IMECHANGIWA NA MOHAMED KHELEF
Khatib, kuruwiji na uraisi wa Zanzibar
Na Dhamiri Mkanga Silima
Waziri wa Nchi, Afisi ya Makamo wa Rais (Muungano), Muhammed SeifKhatib, aliwahi kuandika kuhusu Kuruwiji. Kuruwiji ni ndege kichaka na visasili vinamnasibisha ndege huyu na tabia ya kukitia aibu kichaka anacholalia kila asubuhi na kukisifu kila jioni.
Jua linapozama na Kuruwiji akawa anataka pahala pa kumsitiri, huanza kukiimbia nyimbo za kukibembeleza kichaka hicho: “Kichaka udi, kichaka manukato, kichaka miski, kichaka pompia, kichaka mpachori, kichaka kilua, kichaka asumini, kichaka waridi, kichaka zamaradi!” Lakini akiamka tu asubuhi, kitu cha mwanzo anachofanya ni kukishambulia kwa matusi: “Kichaka uvundo, kichaka mkojo, kichaka kinyesi, kichaka mbu, kichaka mateso, kichaka balaa!”
Khatib ni miongoni mwa mawaziri wa muda mrefu kwenye Baraza la Mawaziri la Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania. Labda anaweza kuwa anashikilia rekodi ya Mzanzibari aliyewahi kuhudumu kwa muda mrefu kwenye Baraza hilo, maana amekuwa sehemu ya chombo hicho muhimu cha maamuzi ya Jamhuri hii tangu awamu ya pili hadi hivi leo. Na sasa, waziri huyu anatajwa kuwa mmoja wa watu wenye nia ya kuomba ridhaa ya Chama chake cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kugombea uraisi wa Zanzibar.
Lakini swali linaloulizwa na kila mtu hapa Zanzibar, hasa ndani ya CCM yenyewe, ni ikiwa waziri huyu anamaanisha nini kwa mustakabali wa Zanzibar. Je, ni kielelezo cha kiongozi anayehitajiwa na Zanzibar ya sasa? Je, katika utumishi wake kwenye Serikali ya Muungano, amethibitisha kuwa mwana wa kweli wa Zanzibar ambaye nchi inaweza kumtwisha dhamana ya kuviongoza visiwa hivi kwa maslahi ya Wazanzibari?
Kwa kuwa tayari tumeshaona magazeti kadhaa yakiandika kuhusu wagombea watarajiwa wa uraisi wa Zanzibar, akiwemo huyu Khatib, nimeonelea nami nishike kalamu angalau niweke rekodi sawa kuhusu baadhi ya watarajiwa hao, ili hapo vikao vitakapokaa kufanya maamuzi, vijuwe nani ni nani na anamaanisha nini kwetu.
Nami nisivunganyie maneno. Niseme wazi na mwanzoni kabisa, kwamba ikiwa maamuzi ya Wazanzibari ni muhimu katika kuamua nani awe kiongozi wao, basi CCM itakuja kufanya kosa la mwaka kumteua Khatib kuwa mgombea wake. Nina sababu tatu kubwa za utabiri huu.
Kwanza, Khatib ana udhaifu wa kutokuujua mwenendo wa siasa za Zanzibar. Nakusudia kuwa, huyu ni aina ya mwanasiasa anayeishi sana kwenye ukale kiasi ya kushindwa kusoma alama mpya za nyakati hata kama zimebandikwa mbele yake. Hili limemfanya awe si mdomo, si masikio wala si macho ya Zanzibar, na hivyo rikodi yake ya kuwa Mzanzibari aliyekaa muda mrefu kwenye Baraza la Mawaziri la Muungano, haina maana yoyote kwa Zanzibar. Kinyume chake, hili limemfanya awe pia anashikilia rikodi ya mgombea mtarajiwa asiyependwa zaidi hapa Zanzibar!
Kwa hivyo, hilo la kutokuujua mwenendo wa siasa linamzalishia pia udhaifu mwengine wa kisiasa, nalo ni kukosa himaya. Siasa ni watu. Na watu ndio ambao Khatib hanao hapa Zanzibar. Na kinachomkosesha watu ni vile kukosa kwake mguso wa hisia za pao. Uweledi wake wa siasa anaotamba nao, ikiwa kweli anao, basi unakomea huko huko Bara ambako amekuwa akikutumikia kwa takribani umri wake wote wa kisiasa. Kwa Zanzibar, Khatib anahisabika kama mwana aliyekukana kwao. Haiimbi nyimbo za hapa, hachezi ngoma ya hapa wala haongei lugha ya hapa. Huyu ni mgeni kwa hakika.
Ndiyo maana, mara nyingi sio tu kwamba ameshindwa kuwa sauti ya Wazanzibari, bali amekuwa sauti dhidi ya Zanzibar. Na hapa kuna mifano ya karibuni kabisa. Kuelekea mwishoni mwa uraisi wa Dkt. Amani Karume, umekuwa msimu wa hisia za uzalendo wa Wazanzibari ndani ya Muungano. Ndani ya miaka hii, Wazanzibari walisimama pamoja kulinda heshima ya nchi yao ndani ya mipaka ya Tanzania kwa kutamka wazi kwamba Zanzibar ni nchi. Ndani ya kipindi hiki pia walishirikiana kudai nishati za mafuta na gesi asilia ziondolewe kwenye Orodha ya Mambo ya Muungano. Ndani ya kipindi hiki pia, Dkt. Karume alionyesha ukomavu wa kiuongozi pale alipoamua kukutana na Katibu Mkuu wa CUF, Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad, kwa lengo la kuzungumzia maslahi ya Zanzibar!
Mambo hayo ndiyo yanayoumba siasa za Zanzibar. Mwanasiasa anayekuwa sehemu ya mambo hayo, huhisabika kuwa amesimama upande wa Wazanzibari na ndiye mwenye turufu. Kinyume chake, yaani mwanasiasa aliyejitenga kando na mchakato huo na, au, anayepinga kila linaloungwa mkono na Wazanzibari, hana nafasi kwa Zanzibar. Na hivyo ndivyo alivyo Khatib!
Kwake, Zanzibar si nchi wala haipaswi kuwa. Kwake, Zanzibar haijawahi kuwa na haki ya kumiliki nishati ya mafuta na gesi asilia wala haipaswi kuwa nayo. Kwake, Rais Karume hakuwa na sababu ya kuzungumza na Maalim Seif kumaliza miongo mitano ya siasa za uhasama katika visiwa hivi. Kwake, kila lenye maslahi kwa Zanzibar kwa ujumla wake, lina hasara kwake peke yake. Na bado, huyu huyu ndiye anayeutaka uraisi wa Zanzibar!
