ZANZIBAR President Ali Mohamed Shein warned that the Isles risks not achieving its development goals if acts of insecurity are allowed to escalate in the Islands.
Addressing the annual Idd el-Hajj Baraza (gathering) held at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), Dr Shein said that every person in the islands has a great role to play in maintaining security, peace and stability.
Also known as the ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’ Idd el-Hajj, is a major festival which is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail (Ishmael).
The festival comes after pilgrimage in Mecca. “Despite the challenges we face, we are on the right track to achieve our goals which include Vision 2020, MKUZA II (Poverty eradication programme- phase II), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) manifesto,” said Dr Shein.
He said, for example, that Zanzibar recorded admirable economic growth at 7 per cent last year, up from 6.7 per cent in 2011, while Africa’s economy grew at 5 per cent and the global economic performance stood at 2.9 per cent. “We are better-off compared with other countries.
But some people in the country want to derail our efforts by threatening people including tourists. Use of acid to attack people, robberies and hate speeches are atrocities that must stop to pave the way for development,” said Dr Shein.
Emphasising on maintaining peace, stability and solidarity among citizens, the president said that anybody tarnishing the image of Zanzibar will be dealt with according to law. “We should strengthen the community policing apparatus so that we work together more diligently.
We must defeat and tame bad people in our society,” he said. The Eid Baraza, which was attended by farmers, politicians, ministers, and national leaders including First Vice-President Seif Sharif Hamad and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Pandu Ameir Kificho, was also an opportunity for President Shein to remind people on the importance of environmental conservation.
He said that there has been reckless felling of trees and illegal sand mining in various parts of Zanzibar as witnessed in West and Urban districts where large pits have been left open.
“I ask community leaders to work with police to stop environmental degradation.” Further, the president appealed to farmers to use the current rains to plant food crops and trees, particularly in areas that have been affected by environmental degradation.
He also reminded farmers to sell their cloves to established government centres only. He said that the government is targeting to buy at least 4,616 tonnes of cloves during this harvest season and that so far about 1,063 tonnes have been bought.
“If we avoid clove smuggling, we will definitely achieve our goals,” he said. l Meanwhile, Dodoma regional Sheikh, Rajab Shaaban has called upon political party leaders to respect people’s views other than their personal interest in the constitution review.
Sheikh Shaaban made the remarks here yesterday shortly after the Eid El-Haji prayers at the Gadafi Mosque.
He said they should all respect the understanding reached when the opposition leaders met President Jakaya Kikwete over the Constitution review process on Tuesday.
“They should respect the agreement reached during the meeting with President Kikwete for public interest,” he said.
Post a Comment