Opinion: The Repealing of the ECA of 1972 is a sign of a ‘No-Deal’

The British doesn’t like their government to care of their interest. The British are preoccupied with a government not shield the public, but saving their own careers. The Tories and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is busy-bodies, trying to sell a “No-Deal” as the offer and the gateway out of the European Union Membership. Without considering the implications or the costs of doing so.

PM Johnson is going for a train-crash and saying “jolly ho”. There is like a oblivious approach to the end-game of Brexit. It is like they think they can damage the partnership, the border-trade, the lack of protocol and the significance of becoming a third-country state towards the EU. There is no well planned aftermath, just damage-control. The damage-control in a sense of trying to spin the news and not tell the true hurt of the possible No-Deal.

The Operation Yellowhammer wasn’t a pipe-dream. It is the real affect of the No-Deal. The lack of procedure, preparedness or even delivery for the imports and exports of goods. Will ensure that the transfer of funds, the costs of living and the lack of checks, will in the make things harder. Because, the state and businesses are not ready for the 31st October 2019. Even if the state has had all the years plus the bonus given previous PM May. The Tories have squandered the time without offering any solace.

Look:

Speaking after signing the legislation that will crystallise in law the upcoming repeal of the ECA, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU Steve Barclay said: “This is a clear signal to the people of this country that there is no turning back – we are leaving the EU as promised on October 31, whatever the circumstances – delivering on the instructions given to us in 2016“ (…) “That is what we are doing by setting in motion that repeal. This is a landmark moment in taking back control of our laws from Brussels” (Department for Exiting the European Union – ‘Brexit Secretary signs order to scrap 1972 Brussels Act – ending all EU law in the UK’ 18.08.2019).

With that in mind, lets show one vital provision from the repealed law in question.

European Communities Act of 1972 Section 2:

(2) Subject to Schedule 2 to this Act, at any time after its passing Her Majesty may by Order in Council, and any designated Minister or department may [F2by order, rules, regulations or scheme] , make provision—

(a) for the purpose of implementing any [F3EU obligation] of the United Kingdom, or enabling any such obligation to be implemented, or of enabling any rights enjoyed or to be enjoyed by the United Kingdom under or by virtue of the Treaties to be exercised; or

(b) for the purpose of dealing with matters arising out of or related to any such obligation or rights or the coming into force, or the operation from time to time, of subsection (1) above”.

It is okay and within all common sense, that the Tories, the HM Government or the United Kingdom doesn’t want to directly comply or follow the legislation of Brussels past the membership of the EU. However, what they are doing is more significant in the ways. That instead of following the EU and their standards. The UK are planning to make it all on their own. Meaning, the EU standards and UK standards will differ; An in the end, the parties will have to find a way to find a middle-ground. Nevertheless, that will not be overnight, neither will the UK be able to overpower or get the 26 Member-states to follow a single outside unit. That is what will happen.

Instead of being another state who follows and who does as the legislators does in Brussels, which is made in tandem with all member-states. The UK will be an outside sovereign, who has to by no means to follow the EU. However, if they want to trade with the EU, like everyone else. They have to comply to their standards and the ideals of the free-trading paradigm it has set forth.

The repeal of this law is a clear sign, not a hogwash statement. But a proof of the intent and the sudden sign of a “no-deal” as the only remedy out. That means the lack of legislation and follow-up on the codes from Brussels. Will later make it harder for the trading partners, the exporters and also the ones doing financial transactions to comply with current legislation in the EU.

This means, they will be outsiders, who will not part-take in the statutes, legislation and codes made in the EU. Which is all natural, but by doing so, they will not get the perks as in the past. Even if the Tories sometimes sounds like they can both have cake and eat it. Peace.

Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn MP letter to Opposition MPs (14.08.2019)

Zimbabwe: ZHDA letter to Health Service Board – “Re: Notification of Countrywide Incapacitation of Medical Doctors” (14.08.2019)

Opinion: Cannot afford the implementation of R-ARCSS, but a Presidential Jet is cool!

The Finance and Economic Planning Committee of the National Legislative Assembly has proposed that South Sudan should buy a presidential jet to be used by the President, the vice-presidents and senior members of the executive” (…) “South Sudan spends millions of dollars in travel costs for government officials a year. Members of committee said purchasing a jet would curb travel expenditure from the office of the President. The committee added that purchasing a plane would also ensure the “security of the president” is not compromised” (The National Courier, 14.08.2019).

Somewhere along the lines of misuse of power, somewhere the misuse of funds and the lack of transparency bears fruit. Where the Presidential Decrees and total control looses value. In this instance, it is the total disregard of the public and their needs. As the basics are covered by donors, and donor funded organizations, while the state is living lavish on either aid or oil-money.

