United Kingdom: Sir Keir Stramer MP letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson (13.05.2020)

United Kingdom: PM Boris Johnson letter to Sir Keir Stramer MP (13.05.2020)

Opinion: Johnson’s train-wreck address

“Is ours a government of the people, by the people, for the people, or a kakistocracy rather, for the benefit of knaves at the cost of fools?”Thomas Love Peacock

Yesterday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Tried to give solitude or enlighten the masses. We can say that ship sailed and the ship got lost in the storm. In the hours after, there been weird things happening. While newspapers was profession beautiful headlines of a positive future. While, the “Stay Alert” memo didn’t catch the deer’s in the headlights.

The PM could have chose another avenue and another way of addressing the measures. He could have done a proper job and actually been coherent in-front of the public. A man who said “Brexit is Brexit” and no “if’s and but’s” clearly couldn’t manage to spell it out. Only create more uncertainty.

Like my favourite from yesterday:

So work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home” (Johnson, 10.05.2020).

It’s like saying,f please be fish in water, but if you can’t try to swim on land. Fish on land is usually dying. It is not like the government are giving water in bags like to Goldfishes. They are just sending the masses out blindly after months of uncertainty. While UK has the worst statistics in concern to COVID-19. They have beaten Italy, but only United States beat them now. That is because both governments are wacky and incompetent. The UK haven’t done their mission or sufficient

We have made fast progress on testing – but there is so much more to do now, and we can. When this began, we hadn’t seen this disease before, and we didn’t fully understand its effects” (Johnson, 10.05.2020).

Well, there wasn’t fast progress it was stagnated and lacked work on it. It has been revamped of late. However, the promises of the amount of testing has never really been met in time. Neither, the amount of PPE or other equipment. Your were self in trouble and in treatment when the state was lacking and lack-luster work on helping the NMS. So, we cannot blame you there. But, the government was warned and you skipped COBRA meetings with warnings in January. So, PM you could have done more, but you didn’t take it serious.

You do now, that your have been infected yourself and that’s fine. Well, I wish nobody to get this, but you should not brag about the work when it’s not true.

Because although we have a plan, it is a conditional plan” (Johnson, 10.05.2020).

Well, I know that the day after a page plan was released, but that is hours after this speech. The “Stay Alert”, the mixed messages to the press isn’t any good. The PM should have had streamlined the operation and information. That is why all the confusion.

They might had it in the bag yesterday, but the speech never proven it. The PM didn’t secure that… The UK and HM government now have to back-peddle and also ensure a coherent message coming across. That should be difficult for the ones governing. However, in London that is hectic, they neither talking directly to Northern Ireland, Scotland nor Wales.

London is calling. PM needs to be consistent. That should be expected, but in the midsts of the pandemic. Its maybe to much to ask. Peace.

Opinion: Don’t let Mzee pimp a second round of debt relief

Back in the day, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the end of the 1990s the World Bank let the Republic of Uganda the opportunity to join their Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) to cut the debt of the Republic. However, even with the massive amount of debt relief done in 1998 and later never stopped him from taking up more debt.

That is why the amount of interests paid on every single budget is debt burden, which is created by the President himself and his extensive cronyism. The President has ensured that the state owns so much money, while he stills continues the drill by financing half of it by more debt. Which has been method the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and Mzee has used in the recent years.

That is why such a big amount of funds is going into interest payments. Also, why the Republic are going in a negative spiral, while the lack of domestic revenue isn’t following the projections of growth that the state always promises.

With the knowledge of this, as the President is asking for a debt relief now. His using the Coronavirus or COVID-19. The whole world are into a recession because of this. It is the perfect smokescreen. The President had the 2000s and 2010s to fix issues, but instead the plunge the economy anyway. He just need an excuse for a bailout.

Last time it was Universal Primary Education, a empty campaign promise and now there are plenty of dilapidated schools. They played and tried to focus on it, but gave it up along the way. Because, doing this properly would actually cost time and effort. The President and his big convoy would actually have invested more, than they wanted too. More promising spending on proxy-wars, than on proper education for everyone.

So, knowing that the Multi-National Organizations, Bretton-Woods Organizations and donors gave way to the Uganda in between the late 1990s and early 2000s. They offered billions in various of schemes, not only HPIC and Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). This has been done already and still the state is bound by loans and grants to function its government. Therefore, the bullet of debt relief has been wasted.

