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Karume now wary of CUF boycott of House sessions
2005-11-03 07:09:53
By Ludger Kasumuni, Zanzibar
Zanzibar’s President Amani Abeid Karume has called upon the elected CUF members in the House of Representatives not to boycott the sessions of the Zanzibar House, which are expected to begin in January next year.
Addressing a press conference yesterday soon after being sworn in, Karume said it would cost CUF more than CCM if the members from the opposition opted to boycott the House sessions, because CCM has already won simple majority.
Karume also ruled out the formation of the government of national unity following the results of October 30 Zanzibar elections.
He said since institutions for involving the opposition in governance already exist, there is no need for forming a government of national unity.
Karume explained that the House of Representatives, which is among those institutions, would accommodate the views of the opposition, only if there would be co-operation between CUF and the ruling party.
He cited another institution, which has been promoting co-operation between the ruling party and the opposition as the development committees established in all constituencies.
He added that another advantage to CCM is that the international community recognizes the results because the elections were free and fair.
Said he: ’If CUF representatives will boycott the House sessions their party is going to lose. We are not going to lose because already we do have simple majority.’
Karume further said a number of diplomats and ambassadors accredited to Tanzania had congratulated him and CCM for the victory in the Zanzibar general election.
’Many ambassadors who turned up at the swearing in ceremony today have congratulated me and my party. This clearly indicates that their governments will recognize the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar,’he said.
Responding to the question on what priorities his government had set up, Karume said poverty reduction was the topmost agenda, followed by the implementation of policies on improvement of infrastructure and social services such as roads, means of communications, education, health and water supply.
Karume also promised that he would continue to implement policies to improving further the quality of lives of residents of Pemba despite the fact that his party did not get even a single seat in 18 House seats based in that Island.
He said since CCM is against the policy of regionalism and tribalism, he is ready to co-operate with all residents of Zanzibar regardless of their political differences.
Meanwhile, the victory of Karume in the presidential election was celebrated in a unique style in Zanzibar whereby scores of CCM supporters decided to walk naked on the street during the night on Tuesday. Some of them behaved as if they were insane.
The jubilation also took place as soon as the Chief Justice of Zanzibar, Hamid Mahmood, had sworn in Karume at the headquarters of Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Several people were heard shouting that there would be no Idd El Fitr as said by the defeated CUF candidate in one of the campaign rallies.
The Holy month of Ramadhan which is coming to the end did not stop people from singing traditional songs popularly known as Dufu and Taarab.
In another development, the Commissioners of Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) appointed from CUF, Nassor Seif Amour and Ussi Khamis Haji, were not seen in the swearing in ceremony without valid reasons, indicating that they had not agreed with the results.
Nassor Seif Amour told journalists that they had not attended the swearing in ceremony, because they had wanted to protect the Constitution of Zanzibar.
He also complained that the elections were not free and fair because there were rampant irregularities, such as absence of names in the voter register and absence of result sheets in many polling stations.
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