They are so heavy eating, that they have no trouble, even funnelling money through shady agreements, while crying havoc for the Peace Agreement. Because, no one want to be the bad man and stop that because of some lack of funds. No, everyone will step up for the sake of peace, even if the TGoNU have misused funds. Like buying a Presidential Jet, when the state cannot manage to build roads, schools or even implement the state functions according to the newest peace deal.

“With millions of dollars from oil revenues being funneled to Ashraf Al Cardinal, the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is in danger of collapse due to lack of funds. As provided for in the R-ARCSS implementation matrix, cantonment of opposition forces which was supposed to have started within 30 days has not begun due to lack of funds; the Joint Transitional Security Committee (JTSC), which is a critical component of security arrangements is struggling to even hold meetings and travels to proposed cantonment sites due to lack of funds; demilitarization of civilian centers and collection of weapons that was slated to have been completed within 45 days has not begun due to lack of funds; training for unified forces to serve in the national army, police , security service or protection of VIPs – again a critical prerequisite for the arrival of opposition leaders to Juba- has not begun due to lack of funds. The list is long and, by no means, inexhaustive and if this situation continues until May this year, the hopes of the people of South Sudan for peace will have been terribly dashed. The people have really been patient with their leaders, especially H.E President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who recently made a solemn public pledge to bring peace to his people at any cost. And to his credit, the President ordered his Cabinet over a month ago to allocate funds for the implementation of R-ARCSS. This was indeed a commendable move which gave the public a strong reason to hope that their Government was bent on mobilizing local rather than foreign resources to implement R-ARCSS. However, the public have now been surprised, shocked, disappointed and outraged to learn that the financial resources that are said to be unavailable for peace implementation – thereby saving lives of thousands of South Sudanese people- are now being readily and happily availed to one man called Ashraf Al Cardinal” (Peace Observatory Group – ‘R-ARCSS poised to collapse due to lack of funds and Ashraf Al Cardinal’ 10.03.2019).

President Salva Kiir Mayardit and the whole SPLM/A-IG have to be called out for this. The ones claiming to not have funds for peace, but funds for a plane. That is mismanagement at its core. Wastage of public funds and certainly, when its talk of peace and following up on old agreements. Agreements that isn’t that old and soon the deadline is over too.

The state could fix that and at a later junction, when it has spare funds start purchasing planes to the President. To ease his travels, but this is just foolish. The TGoNU and the SPLM/A-IG is mocking its citizens, which have no ability to get their basics delivered by the state. However, their President should live lavish and like a Executive with all the perks. Shouldn’t they just buy him a Gucci bag, Armani suits and Cubano cigars while they’re at it? Peace.

Brexit: Last month’s Chancellor of the Exchequer + 20 MPs letter to Prime Minister Johnson (12.08.2019)

[Disclaimer] 68% needs to wake up in the Republic, apparently!

“In order to produce something you need four things; land which is a natural resource, labour which we have in plenty, capital money and entrepreneurship, the spectacles to see where the opportunity is and turn it into profit. You can’t have 68% of the homesteads (eating what they produce) and you think you’re an economist. You’re just a total failure. Infant mortality rate, how many children are dying when they are still young? Why are they dying? Because they have problems, mainly because of problems of having no money. What does it mean that 68% of the homesteads are outside the money economy? We have a few modern farmers who are part of the 32% and other entrepreneurs. Those will continue but let us wake up this 68%.” Museveni said” (URN – ‘68% of Ugandans are poor because of sleeping – Museveni’ 12.08.2019).

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni have just ended his campaign and Wealth Creation Tour after a few months of steadily traveling across the Republic. In the final days of this he was a part of Investment Symposium 2019 in Arua.

What his saying isn’t new, he has used this message before, that the public is lazy, that they are not working hard enough. That they are not as hardworking and smart working like himself. Because, everyone should aim for being the photo-copy of the President. That is how you move ahead in the Republic.

That this is an insulting message from someone who had 33 years to make a difference. For someone who has had three decades to change the institutions, state owned enterprises and organisations run by state.

If the President really worked for this, strived to make the finances good and economy booming. He would have delivered that already. His party has reigned supreme, had the majority of Parliament, had a One-Party state for a decade as well. So, if someone should have the ability to get his vision through, it should have been him.

However, spoiler alert. His been working for himself and his wealth. Not the wealth of the public, his using the state as racket. That is why the state gets into debt, while himself and his family is running successful businesses. This is the mere reality, a reality he doesn’t touch. As well, as the open laisses faire approach, while only partial subsidizing whatever defunct enterprise that is in the wind.

