Violence proves no one in Zanu PF is fit to lead the Zimbabwe we must build | Build Zimbabwe (Youtube-Clip)

“The strategy of our government is clear for anyone who chooses to see: It is to frustrate the people until some of them commit acts of violence, which then justifies the government’s own violent response.  This is calculated to force those who have been calling for non-violent protests, specifically the church leaders, to denounce the activists who are demanding change but who the government portrays as violent inciters. We cannot allow this government to attempt to reclaim the moral ground to rule it has lost by pointing accusatory fingers at people who simply want to be heard and to exercise their full constitutional rights as citizens.  We want change in Zimbabwe and we want it now. To want it for future generations merely prolongs ours suffering and that of our children. We want it for ourselves today so that we can get on with the business of building the kind of country we want for our children’s children. It is our right to demand that. This is Dr. Noah Manyika from Build Zimbabwe saying: Is there not a cause? #BuildZimbabwe” (Build Zimbabwe, 2016)

What do Jay Z and President Museveni have in common? They don’t want to retire!

Jay Z Fade to Black

Yet again, I go all in. This is another one and not a DJ Khaled comment. This here is similarities between people or characters that usually are not in the same league. Here I am showing fist how Jay Z talked about retiring and then backing down a dropping a project or LP. This is a proof of that the gimmicks or promotional tools that we’re from the Def Jam and Roca-Fella Co-Founder and now millionaire artist.

It is these days that I am tired of the President Museveni and his system who just uses the state funds and institutions for own wealth than creating and developing society. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who has promised since taking the office with a brutal civil war in 1980s said he would step down. At each point, he has backtracked and given in. That means he has seeking more time in power and used more excuses to empower himself. Always if the Party wants him

2003 Jay Z after the ‘The Black Album’:

“It’s not like it was with Big and Pac” (…) “Hip-hop’s corny now” (…) “There’ll be no more full-length Jay-Z albums. I might do a soundtrack in a year or two. Maybe a collaboration. But only after a year. I want to let it alone for at least a year” (…) “Well, like Jordan said, ‘I’ve got to leave myself a window” (…) “If people take it back to when we were making hot albums and I’m just totally inspired and I’m like, I want in, then that could happen. But I don’t foresee it” (Toure, 2003).

2005 Jay Z Q&A in the XXL Magazine:

“Just from making albums. I still make songs. It bugs me when people say, “I thought you was retired.” I clearly said—and I also said that I’m human. So maybe one day if I’m on the corner and it’s calling me—I don’t wanna just box myself in where I can’t make another album—I’ll do it anyway. But it bothers me when people say, “I thought you was retired,” if I make a song or if I do a verse on somebody’s joint. I never said I wasn’t making anymore music. I should’ve shut up. That’s what I should’ve did. Me and my big mouth” (Bry, 2005).

2006 Jay Z with the ‘The Kingdom Come’:

“the worst retirement in history” (…) “”I believed it, yeah. I believed it for two years” (…) “Something, when you love it, is always tugging at you and itching, and I was putting it off and putting it off. I started fumbling around to see if it felt good” (…) “If I wake up one day and the best material has passed me by — and that’s going to happen, then it’s time to move on. I’ve said what I wanted to say” (CBC Arts, 2006).

2007 Jay Z with the ‘American Gangster’:

“LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 — Jay-Z, the rap superstar and president of Def Jam Records, has quietly returned to the studio to record an album of new songs inspired by the forthcoming movie “American Gangster,” his first “concept” album and second CD in less than a year” (Halbfinger & Leeds, 2007).

And we know that Jay Z has released albums ever since and also features. So it is not like he ever retired only talked about it. The big bang with ‘The Black Album’ we’re just a fade that didn’t really go into Black as the artist went back into studio time and time again. Let’s take a look at President Museveni and his long time stay in the role of Executive.

Daily Monitor 1993

Museveni in 2002:

“When he took power in 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said he considered the idea of a Head of State clinging to office for “15 or more” years ill-advised. Although it is now 16 years since Museveni made this statement he is still comfortably lolling in office and has just embarked on his 17th year as Uganda’s Head of State. In last year’s filthy elections that he won by 69 per cent of the votes cast, Museveni took a high moral ground by claiming that had his votes not been stolen he could have garnered more than 75 per cent. However, his supporters were contented with 69 per cent, which they interpreted as a resounding endorsement for Museveni to rule for life” (…) “In his usual idiosyncratic meddling way and new role as Africa’s peacemaker, elder statesman and continental unifier, Col. Muammar Gadhafi, while attending Museveni’s inauguration, urged him to be a perpetual leader. While addressing a national conference of Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement on May 11, 2001, he urged Ugandans to allow Museveni to rule for “as long as possible.” “Revolutionary leaders should not have expiry dates, like tinned drinks. My brother Museveni was born a revolutionary. He should continue for as long as he has the ability to do so,” Gadhafi said. Despite this enormous pressure to rule forever, Museveni had the gall to promise, yet again, that he would not contest again after his new mandate expires. Determining the truth of this statement might not need the services of a clairvoyant” (Okumu, 2002).

