Opinion: President Museveni wants more telephone surveillance and praise his OTT Tax!

I wonder if Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ever listens to himself and his own advice. Because his own words so often are compelling to his own activity. Just like yesterday, he continues his rants of wisdom. This is something from the 32 years regime, who continues to pursuit their own game. It is nothing, that seems to stop them in their ways. They are just collecting whatever they can, even when there is no proof of doing any good by doing it. They are pushing taxes on the public, without giving service delivery back. They are just taxing them and making life harder. 

President Museveni also spoke on surveillance of the Telecommunication Industry and use of Cellphone. Because he believes that the Companies are not paying their fair share. He is really proving his dictating ways and his micro-managing to the next level. He has the answers for more taxation and the answers to solve the lack of funds for the state reserves. Take a look!

The third measure is electronic monitoring of telephone calls because the telecoms have been under-declaring their revenues. URA was depending on figures provided by the companies instead of independently monitoring them” (Museveni, 23.11.2018).

Fourth, we must electronically monitor all money transfers. URA and BoU should do this. We recently started a tax on mobile money and social media. The mobile money tax was good because we had a large portion of people who are in non-monetary GDP.” (Museveni, 23.11.2018).

What is more worrying is that he wants to practically surveillance of the telecom industry. He wants to follow the airtime and cellphones, to check if the Telecommunication Companies are underwriting and lying on the usage of the telephone-services. This is furthering the opportunity of the state to follow and monitor the public, they will have the excuse to do so, by checking if the Airtel, MTN or other companies are telling the truth.

The last piece is that the President says the Mobile Money tax was positive, because it shown the amount of people who living in a non-monetary society. That the Mobile Money Tax are showing to what extent the public are living without bank-accounts and by direct cash services. That is why the Mobile Money has been important all over Uganda, because it has given people ability to pay over another platform, which wasn’t costly, but opening to transfer from instance family members in Kampala to the ones up-country.

Therefore, the Mobile Money tax has made it more costly and more of a bother. This hasn’t made it better, but made life harder. However, the President doesn’t see the good for the people, but the good for his spending in the State House. Which has grown by adding more taxes and not checking the consequences of doing so. Peace.

Brexit: HM Government of Gibraltar – Statement by the Chief Minister of Gibraltar on the Eve of the November Special European Council (24.11.2018)

Zimbabwe: RBZ – Exchange Control Circular No. 4 of 2018 to Authorized Dealers (22.11.2018)

Brexit: HMG letter to the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union on Article 184 (24.11.2018)

RDC: Communique Conjoint UDPS-UNC (24.11.2018)

RDC: Accord Politique Relatif a la Designation du Candidat Unique de l’Opposition a l’election Presidentielle du 23 Desembre 2018 en RD Congo (23.11.2018)

Opinion: You don’t lose $42m, you spend it!

“Our young people think about nothing more than love affairs and pleasure. They spend more time attempting to seduce and dishonor young women than in thinking about their country’s welfare. Our women, in order to take care of the house and family of God, forget their own. Our men limit their activities to vice and their heroics to shameful acts. Children wake up in a fog of routine, adolescents live out their best years without ideals, and their elders are sterile, and only serve to corrupt our young people by their example.”José Rizal, Noli Me Tángere

Pardon my French, but no sane person or collective, even organizations and governments really lose millions upon millions of dollars. They are spending it and hiding the recites. It is that simple. It isn’t like a pseudo-science or science fiction for that matter. It is just blatant misuse of funds and trying to covering up the tracks that are left behind. Because, suddenly without any effort, the money just vanish.

I understand when people are losing small change, some shillings, some notes of a certain value. Nevertheless, not in the millions. Neither the sudden lack of effort of not explaining how it went. Because this amounts of money doesn’t evaporate or go bad as old food. It is cash money and when it is gone, it is because it is spent on something.

“The Somalia Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Budget has released a new statement alleging mismanagement of funds at the Ministry of Finance. In the report, it was revealed that about $42M is unaccounted for and the Finance Ministry headed by Minister Abdirahman Beilleh, has not been able to provide any reason or explanation on how the funds ‘disappeared’. Of the funds unaccounted for is $20 million which is part of a $50 million budgetary support from Saudi Arabia granted to the Somalia government in the year 2017 According to the report the funds have not been indicated in the 2018 budget” (Hiiraan Online – ‘$42M Missing from Somalia’s Ministry of Finance Accounts’ 22.11.2018).

This stories are getting old on me, the knowledge that the ones on high, the ones above the Ministry of Finance. Most likely knows the deals and arrangements, but they are untouchable, they have traded these funds and siphoned them to their side-projects or even side-dishes for that matter. Who knows, if they have entities abroad outside Mogadishu and Somalia. They might have investments in Kampala, Addis Ababa or even Nairobi.

This money can flied anywhere and to anyone. As the Ministry of Finance has no proof, no bill or no transactions paper to protocol the spending. That is lax financial control and should make both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), very very proud!

However, this is a proof of how the Villa Somalia is spending money like there is no tomorrow. Surely, the President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Kheire knows where these funds has gone. However, hey will not confess. They will not drop an LP like Usher with their confessions and tell their stories of cheating. Even if it would have been healthy, because their recordings are valued about $42m USD, I am no fat-cat, but that is good money. You can buy a lot of property and own big-businesses with that sort of cash-flow. No doubt. Peace.

Philippines: Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 has junked the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) appeal to dismiss its request to order Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th’s arrest. (22.11.2018)

RDC: CENCO – Des Elections Credibles pour une veritable Alternance Democratique (22.11.2018)

OPM – Ministry for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees: Press Release – Clarification on the Status of Rwandan Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Uganda (22.11.2018)