Pemba IDs issuing exercise successful ?

Pemba IDs issuing exercise successful


ISSA YUSSUF in Zanzibar, 28th August 2009

ALMOST all residents in Pemba Island now possess the Zanzibari Residence Identity Card (ZAN IDs), the director of the ZAN IDs office, Mr Mohamed Juma Ame, said here yesterday. He dismissed reports that many people were yet to get their IDs for voters’ registration. “My office located in every district is no longer receiving ID applications of adults, only young people purportedly with forged birth certificates are coming to our offices to demand ZAN IDs,” Mr Ame told a press conference here yesterday.

He said the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), Ambassadors from the European Union (EU), the US and the opposition party, Civic United Front (CUF), were all wrong by saying getting IDs was still a problem in Pemba. “Data show that we have surpassed the 500,000 IDs target to be issued this year, as we have already registered and issued IDs to 503,782 Zanzibaris by August 25, this year, which is equivalent to 47 per cent of the 1.2 million people in the area,” Mr Ame explained.

In efforts to control the use of forged application forms and birth certificates, he said, eight people had been charged for forged IDs application forms and 38 youths were being investigated over questionable birth certificates. Mr Ame said that his office was finalising consultations with his lawyers, with intention to sue CUF’s Secretary General, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, for telling lies that ZAN IDs office was issuing IDs to non-Zanzibaris in Tanzania mainland. “These are serious allegations which cannot be tolerated, we want him to substantiate his allegations,” he said.

He said local leaders (Shehas) had been issuing IDs application forms to whoever qualified. “The form must be signed by Shehas and two other members of his committee, to satisfy ourselves that the applicant deserves to be given the ZAN ID,” he said. Mr Ame explained further that some media reports on IDs saga were untrue and misleading. Giving example, he said CUF had been mobilising people at ZAN IDs offices in the districts, as propaganda to justify their claims."Unfortunately, the media have been picking the wrong information also taken by ambassadors,” he added.