Brexit: Barrister’s Briefing Note – The Revised Political Declaration (17.10.2019)

RSA: EFF Statement on Collapse of Eskom and Load-Shedding (17.10.2019)

Brexit: Statement from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – 17th October 2019

 

Brexit; President Juncker letter to President Tusk (17.10.2019)

Opinion: Sankara’s warning on the odious debt lent to the continent… is relevant today

Sometimes we need an reminder, that some powers and some states doesn’t come with the best intentions or with a real helping hand. If it is the famous white elephants or the other giant aid initiatives that doesn’t amount to anything. However, what is now at stake is for instance a lot African states and their loans to China. The Chinese has collateral in either ports, state owned enterprises or ability to directly extract the needed resources the current state with huge loans has. This is their trap and Sankara warned about this, just like the French, British and Americans has done in the past too. Nothing new under the sun, just new methods to get ahead.

What I am quoting is a speech done to the OAU in 1987, just a few months before his assassination. Therefore, the words and warnings seems more important. As in our time, the leaders of today is recycling the ills of the past. They are doing it out of greed and in the end, the people and the citizens will suffer. Not the multi-national corporations, not the state itself, but the public whose disregarded and have to reinvent money.

The wise words of Sankara:

We believe analysis of the debt should begin with its roots. The roots of the debt go back to the beginning of colonialism. Those who lent us the money were those who colonized us. They were the same people who ran our states and our economies. It was the colonizers who put Africa into debt to the financiers—their brothers and cousins. This debt has nothing to do with us. That’s why we cannot pay for it. The debt is another form of neocolonialism, one in which the colonialists have transformed themselves into technical assistants. Actually, it would be more accurate to say technical assassins. They’re the ones who advised us on sources of financing, on underwriters of loans. As if there were men whose loans are enough to create development in other people’s countries. These underwriters were recommended to us, suggested to us. They gave us enticing financial documents and presentations. We took on loans of fifty years, sixty years, and even longer. That is, we were led to commit our peoples for fifty years and more. The debt in its present form is a cleverly organized reconquest of Africa under which our growth and development are regulated by stages an norms totally alien to us. It is a reconquest that turns each of us into a financial slave—or just plain slave—of those who had the opportunity, the craftiness, the deceitfulness to invest funds in our countries that we are obliged to repay. Some tell us to pay the debt. This is not a moral question. Paying or not paying is not a question of so-called honor at all” (Thomas Sankara – Speech given at the African Unity Organisation Conference, Addis Ababa, July 29, 1987).

Let us not forgot the lessons of the past, as we in the present is continuing a cycle of recycling debt, growing debt and cycles of repayment schemes, which will only make the next generation suffer. If not, when the grace period hits and the state doesn’t have a big enough tax-base or revenue. It defaults and has to give away extraction licenses, state owned enterprises and other vital transport infrastructure like ports and airports. Because, that what is happening.

This is happening in our time. The world is looking, but nothing is getting done. Peace.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe: Clarification of Administration of Nostro Accounts and Cash Withdrawals (11.10.2019)

Zimbabwe: No remedies found to solve the hyperinflation!

Hyper-inflation has the Republic of Zimbabwe by its neck. Where the salaries cannot keep up with the prices on basic goods. Neither, can the salaries cope with the prices on electricity or fuel. While, the Republic is soon starving, water-crisis hitting major cities, doctor-strikes and teacher-strikes. There isn’t any good news on the horizon.

Unless, your reading the Herald. Than the Finance Minister again promise a better next year and better financial situation. Without any proof or guidance of it. The RTGS Dollar is devalued, the lack of foreign exchange has hit the markets and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe seems to has lost all touch with reality.

The inflation rate has sky-rocketed into the highest heavens and making costs a living hell. There is no lie in that, unless you have eaten funds of Command Agriculture, than your golden and got enough funds to get-by.

Still, the remedies, the policies and the acts of the state hasn’t stagnated the inflation. Neither, has their decisions with in concern of ECOCASH or others. There are nothing proving to be working and the rates are not going down.

The ZANU-PF control of the finances, the economic stimulus or whatever it is doing; its not working at all. There are no proof or no signal. No smoke and no fire, just a waterfall of a massive crack of devalued currencies.

At this very moment. The rates cannot get worse. At this very moment, the hurt, the pain and issues remain. That the public cannot keep up with the rates and prices, the idea of self-sufficient isn’t there.

The government and institutions can lie, like they do in the Herald. But that will not solve anything. The margins of error is already to big and the relief is non-existent, even if the President can be vagabond and globe-trotter, while his state is suffering.

Well, enough of this. Zimbabwe deserves better. The lack of trust and lack of ideals to solve this conundrum is evident. The magicians behind the scenes cannot get rid of this rabbit. Even if they by a hat abroad. They cannot put a scarf on it and patch the hurt. It needs more love than that. Peace.

Opinion: The inventor of the Presidential Handshake is incorruptible, apparently?

Do not be corrupt. Do not agree to take a bribe. I have never taken or accepted a bribe from anyone”Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the National Prayer Breakfast (08.10.2019).

The man that has been known for having international investors at his state house before accepting the deals. The man whose accepted the Presidential Handshake as a pay-off for his civil servants. The President who was entangled together with his Foreign Minister in bribe and money laundering scheme landing the Chinese National Patrick Ho, 3 years in prison in the United States.

Suddenly, his a blessed man, whose never been bribed or accepted bribes. I have a hard time believing that. As all micro-managed infrastructure deals, all sorts of agreements are done with him in the picture. He decides if a developer, if a contractor gets their way. The President is connected and somewhere will get a kick-back. To think otherwise is naive.

That President Museveni thinks people are this stupid in the year of 2019. Is very special, it is unique and deliberate lying. A commandment that isn’t important to him, neither is the one about thieving either. Both of them has been done steady in years in office.

Maybe, the NRM and the President should look into their own cadres, should look into the High Command and the National Executive Committee. To see whose is who. This man cannot consider being serious or meaning the words coming out his mouth. Before looking at how he came out of poverty in the bush-war to be one of the richest on the continent three decades later. This being done, while having a don-ditto salary as President, but still eating more than plenty ministries every budget year.

Well, to say it easy this is non-sense. Wonderful and colourful words, which is common-sense. However, his actions over the years combined with the open knowledge. Make it sounds like the wrong person said it. That is it.

Mr. President maybe not accept handshakes, inside-deals and whatnot on your clock. Because, we know they do. Peace.

Brexit: Lib-Dems – Government grovelling over food standards to try and secure US trade deal (07.10.2019)

Bank of Uganda: Monetary Policy Statement for October 2019 (07.10.2019)