Kutokuujuwa kwake muelekeo wa siasa na kukosa kwake himaya hapa Zanzibar, kwa pamoja, kunaunganika na udhaifu wa tatu wa Khatib; nao ni kuendekeza kwake chuki za ukabila na uzawa. Udhaifu huu haustahmiliki hata kidogo katika ulimwengu wa sasa. Ambako Marekani, mtoto wa Mkenya sasa ni raisi, msamiati wa Wazanzibari wenye asili ya Pemba na au wenye asili ya Kiarabu na Kihindi kushikilia nafasi katika serikali ya Zanzibar hauna nafasi kabisa katika mawazo ya Khatib.
Kuthibitisha hili, pitia makala zake za Kipanga, uone muakisiko wa chuki hizo. Na hili limeigharimu sana Zanzibar kwa ujumla wake. Kwa mfano, wakati akiwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Ndani, aliitisha mkutano na waandishi wa habari na kutangaza kwamba Zanzibar kuna magaidi. Kila mtu anajua kuwa ule ulikuwa ni uzushi wenye malengo ya kisiasa. Matokeo yake, kauli hii ilizifanya nchi nyingi ambazo raia wake hutembelea Zanzibar kama watalii, zitoe onyo la kutoitembelea nchi yetu na, hivyo, biashara ya utalii, ambayo inategemewa na uchumi wa Zanzibar, ikaporomoka. Hasara ikawa kwetu.
Mfano mwengine. Wakati wa huo huo uwaziri wake wa Mambo ya Ndani, jeshi la Polisi likiwa chini yake lilifanya mauaji ya Januari 2001, Unguja na Pemba. Pamoja na u-CCM wangu, lazima niseme kwamba lile lilikuwa kosa kubwa kufanyika na yeye hawezi kujivua dhamana hiyo. Hasara ya kisiasa, kiuchumi na kijamii iliyopata Zanzibar haijaweza kufidiwa hadi leo.
Isitoshe, ikiwa leo hii upepo wa mambo utabadilika na ikafunguliwa kesi kuchunguza mauaji yale, ni wazi kuwa Khatib atapanda kizimbani kujibu mashtaka dhidi yake. Kwa hivyo, mgombea huyu mtarajiwa ni pia mshtakiwa mtarajiwa wa The Hague!
Lakini, hata kama hakushitakiwa, rekodi hiyo ya 2001 inasema ukweli mmoja: kwamba mtu huyu akipata uraisi wa Zanzibar, na namna alivyo mtu wa chuki na ubaguzi, atakuwa tayari kufanya lolote kulazimisha kukubalika kwake. Hapa ikumbukwe kuwa sizungumzii kuwafanyia lolote watu wa vyama vya upinzani tu, bali hata sisi wa CCM ambao leo hii tunampinga. Kwamba baada ya Januari 2001, inaonesha hakuna linaloweza kumshinda Khatib!
Nihitimishe uchambuzi huu kukumbushia kwamba Khatib ana udhaifu wa aina tatu, ambao kama utazingatiwa vyema basi hatufai kuwa mgombea wetu ndani ya CCM, vyenginevyo tuwe tumejikubalisha kufeli vibaya kama Chama kikongwe chenye heshima ya kisiasa barani Afrika na duniani kwa ujumla. Moja, haijui Zanzibar na siasa zake na hivyo, mbili, anakosa himaya ya kisiasa hata huku kwao na, tatu, matokeo yake anaongozwa na chuki na hamasa za kibaguzi.
Kwa ukosefu wake wa kuyajua mapigo ya moyo ya Wazanzibari, amekuwa akitumia nyimbo zile zile kongwe kuzungumzia Zanzibar mpya. Wakati Zanzibar mpya inadai mamlaka zaidi ndani ya Muungano, yeye ameendeleza nyimbo za kuwatisha wale wanaoukosoa mfumo uliopo wa Muungano. Wakati Zanzibar mpya inataka siasa za maelewano na umoja, yeye bado anatumia vyombo vya habari anavyovimiliki kusambaza kasumba za eti sisi wana-CCM tunaojenga mahusiano mema na wapinzani wetu, tunahatarisha uhai wa Chama chetu na wa Muungano.
Kwa kukosa kujuwa nini hasa muelekeo wa Zanzibar kwa miaka ijayo, ndiyo maana amejiteulia kundi la watu wanaojuilikana kwa siasa za kimajimbo na kibaguzi kuwa wasaidizi wake. Kuna msemo wa Kiyunani: “Niambie marafiki zako, nikwambie wewe ni nani?” Angalia marafiki na wapiga debe wa Khatib, halafu utamjua yeye ni nani: kwenye orodha wamo Vuai Ali Vuai, Naibu Katibu Mwenezi wa CCM na Hafidh Ali Tahir, Mbunge wa Dimani. Wote wanafahamika kwa siasa zao za chuki, ambazo ni miongoni mwa sababu za Zanzibar kurudi nyuma kimaendeleo.
Hii maana yake ni kwamba, ikiwa Zanzibar itakuja kukabidhiwa mikononi mwa Khatib na kundi lake, Wazanzibari watapaswa kuhesabu miaka mingine ya siasa za uhasama, ugomvi na kutokuaminiana. Na ukweli ni kuwa Zanzibar ya aina hiyo haina maslahi kwa yeyote, si kwa Wazanzibari wenyewe wala kwa ndugu zetu wa Tanzania Bara na majirani wengine!
Hatua ya karibuni ya Rais Karume kuonesha uongozi halisi kwa kuamua kutumia muda wake uliobakia madarakani kuwaunganisha Wazanzibari, imewachukiza sana watu wa kundi la akina Khatib. Kwao wao, mgogoro wa Zanzibar ndio unaojengea uhalali wao wa kupata vyeo. Wamepata vyeo si kwa sababu ya uwezo wao wa kiuongozi, bali kwa ustadi wao wa kuyasawiri matusi dhidi ya Wazanzibari wenzao wenye asili ya kisiwa cha Pemba na au ya Kiarabu. Soma vitabu vyake vya Kipanga utafahamu namaanisha nini. Zanzibar kuikabidhisha kwa Khatib ni sawa na kurudi tena kwenye zama za giza.
Giza si hili la umeme, bali giza la nyoyo na roho. Na akili ipi isiyo busara inayotaka kuirudisha nchi yetu huko!?
CHANZO: NIPASHE, 6 Januari 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
MADEREVA WENDA WAZIMU WAKO WENGI !
