Africa-Press – Tanzania. AS Tanzanians silently celebrated the 57th Union Anniversary yesterday, Vice- President Dr Philip Mpango underscored the need to protect the historic marriage between Mainland and Zanzibar Islands at any cost.
With the commemoration coming 41 days after the shocking death of the fifthphase President, Dr John Magufuli, the government decided against marking the day with the usual pompous celebrations.
Instead, the State organised a 57th Tanganyika and Zanzibar Union Anniversary symposium at Chimwaga Hall in the capital city Dodoma, with Vice-President Dr Mpango gracing the wellattended event.
Dr Mpango said the Union, which was initiated by the founding fathers— Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Mzee Abeid Amani Karume, was going from strength to strength and warned people who will try to disrupt it that the government will deal with them decisively.
“As the country’s VP, I will not tolerate anybody making fouls on Union matters, there are some people who think that I am that polite but I want to tell them that I am not what they think,” he noted.
Beamed live by the State Broadcaster, TBC, the event was attended by various retired and current leaders, who took time to elaborate how the Union was crucial for Tanzanians.
Dr Mpango stressed the need to protect the Union at any cost, as he directed the Minister of State in his office responsible for Union and Environment, Selemani Jafo to present to him all the deliberations from the event on issues that needed immediate attention in ensuring that the Union remains intact.
The vice-president noted that so far 15 out of 25 Union issues that are seen as union hurdles have been solved. He said the government was working on the remaining challenges.
Dr Mpango insisted that the Union was still strong despite those challenges, adding that both sides of the Union were working tirelessly to solve the remaining issues.
He asked both sides of the Union to appreciate what had been done in protecting it, as a lot had been done, adding that there were a lot of achievements which everybody can see as well as those which were not visible.
According to the VP, a greater percentage of Tanzanians were born after Union that is why the government was ensuring that massive education was provided especially to the youth through different avenues like that of yesterday.
Dr Mpango outlined some of the success of the Union as strengthening of brotherhood between the two sides, as well as unity, peace and tranquility in the country.
He named other feats as defence and security, growth of economy and other business opportunities in both sides, and utilisation of the country’s resources including land and the Indian Ocean.
The VP further reaffirmed the commitment of both regimes, the six phase government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the eighth phase government under Dr Hussein Mwinyi that strengthening of the Union was one of their top priorities.
Earlier, the State Minister in the Vice- President’s Office, responsible for Union and Environment, Selemani Jafo said that he had started working on the task he was given by president Samia to address the remaining Union challenges.
“I have managed to work on the challenges just as I was directed by the president after taking oath of office,” said Mr Jafo.
Meanwhile, Dr Mpango said that President Samia directed that the money that was allocated for Union Day fetes had been distributed to both sides of the Union and that each side had the discretion to decide on how it should be spent.