Musveni in 2005:

“Mr Museveni, 62, said he was sure of victory at the election. He thanked MPs who voted overwhelmingly this year to scrap a presidential time limit that would have required him to step down. “That provision was not wise at all, because the problems Africa faces are not always time-bound,” he said” (Vasagar, 2005).

Museveni in 2006:

“I need the power of the state to solve the problems of our people” (…) “I don’t need power to live, by the way” (…) “My cows are waiting for me” (Savage, 2006).

Museveni in 2012:

“The term limits, which would have forced Museveni to stand down in 2006, were scrapped in a process that did not enjoy popular appeal and after MPs were offered inducements to support the move. Museveni, however, told CNN that debate on term limits and his longevity in office were not a priority. “What is important for Uganda,” he said, “is to deal with the country’s development bottlenecks and not who should be the president.” (HabariNetwork, 2012).

Museveni in 2014:

“Well, I don’t think Ugandans are as obsessed with my retirement as Ssemujju seems to be because when I go to ask them at the elections, five million say don’t go, you stay” (…) “You have heard them, singing tajakugenda tajakugenda (he won’t go). So if Ugandans really were like Ssemujju, I would be happy to retire because I am not lacking where to retire. I am a member of my party and I do what my party wants” (Okuda 2014).

What has Museveni said in the past (2014):

“There is nothing much to look forward to, about what the president is going to say on Thursday; I think the greatest thing I would want to hear from him is telling us when he’s going read his last State of the Nation Address,” the former bush war comrade told Chimpreports this morning” (…) “When I was in cabinet, Museveni said that Africa’s biggest problem was people who overstay in power. At one time he wanted to go and graze his cattle once he clocked 55,” recalled Mushega, who fought with Museveni in the liberation war that toppled the military junta of the Okellos in 1986” (ChimpReports, 2014).

PF-retirement_1666571c

There are clear indications of the same mentality between the men. They are both seeking to be honoured for their positions and don’t wanted to leave when they had left a legacy. Instead they are continuing to either be in office or drop LPs.

The proof that they both just wanted to earn on their place in society is proven. As Jay Z has for a long time said he would retire from Hip Hop, but on the next crossroad dropped a project. President Museveni has many times said he want to retire and be with his cows. Instead he runs again because in reality he wants to run the nation and control it all. Mzee have been pledging and promising to leave power after ten years when he came into office after the 1980s civil war. Now he is still there after 30 years. As seen he has promised to step down since then. The words of those statements are worthless. Therefore, don’t expect him to go out of office before his casket. Peace.

Reference:

Bry, David – ‘Jay Z, “Look At Me Now” (Originally Published August 2005)’ link: http://www.xxlmag.com/news/throwbacks/2013/07/jay-z-look-at-me-now-originally-published-august-2005/

CBC Arts – ‘Jay-Z ends “retirement” with new album’ (14.09.2006) link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/jay-z-ends-retirement-with-new-album-1.583720

ChimpReports – ‘Mushega: Museveni Wanted To Retire At 55’ (02.07.2014) link: http://www.chimpreports.com/20658-mushega-museveni-wanted-to-retire-at-55/

HabariNetwork – ‘UGANDA’S PRESIDENT MUSEVENI HINTS AT RETIREMENT IN 2016’ (16.04.2012) link: http://www.thehabarinetwork.com/ugandas-president-museveni-hints-at-retirement-in-2016/2

Halbfinger, David M. & Leeds, Jeff – ‘For Jay-Z, Inspiration Arrives in a Movie’ (20.09.2007) link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/arts/music/20jayz.html?_r=0

Okuda, Ivan – ‘Ugandans don’t want me to leave – Museveni’ (07.12.2014) link: http://mobile.monitor.co.ug/News/News/Ugandans-don-t-want-me-to-leave—Museveni/-/2466686/2547152/-/format/xhtml/-/uuwodw/-/index.html