Bus thief went on 30-mile rampage
10 hours 39 mins ago (December 19, 2009) - AP
Shane Oldroyd, 27, of Ossett, West Yorkshire, stole the single-decker Arriva bus from Wakefield bus station in August and took it on a rampage through the city's streets, ploughing into other vehicles and street signs on the way.
At Leeds Crown Court, Judge Kerry Macgill jailed Oldroyd indefinitely to serve at least three-and-a-half years.
CCTV footage, shot from a West Yorkshire police helicopter which tracked the bus through Wakefield city centre and surrounding towns, captured Oldroyd driving on the wrong side of the road, sideswiping other cars and destroying traffic lights as the bus smashed into them.
Oldroyd's friend Sarah Smith, 20, was travelling with him on the bus.
Detective Inspector Paul O'Dowd, of Wakefield District CID, said: "Clearly this was a very dangerous act. They caused damage to a large number of vehicles and it is extremely lucky that no-one was seriously injured.
"Police acted to stop the bus as soon as it was safe to do so with minimal risk to members of the public. It was brought to a satisfactory conclusion by the two being apprehended and put before the courts."
At an earlier hearing Oldroyd pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and damaging a Mercedes car, and being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He also admitted driving without insurance, driving over the alcohol limit and failing to stop after an accident.
10 hours 39 mins ago (December 19, 2009) - AP
Shane Oldroyd, 27, of Ossett, West Yorkshire, stole the single-decker Arriva bus from Wakefield bus station in August and took it on a rampage through the city's streets, ploughing into other vehicles and street signs on the way.
At Leeds Crown Court, Judge Kerry Macgill jailed Oldroyd indefinitely to serve at least three-and-a-half years.
CCTV footage, shot from a West Yorkshire police helicopter which tracked the bus through Wakefield city centre and surrounding towns, captured Oldroyd driving on the wrong side of the road, sideswiping other cars and destroying traffic lights as the bus smashed into them.
Oldroyd's friend Sarah Smith, 20, was travelling with him on the bus.
Detective Inspector Paul O'Dowd, of Wakefield District CID, said: "Clearly this was a very dangerous act. They caused damage to a large number of vehicles and it is extremely lucky that no-one was seriously injured.
"Police acted to stop the bus as soon as it was safe to do so with minimal risk to members of the public. It was brought to a satisfactory conclusion by the two being apprehended and put before the courts."
At an earlier hearing Oldroyd pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and damaging a Mercedes car, and being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He also admitted driving without insurance, driving over the alcohol limit and failing to stop after an accident.
MFUNGWA WA MIAKA 35 AACHIWA BAADA YA VINASABA KUDHIHIRISHA UKWELI
DNA clears Fla. man after 35 years behind bars
He is longest-serving prisoner exonerated by genetic tests, attorneys say
Steve Nesius / AP - Imetoka MSNBC
James Bain outside the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, Fla., after his release from prison on Thursday.
Innocent man freed after 35 years in prison
Dec. 18, 2009: An innocent Florida man walks free today after serving 35 years for a rape he didn't commit. NBC's Jennifer Leigh reports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
updated 2:40 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2009
BARTOW, Fla. - James Bain used a cell phone for the first time Thursday, calling his elderly mother to tell her he had been freed after 35 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
Mobile devices didn't exist in 1974, the year he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a 9-year-old boy and raping him in a nearby field.
Neither did the sophisticated DNA testing that officials more recently used to determine he could not have been the rapist.
"Nothing can replace the years Jamie has lost," said Seth Miller, a lawyer for the Florida Innocence Project, which helped Bain win freedom. "Today is a day of renewal."
Bain spent more time in prison than any of the 246 inmates previously exonerated by DNA evidence nationwide, according to the project. The longest-serving before him was James Lee Woodard of Dallas, who was released last year after spending more than 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
As Bain walked out of the Polk County courthouse Thursday, wearing a black T-shirt that said "not guilty," he spoke of his deep faith and said he does not harbor any anger.
'I'm not angry'
"No, I'm not angry," he said. "Because I've got God."
The 54-year-old said he looks forward to eating fried turkey and drinking Dr Pepper. He said he also hopes to go back to school.
Friends and family surrounded him as he left the courthouse after Judge James Yancey ordered him freed. His 77-year-old mother, who is in poor health, preferred to wait for him at home. With a broad smile, he said he looks forward to spending time with her and the rest of his family.
"That's the most important thing in my life right now, besides God," he said.
Earlier, the courtroom erupted in applause after Yancey ruled.
"Mr. Bain, I'm now signing the order," Yancey said. "You're a free man. Congratulations."
Thursday's hearing was delayed 40 minutes because prosecutors were on the phone with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. DNA tests were expedited at the department's lab and ultimately proved Bain innocent. Prosecutors filed a motion to vacate the conviction and the sentence.
"He's just not connected to this particular incident," State Attorney Jerry Hill told the judge.
Innocence Project's cause
Attorneys from the Innocence Project of Florida got involved in Bain's case earlier this year after he had filed several previous petitions asking for DNA testing, all of which were thrown out.
A judge finally ordered the tests and the results from a respected private lab in Cincinnati came in last week, setting the wheels in motion for Thursday's hearing. The Innocence Project had called for Bain's release by Christmas.
He was convicted largely on the strength of the victim's eyewitness identification, though testing available at the time did not definitively link him to the crime. The boy said his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache. The boy's uncle, a former assistant principal at a high school, said it sounded like Bain, a former student.
The boy picked Bain out of a photo lineup, although there are lingering questions about whether detectives steered him.
Click for related content
Read more news from across the U.S.
The jury rejected Bain's story that he was home watching TV with his twin sister when the crime was committed, an alibi she repeated at a news conference last week. He was 19 when he was sentenced.
Florida last year passed a law that automatically grants former inmates found innocent $50,000 for each year they spent in prison. No legislative approval is needed. That means Bain is entitled to $1.75 million.
He is longest-serving prisoner exonerated by genetic tests, attorneys say
Steve Nesius / AP - Imetoka MSNBC
James Bain outside the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, Fla., after his release from prison on Thursday.
Innocent man freed after 35 years in prison
Dec. 18, 2009: An innocent Florida man walks free today after serving 35 years for a rape he didn't commit. NBC's Jennifer Leigh reports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
updated 2:40 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2009
BARTOW, Fla. - James Bain used a cell phone for the first time Thursday, calling his elderly mother to tell her he had been freed after 35 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
Mobile devices didn't exist in 1974, the year he was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a 9-year-old boy and raping him in a nearby field.
