Opinion: Mzee, the nation doesn’t need national addresses, but needs action and emergency legislation

Yesterday, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni held his fourth national address. Instead of actually putting in legal measures for the state. Instead of building packages of funds for the Ministry of Health or any other part of the economy. He instead told about needed changes in action from the citizens.

The President could have started in investing in water-security for all parts of the country. So, that the people can actually wash their hand in clean water. This has been done by municipalities and the National Water & Sewage Company (NWSC). Also, been done by NGOs and Multi-National Organization who has provided this to the grander public. Even in elections, the President is always proud of opening wells in Northern Uganda. Maybe, time to secure more safe zones for this and swiftly?

It’s kind of hard to be sanitary if the public is lacking toilets and steady washing, so they can actually do what everyone asks for them to do. The same with the steady black-outs of electricity. The UMEME could ensure that most people whose connected stay with the electricity for the moment. Stop the loadshedding and pain this does.

There already been questions to why the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) haven’t been paying out partial payouts to their members. This is yet another proof, that there is a dire need of legislation. Where the MPs and others connect and find ways to adapt and secure the citizens their needs.

They need to set-up structures, funds and legislation, which will cover the basis. Where the public is safeguarded and has regulations, to follow guidelines and righteous in this trying times. Instead, the speeches and national addresses are just micro-managing without any considerable actions made. There is no relief telling people to use bikes. Like that solves the underlying issues of the state?

Yes, the one-meter rule is a fine proposal, but as long as the Taxi Park is running, as long as the markets are open and people do their normal bidding. The citizens and grander public will be exposed to the disease, whether they like it or not. That is why there is viral clips of people falling in the streets and left behind. These ordinary people who cannot afford or not have the ability to get treatment. Just left behind, because the state cannot support them or have the capacity to help them.

That is why these national addresses is useless. There is no intent, no direct real actions to help people. It is just lectures and pressers. The President should do more than talk. Talking isn’t solving this. The COVID-19 or Coronavirus isn’t beaten by shadow-matches, but by clear direct actions of isolation and protection of each individual citizen. Which by the state of affairs isn’t made. There are some measures, but they are not digging deep.

If the President wants to be serious. He shows up in Parliament with legislation and with care-package for the parts of government, business and health care, which needs dire help and FAST. There is no time to loose, but by every minute, the President is loosing someone. He should care, he should act, but seemingly he prefers the TV camera over direct action. This cannot be solved by using the UPDF or sending the Special Force Command to burn down a house. What is needed here is a big change and it cost.

We just wonder, if he got it in him or not. Peace.

Zimbabwe: Press Statement by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet on the Appointment of Chief Executive Officer of Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) – (24.03.2020)

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Botswana: Operating Times for Liquor Outlets in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic (21.03.2020)

Central Bank of Kenya: Emergency Measures to Mitigate the Adverse Economic Effects on Bank Borrowers from the Coronavirus Pandemic (18.03.2020)

Opinion: Prof. Niazi could sell limited edition filters, but not a coronavirus spray…

A man whose become the talk of the town is suddenly Sarfaraz Niazi, whose an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois, at the College of Pharmacy. He was posing yesterday with Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and President Yoweri Kaguta Musveni. It looked like a scheme from the get-go. The whole sudden magical potion to fix the Corona Virus (COVID19). Well, I have doubt that sort of spray will play out well. When the official stance is cleaning your hands with soap and use antibacterial things too. Therefore, seems like a ploy to trick people in the midst of a worldwide crises.

Just briefly looking into Niazi, I found that he has patents on stuff. His latest invention in 2011 was a “Gas scrubbed perfusion filter” and before that in the same year was “ Bioreactor exhaust”. These two patents he got by 2015 together with Therapeutic Proteins International LLC. None of these are connected to a spray and neither connected to the crisis we’re in now. As I looked further, he has nothing helping here. Unless the NSAIDs invention filled in 2005 and published in 2007. That helps the pain of the musculoskeletal pain. So, its not like he did it with that either. If not, he can always sell medical chewing gum, which he patented in 1987. This is just a few, but nothing mentioning spray, neither COVID19. That is why I am struggling to see this fella as a serious deal from the start.

