RDC: Lamuka – Statement of the President-elect of the Democratic Republic of Congo 01/19/2019 (19.01.2019)

Opinion: The ZDF and ZRP’s disgraceful spin!

Today, there was a Joint Press Conference from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on the Shutdown that has persisted since the 12th January 2019. As the days has gone by, the violence, bullet-wounds, road-blocks, arrests, abductions, torture and killings have appeared. The state has finally come out with their truth.

Not that it is really truth, we all know by now. That the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) have orders from above and the soldiers are following them to the T or to the letter, as it was intended. As the public are living in fear, are struggling to get by and is worried. Because the soldiers can harm people, the activists who is not in hiding. Can be taken away or charged on knock-up charges and son on.

That why today’s Press Conference, shows the ills of society, as they are blaming a bunch of thieves for stealing or deserters, the ones putting forward this display must think the world is running mad. Or in-particularly stupid, because there cannot be that many of them. The targeted victims, the arrests and the steady stories of harm coming the populations way. This cannot be anything else, than staged military intervention with a purpose. As they are using the demonstrations as a reason to blatantly take away any rights of the civilians. Something, that has been done during the last few day with deliberate actions.

Just read the nonsense:

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces and Security Services have noted with grave concern an increase in cases of people committing crime particularly robberies whilst clad in military/police regalia” (…) “Some of these uniforms worn by criminals were seized by rogue elements during the recent riots in Epworth and Chegutu. A case in point is a recent arrest of five armed robbers in Epworth; Harare on 14 .January 2019, who were using police and military regalia to commit armed robberies, after hiring vehicles from car rental companies. We are therefore giving an ultimatum to individuals who have retired, deserted, absented themselves without official leave (AWOL) from service to immediately handover uniforms either to the police or the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. All those who do not comply with this directive will be flushed out by already deployed members of the security services. We are also appealing to members of the public who have information on such people who are not serving members and are abusing military/police regalia to report to the police” (ZimEye – ‘FULL TEXT: Military And Police Press Statement’ 19.01.2019).

They are maybe able to get the hard-liners within the ZANU-PF, then ZANU-PF Youth League for that matter or the ZANU-PF Woman’s League to buy into this stick and get a fancy editorial in the Herald, but the world knows that this a farce. This the ZDF and ZRP playing ball and not very good at it. They are trying to forge the play, to say there are some unknown Villains coming to the townships, the cities and in the neighbourhoods. They are coming like the Wolf was taking Little Red Riding Hood.

The authorities can lie to the people. That is expected of government that they do now and then, but doing it like this. At this stage and with whatever reasons they have. They are trying to cover-up their acts and make them look into minor imperfections. When in reality, they seem so deliberate.

The ZANU-PF might be able to fool the ignorant, the ones who are looking to the other side. However, they cannot fool me. It is not believable. Even as the information is hard to verify, the ones that is. Is striking and the information that does come out. Is utter sinister, sadness the state of affairs. That is just saddening to even read about. The scope of hurt, the wounds and the killings, done on orders from above high.

This Joint Press Conference didn’t do any good. Only show how they play. Just like they did with the 1st August 2018 Post-Election Violence Inquiry and Report. Where they made the opposition the problem and cleaned the hands of the authorities. Therefore, this state is trying to do it again. As there violence and harmful activity continues.

The ones doing the hurt. Is doing it on behalf of the state, they are not random Bond Villains picked from a John Grisham novel. They are the real and the weapons are too. Peace.

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The 200 Shillings of Doom: Tumwebaze mixed messages concerning the Social Media Tax!

We knew that the statements of 2018, as the loyal ICT Minister Frank Tumwebaze hadn’t done his due diligence, as the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) issued a Social Media Tax last year after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni wrote a letter to the Ministry of Finance asking for the opportunity to tax this.

That has no been done over the last few months, but as the realization of the effects are coming. The forewarning of CSBAG and others wasn’t listen to. I wrote that it lacked due diligence of the tax in June 2018 and today. As I open Daily Monitor and seeing that Frankie Boy has changed his ways. He has opened his eyes and seeing what some of us saw all along. As the cost of content, the cost of using social media and that this has ensured that it is less viable. Since, its the elites who can use it, but the lower level civil servants cannot afford to be online. That was natural, that the 200 shillings per day would be taken directly of the plate and also evaporate funds for investment within the Republic. It is a negative tax, and therefore, naturally have reverse effect, than what the state promised when they levied it.

Tumwebaze statement in July 2018:

When Ministry of Finance is borrowing, we, the Parliament and civil society are grilling them for borrowing. But when we say this is a sector that has grown in the economy so let’s get a bit of it, let’s get Shs. 6,000 from every holder of a smartphone consuming OTTs, what production capacity will it stifle?” (…) “Is USD 1,4 too much for a citizen to contribute to tax yet you have money to buy a smartphone, minimumly at Shs. 300,000 that is data enabled, and you load bundles of over shs. 30,000? Logically it doesn’t make sense” (Frank Tumwebaze, 17.07.2018).

Tumwebaze statemetn in January 2019:

The committee chaired by Annet Nyakecho said Over The Top tax seems to negatively affect the consumption of ICT services and products. In response, ICT Minister, Mr Frank Tumwebaze admitted that the tax is has had adverse effects on the sector. He said they were “hoodwinked” by their counterparts in the Finance Ministry that the introduction of the tax on the basis that it would widen the country’s revenue base” (Ssebuliba, 2019).

ICT Minister Tumwebaze was so positive and thinking this was the future. This was how to widen the tax-base, but instead. It has as expected made the usage of Social Media expensive. Which means also there is lack of funds for the ones operating within the Social Media and making Online Businesses. This is both happening because of the hard hitting taxes on Social Media, but also the Mobile Money Tax. Both taxes has both the Mobile Money Industry and the ICT development, as they are both having less activity and less usage. Which is natural, when the costs are going up.

The ICT Minister should have known this before speaking so warm about it. Any tax are taking money out of the system. The 200 shillings of doom is clear. The state could have listen to the advice, but didn’t open the ears to it.

In June 30 2018, Daily Monitor reported this: “Civil society organisations have accused the government of trying to stifle debate online with this tax, while others like the Civil society Budget Advocacy group CSBAG, say the tax will have a negative impact on a business.” (Hinamundi, 2018).

So, if the ICT Minister Tumwebaze could have known and stopped this. They could have done the right thing and not continued this path. Instead they have hurt the industry, because they are all blindly following the orders of the President. That is what the state did and they levied the 200 shillings of doom, as it was anticipated by anyone else. Than, the authorities itself. Peace.

Reference:

Samuel Ssebuliba – ‘Parliament orders assessment on impact of social media tax’ 18.01.2019, link: https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Parliament-orders-assessment-impact-social-media-tax/688334-4940312-rph8g3z/index.html

Collins Hinamundi – ‘How government will collect the new social media tax’ 30.07.2018, link: https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/How-government-will-collect-new-social-media-tax/688334-4639596-juy8n3z/index.html

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