Neither did the sophisticated DNA testing that officials more recently used to determine he could not have been the rapist.
"Nothing can replace the years Jamie has lost," said Seth Miller, a lawyer for the Florida Innocence Project, which helped Bain win freedom. "Today is a day of renewal."
Bain spent more time in prison than any of the 246 inmates previously exonerated by DNA evidence nationwide, according to the project. The longest-serving before him was James Lee Woodard of Dallas, who was released last year after spending more than 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
As Bain walked out of the Polk County courthouse Thursday, wearing a black T-shirt that said "not guilty," he spoke of his deep faith and said he does not harbor any anger.
'I'm not angry'
"No, I'm not angry," he said. "Because I've got God."
The 54-year-old said he looks forward to eating fried turkey and drinking Dr Pepper. He said he also hopes to go back to school.
Friends and family surrounded him as he left the courthouse after Judge James Yancey ordered him freed. His 77-year-old mother, who is in poor health, preferred to wait for him at home. With a broad smile, he said he looks forward to spending time with her and the rest of his family.
"That's the most important thing in my life right now, besides God," he said.
Earlier, the courtroom erupted in applause after Yancey ruled.
"Mr. Bain, I'm now signing the order," Yancey said. "You're a free man. Congratulations."
Thursday's hearing was delayed 40 minutes because prosecutors were on the phone with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. DNA tests were expedited at the department's lab and ultimately proved Bain innocent. Prosecutors filed a motion to vacate the conviction and the sentence.
"He's just not connected to this particular incident," State Attorney Jerry Hill told the judge.
Innocence Project's cause
Attorneys from the Innocence Project of Florida got involved in Bain's case earlier this year after he had filed several previous petitions asking for DNA testing, all of which were thrown out.
A judge finally ordered the tests and the results from a respected private lab in Cincinnati came in last week, setting the wheels in motion for Thursday's hearing. The Innocence Project had called for Bain's release by Christmas.
He was convicted largely on the strength of the victim's eyewitness identification, though testing available at the time did not definitively link him to the crime. The boy said his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache. The boy's uncle, a former assistant principal at a high school, said it sounded like Bain, a former student.
The boy picked Bain out of a photo lineup, although there are lingering questions about whether detectives steered him.
Click for related content
Read more news from across the U.S.
The jury rejected Bain's story that he was home watching TV with his twin sister when the crime was committed, an alibi she repeated at a news conference last week. He was 19 when he was sentenced.
Florida last year passed a law that automatically grants former inmates found innocent $50,000 for each year they spent in prison. No legislative approval is needed. That means Bain is entitled to $1.75 million.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
MLIMA KILIMANJARO UNAPOTEZA THELUJI ASILIA
Deforestation threatens Kilimanjaro ice cap
3 hours 33 mins ago
Reuters Katrina Manson
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Buzz Up!
* Print Story
At the foot of Africa's snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, images of the mountain adorn the sides of rusting zinc shacks and beer bottle labels, but the fate of the real version hangs in the balance. Skip related content
Related photos / videos
A fresh dusting of snow sits atop mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania Enlarge photo
As politicians and lobbyists try to thrash out a new climate deal in Copenhagen, experts in Tanzania say local land practices must increasingly take their share of the blame for the rapid shrinkage of the ice on Kilimanjaro's peak.
According to one recent U.S. scientific study, the cap on Africa's highest mountain may disappear by 2033.
"The forest itself is the key element in this. It completely affects the amount of rain running off the mountain," said Jo Anderson, director of Ecological Initiatives, an environmental consultancy based in northern Tanzania.
"Less vegetation; less rain. We're seeing local human impacts directly." With less rainfall on the lower slopes, there is also less snow on the summit.
Anderson said forests that have disappeared in the past 30 to 40 years on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes -- cut down by villagers for charcoal and open farmland -- were just as much to blame as rising temperatures worldwide.
Batilda Burian, Tanzania's environment minister, told Reuters that the east African country was losing 91,500 hectares (226,100 acres) a year, of its 33 million hectare total.
"It is a huge problem and most of it is happening because people don't have energy supplies so they are cutting down the trees to make charcoal," she said.
CARBON OFFSET PILOT
Burian said Tanzania, which has sent a delegation of 25 people to the Copenhagen summit, has been widely affected by climate change, from rising sea water levels, destruction of coral reefs and increased incidences of malaria in places previously too cold for mosquitoes.
"Because of a four-year drought 345,000 of our 1 million livestock here in Tanzania have been killed, most of them in one area, challenging the livelihoods of the people," she said.
Zakaria Kessy, a 45-year-old mountain guide standing at Kilimanjaro's base camp as a group of German tourists arrived to down to a congratulatory bottle of champagne, said he had seen big changes during his 18 years on the job.
"The snow used to start at 3,600 metres when I started, but now it's only at the very top," he said of the mountain, which rises 5,896 metres high.
Anderson, who has climbed the peak with tourists 58 times in the past 14 years, hopes a new focus on the importance of forest carbon schemes, touted at Copenhagen, will bring respite.
He is piloting a scheme under which tourists who fly in on carbon-spewing planes and take safaris in gas-guzzling 4x4 cars can offset the impact by contributing to the preservation of a local 50-hectare community forest. It is due to receive its first payment of $3,000-$4,000 (1,800-2,400 pounds) soon.
"I have never really considered the carbon cost of coming here," said German trekker Beatrice Macias, 37.
"It is in everyone's psyche that there's snow almost at the Equator," Anderson said of Kilimanjaro, which rakes in $50 million a year for the tourism-dependent country.
"It is pretty much the defining feature of the mountain for people coming to climb it."
Burian said she hopes plans for a widespread scheme that rewards developing countries for preserving or replanting their forests, called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), will make headway in Copenhagen.
"I have much hope that the REDD programme will really assist us stop the destruction of the forests," she said.
(Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Dominic Evans.
3 hours 33 mins ago
Reuters Katrina Manson
*
Buzz Up!
* Print Story
At the foot of Africa's snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, images of the mountain adorn the sides of rusting zinc shacks and beer bottle labels, but the fate of the real version hangs in the balance. Skip related content
Related photos / videos
A fresh dusting of snow sits atop mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania Enlarge photo
As politicians and lobbyists try to thrash out a new climate deal in Copenhagen, experts in Tanzania say local land practices must increasingly take their share of the blame for the rapid shrinkage of the ice on Kilimanjaro's peak.
According to one recent U.S. scientific study, the cap on Africa's highest mountain may disappear by 2033.
