1985 polls and the Maalim Seif factor in Zanzibar elections

Dar es Salaam. Seif Sharif Hamad is a towering figure in Zanzibar politics and has had a constant, but significant presence in the isles’ presidential elections since 1995 after the re-introduction of multipartyism.

It is, however, fair to note that Maalim Seif, as he is popularly known, started being a factor in Zanzibar elective politics during the 1985 elections.

There was a wind of change blowing across the Tanzanian political landscape that year. Both Zanzibar and the United Republic were going to have a change of guard in as far as the two top leadership positions-the presidencies-were concerned.

It wasn’t the first time for Zanzibar to have a new President. Idris Abdulwakil, who had been nominated by CCM, was going to become the fourth Zanzibar President. But that did not stop the underground political machinations, combativeness and competitiveness associated with presidential nomination politics.

The race to the nomination of the Union presidential candidate in 1985 had itself its fair share of underground politicking and competition, and even, rumours of gross foul play as ‘potential candidates’ were jostling for the retiring President Julius Nyerere’s eye.

But in Zanzibar the fissures between Unguja and Pemba, in as far as presidential politics were concerned, started coming to the fore in the 1985 election cycle. And at the centre of all this was Maalim Seif’s factor. Idris Abdulwakil won the nomination contest with 85 votes, against Maalim Seif’s 78. Many from Pemba were not very enthusiastic about that because they had thought that 1985 was Pemba’s turn. Mr Abdulwakil was born in Makunduchi, Unguja and Maalim Seif in Pemba.

Maalim was at that time the Zanzibar’s Chief Minister, a position some thought was put him the second in command and the natural heir to the throne. Abdulwakil had been the Speaker of the House of Representatives for five years since it was established in 1980.

It was no coincidence that Mwl Nyerere used CCM’s maiden campaign rally, for the Union President that was held in Chake Chake on October 9, 1985 to address the issue. It was four days before Zanzibaris went to the polling booths to elect the new President and 50 members of the House of Representatives.

Mwl Nyerere used the occasion to address the growing rift between Unguja and Pemba and the Maalim Seif factor. He urged Zanzibaris to forget what happened during the nomination contest and unite to forge a new Zanzibar.

He condemned the emerging bad trend of divisive politics that sought to divide the people between those who were from Unguja and those who were from Pemba or between those who hailed from the Mainland and those who hailed from the isles or between Muslims and Christians.

“A Zanzibari is a Zanzibari. Where you were born in the Islands doesn’t matter. What we should fight against is the tendency to divide us. Let’s build a new Zanzibar,” Mwl Nyerere noted.

Mwl Nyerere said he had been told that some Pemba residents were not happy with the fact that Maalim Seif had not been picked as Zanzibar presidential candidate for the sole reason that he hailed from Pemba.

“Had the CCM executive committee picked Hamad, I am sure we would have heard complaints from some people in Unguja,” Mwl Nyerere noted.

He told the hundreds of Pemba residents who attended the rally that CCM picked Abdulwakil through a rigorous, fair and legal process in accordance with the party’s constitution. He argued that the party’s nomination due process must be respected and appreciated because it enabled delegates to vote for an aspirant without regard to where he or she was born.

“Abdulwakil belongs to all of us. Had we picked Seif to run, he would still have been ours,” Mwl Nyerere noted, adding that the alternative to due process is chaos.

“The mentality that it is the turn of someone born in Pemba to be President of Zanzibar this year simply because all past presidents came from Unguja? I have, myself confirmed that… When I informed you that CCM’s NEC voted for two names there were more clapping when I mentioned Hamad’s name. But you must understand that when you have two, you must pick one,” he said.

Mwl Nyerere went further to say that it was not written anywhere in the constitution that Pemba and Unguja should take turns to produce Zanzibar President. In fact, that was also true for the Union President; “Nowhere in the constitution is it written that Zanzibar and the Mainland should take turns to produce the Union President!”

The Maalim Seif factor manifested itself in the presidential results announced soon after the pools. Abdulwakil had 131,471 YES votes, equivalent to 58.61 per cent of the total votes cast (214,309). NO votes were 75,220 (41.39 per cent). About 7,038 votes were spoilt and about 16,678 registered voters did not turn out.

The acting chairperson of the Zanzibar electoral body, Abdallah Maisara Suleiman, declared Abdulwakil as the new President of Zanzibar at a short ceremony held at the Kibweni state lodge.

“In accordance with article 34(2)(c)(i) of Zanzibar Constitution of 984 and section 37(3) of the Zanzibar Elections Act of 1984, I declare Idris Abdulwakil as the duly elected President of Zanzibar and chairman of the Revolutionary Council.”

Under the quoted statutes Zanzibar presidential candidate must get more than 50 per cent of YES votes to be declared President. Abdulwakil was sworn in on October 17, 1985 at a ceremony that took place at the House of Representatives grounds. Zanzibar Chief Justice Agustino Ramadhani administered the oath. The ceremony was attended by the outgoing Union President Nyerere, CCM Secretary General Rashidi Kawawa; Tanzania Chief Justice, Francis Nyalali and other senior leaders. A total of 230,738 voters had registered to vote in the October 13, Zanzibar elections. 133,662 voters registered in Unguja (they were 84.1 per cent of eligible voters in Unguja) and 97,076 registered in Pemba (88.8 per cent of eligible voters in Pemba).

Zanzibar elections took place two weeks before the Union polls (which were conducted on October 27, 1985).