Ukraine: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Costs to rebuild Ukraine increase sharply (24.03.2023)

Opinion: Speaker Among cannot save face…

““If there was any diversion, it is not anybody’s fault, I saw iron sheets in Bukedea, I didn’t ask for them, but I ordered that they should be given to schools innocently. I didn’t open a shop to sell them, but they were given to government schools.” Among told Parliament last month. While chairing Wednesday’s plenary, Among told Parliament that she had decided to purchase 500 iron sheets and return them to the OPM to clear her name out of accusations that she had diverted the iron sheets meant for Karamoja’s vulnerable people. “l don’t want to be accused of grabbing iron sheets meant for the vulnerable people of Karamoja.” Among said” (Samuel Muhimba – ‘Among buys 500 iron sheets for OPM to save ‘innocent’ face’ 15.03.2023, Nilepost.co.ug).

The Speaker can all “innocent” she wants to try to save face. Speaker Anita Among is amongst a “den of thieves”. They did divert funds and equipment meant for the hungry, the poor and the ones in need in the Karamoja sub-region. Instead of going where it should be… it ended up elsewhere and some of that ended up in the hands of the speaker. She is just like the rest of them.

Speaker Among can act holier than thou, but she should apologize and “carry the cross”. This is her burden to bear. She accepted the iron sheets and took them when it was done in secret. However, when the reality hit public, and the scandal was official. She wanted to clean her hands of the dirt and come clean. Nevertheless, that is not how the story goes and she cannot reimburse what she has already stolen.

A chicken thief must answer for the stolen chicken. The speaker has to answer for the iron-sheets. The chicken thief will face the penalty and the punishment for taking the chicken. The same should happen to the speaker, the ministers and everyone involved in the iron sheet scandal of Karamoja. It should happen, but I wouldn’t count on it. The difference between them and the chicken thief. Is that the Chicken Thief has no suction, no power or influence, but the thieves in this saga does…

She knows she will face no consequences and what her master knows is that she’s corruptible. Meaning that her master can wave some monies or golden tickets her way. When doing so, she will do whatever he pleases and get his way in Parliament. That’s why she will face no trouble, no legal jeopardy or even taste “justice”. No, the chicken thief will linger in prison and face severe time in prison. While the Speaker can steal and take from the state with no further consequences or ramifications to her career. No, it doesn’t cost her anything…

Speaker Among can try to save face, but it’s pointless. She still stole and took unjustifiably so. The iron sheets wasn’t hers to begin with. Just like the others who took from the “aid” to Karamoja. All of them are thieves and they should accept that. Thieving is thieving no matter how you put it. It wasn’t even that sophisticated or a strategic measure to siphon funds from government accounts either. It was just blatant theft of government property to personal use. That’s it… and the Speaker cannot be run away from that now. Peace.

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Syria: Syrian Democratic Council – A Statement for the Public Opinion (22.02.2023)

Since the first moment of the earthquake disaster on the sixth of February, the Syrian Democratic Council has devoted all its political and diplomatic potential at the service of the Syrian people who were affected by this disaster. Also, the Council has devoted its various relations for exerting the necessary pressure to open humanitarian crossings and introduce the necessary aid and relief materials. The Syrian Democratic Council has also encouraged local initiatives inside Syria, whether civil, popular or official initiatives, the most prominent of which was the initiative of the Autonomous Administration of northeastern Syria.

Fourteen days after the disaster, the Council considers that the policies that were implemented during the disaster hindered the chances of saving many lives lost under the rubble and deprived the affected people of access to the assistance they deserve.

The armed factions of the Turkish occupation prevented the assistance that arrived early to the crossings of the Autonomous Administration, and these factions and the coalition continued to support the Turkish policy towards the Syrian victims, despite the fact that the disaster proved that the Turkish state institutions were unable to perform their duties towards their citizens inside Turkey, which negates the need to prove that Turkey did not provide any support to Syrians in its occupation zones, and for considerations of Turkish internal policy, the media of Justice and Development Party intended to emphasize that priority is for Turkish victims, in which racial discrimination has been practiced in saving lives and access the support and aid to those in need, but the crime condemned against the Syrian victims in northwestern Syria is represented by the Turkish orders, according to which the factions affiliated with Turkey refused to receive the assistance of the Autonomous Administration, ignoring what the Civil Defense bodies announced about their urgent need for such assistance, and according to the moral and national humanitarian duty, we sought; as the Syrian Democratic Council, to provide all facilities despite our conviction that these mercenary terrorist factions are not trusted regard such assistance.

The Syrian Democratic Council also condemns in the strongest terms the demographic change policies practiced by Turkey against the Kurds in northwestern Syria and calls on the international community to intervene and exert pressure to stop the displacement of Kurds from their places of origin, where more than 70% of the people of Afrin have been displaced so far, and the Council warns of the investment of the Turkish occupation authorities of international assistance provided to Syrians, especially donations allocated by some countries, to build new buildings and villages in lands owned by Kurdish citizens, and also the Council condemns the continuation of Turkish aggressions on northeastern Syria, where Turkish forces targeted Al-Mahmudiyah village and also the Turkish drones targeted several civil cars over the past two weeks.

On the other hand, the ruling authority in Damascus, despite its emphasis on the importance of national dialogue, decided to exploit the disaster for its political interests and rejected internal national initiatives for helping the victims in line with its preconceived position rejecting any openness to democratic political powers calling for a peaceful democratic transition, and the Council holds the policies of the authority in Damascus primarily responsible for the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation of citizens in general and those affected by the earthquake in particular, as the Syrian Democratic Council has previously stressed the importance of Syrians to overcome their differences, establish a broad democratic front for dialogue and negotiation with the authority in Damascus, and contribute to the political process and represent various Syrian powers and actors in the negotiation process aimed at implementing Security Council Resolution 2254. In accordance with the above mentioned, the Council reaffirms that the Syrian national dialogue is a strategic and indispensable option for it, provided that it includes effective political representatives from all components and segments of society, on the basis of achieving a meaningful and comprehensive political transition in the country. It also stresses that any such national dialogue process must be launched with international guarantees including international allies of the authority in Damascus provided that without bias for any party.

The Syrian Democratic Council, while comforting the families of the victims and wishing speedy recovery for wounded, stresses that the Syrian people must hold those are involved in stealing their daily sustenance accountable. The Council also calls on the various national democratic powers to join hands and find effective mechanisms to monitor the activity of various authorities on the ground and follow up the delivery of humanitarian aid sent to affected people. As the Council also calls on the democratic powers in Syria to escalate their struggle in order to frame their efforts and not miss more opportunities that would alleviate the suffering of Syrians.

On February 22nd, 2023

The Syrian Democratic Council

Syria: National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces – Syrian Opposition Coalition – On Politicization of the United Nations’ Handling of the Earthquake Crisis in Syria (12.02.2023)

Syria: Group of Friends in the Defense of the Charter of the United Nations – Communique in Solidarity with the Syrian Arab Republic on the recent Earthquake and Urgent Call for the lifting of Unilateral Coercive Measures (10.02.2023)