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Karume lectures opposition on civility
2005-07-21 07:31:39
By Mwinyi Sadallah, Zanzibar
Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume has urged opposition politicians in the isles to build a culture of political civility and tolerance.
President Karume said when laying the foundation stone for the new Zanzibar House of Representatives Buildings on Tuesday that political thuggery should not be entertained in the run-up to the October elections.
He said threats and inflammatory statements made by opposition politicians showed that they were not yet ripe for multi-party democracy.
The president said calls such as those inciting the public to resort to civil disobedience in the event of the opposition failing to attain its goals should be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
’Politics of hatred and confrontation must be discouraged otherwise they will plunge the nation into chaos if left unchecked.’
President Karume added that Zanzibaris may hold divergent views but they must remain united for the sake of present and future generations.
Zanzibar adopted political pluralism in 1992 to widen political participation and encourage mature debate, adding that the decision was not aimed at fomenting chaos in the isles, he said.
’Multi-party democracy is about dialogue and peace. We should strive to maintain our unity and solidarity regardless of our political affiliation.’
President Karume made the remarks a few days after the
Civic United Front (CUF) urged its supporters to stage Ukraine-style mass protests for a month if the party failed to win power in the October 30 elections.
He also said his government welcomed constructive criticism in the House of Representatives, saying it was part of the principles of democracy.
’Representatives should feel free to air their views about the implementation of development programmes and the government will work on their suggestions for the benefit of all Zanzibaris,’ he said.
The new House of Representatives Buildings will be constructed at Mbweni on the outskirts of Zanzibar Municipality and will cost 3.5bn/-.
Others present at Tuesday’s function included Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, House of Representatives Speaker Pandu Ameir Kificho, representatives and government officials.
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