Okumu, Wafula – ‘The Travails and Antics of Africa’s “Big Men” – How Power Has Corrupted African Leaders’ (11.04.2002) link: http://www.theperspective.org/africabigmen.html

Savage, Sam – ‘Back to my cows? Not yet, says Uganda’s Museveni’ (22.02.2006), Link: http://www.redorbit.com/news/international/401452/back_to_my_cows_not_yet_says_ugandas_museveni/#fbd7eO1Py393CEUh.99

Toure – ‘MUSIC; Superstardom Is Boring: Jay-Z Quits (Again)’ (16.11.2003) link: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/arts/music-superstardom-is-boring-jay-z-quits-again.html?pagewanted=all

Vasagar, Jeevan – ‘Museveni to stand for re-election after detention of his main rival’ (21.11.2005) link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/21/uganda.jeevanvasagar

Tribal Rights & the Dakota Access Pipeline (Youtube-Clip)

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its allies from other indigenous nations are protesting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Once finished – the pipeline will bring oil almost 1200 miles from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota all the way to Illinois. Although the project was approved by the government -the Standing Rock Sioux say their interests and historical claims were not taken into account when that decision was made. Which is why they’ve now brought their protest right here to Washington, DC. Today – the Standing Rock Sioux asked a federal judge to put the Dakota Access pipeline on hold. They also led a really outside the court – which was attended by people from around the country – including actresses Susan Sarandon and Shailene Woodley. Joining me now is the woman who MC’d today’s rally – Bobbi Jean Three Legs – a Youth Organizer with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” (The Big Picture RT, 2016)

Press Release – Vandalism: NNPC, Civil Defence pledge Greater Cooperation (24.08.2016)

Vandalism Nigeria 24.08.2016

Finance Minister Pravin Gordham Statement on Hawks investigation (24.08.2016)

Pravin Gordham Statement

Barclays and Standard Chartered picketed in London over Bidco business (23.08.2016)

Bidco Protest

Members of Prince Charles’ Banking Environment Initiative fail to cut ties with companies that deforest in Africa.

KAMPALA, Uganda, August 23, 2016 – East African protesters have taken to the streets of London to demonstrate against banks that do business with Bidco Africa, highlighting the connection between global financial institutions, The Prince of Wales and widespread deforestation in Africa.

Barclays and Standard Chartered saw their London headquarters picketed due to their funding of Nairobi-based Bidco, a company that cuts down thousands of acres of pristine rainforest in Uganda, and engages in human rights and tax violations in Kenya and Tanzania.

The Bidco Truth Coalition (No2Bidco.org), an activist alliance, has revealed that the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI), based at Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership under the patronage of The Prince of Wales, is failing in its mission to lead the banking industry in collectively directing capital towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic development.

The BEI’s nine member banks are Barclays, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds, Northern Trust, RBS, Santander and Westpac.

By signing up to BEI’s ‘Soft Commodities’ Compact, the nine banks have committed to only direct capital towards sustainable business models and achieve zero net deforestation among their client Companies.

Under BEI guidelines, member banks must drop clients that don’t measure up to socially and environmentally responsible policies.

Bidco Africa, which has engaged in multiple human rights, labour, tax and environmental violations, has publically stated that it does business with Barclays, Standard Chartered, Citibank, Equity Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank.

Bidco owns an oil palm plantation that has deforested 18,000 acres of rainforest in Uganda. Bidco has also grabbed land from over 100 smallholder farmers.

The environmental impact of the palm oil project has led activists to call on the UN Global Compact to eject Bidco from its roster of members.

In 2004, the World Bank pulled out of Bidco’s Uganda project, citing violations of the World Bank’s anti-deforestation policies.

But BEI has remained silent, and Barclays, Standard Chartered and other banks continue to do business with Bidco Africa.

The Bidco Truth Coalition calls on BEI, its patron, The Prince of Wales, and BEI’s nine member banks to publically state that they will no longer do business with Bidco and other companies that destroy the environment.

ALCU of North Dakota Statement on First Amendment violations at Dakota Acess Pipieline Protests (22.08.2016)

DakotaAccessPipeline

Cannon Ball, N.D.The curbing of peaceful protests at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline construction is in violation of our core principles of free speech.

Jennifer Cook, policy director of the ACLU of North Dakota has released the following statement on the government action regarding ongoing demonstrations at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline construction in Cannon Ball, ND.

