Press Release
Have You Clearly Witnessed the Democratic Fallacy in Zanzibar?

A few days ago, Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) declared that on the 20th March 2016 will be the day for the Election Re-Run that was previously held on 28th October 2015. In the said election the party of Civic United Front (CUF) released statistics of their Presidential Candidate that he won the position.

Surprisingly, the Chairman of ZEC announced the annulment of the elections. Despite the declaration from both the local and international election, observers said that the elections were free and fair. These are the fourth elections since the introduction of multiparty in 1995. All the elections have witnessed chaos and mayhems especially on the Presidential position, of which the party of CUF almost all the times declared victory, but later on, the presidential candidate from the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) is declared the winner.

Following this issue, Hizb ut Tahrir East Africa continues to remind the Muslims in Zanzibar and the entire population what we have been stating regularly and without mincing words:

1. Multiparty system was introduced by the West for their own interests, and not for the interests of our countries as perceived by many to an extent some people became confused with high hopes dashed, lots of time lost, sweating profusely - even loss of lives anticipating for change. Instead it was brought as a plot to change the face of the regime as they realized the people are tired and there was growing discontents due to the ruthlessness of the single party system. Also the arrangement was precipitated by the changing global political events that was formed by the collapse of the USSR internationally and America emerging the only superpower on the global arena.

2. Elections on the basis of democracy i.e. giving humans the right to legislate without Allah, this election in addition to being forbidden in Islam, also the said elections have no impact or decisions of either imposing or disposing a leader. Instead the elections are used to hoodwinking, baffling the citizens, causing rifts and disunity amongst them and keeping the people far from thinking of a genuine solution to their problems. While the big states utilize neocolonialism to continue amassing and plundering public resources and yet the citizens are blindly thinking they are making crucial political decisions for their country.

3. The democratic parties in East Africa are agents of the major states. Certain parties are given the role of ruling to protect the interests of the major states and others are for the sake of swindling the citizens to see that there is a continuation of the democratic process. CCM knows surely there is no presence of democracy by them stemming from the choice by the people! Despite them masquerading as custodians of multiparty. While the so-called opposition parties including CUF know very well that for them to ascend to power there must be acknowledgement from the major states even if the opposition parties get enough votes. Based on that both the ruling and so called opposition parties are duping the citizens and disgracing them to the lowest form of creatures to be used in accomplishment of their interests only.

4. Western states realize there is no democracy in its reality. Also the said states are not to preside over justice since they are only in position to protect their interests. So they always put their loyal agent on leadership to protect their interests whether he/she got most votes, less votes or nothing at all.

5. Democracy and dictatorship are two sides of the same coin. In both cases the constitution and laws are enacted and implemented by human beings who are interest-centered and not focused on permissible/halal and impermissible/haram or fearing of Allah (swt). Therefore the disregard of their own constitutions and twisting of their own laws is common practice when interests are involved as witnessed in the recently annulled elections in Zanzibar. Despite the fact that the constitution and laws originate from human being’s limited mind.

6. We remind the Muslims of Zanzibar and humbly plead with them that Western states are laying conducive environment of your blood being spilt as they did ruthlessly in 1964 and 2001; then later on the most affected are the ordinary citizens. At the end, CUF and CCM will sit comfortable sharing the loots as if nothing happened in your precious lives. Since both the parties are owned by the same American master.

To summarize, Hizb ut Tahrir East Africa shall not relent in calling you Muslims again repetitively: Awaken from the deep sleep of striving for the corrupt system of democracy which engulf you and the rest of the world with unimaginable catastrophes, disgrace and mayhems. We ask you; has the time not yet arrived to join hands with Hizb ut Tahrir in the propagation of the Islamic ideology. The only just and fair ideology to implement what pleases our Creator in the form of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood? Or do you require more evidences to justify the impermissibility of the democratic system? Consult your hearts and contemplate, do you remember before you were under the Sultanate, and later on under multiparty after flag independence in 1963, then you had one party after 1964 Revolution, and later on you went back again to multiparty. So still, have you not realized that your journey has reached its end? Do you want to make Allah (swt), your Creator, to be your last choice after successive failures? So awaken and realize. Utilize this opportunity before it vanishes!

Masoud Msellem
Deputy Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir
in East Africa