China: Central Tibetan Administration (Kashag) – Press Release (20.12.2022)

China: Central Tibetan Administration (Kashag) – CTA Stands in Solidarity (02.12.2022)

China: Central Tibetan Administration (Kashag) – China’s Mismanaged Zero-Covid Policy Endangers Tibetan Lives in Tibet (26.09.2022)

Sri Lanka: Red Lantern Analytica – Statement on the Sri Lankan Economic Collapse (09.07.2022)

Sri Lanka: Bar Association of Sri Lanka – Statement of the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka on the fuel shortage and its impact on the people (27.06.2022)

A brief look into the Sue Gray Report

The final release of the Sue Gray Report was today on the 25^th May 2022. This is the finalization of the Parte-after-Parte gatherings at the Downing Street 10 & 11 during the lockdowns in the United Kingdom. It is detrimental to break it down. Since this is showing how reckless and ruthless the Prime Minister and his associates was in this time. This report just shows how far and what the people in and around the Prime Minister was doing. The Prime Minister is responsible for this and as a Head of State should set an example, instead he has showed what not to do.

Everyone who followed the strict regulations and stories of saving your neighbour. Should be shocked, furious and be inflamed about this report. You don’t even need the details of every event. Just the insights of the context and the actions made. This was done under the roof of the Prime Minister, the man who enforced and was the face of the government, which was setting the rules on the population. He should be first one to follow the rules and lead from the front. Instead, his office and his home became partly party-station in the middle of the strict lockdown rules.

Just read these quotes here…

126 FPNs:

“As I said in my 31 January update it was not for me to make a judgment on whether the criminal law had been broken: that is properly a matter for law enforcement bodies. Further to that on 19 May 2022 the Metropolitan Police announced that they had concluded their investigation. They confirmed that they had made 126 referrals for Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to the ACRO Criminal Records Office for breaches of Covid-19 regulations in relation to events on the following eight dates:

• 20 May 2020
• 18 June 2020
• 19 June 2020
• 13 November 2020
• 17 December 2020
• 18 December 2020
• 14 January 2021
• 16 April 2021” (Sue Gray report, May 2022).

The COVID-19 Lockdown legislation:

“From 26 March 2020 the law in England required everyone to remain in their homes unless certain, very limited, exemptions applied. Restrictions were temporarily eased over the summer period in 2020 until most remaining national restrictions were removed on 4 July 2020. Restrictions were then reintroduced in gradations in the autumn culminating in the UK Government announcing from 5 November 2020 restrictions on movements and gatherings in England, essentially requiring people to stay at home. Restrictions on gatherings of two or more people applied in London through December 2020 and the first months of 2021. Indoor mixing of two or more households was not permitted again until 17 May 2021” (Sue Gray Report, May 2022).

Harsh words for the gatherings:

“At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public. There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did” (Sue Gray Report, May 2022).

The usage of Downing Street 10 and 11:

“The use of the garden at No 10 Downing Street should be primarily for the Prime Minister and the private residents of No 10 and No 11 Downing Street. During the pandemic it was often used as an extension of the workplace as a more covid secure means of holding group meetings in a ventilated space. This was a sensible measure that staff appreciated, but the garden was also used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight. This was not appropriate. Any official access to the space, including for meetings, should be by invitation only and in a controlled environment” (Sue Gray Report, May 2022).

This should be the finished of any man who is supposed to be noble. Prime Minister Johnson should answer for this properly. Not just try to deflect and pin it on civil servants within the Office the Prime Minister or Downing Street Number 10.

Sue Gray Report is a damning report and the PM cannot hide now. It is just showing how insincere and how willing the PM is to lie. As he has stated that the didn’t break rules or laws during the lockdowns. However, the report shows that he did.

PM cannot lean on the payment of some fines and go to sleep. This should be the scandal that ends his reign. As he disrespected his office, codes of conduct and also lost his credibility (if he had any in the first place). Boris Johnson should consider his role and position. I know he never will, because he takes no accountability for his actions. This is no different and he doesn’t carry the weight of his actions here either.

The Sue Gray should be his end, but don’t expect it. The Tories will excuse the Ukraine war to cover for him. Because, the PM has to handle that crisis and serve for that now. Since no one else could do that or be in dialogue with Kyiv. A liar, drunkard and inept PM shouldn’t be kept just because there is war in Europe. No, he should answer and fall for his actions. There is to many people who was touched and lost their loved ones during this global pandemic. The Tories blocked people from going to funerals, weddings and visit their elderly in the nursing homes. While the PM and his associates was parting like no tomorrow.

