ACT Wazalendo urges youth to embrace selflessness in the struggle for Zanzibar’s identity

Pemba. The Opposition party ACT- Wazalendo- Zanzibar has stated that the struggle against oppressive systems and the pursuit of transformative change should never be defined by individual outcomes.

Speaking at the Kambini Grounds in Wete—where Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad last appeared before his arrest on May 11, 1989—ACT party Vice Chairman Ismail Jussa Ladhu urged the youth to emulate the selflessness of their former leader.

“Maalim Seif and others who initiated this struggle sacrificed a lot. Maalim spent 30 months of detention at  at Kiinua Miguu Maximum Security Prison for daring to challenge the party hierarchy. He was committed to defending the interests of Zanzibar, even as Chief Minister, where he held significant power as the second most influential figure after the President,” Jussa stated.

Others arrested that day included Rashi Ali Dadi and Hamad Haji Hamad; however, two months later, charges against them were dropped, leaving Maalim as the sole accused, enduring the ordeal until November 1991.

“Our coat of arms, the presidential flag, and the liberalization of the business environment were initiatives started by Maalim, who wanted Zanzibar to have its own identity,” he explained. He noted that prior to these efforts, Zanzibar was referred to as Tanzania Isles, a designation that did not distinguish it from other islands like Ukerewe or Mafia.

These initiatives, he added, did not endear Maalim to the ruling party’s top administration, as he was viewed as an adversary to the Ujamaa policy and the Arusha Declaration, the cornerstone of Tanzania’s governance under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Jussa also paid tribute to former President Dr Salmini Amour Juma for advocating Zanzibar’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and for his push for Zanzibar to become an independent member of the East African Community.

On the final day of the Pemba tour, party Chairman Othman Masoud Othman called on the police to cease falsely accusing individuals of baseless charges.

His remarks followed reports that one of the party’s members had been summoned for interrogation after a rally in Micheweni.

“Such charges were eliminated when President Karume established the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and appointed me as the first DPP. At that time, we uncovered hundreds of baseless cases,” he said.

Othman further emphasized that ongoing economic stagnation is partly due to the failure to implement the Joint Finance Commission (JFC) report since its submission in 2006, attributed to a lack of goodwill in resolving Union issues.

The party’s rallies in Pemba coincide with the second phase of the mainland tour, which began on September 11. This initiative aims to strengthen grassroots engagement and rally support for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 2024.

The first phase of the tour took place from July 22 to August 17, 2024, covering 125 constituencies across 22 regions.