“The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and the interference with that right by agents of the counties and the state of North Dakota violates both the spirit and letter of the First Amendment.  As the courts in this state have recognized, the First Amendment forbids the enactment of laws ‘abridging the freedom of speech … or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.’  The protest at the Dakota Access pipeline is precisely the type of assembly protected by the First Amendment.  Peaceful protest is at the core of the First Amendment and restrictions to such activity, such as the closing of highways with the effect of preventing assembly or effective messaging of protesters, should be viewed skeptically.  Law enforcement agents have a duty to ensure that the rights of protesters are protected, not just the rights of corporations. While law enforcement officers have a right to ensure the safety of all of our citizens, this goal should be achieved by ensuring that all citizens, including protesters, are protected and that there are enough police in place to prevent violence, but not prevent peaceful protest or assembly.

The ACLU of North Dakota supports peaceful protests and encourages protesters to know their rights.  Anyone who believes their First Amendment rights have been violated should contact us at www.aclund.org/get-help.”

Opinion: It’s a House of Cards when it comes to the KCCA and the Elected Kampala Leadership

kampala-10

House of Cards: “a complicated organization or plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed or easily go wrong” (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus, Cambridge University Press).

Kampala 22nd July 2016 is a house of cards. It is evident, it’s in the wind, it’s a maze of joy and crappiness as the President wished it to be. As he let it rots and is a giant toll of unstructured tool of public an institution that doesn’t co-exist or co-operate ordinary as the selected and elected men and woman doesn’t even know their duty or their job. Hard to work when you don’t have a specific workload or deadlines, aye?

There been much speculation between the Chief Executive Jennifer Musisi, Cabinet Minister Betti Kamya, Presidential Advisor Singh Katongole and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. But today more stones started to roll for the already hectic enterprise as NRM like bloated and un-facilitated organizations to represent their past and present achievements.

If you though it was too irrational between the heads on the top it continues to next level. The City of Kampala has 5 Division Mayors who are actually feeling like “Lame Ducks”. Not so strange when Lord Mayor Lukwago is “Ceremonial Mayor”, what should the leader of Nakawa or Kawempe do?

These Division Mayors who feels like extras in Kampala are: Kasirye Nganda (Makindye), Ronald Balimwezo (Nakawa), Joyce Ssebugwawo (Rubaga), Emmanuel Sserunjogi (Kawempe) and Charles Musoke Sserunjogi (Kampala Central). These five Divisions Mayors seems to not have any powers, just the way the Lord Mayor feels and feels overruled by the Executive Director of KCCA and the Cabinet Minister. So when you have Three leaders over you and you are supposed to run it isn’t much left. Not like Dr. Jennifer Musisi is interested in giving way to Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, why should she give ways to authority’s legal and operative management of Kampala to the elected leaders in the Divisions?

This is a “House of Cards” for the Authorities as the divided and unsecure placement of the different government bodies and institutions, the Local Councilor’s in the Divisions must have less to do when even their Mayors are complaining about their ability to authorities anything in their constituency as Mayors. When already Lord Mayor has complained about his position and his role in the hierarchy of Kampala; how wouldn’t anybody under him feel?

The system is set-up for the fixed unelected men and woman of KCCA to overrule the Divisions and City Hall as the Chief Executive Musisi can just sweet talk with the Cabinet Minister Kamya as she did with Hon. Frank Tumwebaze. So for her it is nothing new and the Institutions are there, but the how operative are they really, that should be questioned and secondly; which ones does the President wish to work? Because he wants to silence the Opposition of Kampala and make them look bad. So they might picks his leaders instead of their own. Peace.

Opinion: A little rant to the long serving Presidents out there; I had too after the NBS TV Uganda 100 days since M7 stole the Election BS recently…

M7 100 Days

With the NBS TV Uganda who wanted to ask President Museveni how he felt after his first 100 days into his 5th official term… how he felt of his achievements as Executive after a hundred days we’re the journalist questions to the man who have ruled since 1986. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has run the Ugandan Republic for over 10950 days! So the question was blurred out and surely lost sight of the reality of their long serving Executive.

The same can be said with President Robert Mugabe who is heated and demonstrated against in Zimbabwe. In a country with fiscal economic issues and loss of agricultural output together with weaken production as the El Nino has hurt the economy more. Together with rampant corruption and a Zanu-PF Elite who are more concern with their luxurious vehicles in Harare than the empty stomachs of the poor working class. This happens while the Police are brutalizing the demonstrators and the ones speaking against the government are either harassed or detained. Even hurt so they end up at the Hospital. So the dire oblivion for the economic landscape as the tension between the citizens and draconian state will not dissolve overnight.