News from yesterday:

Parliament was today holding a special sitting where the different ministries were presenting their ministerial policy statements. Kadaga while making her communication to MPs said the spray is expected to get on the market next week. She says that an American inventor and biologist, Prof Safaraz K. Niazi, was in Uganda over the weekend and donated the patent, free of charge to Uganda. Kadaga told the MPs during a debate on the coronavirus impact that there is hope and the treatment could start in Uganda” (URN – ‘Uganda to start producing coronavirus spray in 2 weeks – Kadaga’ 16.03.2020).

So, with the criticism in the start. When I looking into a little more… The company mentioned earlier, his the chairman and founder, it is based in Chicago, Illinois and was founded in 2003 and is still active. Maybe, the company in question for the spray. However, the company is known for this:

Therapeutic Proteins International, LLC. manufactures and markets bio-similar recombinant therapeutic proteins. Its portfolio of products includes small-dose cytokines, large-dose monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins, and in situ pegylation of difficult to conjugate molecules” (Crunchbase).

That is why I am super sceptical, that a guy making NSAIDs, filters and other devices actually has anything significant to sell. Unless, his just using his title and opportunity to sell hotcakes. Because, he doesn’t have this patent in the US, where his based and if he believed in it. It would have been on the patent site. Secondly, he would be hero, if he sold this at Wall-Mart.

However, he does suddenly out of nowhere show up in Uganda and selling a spray. Did, the authorities and the state organization do the research on the person? I didn’t even use long time to connect the dots. I didn’t know he existed before yesterday. Still, I could cough up this.

Use soap, hold yourself hygienic and a clean environment as possible. Crisis get people to act irrational and its natural. However, this here seems like cheap trick. Peace.

Zimbabwe: No remedies found to solve the hyperinflation! Part II

Mthuli Ncube has promised to move mountains. The Minister of Finance are supposed make such a vast difference and make everything back to normal. That is supposed to happen with all sorts of measures. If this being the Forex Market, restructuring policies of the RTGS Dollar or even the reissue of the Zimbabwe Dollar, instead of the US Dollarization of the currency market.

All of this haven’t helped it all. The other day, there was news of Currency Stabilization Force. However, that is sort of futile, when all other measures has been continuing the negative spiral. There are no remedy here, only PR stunts and magnificent words fitting for the Herald.

That is why this news today proves the problems at hand:

Zimbabwe resumes publishing year-on-year inflation data, with Zimstat today announcing an annualised rate of 540.16% for February 2020. Month-on-month inflation for February was 13.52%, 11.29 percentage points on the January rate of 2.23%” (newZWIRE, 16.03.2020).

These issues have been hit the Republic for over three years now. There been no remedies working. The Bond Notes wasn’t a hit, neither was the RTGS Dollars nor the taxation of the RTGS transfers. Neither been to reissue the Zimbabwe Dollar. There been measured ways to stream back US Dollars .

The state is clearly clueless wondering about and nitpicking, instead of looking at the root. Because, if it did. It would uncover treasures and most likely the skeletons, which is the reason for the failure to tame the dragon of inflation.

Ncube can only do this, if the public trust him and the regime he puts forward. However, there are no trust and there are belief that the state would do something that benefits the public. They are just awaiting another looting spree or get-rich-scheme from the authorities. This is why the failure is so imminent.

To get these sorts of numbers is a utter trapped situation with no redeeming quality what so ever. Ncube can promise a road to Heaven, but he has to pass through hell himself to get there. Instead, his deflecting the pain and micro-managing without any progress. Peace.

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Zimbabwe: Statement by Hon. Prof. Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance and Economic Development on Establishment of the Currency Stabilisation Task Force – Measures to Stabilise the Exchange Rate and Reduce Inflation (11.03.2020)