CUF Secretaru General Seif Sharif Hamad addresses a past rally in Unguja. The opposition party annaounced its resolve not to recognise Dr Ali Mohammed Shein's election as Zanzibar President and called on Wananchi not to cooparate with his government. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
It will take time to answer these questions, but going by empirical evidence, it is obvious that the CUF will lose a great deal in its political mission. This is because for the oppostion party to make Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) government feel the pinch, the support of ordinary wananchi and donors is required.
Zanzibar. The Civic United Front (CUF) has urged its members, supporters and other people to democratically reject the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government, which Dr Ali Mohammed Shein will form. But will this decision affect operations of the government or help the CUF attain what it fights for?
It will take time to answer these questions, but going by empirical evidence, it is obvious that the CUF will lose a great deal in its political mission. This is because for the oppostion party to make Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) government feel the pinch, the support of ordinary wananchi and donors is required.
Among other things, the CUF governing council urged wananchi to give the Zanzibar government the cold shoulder as a way of supporting its oppostion party’s crusade.
Although the CUF governing council was not explicit, its call means people should not work with the government.
But it is well known that people depend much on the government for their well being. Asking them not to cooperate with it amounts to telling them to, among other things, stop paying taxes. Is this possible?
Analysts argue, saying given the current state of affairs, it will be very difficult for Zanzibaris to heed the CUF call, for there is no way they can refuse paying taxes. And even if they manage to refuse, doing so amounts to shooting themselves in the foots, as the government uses revenue it collects for improving social services which the Zanzibaris themselves benefit.
The CUF will definitely win loyalty of some Zanzibaris, but will they be able to ‘peacefully’ refuse to work with the government? If they resort to evade tax, they will risk prosecution, for the move is tantamount to criminal offence.
Given the state of affairs, the CUF will win some of its supporters and lose others, as CCM and its two governments will ensure the implementation of their policies are not interrupted.
The party said in a communique it issued at the end of the meeting that it would also continue to snub the government and hail some donors for their decision to cut aid to Tanzania as a way of showing their concerns over the botched election held on March 20.
The CUF urged the international community to go a step ahead and cut its relations with the inattentive CCM governments which, it said, they failed to uphold democratic principles in the country.
The CUF maintained it still recognised the October 25, 2015, General Election and its results, which indicated its secretary general Seif Sharif Hamad had won. It branded the March 20, 2016, election rerun, which saw the presidential candidate on the CCM ticket, Dr Shein, obtain 91 per cent victory, as a mockery of democracy.
But in the two-day meeting of the governing council under Mr Twaha Taslima’s chairmanship, the CUF maintained its expected stance that it did not recognise Dr Shein as a bonafide President of Zanzibar. Consequently, the party said it would not recognise a government which Dr Shein will form.
Analysts, who spoke to The Political Platform concur people would surfer in case they heed the party’s call.
Life would be difficult for ordinary wananchi if they resolved not to recognise and work with the government.
Economics Department Professor at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Humphrey Moshi, said if the CUF resolve was implemented, they would hurt the economy and affect all Zanzibaris, adding that the decision was threat to peace and tranquillity in the Isles.
“In such a situation, investments are likely to retard. Peace is one of crucial ingredients for attracting investment. The Zanzibar economy depends on investments in the tourism sector and if what the CUF suggests will be heeded, there is a possibility of the revenues to decline and impact not only on the government operations, but also the welfare of their archipelago,” he said.
Prof Moshi noted also that if donors decided to act in favour of the CUF call, there is a possibility that most of the development projects will stall, as Zanzibar and the Union governments did not have the ability to plug a hole left by the donors.
“For our development projects to proceed, we still need some assitance from donors, as experience shows a lot of development projects could not be carried out whenever donors failed to honour their pledges,” he said.
The CUF secretary general, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, though maintains that he would not engage in any dialogue with Dr Shein, Prof Moshi said there was roof for a reconciliation. He says much as the two sides had shown mistrust, the talks should involve a third party.
Prof Abdul Sheriff, the chairman of Zanzibar Constitution Council, said preventing people from working with the government was not a proper approach. He said the CUF or anyone else had no mandate to inhibit people from working with the government because Zanzibaris were legally bound to obey the government’s oreders. If what the CUF wanted was implemented, there is a possibility of a serious crisis to erupt in Zanzibar, putting peace at risk.
“For instance, paying tax is a legal obligation to all the people, failure to do so amounts to criminal offence. But if you don’t pay tax, how will the government provide for your social services and other development projects? We’ll have no roads, schools, water and health services,” he explained.
Prof Moshi said, however, people could refuse to work with the government only on issues with no legal backing. “But why should we entertain such things? Why have we reached such a stage? It is true that we’ve tried many solutions and have hit a snag, but I personally believe there is still room for amicable solutions which will not hurt anyone,” he added.
Prof George Shumbusho from Mzumbe University warned, in turn, that the CUF stand should not be taken lightly. Much as almost half of Zanzibaris supported the opposition party, and there was a possibility of them to heed their party’s call, he said.
“Even Dr Shein would like to lead a peaceful and united country. What is happening suggests that the political crisis is now deepening and will soon transcend a socio-eeconomic problem as well,” he said.
Prof Shumbusho urged the concerned parties to draw a lesson from what led to the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). “There is possibility of returning to the negotiating table, even with a negotiator,” he suggests.