The Prime Minister should do the right thing, but that’s not something he knows about. He rather lie and cheat… instead of doing the what is proper. Peace.

Opinion: Orbán will now rule by decree…

“To safeguard Hungary‘s national security interests, to make sure we stay out of the war and to protect HUN families, the government needs room to manoeuvrer and readiness for immediate action” – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (24.05.2022)

In Budapest Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has on his first day of the term and with inauguration of his new cabinet. He has secured himself a “state of emergency” and gotten himself superior power in the Republic of Hungary.

Orbán has with the vote of the 10^th Amendment ensured himself total control and ability to overturn all legislation. He can suspend legal mechanisms and to his own whim. That’s what the majority of the Parliament did today. This is giving him dictatorial power and to rule as a monarch. Using the Russian invasion of Ukraine to sweep all power in his Republic.

Here is what Hungary Today reported:

“The government has been given the power to declare a state of danger in the case of an armed conflict, war, or humanitarian disaster in a neighboring country, with the tenth amendment to the constitution parliament adopted on Tuesday. The legislation was passed with 136 votes for and 36 against. Under the amended constitution, from November 1, a special legal order can be introduced in the case of a state of war, emergency, or danger. A state of danger can be declared if “acts of war actually take place”” (…) “In a state of danger, the government can adopt decrees that suspend the application of certain laws. Normally, the government cannot do this, as laws are adopted by Parliament, and therefore in the hierarchy of legal sources, laws are on a higher level than government decrees. As the Hungarian Constitution clearly states: “A Government Decree shall not be contrary to any laws.” However, in a state of danger, the government may indeed issue regulations that would otherwise be in conflict with certain laws” (Júlia Tar – ‘Parliament Approves 10th Amendment to Constitution’ 24.05.2022, Hungary Today).

From tomorrow the Republic is in A “state of emergency” and giving himself many options without the need to challenge the legislation or the ideas of the Prime Minister. He can rule by decree and there will be no oversight to his powers. Therefore, anyone can be arrested, silenced or fiercely prosecuted by the state. Since, he can decree it and ensure anyone who is in his way to be gone. If not they have to go underground and await until Orbán superior powers are over.

It isn’t new that Orbán is consolidating power. He has worked on this tirelessly and amended laws to suit him. That’s been part of reign and this is just a continuation of this. Fidesz and Orbán thrives in “soft-fascism”. While his able to gain huge popularity by cheap populism and incite fear. Now his using the same fear to give himself more power. So, that he don’t need to worry about the Parliament and can just decree the orders on his own. That’s circumventing parliamentary practice and giving way to his own whims.

Who knows what he will enforce, what sort of laws that will be suspended or be rectified, if not to be made “null and void”. Orbán shows what sort of man he is and he did similar acts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now he uses the war in Ukraine to his favour. That’s the sort of ruler and politician he is.

No one should be shocked, if he uses these power to extent and execute things that fits him. This will be interesting and terrifying to follow. As we cannot imagine what his willing to do or decree. However, we can see how far he will take this. Nevertheless… Orbán uses a crisis yet again to consolidate power. Peace.

What’s up doc? A brief look into Parliament Report on PRESIDE and the mismanagement of COVID-I9 funds in the Republic

“I like the unfortunate phenomenon of western countries halting exportation of the COVID19 vaccine until all their citizens are fully vaccinated. This will enable Africans to wake up and manufacture their own medicines. I like the bad things because Africans sleep too much, I have never believed in dependency. This selfishness in the world is bad but it’s a shame that the whole of the African continent is asleep waiting to be saved by others… In the short run, we shall see who can sell COVID19 vaccines to us. As far as Uganda is concerned, I assure you, we will never again be in such a situation, we are making our own vaccine” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (27.06.2021).

Another day, another Parliament Report exposing the rot of the Government. A government that isn’t follow the laws, codes and protocols of the republic. Direct Presidential Directives which have no barring and to ambition to be achieved. Neither was there anywhere close to be legit research or able to fulfil it’s mission.

The State House and Ministries clearly miscalculated their abilities and the promise of the project. Neither did it have the scientists or the manpower to do it. There was not enough time or enough research spaces to make it happen. The budgets was to slim and there was also spending unaccounted for. A sort of troubling project, which is meant to fail. A spending spree without any accountability or transparency. A money pit without without any sort of proof of value for money. The PRESIDE and associated projects was bound to fail. The Parliamentary reports published today is called: “REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION ON COVID-19 RELATED RESEARCH FOR FY 2019/20 TO FY 202/22”.