The amount of US Dollars spent on the debt relief earlier in the reign of Museveni. The Head of State has misused this in the past. Not like he will change now. He has used the system to pimp his budgets and his wealth. His enriched himself and his cronies. While the Republic is still poor and the revenue isn’t growing like the economic recovery of the 1990s said it should have done. If the cure of the past would have worked, than the need for debt relief now would be unnecessary.

In 2020, the Republic shouldn’t get debt relief. It will be only spoils for the elites and the cronies around the President. It will be used buying tear-gas and SUVs. The WaBenzi will eat the spoils and only give away beans to the ones in need.

That Museveni says the continent needs debt relief. He means that himself needs it now. Even if his a wealthy guy in an impoverished republic. A republic he has run for three decades. Which already got special treatment and had a controlled Consultative Group. So, its not like this man hasn’t pimped the system already. He has tricked it and promised to juice up vehicle, but instead continue to run it to the ground. Hoping he could trick some new leaders to do the same mistake. Trusting him and his “high above” leadership.

They already spent millions of dollars to cut of the debt of the Republic under his control. The leadership is the same and they will misuse this if they get it again. When he had the opportunity to use it the last time. He instead wasted it and has ensured the state is more addicted to loans. That is why he hopes someone else can bail him out. While his paying ghosts, fake tenders and whatnot.

So, the IMF and World Bank should know this, but they are maybe more afraid of their image, than the result of letting go of some funds. These funds will not help anyone directly out. Only ensure the President longer life in office. This will not help the ones in need. Than he would have already ensured that. Instead his continuing this ballad and serenading the international community. While he hopes that no one knows history.

He has failed the last debt-relief and misused his chance. That is why his continued to grow the debt, addicted to grants and not created a space for more development. Unless, they give the President some handshakes at the State House. This is the way it goes.

The President of the Republic has had all the time since 1986 and we are still here. There are still opposition Members of Parliament who are tortured, there are still lack of free space and militarization of politics. That has never changed, but he hopes nobody notice. That is why he hopes he can pimp the International Community another time. He already did the trick and hope he can get them buzzed by a few buzzwords.

I know for some this is a moment of nostalgia, but for some its deja vu’. We have been here before and we shouldn’t need to repeat the same bad tune, again and again. However, I expect nobody to listen to me. Peace.

RDC: Le Congo – Dossier 100 Jours : La campagne le «Congo n’est pas a vendre» appelle les autorities tant politiques que Judicaires a laisser les juges travailler en toute independance (27.04.2020)

A Quarantine Memo Part II (26.04.2020)

It’s about that time…

Well, we have gotten this far and still we’re far from over. If you think the sacrifice, the estimated time sitting on your coach revisiting movie classics, reading dusty books and dodging burnt bridges on Social Media will save your ass. Well, this hurdle will take more than that. Even you got more knowledge of binge watching, new shows and seen some low-budget TV shows made in their homes. Still, no reason to zappy. We are here for a reason, it is the COVID-19 season.

I have been in home-office since mid-March 2020 and will be too mid-June 2020. So, my time with this … is sort of only beginning. Washing my hands, social distancing and not seeing my colleges in the flesh, except on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. That is the life now. Nothing to blame, just life I guess. Just like, because of advice from authorities and the state. I’m not taking public transport. Only done it like two-three times over the last month to have a breather to the near mall. To also buy more needed gear to the home, than what I get at the local grocery.

Well, if your thinking I’m complaining. No, I am not. I’m just expressing my lifestyle. As I make the dinners for the wife, as she’s working in the store and I’m at home anyway. So, it feels like my duty to make the home shiny, as best to my ability. Therefore mixing between answering emails, calls and writing things for work. While washing dishes, cleaning floors and dusting. Also, thinking of what to make for dinner. It is life these days.

This quarantine has made life different. Reading the steady stats, seeing the curves. Seeing the amount of fatalities, the discredited groups of people taking up arms and battling the disease. The ones who are on the front-line now, but are not properly compensated. While the bailouts goes to the rich CEOs and the ones skimming the profits in non-crisis.

