ZANZIBAR: Zanzibar President, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, has warned against the habit of some ministers resigning from their positions without obtaining prior consent from the Head of State and failing to provide clear reasons for their decision.
Dr. Mwinyi made the statement on Thursday in Zanzibar, emphasizing the importance of adhering to proper resignation procedures and transparency.
The President’s remarks come just a few days after the resignation of Zanzibar’s former Minister for Tourism and Heritage, Simai Mohammed Said.
According to President Mwinyi, the minister did not seek his consent but instead chose to break the news of his resignation publicly.
“There are procedures for resigning, and it is not acceptable to rush to the media and announce your resignation. I remember when I was a minister during Dr. Kikwete’s presidency. There was a bomb accident at Gongo la Mboto, and as the Minister of Defense, I sent a message to the President asking him to accept my resignation. However, I did not immediately go to the media to announce it,” he said.
He added, “The procedure requires you to inform the appointing authority first, and only after their acceptance should you announce your resignation. At that time, President Kikwete told me, ‘No, this is an accident, and you have no reason to resign.’ Nobody heard about my intention to resign until today when I am publicly discussing it, but I never announced it before.”
Mr. Simai announced his intention to resign from the ministerial post last Thursday.