This report is a story of how a President and the State House directs, implement and execute without proper planning or direction for that matter. It is just headache and shows what sort of enterprise the whole COVID-19 vaccine programme PRESIDE was and that’s why the quotes of this report is so explicit.

It is a total utter failure and the President is implicated it, as it is his directive and run directly from the State House. This wasn’t a Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED) or Ministry of Health. No, this was an affair out of the State House and shows how it goes. Done without being bound by law or done correctly. That’s why this was bound to fail, which it did.

Just read these quotes from the report to get the gist:

“In his statement, he indicated that up to UGX. 20bn had been drawn from the consolidated fund for scientists under PRESIDE to manufacture a COVID-I9 vaccine and an additional UGX. 50bn was drawn on 2021 for PRESIDE, and yet supervising Ministry (Ministry of Science, Technolory and Innovation) had been disbanded. He further questioned the legality of the Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemics (PRESIDE), queried its staffing, operations and whether its premises in Ntinda that had no laboratories would be able to produce a vaccine” (May 2022 report).

“Overall funding for COVID- 19 research was as follows:

– UGX. 5.3bn for PRESIDE FY 2019/20

– UGX. 31.03bn for projects under PRESIDE, UGX. 3.35bn for PRESIDE secretariat operations, and UGX. 2.74bn under NRIP in FY2020/2l

– UGX. 25bn for project operations, a supplementary request of UGX. 50.4bn for a manufacturing plant and UGX. 27bn for additional operational funds for PRESIDE projects in FY 2021/22” (May 2022 report).

“A total of (seventeen) 17 projects (Project l-17) was presented before Parliament with a total budget of UGX. 25bn, for implementation in FY2021/22. When additional funds of UGX. 27bn became available through a supplementary budget, the total number of projects raised to 27, where 10 new projects (Projects 18-27) were introduced and two of the already approved projects i.e. (projects 6 (Immune Therapy – Convalescent plasma). and 14 (Herbal Products for Management of COVID-19) were dropped. The Committee found that the two projects should have been given funds for implementation whether there was a supplementary or not since their budgets had already been approved by Parliament in the Ministerial Policy Statement. No reasons were given for their exclusion” (May 2022 report).

“The Committee while interacting with the petitioner was informed that PRESIDE was a company formed by Dr. Monica Musenero and some of her family members including her husband. These allegations were disputed by Hon. Musenero, who informed the Committee that PRESIDE is neither an organtzation nor a company but a project under State House” (…) “However, the Committee noted that the establishment of PRESIDE violates governance rules, as it has no legal status. The initiative has not been incorporated in accordance with the laws of Uganda. Therefore it is not a legal entity. The Committee also observed from the concerned officials that no steps had been taken to have it legally established” (May 2022 report).

“Although PRESIDE was established with a visionary mandate, to be a vehicle to spear the pathogen economy, it has been mired with mismanagement, poor accountability practices and overall poor planning. At its inception, Government failed to define its legality, failed to analyze and optimize the structures that were already in place and build on these as a way of driving the pathogen economy forward. This went against the current government policy on rationalization and improvement of efficiencies within MDAs. The role of UNHRO, MoSTI, UNCST as regulators was usurped and replaced with PRESIDE which had a temporary supervisory framework in form of a MoU. With the expiry of the MoU, PRESIDE as a project remained operational yet not supervised because its Chairperson is the Minister responsible for the docket of STI and also the Special Presidential Advisor on Epidemics” (May 2022 report).

Reading a report like this is shattering. It just shows how the state is mismanaging funds and how the State House isn’t preparing things ahead. The whole PRESIDE shows how a Presidential Directive is put into life, but never able to implement, because the state doesn’t have the funds, manpower or the facilities to do it. The PRESIDE is an utter failure…

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was all talk, but no business. They can start-up organizations and projects, but they have no plans of the implementation or protocols to ensure it is successful. PRESIDE is a proof on how not to run a project… as it has had no plan or any sort of proof that it would actually manage the mission from the on-set.

The ones that believes the NRM would be able to produce a COVID-19 vaccine was day-dreaming, because the whole PRESIDE can be seen as a nightmare. The ones running it should be ashamed and it was a waste of government funding. Nothing to show for it and only a name-tag, which runs back to the State House and the Presidential Directive. A

All of it is a waste … the President should be held to account as he ushered it in and it did nothing. They will fault everyone, but if it wasn’t for him… this mess wouldn’t exist and the report wouldn’t have been published either.

