Magufuli says oil revenue to stay in Zanzibar

Zanzibar. CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli yesterday insisted that the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was very strong defending the two-tier government structure saying this was the best compared to all other forms.

He said if Zanzibaris would elect party’s presidential candidate in the Isles, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, then they would be electing the right person to defend the Union and its benefits to both sides.

He was addressing a campaign rally at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Unguja where he also marketed party’s Zanzibar presidential candidate Dr Mwinyi.

 Union issues are always sensitive as they normally cause hot debates in Parliament and among Tanzanians.

 The two-tier government structure of the Union is criticised by the opposition, saying it exploits the archipelago.

“There are people who do not like our Union and have clearly come out say- ing that they would change its current structure should they come to power.

They want to divide us through some colonial type of government administration,” Dr Magufuli said, referring to the federal government structure touted by the Opposition Chadema poll manifesto.

 “I know there are some little chal- lenges but we will sort them out with- out any problem,” he said. Dr Magufuli also revealed that Tanzanian Union government has borrowed Sh2.3 trillion for Zanzibar’s  development projects in the last four years, trashing accusations that the Union was not beneficial to Zanzibaris.

 He reminded a previous quarrel in which Zanzibar Electricity Company (Zeco) owed Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd (Tanesco) Sh22.9 billion which he later cancelled in the spirit of the Union.

According to him, the Union was formed out of the different reasons including the good relationship between Tanzania’s founding president Julius Nyerere and his Zanzibari counterpart Abedi Amani Karume, geographical proximity, interactions of the peoples of both sides as well as the good relationships between the Tanganyika African National Union (Tanu) and Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) which later in 1977 merged to form the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

 He said Dr Mwinyi was the right candidate for now despite the fact that he was born after the 1964 Union. He said Dr Mwinyi understood well the challenges facing the current generation and has enough experience to handle Zanzibar’s issues.

 “I was a minister for 20 years before vying for the presidency and so has Dr Mwinyi. This is enough experience to lead Zanzibar,” Dr Magufuli said.

CCM presidential candidate Magufuli also assured yesterday that if oil is discovered in Zanzibar, its revenue won’t be shared with the Union government, asking Zanzibaris to vote for the ruling party candidate, who, he said, will supervise the natural resources well.

Dr Magufuli said the potential hydrocarbons are strictly for Zanzi- baris benefits. “I’m assuring you that oil and gas potentially to be found here is for Zanzibaris.

In the Mainland, we had found gold and other extractive resources which were not benefiting Tanzania until we made recent amendment to laws,” said Dr Magufuli as he campaigned at Mnazi Mmoja grounds.