How OIC, G55 caused Malecela’s removal from PM post

TANZANIA: THE late Ali Hassan Mwinyi, during his presidency, faced several upheavals, including the dissolution of the government after the removal of Mzee John Samwel Malecela who was by then serving as Prime Minister and First Vice-President.

In his personal memoire compiled in his book titled ‘Safari Ya Maisha Yangu’ the late Mzee Mwinyi said after Zanzibar failed to achieve its desire to join the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Zanzibaris were not satisfied with the decision after which they approached him (Mzee Mwinyi), asking him to allow the United Republic of Tanzania to join the entity.

“Theoretically that was seen as the only simple way but in real sense it wasn’t that much simple as they thought, given the fact that the then Attorney General Damian Lubuva had opposed the idea in 1991 in his advice,” Mzee Mwinyi recalls.

He says given the fact that Tanzania is a secular state it would not be feasible to join a religious organisation, even if the objectives of such an entity were development oriented.

The late Mzee Mwiyi says he later consulted John Malecela who was by then serving as Prime Minister and First Vice-President. According to Mzee Mwinyi, Mr Malecela verbally argued the case before he later documented it. He says given the nature of the matter, Mzee Mwinyi tabled the matter before the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi after which the consensus was reached, opposing the idea of Tanzania joining OIC.

But, the decision angered Zanzibar government, prompting some Zanzibari politicians to start thinking on the importance of seceding from the Union, a move than now gave G55 a justifiable reason to start demanding the restoration of Tanganyika government.

“By sticking to this demand, Zanzibaris want more freedom (autonomy). This now necessitates a review of the government structure so that we can adopt a three-tier government system,” Mwinyi remembers the argument made by the G55 members. Mzee Mwinyi recalls that the members of the G55 started sharing the sentiments with Former Prime Minister and First Vice-President Joseph Warioba (1985-1990) on the matter, and since Judge Warioba was close to Mwalimu Julius Nyerere he informed him on G55’s arguments.

He says later members of the G55 led by Matheo Qaresi sought Mwalimu Nyerere’s audience.

“Mwalimu listened to them very attentively after which he responded that he agreed with their argument. However, he then told them that there were issues that were mishandled but the solution was not to restore or revive Tanganyika government since the measure would break the Union,” Mzee Mwinyi recalls.

He says some MPs who were opposing the idea of restoring Tanganyika government also sought Mwalimu Nyerere’s audience since they thought they were not being listened to in Parliament.

“Mwalimu Nyerere then became very furious as he realised that my close aides – then Prime Minister and First Vice-President John Malecela and the then CCM Secretary General the late Horace Kolimba- did not advise me accordingly, and that they didn’t handle the matter well in Parliament,” Mzee Mwinyi says.

After some Members of Parliament and CCM, through its organs, deliberated on the matter, it was agreed that the existing two-tier government structure ought to be retained, completely ‘killing’ the agenda of demanding restoration of Tanganyika government.

The late Mzee Mwinyi says the Father of the Nation expressed his anger at the country’s leadership, including publishing a book titled ‘Uongozi Wetu na Hatima Ya Tanzania’ that directly apportioned blame on him (Mzee Mwinyi), the government and CCM for what had transpired.

“On December 6, 1994 I dissolved the government after I removed Malecela from the post of Prime Minister. I also removed Kolimba from the post of CCM Secretary General,” he says.

The late Mzee Mwinyi thanks Mwalimu Nyerere for his bold leadership.