"The forest itself is the key element in this. It completely affects the amount of rain running off the mountain," said Jo Anderson, director of Ecological Initiatives, an environmental consultancy based in northern Tanzania.
"Less vegetation; less rain. We're seeing local human impacts directly." With less rainfall on the lower slopes, there is also less snow on the summit.
Anderson said forests that have disappeared in the past 30 to 40 years on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes -- cut down by villagers for charcoal and open farmland -- were just as much to blame as rising temperatures worldwide.
Batilda Burian, Tanzania's environment minister, told Reuters that the east African country was losing 91,500 hectares (226,100 acres) a year, of its 33 million hectare total.
"It is a huge problem and most of it is happening because people don't have energy supplies so they are cutting down the trees to make charcoal," she said.
CARBON OFFSET PILOT
Burian said Tanzania, which has sent a delegation of 25 people to the Copenhagen summit, has been widely affected by climate change, from rising sea water levels, destruction of coral reefs and increased incidences of malaria in places previously too cold for mosquitoes.
"Because of a four-year drought 345,000 of our 1 million livestock here in Tanzania have been killed, most of them in one area, challenging the livelihoods of the people," she said.
Zakaria Kessy, a 45-year-old mountain guide standing at Kilimanjaro's base camp as a group of German tourists arrived to down to a congratulatory bottle of champagne, said he had seen big changes during his 18 years on the job.
"The snow used to start at 3,600 metres when I started, but now it's only at the very top," he said of the mountain, which rises 5,896 metres high.
Anderson, who has climbed the peak with tourists 58 times in the past 14 years, hopes a new focus on the importance of forest carbon schemes, touted at Copenhagen, will bring respite.
He is piloting a scheme under which tourists who fly in on carbon-spewing planes and take safaris in gas-guzzling 4x4 cars can offset the impact by contributing to the preservation of a local 50-hectare community forest. It is due to receive its first payment of $3,000-$4,000 (1,800-2,400 pounds) soon.
"I have never really considered the carbon cost of coming here," said German trekker Beatrice Macias, 37.
"It is in everyone's psyche that there's snow almost at the Equator," Anderson said of Kilimanjaro, which rakes in $50 million a year for the tourism-dependent country.
"It is pretty much the defining feature of the mountain for people coming to climb it."
Burian said she hopes plans for a widespread scheme that rewards developing countries for preserving or replanting their forests, called reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), will make headway in Copenhagen.
"I have much hope that the REDD programme will really assist us stop the destruction of the forests," she said.
(Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Dominic Evans.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
KIINI CHA KUANZISHWA KWA UMOJA WA VIJANA WA TANU TANGANYIKA!
Nilitaka nikumegee kipande cha kitabu cha SIMBA WA VITA KATIKA HISTORIA YA TANZANIA - RASHIDI MFAUME KAWAWA kilichotungwa na John M J Magotti. Kuna sehemu mwandishi anatueleza undani wa TYL.
Lo and behold, Banisraeli nikawakuta tena lakini kwa nini tuandikie mate? (page 43):
Kuanzishwa kwa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU
Muasisi wa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU alikuwa ni Kawawa. Mwaka 1958, Kawawa pamoja na Mwalimu Nyerere walihudhuria sherehe za Ghana kutimiza mwaka mmoja wa Uhuru (1958). Katika kuhudhuria sherehe hiyo wote wawili walipata fursa ya kukutana na Bi. Golda Meir ambaye wakati huo alikuwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje wa Israel . Bi. Golda Meir aliwaeleza jinsi Israel ilivyokuwa ikiwaandaa vijana wake. Utaratibu wa Israel wa kuwaandaa vijana ulimvutia sana Mwalimu Nyerere na Kawawa. Waliporejea nyumbani, Mwalimu alimpa jukumu Kawawa la kuwaandaa vijana kama vile Isrel ilivyokuwa ikiwaandaa vijana wake.
Kawawa alianzisha rasmi Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU mwaka 1958. Mkutano Mkuu wa Kwanza wa Umoja Vijana ulimchagua Kawawa kuwa Mwenyekiti wao wa kwanza. Kabla ya kuanzisha Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU, Vijana walikuwa wamejiunga katika vikundi mbali mbali, kama vile, Watoto wa TANU, Bantu Group na Vijana wa TANU na "Station Group" ya Tanga ambacho baadaye kilibadili jina na kuwa TANU Volunteer Corps. Baada ya kuundwa kwa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU, vikundi vyote hivi vikatoweka kwa maana kwamba nafasi ya vikundi hivyo ilichukuliwa sasa na Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU.
Hawa Vijana wa TANU ndiyo walikuwa wa kwanza kujiunga na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa (JKT) ilipoanzisliwa mwaka 1964. Tanzania iliendelea kujifunza kwa Waisrael masuala yahusuyo vijana JKT ilipoanzishwa baadhi ya vijana wa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU walipelekwa mafunzoni Israel kwa lengo kwamba ya kuhitimu mafunzo yao ndiyo wangekuwa wakufunzi katika Jeshi In Taifa na hivyo ndivyo ilivyokuwa
Lo and behold, Banisraeli nikawakuta tena lakini kwa nini tuandikie mate? (page 43):
Kuanzishwa kwa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU
Muasisi wa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU alikuwa ni Kawawa. Mwaka 1958, Kawawa pamoja na Mwalimu Nyerere walihudhuria sherehe za Ghana kutimiza mwaka mmoja wa Uhuru (1958). Katika kuhudhuria sherehe hiyo wote wawili walipata fursa ya kukutana na Bi. Golda Meir ambaye wakati huo alikuwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje wa Israel . Bi. Golda Meir aliwaeleza jinsi Israel ilivyokuwa ikiwaandaa vijana wake. Utaratibu wa Israel wa kuwaandaa vijana ulimvutia sana Mwalimu Nyerere na Kawawa. Waliporejea nyumbani, Mwalimu alimpa jukumu Kawawa la kuwaandaa vijana kama vile Isrel ilivyokuwa ikiwaandaa vijana wake.
Kawawa alianzisha rasmi Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU mwaka 1958. Mkutano Mkuu wa Kwanza wa Umoja Vijana ulimchagua Kawawa kuwa Mwenyekiti wao wa kwanza. Kabla ya kuanzisha Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU, Vijana walikuwa wamejiunga katika vikundi mbali mbali, kama vile, Watoto wa TANU, Bantu Group na Vijana wa TANU na "Station Group" ya Tanga ambacho baadaye kilibadili jina na kuwa TANU Volunteer Corps. Baada ya kuundwa kwa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU, vikundi vyote hivi vikatoweka kwa maana kwamba nafasi ya vikundi hivyo ilichukuliwa sasa na Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU.
