Local News

Another MP declares interest to vie for presidency

CONSTITUENT Assembly (CA) member Hamad Rashid Mohammed on Monday declared h intention to vie for Zanzibar presidency, and demanded prompt apology from Seif Sharif Hamad, whom he accused of tarnhing h reputation and that of the CA.

Mr Mohammed said he has already instructed h lawyer to study the claims of Mr Hamad against him before deciding on the appropriate legal action to take against the Zanzibar First Vice-President and Secretary General of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF).

“As an adult and for h position in the government, it not proper for him to keep cheating the public,” said the vividly irked Mohammed. The CA member was speaking in the house shortly before CA Chairman Samuel Sitta postponed the morning session to th morning.

Mr Sitta invited the member to air h grievances following complaints that Maalim Seif had on Sunday done injustice to Mr Mohammed, Speaker Anne Makinda and CA’s committee number five that Mohammed chairs.

He angrily reacted to what he described as demeaning attacks by Maalim Seif in an interview with Mwanza-based Star TV on Sunday when he reportedly accused the speaker of the national assembly of favouring Mr Mohammed whom he referred to as auctioneer of the ruling CCM.

Maalim Seif also accused of claiming that Dr Aley Soud Nassor was coerced to present the majority views of committee number five. Mr Mohammed dmsed as baseless claims that h case against dmsal from CUF membership was concluded, saying the case still on and that the next hearing comes on September 26, th year. He defended speaker Makinda, urging Mr Seif to apologe for unnecessarily dragging the innocent madam into the matter.

During the interview, Mr Seif reportedly claimed that Mr Mohammed no longer a member of parliament after conclusion of the case in which the leglator was dputing h dmsal from the party.

He said that Mr Mohammed was attending the Bunge session on the mercy of the speaker. The CUF top executive further accused Mr Mohammed of being an auctioneer of the ruling CCM, saying he was given money to bribe members of the CA to come back to the house.

“Th a very sad and humiliating statement against me…I have already instructed my lawyer to study it and adve on the appropriate action,” said Mr Mohammed.

He defended Dr Aley, a university lecturer in Zanzibar, as an independent minded person who cannot be coerced to do what he does not believe. “One thing for sure I know about Dr Aley that he fears nobody…he only fears God,” he said. Outside the parliament, Mr Hamad was warmly congratulated by fellow members.

Asked about the political party he plans to stand for presidency, he replied: “I have two options—private candidate if it will be passed in the constitution or through the Alliance for Democratic Change, which I am currently offering consultancy.”