President Museveni can put the blame on the public. If not he will blame the opposition, the lazy bureaucrats or anyone who doesn’t cut it. Because, that is something this man does. Right now he blames the majority of the public. However, he has had 33 years to wake them up and get into the economy. Still, its not like his succeeded or even tried, except with schemes that the Kitchen cabinet have earned funds from.

Therefore, maybe just maybe, Mr. President its your failure, its your lack of policy and will, which is the reason for the people sleepwalking to their inevitable death. You could have done something, but you didn’t, that’s the fact. Peace.

My 2 Cents: On Mzee’s final lecture from the OWC Tour!

Well, I am sure we should break down the whole speech, the whole history lesson and look into the madness, the repetitive and usage of facts that is President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2019. As the National Resistance Movement (NRM) had the Sole Candidate Endorsement trip across the republic. Since, he needed to show relevance, as his opposition is growing in strength, because of the tiredness of the captivity of the NRA/NRM leadership in the republic.

However, he still has to show relevance, by addressing the colonial time, Idi Amin and even his basic structures. Like he has never written or spoken about it before. It is time for this man to retire either to one of his farms as a cattle keeper or become a honorary history lecture at Makerere University. Because, that suits him more than governing at this point.

Nevertheless, let me drop a few snippets of his recent letter, before addressing it!

First Paragraph:

Therefore, the Ugandan economy is one of the fastest growing in the World on account of the NRA/UPDF ensuring peace, the NRM ensuring reconciliation and democratic empowerment of the Ugandans, the NRM ensuring macro-economic stability as well as the NRM ensuring some limited infrastructure rehabilitation and development. It would have grown faster if the 6th Parliament had not delayed the construction of Bujagali dam and if we did not have corrupt actors asking for bribes before delivering services or those corrupt officials doing shoddy jobs and inflating costs. The corruption issue, however, is a software issue and not a hardware one. Given our transparent democratic system, the corrupt always get exposed and, on account of our massive educational system, nobody is indispensable” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – ‘Comment on my just concluded wealth creation countrywide tour’ 06.08.2019).

Second Paragraph:

How do the 68% move forward, following the present campaign? My answer is that there are already four funds for Wealth and Job creation. These are: the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Fund; the Women Fund; the Youth Fund; the Micro-finance fund and the Innovation Fund. This is a total of Shs437.2bn. This money has been there every year, in some cases, even since the year 2001 as NAADS money. The complaints are now that, this money is given to the ones “who already have”. The have-nots do not get. It is the “haves” that access this support. This cannot be a big problem. The big issue is that the money is there. If the routes through which it is passing have a problem, then we shall get better routes” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – ‘Comment on my just concluded wealth creation countrywide tour’ 06.08.2019).

The President does what he does best. Complain about others and saying they are indispensable. But when is himself so indispensable himself? As everyone else can be changed but not himself? How about that, Mr. Sole Candidate since 1986?

Well, that was the cheap and easy shots at the President and his own reasoning. Let me dig a bit deeper. As when concerning Bujagali dam, the European Investment Bank and the EU didn’t want to invest in the dam. There was even sent a complain to the EIB in 2009, but the EU said the project didn’t meet its standard for substantial development goals in such investment project. Still, the government pushed for it and even needed refinancing of it 2017. Surely, the expensive project has been a prestige project for the President, while putting blame to other leaders. That is what he does, instead of questioning, why foreigners didn’t want to invest in it in the first place.

Lastly, the Ugandan version of democracy isn’t that democratic, as there is no level playing field. If your a true opposition you get pinned with charges and spend time in court, even tortured if your a true threat to the Presidency That is why, the rigging, voter tourism and pre-ticked ballots is a steady act of the democratic values of this regime. Therefore, if he believes in his words, his surely deluded.

The last part, which I won’t use much time on. But there has been a Parliament report on the OWC and the President haven’t followed any of the recommendation from it. Neither, has he ever criticised or critically said anything about Gen. Salim Selah. Well, his part of his family and his kin never does anything wrong. They are legends because of their bloodline. That is why everyone else is indispensable, but his own is not.

So, if the President was serious about changing the OWC, maybe he should look into how the OWC is run by Gen. Salim Selah. But don’t expect that. It is cardinal sin to ask for that.

Well, enough of this nonsense. Peace.

Zimbabwe: POTRAZ – Regulatory Circular Number 3 of 2019 – Regulatory Circular on Tariff Adjustments for Mobile and Fixed Public Switched Network Operators (08.08.2019)

132 Sub-Counties without Health Centres, that’s a sign of mismanaged priorities (!)

Map from 2016 and there has come some new districts that is not added on this one!