Hawa Vijana wa TANU ndiyo walikuwa wa kwanza kujiunga na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa (JKT) ilipoanzisliwa mwaka 1964. Tanzania iliendelea kujifunza kwa Waisrael masuala yahusuyo vijana JKT ilipoanzishwa baadhi ya vijana wa Umoja wa Vijana wa TANU walipelekwa mafunzoni Israel kwa lengo kwamba ya kuhitimu mafunzo yao ndiyo wangekuwa wakufunzi katika Jeshi In Taifa na hivyo ndivyo ilivyokuwa
Monday, November 2, 2009
HAYA NDIO MATOKEO YA KUTOTUMIA WENYEJI WAZALENDO KATIKA KAZI NYETI KAMA HII TANZANIA
IMETOKA BBC 30 OKTOBA, 2009.
Charging elephant kills BBC guide
Map of Tanzania
Mr Turner was an ex-army officer who had worked with the BBC before
A man who worked as an expedition guide for a BBC children's programme has died after being charged by an elephant in Tanzania, it has been revealed.
Anton Turner, a 38-year-old Briton, was assisting with the filming of an episode of the CBBC series Serious Explorers, a spokeswoman said.
The show was tracing the footsteps of explorer David Livingstone in Africa.
"We understand at this stage that he was charged by an elephant and was mortally injured," she added.
A doctor who was travelling with the expedition treated Mr Turner at the scene, but it was understood he died shortly after the incident, the spokeswoman said.
"Three children were with the filming party at the time of the accident and are all safe. Their safety remains a priority, and all the children have been airlifted from the area.
She added: "We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to Anton's family and friends. Anton was an extremely experienced expedition safari and wildlife ranger and former Army officer who had worked with the BBC in the past.
"As is usual with a serious accident an immediate and thorough BBC investigation into the circumstances of this incident has already begun."
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania on Friday.
"Next of kin are aware, and we are providing consular assistance."
Charging elephant kills BBC guide
Map of Tanzania
Mr Turner was an ex-army officer who had worked with the BBC before
A man who worked as an expedition guide for a BBC children's programme has died after being charged by an elephant in Tanzania, it has been revealed.
Anton Turner, a 38-year-old Briton, was assisting with the filming of an episode of the CBBC series Serious Explorers, a spokeswoman said.
The show was tracing the footsteps of explorer David Livingstone in Africa.
"We understand at this stage that he was charged by an elephant and was mortally injured," she added.
A doctor who was travelling with the expedition treated Mr Turner at the scene, but it was understood he died shortly after the incident, the spokeswoman said.
"Three children were with the filming party at the time of the accident and are all safe. Their safety remains a priority, and all the children have been airlifted from the area.
She added: "We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to Anton's family and friends. Anton was an extremely experienced expedition safari and wildlife ranger and former Army officer who had worked with the BBC in the past.
"As is usual with a serious accident an immediate and thorough BBC investigation into the circumstances of this incident has already begun."
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Tanzania on Friday.
"Next of kin are aware, and we are providing consular assistance."
Sunday, November 1, 2009
UCHAGUZI TANZANIA UNAVYOJENGEWA MAZINGIRA YA KUFINYANGA DEMOKRASIA TANZANIA
Na Abdallah Bawazir
1st November 2009
http://www.ippmedia.com/images/frontend/headline_bullet.jpg Yahusu Mabalozi wanaoingilia mambo ya nchi
http://www.ippmedia.com/media/picture/large/Memb.jpg
Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe.
Vyama vya upinzani vimelaani kauli iliyotolewa na Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe, kuwaonya mabalozi wanaowakilisha nchi zao nchini kuwa wanaweza kutimuliwa endapo wataingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi.
Wakizungumza na gazeti hili kwa nyakati tofauti jana, baadhi ya viongozi wa vyama hivyo, wametahadharisha kuwa endapo onyo hilo la serikali litatekelezwa, Tanzania inaweza kuingia katika orodha ya nchi zenye mgogoro kidiplomasia na nchi fadhili na pia inaweza kuwekewa vikwazo vya kiuchumi na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida kama vile ilivyo Zimbabwe.
Viongozi hao wa vyama vya upinzani wametoa tahadhari hiyo, ikiwa ni siku chache tu, baada ya Membe kuonya kuwa balozi yeyote anayeiwakilisha nchi yake nchini akibainika kushirikiana na vyama vya upinzani kutaka kuking'oa madarakani chama tawala atafukuzwa nchini.
Akizungumzia onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi, Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha NCCR-Mageuzi, James Mbatia, jana alisema kuwa kauli hiyo ya Membe si ya kiungwana kwa mabalozi na inafaa kulaaniwa na wana-demokrasia wote.
Alisema kuwa mabalozi wapo nchini si tu kwa ajili ya ushirikiano wa kiserikali kati ya nchi zao na Tanzania, bali pia kuangalia masuala mbalimbali kama vile demokrasia, haki za binadamu na utawala bora, na kwamba mambo hayo yanapokiukwa wanaweza kukemea na kwamba jambo hilo si kuingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi.
Alisema kuwa nchi wafadhili zinachangia zaidi ya asilimia 40 ya bajeti ya serikali, hivyo hawawezi kukaa kimya kuona baadhi ya mambo kama vile ukiukwaji wa demokrasia na haki za binadamu yakitokea.
"Mabalozi wanajua mipaka ya kazi zao hawaingilii mambo hivyo ni mpaka pale wanapoona kuna tatizo, nchi zao zinachangia zaidi ya asilimia 40 ya bajeti ya serikali, hivyo hawawezi kukaa kimya wanapoona kuna ukiukwaji wa demokrasia na uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu", alisema.
Mwenyekiti huyo wa NCCR-Mageuzi, alidai kuwa uzoefu umeonyesha kuwa vyama tawala barani Afrika mara nyingi ndiyo vimekuwa chanzo cha vurugu na machafuko pale vinapominya demokrsia, kukiuka haki za binadamu na kuvuruga chaguzi na kwamba vinapobanwa na wafadhili hapo ndipo vinapowaona wabaya. Aliitahadharisha serikali kutowabana mabalozi pale wanapoingilia kati mambo ambayo yanaonekana wazi kukiuka misingi ya demokrasia na haki za binadamu, kwani kwa kufanya hivyo kunaweza kuisababishia nchi matatizo makubwa kama vile kuwekewa vikwazo na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida.