Hon. Kemi Adeosun said this on the 18th August: “The Economy is challenged and people are extremely frustrated, and we need to rebuild fundamentality. We need to prioritize… We need to realize that with the collapse of commodity prices. We don’t have enough  foreign exchange to buy as many imported goods as we like to, so when there is import substitution, we must embrace it”.

Zim Ministry of Information

When the Financial Minister says this as the Opposition are harassed and the public is silence and more draconian laws like Cyber Crime laws coming in Parliament. Show’s the ability of Zimbabwean regime wishes to push laws to silence social media and other dissidents as the policies and the regulations of Zanu-PF haven’t born fruits. This has to be hurtful for the President who has had years upon years to build, instead has skimmed money for himself and his elite.

Therefore with the knowledge of President Museveni (Sudan), President Deby (Chad), President Dos Santos (Angola) , President Nkurunziza (Burundi) , President Kagame (Rwanda), President Kabila (DRC), President Bashir (Sudan), President Afewerki (Eritrea), President Guelleh (Djibouti) and President Mugabe (Zimbabwe) has all been sitting a long time and has nothing new to show (and surely I could given some honourable mentions that I haven’t said). They can’t and they are not hungry to deliver. If they deliver or does anything profound it would be by rare luck or a new cash-cow for their elites and the political affiliates.

It is a reason why the Members of Parliament are greedy, why the corrupt behavior is happening and why the transparency is so low. The Executives who runs for life and runs for decades upon decades wish to run the game without question. That is their wish and their ways of assembling the needed riches for themselves.

NRM Oyee! 09.04.2016

President Museveni might drop by district and deliver some equipment and check of a few million shillings, but the depleted hospitals and schools isn’t built on wink and nudge from the master. While the inflation and the unstable currency doesn’t make the investors safe to have a haven of business in Uganda. This together with everything is connected to the President and his entourage as the family of Museveni is connected to all kind of business and agreements. Land is being delivered to the Elite or Financial backers, while locals and Internal Displaced Persons are living decades-on in camps. So the Museveni cannot drop a new sense of accountability as the walking budget isn’t promising anything new or creating a solid foundation now as that is not in his interest.

The interest of these long serving leaders isn’t to have strong institutions; they want them weak and keep people loyal around them. The Electorate and Citizens are not really important they are only important when they are pawns useful to trade aid or trade agreements of government loans to secure fiscal funding of the Financial Year and the Budget.  

These long serving leaders have control over foreign exchange, central banks and also the businesses that are vital for export commodities so that they can earn money on the hard work of the citizens as they do what they can to survive and live basic on the mercy of these political leaders. This happens years upon end… without question and with the powers of controlling the heads of the Military and Police so they can silence the population. Therefore the worst crimes aren’t murders or stealing under these dictatorships. The worst crime and worst offence is to offend and counter-claim the legitimacy of the Executive. Parts of that is also to solidify popular support of the public and therefore needs to be detained and charged with amazing amounts affidavits and draconian laws to determine the fate of the opposition by any means.

So this is the profile of the fellow Presidents, they are doing it in their own way, but the key of results is this: keep themselves in Power and secure the government funds together with business in the Nation for their loyalist and the people that the President can trust.

swiss leaks africa accounts

Since they cannot win the popular ballots as some of them could have in their first elections and ballots as they might have liberated the Nation or even gotten rid of former dictators or the fantastically corrupt who used the army and economy themselves to build palaces and get more government funds into Swiss Bank Accounts than amounts of sheep on New Zealand. The Presidents and their elites are in recent elections either using fear, armies to disrupt and silence opposition; if that doesn’t work ballot-stuffing, pre-ticked ballots and even stop the counting and fix the result for the Ruling Regime. So that the “legitimate” government is still there and with their “elected” men and woman even if the Electorate meant differently. That has happen again and again. The Presidents uses elections as big-caving events and periods to finally buy loyalty of local communities and give pledges that they have never plans to achieve as they keep the district in dire poverty to secure the aid and donor funds. While having ability to skim the funds and take the taxpayer’s money as the accountability doesn’t matter as much as the personal relationship between the Elite on the top. So when the President passes by the impoverished district he would drop some shillings and pay the community leaders with a new car or big brown envelope.

Why do we accept these men to run these ruthless games and when is this supposed to end?

When will the public and citizens be respected?

What do you think about my opinions, does they fit the bill?

Do you have any answers as I was just ranting again today! Peace.

RDC: Soutien a la Declaration du “Rassemblement” et appel a la Journee ville morte du 23 Aout 2016 (22.08.2016)

RDC Rassemble 22.08.2016