We won't share
oil revenue
Zanzibar yesterday said oil and gas was not among original articles which formed the union.
Addressing the House of Representatives yesterday, the minister for Water, Works, Energy and Land, Mr Mansoor Yussuf Himid, said the government wanted to remove the clause on gas and oil from the list of union issues on the ground that it does not benefit the Zanzibaris.
He said the inclusion of oil and gas in the union agreement was a significant contradiction of the union constitution and that of Zanzibar which are supposed to be respected by all parties concerned.
"Mr speaker and representatives of this House, the Act which established the TPDC [Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation] and that of exploiting oil and gas was not approved by this house and therefore lacks the legality of being a union matter," said Mr Himid.
Mentioning the 11 union issues, he said the issue was not even mentioned in the union agreement.
He said TPDC was set up under the presidential directive in 1969 and re-established under the parastatal bodies Act in 1980, but the provision was not approved by the House of Representatives in the Isles thus setting a precedence that it lacks the legal front to be a union issue.
He said Article Two of the Zanzibar Constitution policies relevant policies for its economy, and it was thus not prudent to include oil and gas in the issues of the union.
He told the House that they had contracted a consultant to advise on the issue of gas and oil but his findings were loaded with distortions as he was inclined to the issue of oil and gas remaining a union matter, which is against the needs of Zanzibaris.
"Mr Speaker, the advice of the consultant is more inclined to the Constitution, as it positions itself it's on sharing the resources, he said.
He said in the event of the consultant's advice, the subject would continue to be a symbol of constitutional contradictions with union shortcomings hurting Zanzibaris.
Among the issues, Zanzibar government wants a study be conducted as to whether oil and gas should remain in the domain of Zanzibar or not because Tanzania Mainland already has its resources such as gold and diamond which do not benefit the Zanzibaris.
Another proposal was that it was time for Zanzibar to have its own organ responsible for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas like what TPDC does.
On the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), the Zanzibar government advises cooperation with the Union Government after a consensus and not under the current arrangement.
In his report, the consultant proposes establishment of a ministry to be in charge of oil under the union government, re-establishing of TPDC with a face of the union and have all the powers to register oil exploiting companies, something which did nit impress the government of Zanzibar.
Minister Himid said if the issue of establishing the institutions was accepted, Zanzibar would lose all revenues coming from the registration of companies, exploiting and exploration of oil.
Representatives from CCM, CUF gave a joint position advising the government not to accept putting oil and gas in the union matters on grounds that it was not included when the union agreement was signed.
Earlier, Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha advised members of the House of Representatives to give their views transparently and soberly but without fear so that the resources benefit all Zanzibaris.
However, last year in May, the minister of state in the Vice-President's Office (Union Affairs), Mr Muhammad Seif Khatib, told reporters in Dar es Salaam that Zanzibar and the Union Government had agreed to share oil and gas revenues as stipulated in the Constitution.
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