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Pinda says Z`bar not sovereign, again
2008-07-18 10:43:13
By Bilal Abdul-Aziz, Dodoma
There is no way Zanzibar can become a sovereign state within the United Republic of Tanzania because that would amount to automatically breaking the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has told the National Assembly.
The Premier revealed the stance in Parliament yesterday during his weekly question and answer session with MPs.
He was responding to a supplementary question posed by Civic United Front party legislator Ibrahim Sanya.
The Zanzibar`s Stone Town legislator had demanded that Zanzibar be given its sovereignty for it to be able to join the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Pinda, who was once again forced by law-makers to issue a clarification on the issue, insisted that Zanzibar was not a sovereign state because it had lost the status in 1964 when it became part of the Union.
``Both Tanganyika and Zanzibar lost their sovereignty in 1964 during the formation of the Union. And it is at that time that the two countries lost the status to a new sovereign state (United Republic of Tanzania),`` he said.
The Premier said he ``sees no way`` during his tenure, as Prime Minister, he would be ``part of a political experience or process`` that would lead to the break up of a precious and world`s exemplary Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
``The Union is a good thing. Any step trying to take us back, I’m afraid, we will be going astray. And if going back really, I would like not to be part of the process. I won`t be the one to start it, surely,`` said Pinda.
In the basic question, which lead to yet another heated debate on the Zanzibar sovereignty, the Stone Town lawmaker, Sanya, queried why the Union government, after promising over 10 years ago during the presidency of Dr Salmin Amour, it was ``dragging its feet`` to allow Zanzibar join the OIC.
In his response, Pinda said he could not give a direct answer. ``May be the water hasn`t boiled enough to make stiff porridge…It`s true, it has been closer to 15 years now, since the promise was made, then we will look into possibilities of the Union Government to join OIC,`` he said.
However, the premier said, the way things were at the moment and from experience gained from other countries following a similar political system in Africa, which had already joined the OIC, there was no problem with the idea.
``Maybe time is not ripe…but the issue needs public dialogue. It is an issue of creating a national dialogue,`` said Pinda, adding:``We need a helping hand from lawyers. We should conduct discussions about it. People should be educated, and so on.``
Zanzibar, being part of the Union, made an attempt to join the OIC during the second-phase government, under retired President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, but the proposal was ditched on grounds that the Isles had no sovereignty for it to join as an independent country.
It was ruled then that plans should be made for Tanzania, as a sovereign state, to join the OIC.
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