South Sudan: Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, 2011 (as Amended) Bill, 2018 (29.06.2018)

South Sudan: Agreement on Outstanding Issues of Responsibility Sharing (05.07.2018)

 

 

Sudan & South Sudan – Joint Communique (26.06.2018)

Jubaland State of Somalia Monthly Security Council Meeting, Kismayo 2nd July 2018: “Re: Submission of Serious Concerns” (02.07.2018)

Social Media Tax: Museveni at this point of time, where wisdom dies!

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”- Frédéric Bastiat

There are sometimes I wonder, not even a narrow escape of willingness to be humiliated or say, that you know nothing about the subject or feel that your out of your bounds. However, that is never the case for this President, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is defending the Mobile Money Tax and Social Media Tax. Like it is the gift of heaven. I have taken the two most notable quotes, because it really shows his intent. He really wants to silence people and not let them communicate in the modern era. In Uganda it is time to buy beepers, send wires and hope to God the Pigeon get back on time. Because, the President says anyone speaking or enjoying himself or herself on Social is Malicious.

“Therefore, some of us, myself included, either earn the dollars or save the dollars by producing products instead of importing them, but some of our countrymen donate those dollars back to the foreigners by chatting endlessly on the social media. Is this correct or fair? Is it good for our country? Mobile money transfer is, of course, different from the social media chatting. Social media chatting is a luxury by those who are enjoying themselves or those who are malicious” (Museveni, 2018).

That he calls that a luxury now is insulting, as this is means of communicating in the 21st Century. Maybe, just maybe, it is time for him to rear his cows and leave the seat for someone else. Because, this is just too foolish. If he thinks he has a sound mind and clear assessment, this isn’t it.

If he wants things to the public, if he want good credit and use of public space in this era. You use social media to gain attention. That is why even the most notable figures are on Social Media realising their content online. That is why the TV stations are on Youtube and other place, to gain interests and show their style to the world. If that is malicious, maybe, he himself should shut-up, as he has no trouble calling people our as vermin and insects. That is the insulting part, he has the mouth of degraded farmer and not a statesman. So it is not like the President himself carries no MALICE!

“As to social- media tax, all the moral reasons are in favour of that tax. The social – media users have no right to squander the dollars I earn from my coffee , my milk etc by endlessly donating money to foreign telephone Companies through chatting or even lying and, then, they are allergic to even a modest contribution to their country whose collective wealth they are misusing” (Musveni, 2018).

Moral reasons? Not just merely getting more funds to spoil yourself and your kind? Really? That is the reason, the reason for the new taxes, so that the State House can spend more and use more of the wealth on foreign travels, expensive food and whatnot. A state that indulge the MPs and State Officials, mushrooms the cronyism, not to forget the corrupt behaviour of high-ranking officials. All of these will get a cut of these taxes. It is not like it will go to roads or hospitals. They are depleted as they is and the MPs are getting more perks and bigger houses by the day. So don’t speak of your coffee and milk, your milking the system so hard, if it was a cow. The cow wouldn’t be breathing because of the pressure to produce more milk in time.

It is your state that has given the Foreign Companies license to have Telecommunications, and they are offering these services. Your are already taxing the airtime and data-bundles, the profits and the other VAT and such. So it is not like the consumers aren’t paying taxes on the spending on the Cellphones and the services included. However, you are not targeting the Telecoms, but your targeting the people. You have the same excuse as Minister for ICT. I understand that stupid arguments runs from the top in this government. It is very visible. The paywall is for the consumer and not for the company. That is what this tax is doing; it is shielding the consumer from using, unless they pay the tax.

What sort of moral obligation does the consumer who pays all the taxes for the services to be taxed double, because the state doesn’t have the heart or the ability to tax the Telecoms properly? Aye? Tell me, please? Your royal highness?

It is time to get out of your village mentality and get back to real world. Apparently, no one has had the ability to tell you so. Nevertheless, if you would consider, the Social Media would be a good tool to get tourist, even get more foreign investors to grab land. So that you can take the benefits and the land from the people, as you usually do. They can see the beautiful hunting grounds or fertile land, and you can give it away, because people are posting the scenery and nature of Uganda. However, that will be pointless and costly now, because of you. That will only be for the ones with key interests of doing so. Peace.

Reference:

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – ‘Why government is taxing social media – Museveni’ (04.07.2018)

Human Rights council discusses situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (05.07.2018)

The committee appealed to government, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and community organisations to join hands against this scourge that is plaguing our society.

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 5, 2018 – The committee was made aware of the weaknesses and strengths within Sapo and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) before this process was implemented. Because weaknesses in the implementation of the payment process are now becoming manifest, the committee wants to revisit the roadmap that Sapo presented to the committee and to hear about the progress Sapo has made in its checklist for disbursements.

Such weaknesses include, among other things, long queues, stampedes in post offices, the inability of staff to cope with large numbers of people and the unavailability of enough cash in most areas. This is why the committee wants to understand how far both entities are in working together to ensure that grants are disseminated successfully in future.

The committee has also urged Sassa to improve the way it communicates with South Africans and to do so timeously, particularly when challenges are anticipated. The committee urges Sassa to ensure that frontline staff dealing directly with the public are kind and courteous.

The committee also believes that Sassa should consider alternative ways of using a pin number to access the social grants. It has transpired through provincial reports that a lot of grant beneficiaries, particularly the elderly, easily forget their pin numbers and there was no support system, as had been promised before implementation.

The scourge of sexual assault on children was also before the committee at today’s meeting. Some of the Chapter 9 institutions attending the meeting suggested that poor coordination is failing these vulnerable groups. The committee resolved to ask the Minister of Social Development to take up the matter with the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Leader of Government Business. This serious social challenge requires a response from government, particularly from within the Department of Social Development, which should champion this response.

The committee also sent sincere condolences to all families whose loved ones passed away as a result of a sexual assault. The committee appealed to government, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and community organisations to join hands against this scourge that is plaguing our society.

EFF statement on unacceptable glitches in Payment of Social Grants (05.07.2018)

URA: Excise Duty Amendments for Telecommunications for FY 2018/2019 (04.07.2018)

SPLM-IO: On the South Sudan Proposed Bill to Extend President’s Term (04.07.2018)

Zimbabwe: Press Conference on the Role of the ZDF during the 2018 Harmonised Elections (04.07.2018)