The hatred that is being planted in the Zanzibar politics is growing by the day. Not only by Zanzibaris themselves and between them, but now the Mainlanders are also taking part and very dangerously so.
For five decades since the Revolution, the political card that has been wielded by the then Afro Shirazi Party and now CCM, to woe voters, is to play with the people’s mind by making them live with fear that the deposed Arabs were going to come back to Zanzibar.
They drum and dramatize they take will take back all the 66,000 acres distributed to the people as part of the strengthening of the Revolution but also enslave them back, as it were. In any case most of the distributed land has been sold back to wealthy Zanzibaris. As was cry that has been sued to cheat and fool the masses. Out there this time and age, are there are people who would like to colonize others, and two that there are Zanzibaris who are ready to be colonized, that is by helping and supporting the Zanzibari Arabs to come back to Zanzibar? For what purpose and end one is bound to ask?
Most of Zanzibaris who left after the 1964 Revolution went to settle in Oman and the Emirates in general because there was natural tie between the two sides. Now Zanzibaris in the wider Diaspora certainly outnumber those in Oman and Emirates.
Minister William Lukuvi has been widely quoted that Tanganyika is dearly holding Zanzibar because of fear of Islamism and the coming back of Arabs and now in the picture comes Minister Samuel Sitta and not in one of these many incidents has President Kikwete opened his mouth.
In widely circulated clip in the social media Sitta told the Voice of Ameirca (VoA) that reason for the Constituent Assembly to turn down the issue of dual nationality was that there were 200,000 Zanzibaris out there in Oman and Emirates harboring the hidden desire to overthrow the Zanzibar Government. Sitta was not aware that the Omani immigration laws does not allow dual citizenship for Omanis, and hence it was impossible for the Omanis to take up that offer, even if it was presented on golden platter.
But nevertheless Sitta has accused a large part of Omani citizenry of having ill feeling towards Zanzibar and Omani being one of key allies of Tanzania and very important development partner so much that in the space of two years, President Kikwete, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, Speaker Anna Makinda and Lukuvi have all been to the Sultanate as well as Zanzibar leadership.
Tanganyika has been frequently sending a begging bowl to the Sultanate and what Sitta did was to defecate on the hand that is feeding them.
It was un diplomatical for such an experienced and senior minister who wants to ascend to Presidency to have uttered such a statement.
It is very sad that Oman and the Arabs in general have to bear the brunt of the hatred, unfounded allegations and profiling coming out of Zanzibar and spread in Tanzania Mainland who join the singing chant not knowing that it is propagated as the only card for CCM to cling on to power – illusion.
There is no way the link between Oman and Zanzibar can be broken. The sides have been joined for eternity and everyone must accept this fact and live happily with it.
Zanzibaris are tired of such divisive language unhealthy to our political and social life. We are a crucible of culture and proudly with centuries of civilization and people like Sitta should leave us alone. In other jurisdiction he would have been regarded as an unfit to be a minister.
Leave us alone Sitta et all.
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