Well…

Some things never change, the richer get richer, while the peasants stays the pawns on the chess-set. The first ones to send in the battle and the first ones to sacrifice. That is just way it is. We are seeing industries are failing across the board. This because of the lockdowns, not only hotels, tourist hot-spots and whatnot. No, farmers are hurt, their produce is not getting sold. Oil is worthless, airlines broken down and so-on.

We don’t know how things will be post-COVID19, but know that the hardships isn’t over. After the shut-down, the lock-down and closure. The revamping systems, the needed stimulus and new features from the states is needed. Not more austerity, structural adjustment programs and whatnot. That will create more destruction, privatizations will only cuss out more funds from the states, instead of making real deep development. We should know this, but the politicians might trade away today with promises of changes in future. If not they are getting a cut, to cut and stifle the public. That is not new either, but they will rename a run-down car and say its like a 2021 Caddy fresh out the factory. We know the car doesn’t smell new or the engine is pumped. It just missing the ability to get the rain through the windows and clunky sounds from the doors. So, don’t try to sell us this.

This is just what I am thinking, as I am stuck in my home. Working, living and getting by. I am lucky to be in this position. I am blessed and I know it. However, we still need to question the powers to be. As much as we can. Peace.

United Kingdom: Foreign and Commonwealth Office – EU Ventilator Procurement Scheme (21.04.2020)

Transparency International – Kenya: Act on Bribery Incidents in the Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures (15.04.2020)

Uganda: Press Statment on the Food Distribution in Kampala (15.04.2020)

Opinion: The ones running rackets will not save you…

One thing is for certain. If you elect gangsters, they will make their office into racket. It is just a matter of time. Their leadership, their model and their ways will exposes by a crisis like COVID-19. The Coronavirus will show the weakness and expose the realities.

The Administration, the government will show its true face. If it is sincere, if they have policies or even if they damn care about you, the citizens. However, if you elected a gangster or accepted that they rigged themselves into office. Than, expect the worse.

Because, normally, they will issue some tenders and take some kickbacks, juice up the prices, make fake shell-companies and secure the patronage money from the state coffers. Usually, that hurts the institutions, the government and the budgets. But it doesn’t change much on the ground. As some of the services, some of the procurements are good, but that are drip drops on a faulty system anyway. There are some roads built, some maintained, but a lot to give. That is why development projects, infrastructure projects sky-rocket in price and costs, also prolonged by the gangsters who need their cut.

However, in a COVID-19 crisis, a pandemic this doesn’t work. Their years of neglect and phony contracts cannot sustain the damage, the hurt and the pain. It is occurrent and they cannot forge the paperwork. They rewrite deaths and positive tests of people, but somewhere along the line, there will be mysterious deaths. Secondly, the Hospitals, the ICU beds and ventilators cannot be faked.

Their racket, the racketeering cannot save you. Not that they sheltered the public. Not like the previous rackets or tricks of trade made a big change, but it was a make belief and rouse. It tricked the paper-tigers and surely sold a lot donors. However, the dire poverty is still as rampant. The lack of social security net and welfare state is evident. The heads of state who used their position as a racket is exposed. Their years of neglect and lack of care is now official news.

These folks, these gangster will not save you now. They will only postpone and try to salvage their hurt. They want to secure their vaults and their wealth. If they do things, its only to secure their empires and their vast resources. They will dispose those on the public, neither will they dole the public with massive gifts nor invests properly in the failing Ministry of Health. No, they will await the donors, the Multi-National Organizations, United Nations and whoever who is seeing the tragedy and hope their dime can change the equation. Even if they have dollars upon dollars stored away in unnamed bank-account in Switzerland. Because, that is what they do.

Don’t expect Gangster to save you. They are in it for the nickels and dime. By the hook or by the crook. Anything can become a racket, they just need to find the loophole and the ability to trick the situation. Don’t expect them to save you and yours. They will only patch the hurt if it benefit them in the long-run and you will repay their loyalty. If not, you will be forgotten or not mentioned. You toils, you pain, your suffering doesn’t count, because there is nothing you can repay the favour with.

That is how this is. The game is rigged, you were not expected to play, but you will still loose. It’s just like Casinos. The House cannot loose. The Gangster cannot loose either. The mobster will win. It is just a matter of time. The public will cry, the pain will be real and the death will be on the street. Don’t expect the gangster to mourn, except when the men of honour dies. Than, he will salute and shed a tear for the public. That is only a facade, as long as he reigns supreme. Peace.