By Masato Masato in Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR President Hussein Mwinyi yesterday vowed to take stern legal measures against any person or group of people bent on disrupting the country's peace and tranquility.
"The government will never tolerate insincere people trying to plunge our otherwise peaceful country into bloodshed," Dr Mwinyi said in his 12-page speech on the 57th revolution anniversary celebrations here. He added: "I sincerely beg all Zanzibaris to trust, respect and tolerate each other as we bury our past differences for our prosperous and lovely islands."
President Mwinyi implored all the Islanders to jointly and vehemently scold all acts that jeopardise the country's unity and solidarity.
He further challenged Zanzibaris to continually cherish the 1964 Zanzibar revolutions, which rescued them from the yoke of discriminatory colonial rule.
"Today is a highly important day for Zanzibar; 57 years ago today, our frail peasants and workers refused the wretchedness of discrimination," he said.
Dr Mwinyi reminded wananchi to remember and appreciate the country's heroes and founders of the Afro-Shirazi Party who spearheaded the revolutions under the tutelage of the Late Abeid Amani Karume.
"We are today reaching the climax of the 57th revolution anniversary celebrations happily. The celebrations remind us of the importance of protecting, defending and maintaining our revolutions," he said.
According to President Mwinyi, Zanzibar has registered enviable economic, political, social and cultural feats in the past 57 years of the revolutions, reiterating his firm commitment to sustain and amplify the achieved successes.
He cited the 68 per cent growth in tax collections, which the government has registered in the past two months as some of the outcomes of the economic reforms his administration has undertaken.
Zanzibar, through the Zanzibar Revenue Board (ZRB) collected 36.9bn/- last month from 22bn/- collected in October, 2020. President Mwinyi commended the board for the good job, challenging them to aspire for better performance.
"The government will continue with its great efforts to revive the economy. We have already witnessed increased tax collections from 22bn/- in October to 36.9bn/- in December, 2020. We expect more revenues in the coming months," President Mwinyi said.
He said despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the world especially the tourism reliant economies like Zanzibar, the sector is gradually recovering, with the country, by November 2020, attaining 85 per cent of its adjusted annual target to receive about 250,000 tourists by last December.
"Besides the great achievements in this sector, we still have opportunities to develop it," Dr Mwinyi said of the tourism sector, pledging the government's coordination, marketing and development strategies for the key economic sector.
Earlier, the country had projected to receive over 500,000 tourists in 2020 but following the Corona outbreak, the projection was adjusted, reduced by half.
President Mwinyi reiterated his administration's resolve to pursue the blue economy, which he described as the critical means to enable the country to speedily develop economically and socially.
"Through the blue economy, which integrates other sectors like fishing, modern fish farming, oil and gas exploration as well as tourism, we will create sufficient jobs for Zanzibaris and Tanzanians in general," said Dr Mwinyi.
He expressed his firm belief that through the blue economy, the country will boost the government earnings from taxes and other fees.
Commercially, Zanzibar excelled as well, with exports almost doubling to 62bn/- during the January-November, 2020 period as compared to 33bn/- recorded during the corresponding period in 2019.
Dr Mwinyi said the industrial sector's contribution to the national economy grew to 18.9 per cent in 2019, promising the government commitment to continue attracting both domestic and foreign investors to inject more capitals in the industrial sector.
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