Taarifa ya Chadema kwa Umma juu meli za Iran na bendera ya Tanzania

Kwa takribani muda wa juma moja sasa kumekuwepo na taarifa katika vyombo vya habari na njia mbalimbali za upashanaji habari, kuwa kampuni moja ya meli inayodaiwa kutoka Iran, inayojulikana kwa jina la NITC (National Iranian Tanker Company), inatumia bendera ya Tanzania, isivyo kihalali na kinyume kabisa na sheria za nchi na zile za kimataifa, kwa malengo ambayo hayajulikani.

Pamoja na Serikali ya Mapinduzi ya Zanzibar kutoa taarifa kwenye Baraza la Wawakilishi tarehe 2 Julai 2012 kukanusha taarifa hizo, Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) kinaitaka Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania   kupitia kwa Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje na Waziri wa Uchukuzi kutoa taarifa kwa umma juu ya hatua ilizochukua kuchunguza madai hayo.

Aidha, Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania ieleze iwapo utaratibu huo umezingatia kwa ukamilifu United Nations Convention law of the Sea, kifungu cha 91,  Geneva Convention of Registration kifungu cha 6 na maazimio mengine ya kimataifa kuhusu usajili wa meli kubwa pamoja na usafirishaji wa mafuta.

Maelezo yaliyotolewa na Serikali ya Umoja wa Kitaifa Zanzibar inayoongozwa na CCM na CUF yanaibua maswali kutokana  na kampuni ya Philtex ya Dubai inayoelezwa kupewa uwakala na Mamlaka ya Usafiri wa Baharini- Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) kufanya kazi na makampuni mengine hivyo taarifa hizo hazijitoshelezi katika kuondoa uwezekano kwamba meli za NITC zilipeperusha bendera ya Tanzania.

Ili kujisafisha juu ya tuhuma hizo Serikali ya Mapinduzi Zanzibar ilipaswa kushirikiana na Serikali ya Muungano kufanya uchunguzi wa kubaini msingi wa tuhuma hizo na kuchukua hatua iwapo meli za NITC zilipeperusha bendera ya Tanzania bila ridhaa  ya serikali zote mbili.

Ikumbukwe kwamba hii si mara ya kwanza kwa baadhi ya maofisa wa ZMA kutuhumiwa kuruhusu vitendo vilivyo kinyume na sheria kama ilivyojitokeza wakati wa kashfa ya kuzama kwa meli ya Spice Islender.

Kwa upande mwingine, Serikali ya Muungano nayo haiwezi kukwepa kuwajibika kwa kuzingatia kuwa kuwa baadhi ya taarifa hizo katika vyombo vya habari vimewanukuu mawaziri wa serikali wakionekana kujikanyanga na kujikanganya juu ya suala hili nyeti la bendera ya taifa, ambayo ni moja ya utambulisho wetu rasmi kama Watanzania, kutumika kwa malengo yasiyojulikana na kampuni ya nje.

Moja ya vyombo vya habari hapa nchini, vimewanukuu mawaziri husika, Waziri wa Uchukuzi, Harrison Mwakyembe na Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje na Uhusiano wa Kimataifa, Bernard Membe, juu ya suala hilo. 

Wakati Waziri Mwakyembe amenukuliwa akisema kuwa anazo taarifa za suala hilo, lakini asingeweza kulitolea kauli mpaka Waziri wa Mawasiliano na Uchukuzi wa Tanzania Zanzibar azungumze, Waziri Membe yeye mbali ya kukiri kuwa kitendo hicho ni kosa kisheria, anasema habari hizo zilikuwa za kushtushwa na ngeni kabisa, huku akisema kuwa vyombo husika vitalichunguza kwa makini.

Ukimya wa serikali yetu ambayo kwa hakika unatokana na udhaifu wake katika kuchukua maamuzi, sasa umesababisha kitendo hicho kutafsiriwa kuwa Tanzania inaibeba na kuisaidia Iran kukwepa vikwazo ambavyo nchi hiyo inatishiwa na mataifa ya Magharibi, hasa Marekani na Umoja wa Ulaya, kutokana na malumbano ya muda mrefu ambayo yanatokana na mataifa hayo kutumia mabavu na vitisho kuzichagulia baadhi ya nchi nyingine duniani, nini cha kufanya na rasilimali zake mathalani mzozo unaoendelea na Iran kuhusu urutubishaji wa madini ya urani. 