Alisema anashangaa kuona serikali ikianza kuvibana vyama vya upinzani wakati huu wa kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu mwakani, kwa kuweka masharti mbalimbali kama vile kuzuia vyama visipate ufadhili wa nje wakati wa uchaguzi. "Mambo yote haya yanafanyika kwa ajili ya uchaguzi mkuu mwakani, hili si jambo zuri" alisema.
Kwa upande wake, Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Dk. Wilbroad Slaa, alisema serikali haina mamlaka ya kuvizuia vyama vya upinzani kupata misaada kutoka nje ya nchi wala kuwazuia mabalozi kuingilia mambo yanayoweza kuivuruga nchi na kuleta machafuko.
"Kwa mujibu wa mkataba wa Vienna ambao Membe ndiyo ameutumia kuwaonya mabalozi kutoingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi, serikali haiwezi kuwazuia mabalozi kuingilia mambo ya nchi kama kuna unyanyasaji, ukandamizaji wa demokrasia, ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na kuvururuga chaguzi" alisema. Kuhusu dhamira ya serikali kutaka kutunga sheria ya kuvizuia vyama vya siasa kupata misaada ya kifedha kutoka nje ya nchi wakati wa uchaguzi, Dk. Slaa, alisema kuwa sheria hiyo ina lengo la kuvikandamiza vyama vya upinzani.
"Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ndiyo kinachoongoza kwa kupata misaada mingi ya kifedha wakati wa uchaguzi kutoka kwa vyama marafiki nje ya nchi na ushahidi tunao hivyo sheria hii itakuwa ni ya kibaguzi" alisema.
Mkurugenzi wa Uenezi na Mahusiano na Umma wa Chama cha Wananchi (CUF), Salim Bimani, alisema kuwa, hatua ya serikali kutaka kuwabana mabalozi ni ya kidikteta na isiyofaa kutekelezwa katika nchi ya kidemorasia na kuendeshwa katika misingi ya haki.
"Kwanini wanataka kuwabana mabalozi, hawa jamaa hawaingilii mambo ovyo, wanajua wajibu wao, utakorofishana nao pale tu utakapokiuka haki za binadamu, kwenda kinyume cha misingi ya kidemokrasia na kuharibu uchaguzi, sasa serikali inaogopa nini? labda kama inajiandaa kufanyika kitu kibaya ambacho wanajua mabalozi wataingilia, kwa hiyo wanajihami kabisa", alisema.
Bimani, alisema anatafsiri onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi kama njia ya kuvibana vyama vya upinzani visidai haki pale itakapokiukwa.
"CCM imeishiwa sasa inatumia nguvu kuvibana vyama vya upinzani ikihofu kuwa uchaguzi mkuu ujao unaweza kuwa mbaya kwa upande wake", alidai kiongozi huyo wa CUF.
Kama ilivyo kwa Mbatia, naye alitahadharisha kuwa endapo serikali itamtimua balozi yoyote kwa sababu tu amekemea uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu, uvurugaji wa uchaguzi, basi Tanzania inaweza kuingia katika mgogoro mkubwa wa kidiplomasia nchi fadhili ambalo zinaweza kusitisha misaada na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida.
"Umeona Zimbabwe imewekewa vikwazo, wanaoteseka ni wananchi, kila kitu kimevurugika, hii yote ni kutokana na kiburi cha watawala wasiiongitia demokaria, haki za binadamu na kuvuruga uchaguzi, wametimua mabalozi wanaotaka kuona haki inatendeka sasa wanakiona" alisema.
Alitoa wito kwa wananchi, asasi zisizo za kiserikali na wapenda mageuzi wote, kukemea na kulaani onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi, akisema kuwa endapo litatekelezwa linaweza kuleta madhara makubwa kwa nchi na wananchi wake.
Kauli hizo za wanasiasa wa vyama vya upinzani, zimekuja siku tatu tu, baada ya Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe, kuonya kuwa serikali ya Tanzania itamfukuza nchini Balozi au ofisa yeyote wa kibalozi atakayebainika kushirikiana na vyama vya upinzani kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani.
Serikali pia imesema, nchi zinazotoa misaada kwa Tanzania hazina mamlaka ya kuingilia mambo ya ndani ya Tanzania.
Membe, alitoa msimamo bungeni ambapo alisema kwamba, mabalozi au ofisi za mabalozi wanaruhusiwa kushirikiana au kuvisaidia vyama vya siasa lakini si kwa lengo la kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani.
Alisema, Balozi au ofisa wa kibalozi atayeshirikiana na vyama vya siasa kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani watakuwa wanaingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi mwenyeji, kuvunja itifaki na sheria za kimataifa.
Kwa mujibu wa Waziri Membe, kifungu cha tisa cha Mkataba wa Vienna kinairuhusu Serikali kuwafukuza nchini bila hata kutoa sababu yoyote ya kufanya hivyo.
CHANZO: NIPASHE JUMAPILI
1st November 2009
http://www.ippmedia.com/images/frontend/headline_bullet.jpg Yahusu Mabalozi wanaoingilia mambo ya nchi
http://www.ippmedia.com/media/picture/large/Memb.jpg
Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe.
Vyama vya upinzani vimelaani kauli iliyotolewa na Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe, kuwaonya mabalozi wanaowakilisha nchi zao nchini kuwa wanaweza kutimuliwa endapo wataingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi.
Wakizungumza na gazeti hili kwa nyakati tofauti jana, baadhi ya viongozi wa vyama hivyo, wametahadharisha kuwa endapo onyo hilo la serikali litatekelezwa, Tanzania inaweza kuingia katika orodha ya nchi zenye mgogoro kidiplomasia na nchi fadhili na pia inaweza kuwekewa vikwazo vya kiuchumi na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida kama vile ilivyo Zimbabwe.
Viongozi hao wa vyama vya upinzani wametoa tahadhari hiyo, ikiwa ni siku chache tu, baada ya Membe kuonya kuwa balozi yeyote anayeiwakilisha nchi yake nchini akibainika kushirikiana na vyama vya upinzani kutaka kuking'oa madarakani chama tawala atafukuzwa nchini.
Akizungumzia onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi, Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha NCCR-Mageuzi, James Mbatia, jana alisema kuwa kauli hiyo ya Membe si ya kiungwana kwa mabalozi na inafaa kulaaniwa na wana-demokrasia wote.
Alisema kuwa mabalozi wapo nchini si tu kwa ajili ya ushirikiano wa kiserikali kati ya nchi zao na Tanzania, bali pia kuangalia masuala mbalimbali kama vile demokrasia, haki za binadamu na utawala bora, na kwamba mambo hayo yanapokiukwa wanaweza kukemea na kwamba jambo hilo si kuingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi.