Rt. Hon. Speaker whereas the Ministry of Health policy is to have a functional Health Centre III in every Sub-county / Town Council / Division in a Municipality, the 2017 Master Health Facility List showed that there were 93 Sub-counties / Town Councils / Divisions without any health facility and with the creation of new administrative units the number has increased to 132” (Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng – ‘RE: MINISTERIAL RESPONSE TO THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA ON LACK OF HEALTH CENTRE IIIs IN ALL THE THREE DIVISIONS OF NEBBI MUNICIPALITY’ 06.08.2019).

Now its revealed in the statement of the Minister for Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng is deliberately stating, what many was anticipating as a problem, when the administration and regime is cutting the districts into smaller and smaller units. That the pledges and need of more buildings, hired staff and added costs to state will be on overdrive. Especially, when the National Resistance Movement have pledged to have a Health Centre III in every single, Sub-County/Town Council or Division in a Municipality.

Surely, the state have not been able to find the funding, find the raised concerns nor the priorities of this pledge. As the Health Care status is already insignificant compared to what it should be with big population of the Republic. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make it any better, that the new districts, sub-counties and Town Councils doesn’t have the basic health care units needed. This is a sign of weakness and that the state doesn’t have the ability to follow the new jurisdictions and regulations put forward. That is why they have between 2017 and 2019 gone from 93 to 132 without the needed Health Centre III. Which is all-impressive. The numbers are worsening and no remedy in sight.

This is the NRM fault, this is the state fault for using the deliberate politics to split divisions and districts, carve as many as possible. Create new units before every election and trying to configure the same arrangements, as when they had bigger functions and was more manoeuvrable. Now, the NRM cannot even keep up with the scheduled programming and has to cancel stuff, because they cannot pay the suppliers, the costs of buildings and the staff to make it work.

This the reality of the district politics of the NRM. That they are failing, only doing it to give the patronage more funds, not to deliver needed service more locally, if so than the schools and health centres would be going from day-one. Which they are not and won’t be, unless some donors drops some funds its way. Than, the state might build something and later ask for more funding to actually run the place.

That is what they do. Don’t expect that the massive amount of 132 sub-counties without Health Centres III will change things. Unless, there is a godly intervention of epic proportion, that sends the Holy Spirit into the President and his wife. Than, there might be some changes, but unless that happens. Nothing will happen. The rotten core will not be healed over night, it needs a repair and new priorities before add-ons. Peace.

UN boosts humanitarian appeal to help tackle Zimbabwe’s ‘worst-ever’ hunger crisis (07.08.2019)

The revised humanitarian appeal covers January 2019 through to April 2020 with a total requirement of $331.5 million need from this point onwards.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 7, 2019 – With Zimbabwe now experiencing its “worst-ever hunger crisis”, the UN food relief agency has revised its humanitarian appeal to step up food assistance to people most affected by drought, flooding, and economic stagnation.

“Yesterday the humanitarian community launched an urgent appeal for funds to respond to the country’s very difficult humanitarian situation”, World Food Programme (WFP) Spokesperson Herve Verhoosel told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday. “WFP is set to increase aid, especially for drought-affected residents, but also to build community capacity to respond to climate shocks”.

Zimbabwe was once known as leading food producer in the region, one of the bread baskets of Africa, but its problems were exacerbated earlier this year when Cyclone Idai struck, affecting around 570,000 Zimbabweans, together with large parts of Mozambique and Malawi.

The revised humanitarian appeal covers January 2019 through to April 2020, with a total requirement of $331.5 million need from this point onwards.

‘Additional urgent assistance’ required

More than one-third of the rural population, or some 3.6 million people, will be food insecure by October, and by January the figure is expected to increase to 5.5 million during the inter-harvest season, according to WFP. Moreover, most of Zimbabwe’s 60 districts will exhaust their maize stocks by October.

“This accounts for 60 per cent of the rural population”, explained Mr. Verhoosel, adding that the UN agency is providing food assistance to 700,000 people in August.

And “when crop stocks decline, we will scale up for the season between harvests and help 1.7 million people in October-December and two million in January-April, but only if funding allows it”, he added.

WFP needs $173 million to implement its response plan in the next nine months consisting of a wide-ranging programme of humanitarian actions. The agency is asking the international community to quickly make the funds available.

Mr. Verhoosel flagged that following an emergency response, “we need to think about the long term and continue building local capacity”.

Citing that “the recent abandonment of the US dollar and other currencies for commercial transactions” has negatively impacted the economy, he said that while  the actual rates could be “even higher”, the official year-on-year inflation rate “reached 176 per cent in June, with food prices soaring by 252 per cent”.

“Climate shocks such as cyclones or drought also have an immediate impact, especially on the rural population”, underscored the WFP spokesperson, calling on the international community to “respond favorably to this request for funds to respond to this urgent situation”.