Si nia ya CHADEMA kuingia katika mgogoro wa Iran na Mataifa ya Magharibi hapa kupitia mjadala wa madai hayo yaliyoandikwa kwenye vyombo vya habari; lakini CHADEMA kinatoa tamko kufuatia ukimya na kigugumizi kinachoikumba Serikali ya CCM, kila inapohitajika kufanya maamuzi ya haraka, hasa kuwalinda watu wake na hadhi ya utaifa wao na nchi yao ndani na nje ya nchi.

Ni kutokana na udhaifu wa serikali hii, ambayo umekuwa ukijidhihirisha pia kwa kushindwa kupanga bajeti inayojitegemea hasa kwa kutumia utajiri mkubwa wa rasilimali ambazo nchi hii imebarikiwa, hali inayotufanya tuonekane taifa ombaomba na kupoteza heshima mbele ya mataifa makubwa na madogo, kuwa hatuna uwezo wa akili kuweza kujitegemea. 

Utegemezi huu umefanya baadhi ya raia wa Nchi nyingine mathalani Mbunge aitwaye Howard Berman wa Bunge la Marekani, akiwa kama Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Masuala ya Nje, kupata uwezo wa kuandika barua ya dharau na kejeli kwa Rais Jakaya Kikwete, juu ya suala hilo la Meli za NIT kutuhumiwa kupeperusha bendera za Tanzania.

Kupitia tamko hili, CHADEMA tunaitaka serikali kutoa kauli madhubuti juu ya suala hilo ambalo tayari limechukua sura ya mjadala wa kimataifa usiokuwa na tija yoyote kwa mustakabali wa Watanzania. Suala la bendera ambayo ni utambulisho wa taifa letu, haliwezi kuwa suala la mchezo tu, ambapo mawaziri wazima hawawezi kutoa kauli za kina na kuchukua hatua zinazostahili.

Imetolewa tarehe 2 Julai 2012 na:

Hamad Mussa Yussuf

Naibu Katibu Mkuu Zanzibar

 

Tanzania is seriously investigating allegations that it re-flagged Iranian oil tankers in defiance of sanctions. A US congressman alleged last week that up to 10 Iranian oil tankers had been re-registered in Tanzania. But the East African nation's foreign minister said so far there was no evidence to suggest this was true and he appealed for help with the probe. The US and the European Union have just tightened sanctions on Iran over concerns about its nuclear programme.

On Sunday, a complete European Union oil embargo on Iran came into effect - in response to US legislation, which sanctions any entity that deals with Iran's Central Bank. Tanzania's neighbour Kenya on Wednesday said it had cancelled plans to import crude oil from Iran following threats of sanctions.

Flags of convenience

Howard Berman, who chairs the US House of Representative's Committee on Foreign Affairs, wrote to President Jakaya Kikwete last Fridayabout his concerns that Tanzania had allowed National Iranian Tanker Company vessels to re-flag. "If Tanzania were to allow Iranian vessels to remain under Tanzanian registry, we in the Congress would have no choice but to consider whether to continue the range of bilateral US programs with Tanzania," the US politician warned.

In a briefing to journalists on Thursday, Tanzania's Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said that if any Iranian ships had been re-flagged, they would be removed from Tanzania's shipping register. But he had received assurances from the Iranian embassy and a shipping agent in Dubai that no Iranian ships have been re-flagged. "We're calling on the international community, particularly the United States and European Union, to determine whether or not the statements... are correct or not," Mr Membe said. "If it is confirmed that the ships flying Tanzania's flag are indeed from Iran, we will take steps to deliberately obliterate the registration."

The BBC's international development correspondent Mark Doyle says the use of so-called flags of convenience is common, though controversial, for legitimate trade. But the flags are also sometimes flown as a way of trying to hide the origin of vessels and their cargo. On Wednesday, Sierra Leone's government said it would ban any ships flying its flag from violating international sanctions. The move came after reports that two ships, using a Sierra Leonean flag of convenience, had carried Syrian oil products against the aims of US and European sanctions imposed to try to prevent President Bashar al-Assad's access to foreign exchange.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18729262