To run this party, we must look for alternative revenue streams that can support our operations as opposed to what the situation is today.”
But key to it all, according to Mwinyi, is that they have to deliver on CCM’s election manifesto, which they campaigned on in 2020.
“Our contract with the citizens is the manifesto because that is what we sold them two years ago. Though there are certain areas where we have surpassed the targets, like in education; there are certain key areas that we have to focus on in the next two years,” he said.
According to him, infrastructure projects such as the roads, the construction of Terminal 4 at the airport, the Mangapwani port, and the delivery of services such as electricity, medical care, and water have to be achieved in the next couple of years.