The PRESIDE should be lectured at Makerere University or something in how not to run things and be a case-study in bad-governance. This is a proof of how not to govern and nothing was done correctly. That’s why it deserve to be acknowledged and used as a learning experience. Since, the next government could do another properly and actually achieve something worthwhile. Peace.

Opinion: Boris will never take any responsibility for his own actions

Today is a day of reckoning, but don’t expect anything to come out of it. No, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government will never be hold accountable. They haven’t answered for the dead or unnecessary pains and suffering during the lockdowns. The PM haven’t answered for Partygate and haven’t paid his dues for that even. While students, citizens and others has lost their careers over the same plights.

That the industries are hurt by the “Third country” regulations isn’t the fault of the government. No, the people are just producing wrong products and not working hard enough. The ones producing whiskey and struggling to sell it through the new protocols to the European Common Market. Tough love and live with it. The same with the seafood and shell-fish industry, which has been severely hurt by Brexit. There been so many people who has lost their livelihoods or made it harder to trade.

Alas, it isn’t only the Northern Ireland Protocol that is the issue. It is just red-herrings upon red-herrings. The Bank of England dropping a report of a weekly loss of £440m, which only shows the costs of the Brexit. This is all across and the unemployment is growing, a strong stagnation and the years of austerity isn’t achieving anything. The poor is getting less and the rich has shell-companies with headquarters in Dublin. Therefore, they are not feeling the pinch, but the citizens are feeling it.

I don’t know how many times I have seen pictures of Tesco’s and Asda’s where there is lack of fruits and vegetables. Because, the lorries and the companies are not able to get enough produce through the protocols post-Brexit. The PM and his party promised less red-tape and throw forms in the bin. However, the industries, shipping-companies and everyone has been hit with more. There isn’t a soft movement and people are getting charged with the additional costs. If they can even afford or have the time to import it.

The citizens are even shocked of the prices of roaming data on their cellphones in Europe. The United Kingdom is a real third country and can banish asylum-seekers to Rwanda. However, the costs of trading and the financial implications are hitting home. Londongrad is hit and the financial institutions are damaged too. The businesses of UK aren’t the same as before and the downgrade is bound to happen.

The Tories has damaged the economy and internally it’s a reason why Labour is in control of Wales. Why the Scottish National Party (SNP) is the majority in Scotland and now the Sinn Fein has a majority in Northern Ireland. That’s because everyone else has reacted to the means and the ways the Tories have been governing of late. It is a reaction to the current affairs and belief that someone else actually knows what they are doing.

Boris Johnson promised a microwave ready deal and easier life. The only thing his delivering is higher costs, stagnation and worse financial forecasts. The state is losing and things are not looking better. The Tories has depleted and ensured measures that is hurting the economy. It is just like they got the freedom outside of the EU, but didn’t consider the implications of it and thought it would be without a price. Now the costs and the bills are coming to the public and the exporting industries.

While Boris doesn’t care… his just happy the pints and the wine-and-dine during the lockdown didn’t cost him anything. He only paid minor fines and didn’t have any real consequences to him. That’s why his not concerned that people having plights, that the working-class is struggling and the poor is left behind. They just have to pick up his slack and hope for magic to cover expenses. However, his party and associates don’t care. They just wants your votes and abandon you afterwards.

The proof of the remainers and the messages of possible damage of a Brexit has all come true. The results are now here and the people are feeling the pinch. The Tories doesn’t care and their arrogance is without no end. It is really unique… and they are proud of it too. The entitlement and they are not fearing the possible outrage of the people either. They just know and think they can dupe the public in the next snap-elections or whatnot. Since, the Labour, Liberal-Democrats or Greens aren’t that strong alone, but if they forge an alliance. They can become a threat to the Tories. As long as that doesn’t happen. These folks will believe they will have the majority again and think they can trick the public to vote for them again.

That the public votes for these sleazes are amazing. It is like they want the suffering and the plights. They want people who looks down upon them and demean them. That take away their benefits and gives tax-cuts to the rich. This is what the Tories does and people should be aware of this.

Boris Johnson isn’t just a liar, but he doesn’t want to be held accountable. If he is… he skips it and jump over the hurdles. Hoping that an international crisis can get people to forget about the current issues at home. He has created a lot of this. The Brexit problems and costs are self-inflicted by him and him only. Boris said everything was fine-and-dandy, but that wasn’t the truth.

Now, he got to take credit and be responsible. However, don’t expect it. It isn’t his kind. His not the sort of man that wants to be held to account. He rather be held in contempt and move-on to the next. Peace.

Sri Lanka: Bar Association of Sri Lanka – Media Statement (10.05.2022)