Alisema kuwa nchi wafadhili zinachangia zaidi ya asilimia 40 ya bajeti ya serikali, hivyo hawawezi kukaa kimya kuona baadhi ya mambo kama vile ukiukwaji wa demokrasia na haki za binadamu yakitokea.
"Mabalozi wanajua mipaka ya kazi zao hawaingilii mambo hivyo ni mpaka pale wanapoona kuna tatizo, nchi zao zinachangia zaidi ya asilimia 40 ya bajeti ya serikali, hivyo hawawezi kukaa kimya wanapoona kuna ukiukwaji wa demokrasia na uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu", alisema.
Mwenyekiti huyo wa NCCR-Mageuzi, alidai kuwa uzoefu umeonyesha kuwa vyama tawala barani Afrika mara nyingi ndiyo vimekuwa chanzo cha vurugu na machafuko pale vinapominya demokrsia, kukiuka haki za binadamu na kuvuruga chaguzi na kwamba vinapobanwa na wafadhili hapo ndipo vinapowaona wabaya. Aliitahadharisha serikali kutowabana mabalozi pale wanapoingilia kati mambo ambayo yanaonekana wazi kukiuka misingi ya demokrasia na haki za binadamu, kwani kwa kufanya hivyo kunaweza kuisababishia nchi matatizo makubwa kama vile kuwekewa vikwazo na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida.
Alisema anashangaa kuona serikali ikianza kuvibana vyama vya upinzani wakati huu wa kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu mwakani, kwa kuweka masharti mbalimbali kama vile kuzuia vyama visipate ufadhili wa nje wakati wa uchaguzi. "Mambo yote haya yanafanyika kwa ajili ya uchaguzi mkuu mwakani, hili si jambo zuri" alisema.
Kwa upande wake, Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Dk. Wilbroad Slaa, alisema serikali haina mamlaka ya kuvizuia vyama vya upinzani kupata misaada kutoka nje ya nchi wala kuwazuia mabalozi kuingilia mambo yanayoweza kuivuruga nchi na kuleta machafuko.
"Kwa mujibu wa mkataba wa Vienna ambao Membe ndiyo ameutumia kuwaonya mabalozi kutoingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi, serikali haiwezi kuwazuia mabalozi kuingilia mambo ya nchi kama kuna unyanyasaji, ukandamizaji wa demokrasia, ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na kuvururuga chaguzi" alisema. Kuhusu dhamira ya serikali kutaka kutunga sheria ya kuvizuia vyama vya siasa kupata misaada ya kifedha kutoka nje ya nchi wakati wa uchaguzi, Dk. Slaa, alisema kuwa sheria hiyo ina lengo la kuvikandamiza vyama vya upinzani.
"Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ndiyo kinachoongoza kwa kupata misaada mingi ya kifedha wakati wa uchaguzi kutoka kwa vyama marafiki nje ya nchi na ushahidi tunao hivyo sheria hii itakuwa ni ya kibaguzi" alisema.
Mkurugenzi wa Uenezi na Mahusiano na Umma wa Chama cha Wananchi (CUF), Salim Bimani, alisema kuwa, hatua ya serikali kutaka kuwabana mabalozi ni ya kidikteta na isiyofaa kutekelezwa katika nchi ya kidemorasia na kuendeshwa katika misingi ya haki.
"Kwanini wanataka kuwabana mabalozi, hawa jamaa hawaingilii mambo ovyo, wanajua wajibu wao, utakorofishana nao pale tu utakapokiuka haki za binadamu, kwenda kinyume cha misingi ya kidemokrasia na kuharibu uchaguzi, sasa serikali inaogopa nini? labda kama inajiandaa kufanyika kitu kibaya ambacho wanajua mabalozi wataingilia, kwa hiyo wanajihami kabisa", alisema.
Bimani, alisema anatafsiri onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi kama njia ya kuvibana vyama vya upinzani visidai haki pale itakapokiukwa.
"CCM imeishiwa sasa inatumia nguvu kuvibana vyama vya upinzani ikihofu kuwa uchaguzi mkuu ujao unaweza kuwa mbaya kwa upande wake", alidai kiongozi huyo wa CUF.
Kama ilivyo kwa Mbatia, naye alitahadharisha kuwa endapo serikali itamtimua balozi yoyote kwa sababu tu amekemea uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu, uvurugaji wa uchaguzi, basi Tanzania inaweza kuingia katika mgogoro mkubwa wa kidiplomasia nchi fadhili ambalo zinaweza kusitisha misaada na watakaoathirika ni wananchi wa kawaida.
"Umeona Zimbabwe imewekewa vikwazo, wanaoteseka ni wananchi, kila kitu kimevurugika, hii yote ni kutokana na kiburi cha watawala wasiiongitia demokaria, haki za binadamu na kuvuruga uchaguzi, wametimua mabalozi wanaotaka kuona haki inatendeka sasa wanakiona" alisema.
Alitoa wito kwa wananchi, asasi zisizo za kiserikali na wapenda mageuzi wote, kukemea na kulaani onyo hilo la serikali kwa mabalozi, akisema kuwa endapo litatekelezwa linaweza kuleta madhara makubwa kwa nchi na wananchi wake.
Kauli hizo za wanasiasa wa vyama vya upinzani, zimekuja siku tatu tu, baada ya Waziri wa Mambo ya Nchi za Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe, kuonya kuwa serikali ya Tanzania itamfukuza nchini Balozi au ofisa yeyote wa kibalozi atakayebainika kushirikiana na vyama vya upinzani kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani.
Serikali pia imesema, nchi zinazotoa misaada kwa Tanzania hazina mamlaka ya kuingilia mambo ya ndani ya Tanzania.
Membe, alitoa msimamo bungeni ambapo alisema kwamba, mabalozi au ofisi za mabalozi wanaruhusiwa kushirikiana au kuvisaidia vyama vya siasa lakini si kwa lengo la kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani.
Alisema, Balozi au ofisa wa kibalozi atayeshirikiana na vyama vya siasa kuking’oa chama tawala madarakani watakuwa wanaingilia mambo ya ndani ya nchi mwenyeji, kuvunja itifaki na sheria za kimataifa.
Kwa mujibu wa Waziri Membe, kifungu cha tisa cha Mkataba wa Vienna kinairuhusu Serikali kuwafukuza nchini bila hata kutoa sababu yoyote ya kufanya hivyo.
CHANZO: NIPASHE JUMAPILI
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