AfricaPress-Tanzania: ZANZIBAR President Dr Hussein Mwinyi has declared that restoration of unity in the Indian Ocean semi-autonomous Island is the biggest success story in his first 100 days in office.
Dr Mwinyi, in an exclusive interview with the ‘Daily News’, hinted that immediately after assuming the office last year, he picked four priorities to start with, believing that attaining the desired development depended much on such aspects.
His priorities in the first 100 days were peace, unity, accountability and anti-graft war.
Today marks president Mwinyi’s 100 days in office, and the soft-spoken Head of State boasts his achievement to unite Zanzibaris regardless of their ideological differences.
Through the Government of National Unity (GNU), formed in 2010 as the culmination of the political reconciliation process, Dr Mwinyi and his main challenger in the 2020 general election, ACT-Wazalendo’s Seif Sharif Hamad agreed to work together — a move which ended standoff between the Isles biggest political divides.
In a deliberate move aimed at building peace and unity in the Isles, President Mwinyi appointed the key opposition leader, Hamad, as his First Vice President on December 6, 2020.
It is the second time for Mr Hamad to hold the position, after a gap of five years following the first term (2010-2015) in the wake of the 2010 referendum where Zanzibaris endorsed the power sharing agreement.
Dr Mwinyi stated that in the first 100 days, he successfully managed to form the GNU framework with the main aim of bringing the people of Zanzibar together for the common goal of building a prosperous nation.
He affirmed that he was a believer in national unity, reconciliation and coexistence, and remained sure that it was through that format that they would bring social justice and peace for Zanzibaris.
“Uniting the people of Zanzibar makes me feel comfortable…we (Zanzibaris) stood together and we all said, Zanzibar first. I am happy that we achieved this within a very short period of time,” he said.
He noted that security organs in the Isles did a commendable job to ensure that peace prevails, revealing that it was not an easy task.
“However, security organs alone cannot guarantee peace without cooperation from members of the public. I sincerely thank the people of Zanzibar for the role they played in ensuring that our country remains united and peaceful,” he affirmed.
He added; “Wananchi decided to do away with all conflict-ridden acts and instead join forces to build a united and prosperous Zanzibar. This gave me comfort. It is a big credit for me.”
Dr Mwinyi pointed out that it came as a surprise to many people seeing that the GNU was formed that fast as in most cases politically-motivated conflicts sometimes attracted external intervention.
After taking oath of office in December last year, Mr Hamad explained that one reason for reaching the decision to join the GNU was the trust they have for President Mwinyi, hinting that the latter’s actions convinced them that he was determined to take Zanzibar out of the political standoff and move forward.
He noted that the decision to join the GNU was not reached easily, noting that it was a period of arguments and differing opinions by members of his party.
