For the last few months, Zanzibar has been losing its fabulous nickname – The Spice Islands – because of the ugly situation that was prevailing in the islands.
Zanzibar
The name spice island carried a double meaning, the literal meaning of spice producing land and the subtle meaning in reference to the peace and tranquility the islands enjoyed that attracted many foreigners or tourists, if you prefer, to spend a few days or weeks there.
The unsavoury situation that prevailed in the recent past forced the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein to lash out at the insecurity in the islands when he was addressing the Idd el-Hajj Baraza at the State University of Zanzibar this week, where he reminded his audience that every person in the islands had a noble role to play in maintaining security, peace and stability.
There is no question that Zanzibar has in recent years recorded significant developments in many spheres, including an envious economic growth at 7 per cent last year (2012), upwards from 6.7 per cent in the previous year 2011, far better off when you compare with the continent’s economic growth of 5 per cent when the global economic performance stood at 2.9 per cent.
The Zanzibar president was quoted as saying despite innumerable challenges, “we are on the right track to achieve our goals which include Vision 2020, Poverty Eradication Programme –phase II (Mkuza II), Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) manifesto.”
But such commendable achievements can only be sustained in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere devoid of fear. But the recent spate of criminal activities which included targetted killings, wanton acid attacks, torching of prayer houses and entertainment spots and other intimidating incidents has turned the Spice Islands into almost a no-go area.
Who would wish to risk his or her own life and/or investment where there is tumult? And these acts of violence do not bode well with the development of the islands. They tarnish the image of Zanzibar and hence, scare away tourists and other local and foreign investors whose capital is needed to accelerate the isles development.
Unfortunately, there are people who are bent on derailing government efforts by engaging in criminal acts like physical attacks using acid, robberies and hate speeches aimed at antagonising some sections of the people against the other and against the government. Such acts are not compatible with development.
They are strange bed fellows. That was why President Shein warned those tarnishing the image of Zanzibar that they would be dealt with according to the law. Strengthening community policing apparatus in order to work together in taming the bad elements in society is certainly one way of maintaining peace and stability.
But what had turned the serene islands of Zanzibar into a place where one is forced to think twice before setting foot there? The people of Zanzibar were famous for their friendliness and hospitality especially towards visitors.
There was a time when the chances of finding your lost purse intact with the full amount of money were 99 per cent; it was a place where you knew you could trust all and sundry and where promises were rarely broken; it was a place where you could afford to sleep without bothering to bolt your hotel room door.
Crime was almost unheard of and the few who were involved in some sort of crime or other were sent to reformatory centres rather than prisons. What, then, went wrong in this closely knit society where a stranger could be spotted a kilometre away?
Some observers suggest that pluralism is one of the factors that changed the attitudes of the people from friendliness to antagonism. Others claim that antagonism between groups, especially political groups, had been simmering since colonial era which was encouraged and perhaps funded by the colonisers, but it was effectively suppressed during the one-party administration.
But even before the institution of single party rule, during the Afro-Shiraz Party, UMMA Party, ZPP Party (ZPPP) and ZNP era criminal acts like wanton killings, robberies acid attacks were uncommon in the isles. After the reintroduction of multipartyism in the early 1990s, things began to change, slowly at first, but gaining momentum as years went by.
It reached a point where close neighbours could not talk to each other; shopkeepers refusing to sell goods to customers of other faiths or political leaning, father and son lived like cat and mouse, families fell apart. It seems democracy has wreaked havoc in the islands; disintegrating the society and families, instead of the intended catalyst for development.
I find it hard even to think that the people of Zanzibar have not grasped the meaning of democracy and so confuse it with anarchy. What comes to my mind is that some elements in the Spice Islands, people, no, leaders or influential citizens (?), for their personal ulterior motives, deliberately mislead and so confuse the people under the cover of democracy into doing things they may not be aware of the driving force behind it.
Acts of criminal hooliganism will not only cause more hatred and antagonism and hence, more crime, bringing fear in the people, but it will also scare away tourist and investors and in the process not only retard development, but also reverse it completely to the detriment of the people of Zanzibar.
Every Zanzibari must understand and accept their role in ensuring that peace and tranquility is sustained in the islands and restores the Spice Islands to its fame.
By MANGENGESA MDIMI, Tanzania Daily News
