Nigeria Advances Or Ethnic Warriors Terrorists Prevails?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
Modern technology, and in particular, the world wide web of the internet, has made simultaneous interactions and instant communication possible and even seamless, between Nigerians in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria on the one hand, and Nigerians in the worldwide Diaspora.
We Nigerians have a choice to make, it is either to deploy the internet as a tool, machinery and instrument for our national development, progress and advancement, or, we can instead, use these interconnectedness as weapons to exacerbate our seeming ever fragile national unity. There have in recent times, a been, a seeping acid and acrid development in our national discourse, which now appears to be only destined to become more and more steeped in volatile flame-throwing of all descriptions or variations. These include the emphasis of ethnic, religious, region, state, indigene or settler dichotomies.
Modern technology, especially the internet type, enables instant synergies through instant communication, which in turn, enables the harnessing, corralling, and coalescing of efforts for meaningful impact on divergent populations of peoples worldwide. In the case of Nigeria, in particular, we are all agreed that much remains to be done for our nation. You would think therefore, that this rare and golden opportunity will be mined by well-meaning Nigerians, at home and abroad for our nation’s sake! Nigerians can and should Google-group, Yahoo –group, Facebook-group our nation to success.
But no! What have happened and is still now happening in increasing tempo and in speeding crescendos, is that, Nigerians of all ethnic and religious stripes, are now excelling in shrill-shouting our meager differences from their internet roof-tops with internet megaphones, some of them, have become in the most incredible sense, in the magnifications of our diversity as impossible obstacles, impediments and clogs in the wheel of our cohesion of action for our nation’s development, progress and advancement. This, to me are such egregious waste of prized and valuable resource
It is reasonable, I think, to assume that Nigerians are all aware of the positive possibilities of conversations about our national issues, the malaises, the funks and sundry challenges. Meaningful conversations of course and not idle chatters on a highway to nowhere! These days however, it is the case that Nigerians in their majorities, waste, squander and dissipate their energies on assertions of ethnic, religious, state, indigene and or settler suzerainty superiority! Such as whose ethnic group is famous for goat herding, and which other ethnic group is owner of Lagos, and wait, which ethnic groups eats more kola/gworro an African candy-stimulant! So, I eat more kolanuts than you that makes me less
It is really saddening! Why would a chemical engineer and a university -lecturer have the time, the inclination, patience and even a disposition for such inane conversation, no matter how tempting/entertaining, it might be? Why should a man, who is a good Nigerian lawyer, on American soil, the same man who advocates freedom and liberty on Monday through Friday for Americans, climb unto cyberspace during the weekend to argue vociferously, that is constitutional for a subdivision or substrata of the government in Nigeria, to abduct, bundle and dump some fellow Nigerians, in another part of Nigeria, as good public policy consistent with our national cohesion and national unity?
And then sleep well at night with good, clear conscience? Why should the appointment of one inspect general of police become the mother lode of all appointments before it, just because he comes from the side of the country where the sun rises? And why should the appointment of an ordinarily seasoned banker, raise eyebrows, uproarious raucous because he is of the religion which does not eat Holy Communion of unsweetened bread on Sundays? Must every banker eat bread without sugar-salt, before we can trust him with our national currency?
Why would a Nigerian, a professor of mathematics in a prestigious university, engage in talks which are divisively useless to our national unity efforts? In the face of all these, what exactly is the purpose of formal western education, if it does not refine our humanity, our understandings and interactions? If, our formal educations, merely affords us fine clothes and fine grammars to engage in ethnic flame-throwing? If chauvinism of region and religion, instead of tolerance and broadened horizons, are the outcomes of being educated, then education must be some warped-twisted tool, to which Nigerians must find undesirable!
Why must states which preach Shariah Laws reserve such, only for the poor and hapless in those states? How about some Shariah Law inspired amputations and stoning to death, for some of our former governors, current governors, and other political leaders, whose domain throw Shariah Laws as if it were political grenades at the rest of us law abiding Nigerians? Law abiding Nigerians who do not go to churches or go to the mosques? How about applying Shariah Laws nationwide in meting out just deserts to those who plunder, pillage and loot our treasuries in Nigeria and grind our country to her knees? Won’t that be the day of true, equal and even justice? Let us amputate or stone to death, Lucky Igbinedion, James Onanefe Ibori, Joshua Dariye, Kalu Orji and every other corrupt person in Nigeria, in public or private sectors! Won’t that be really nice? Christians and Muslims should be punished equally severely for corruption, looting and pillaging! But our country always seems to reserve punishments and gallows for the poor, underprivileged and citizens with disabilities as consequences of our laws!
Too many Nigerians these days, seem to have some sorts of autofocus on our trivial differences as prisms through which they respond to every important national issue, hence, the apparent primordial, myopic and parochial seeming auto-response with divisive sectionalisms.
It is saddening, doubly and multiplying-so, when you consider that the bulk of the Nigerians in cyberspace, engage in this imbecilic infantilism of wishing their ethnic group well, while entrenched and ensconced in these “my-ethnic-group-is-better-than-yours” sophomoric “presentations, are formally educated in the western sense. Regrettably these are the elite. The ones who ought to be the crème la crème of the Nigerian middleclass, exiled in foreign lands, due to the comatose state of the Nigerian economy. And yet, all they can seem to fathom, even from this distance and long way from home, is ethnic flame-throwing! Talk to me about national priority!
Instead, then, of Nigerians, wondering about, best and shortest possible ways of how to reverse the sorry state of our homeland, motherland-fatherland? Too many of us are engaged in worse than useless daily nattering and chattering as if we are programmed to be self-destruct! The Chinese and the Indians are on the path to industrial glories, and this is partly because, these citizens of these nations have embarked on reverse migration and voluntary repatriations of human capital and material wherewithal, from their Diasporas, to their homelands in China and India respectively.
We are of course all familiar with the attractive, disarming and equally disabling perennial arguments. Government must provide enabling environments. Such as the much touted provision of adequate security, public infrastructures, and then, reduction or elimination eradication of corruption etc. These are all decent arguments. But, they do not excuse our current nattering nabob labels and titles regarding the best and shortest ways out of the abject human condition on ground in Nigeria. Governments are certainly not the only useful factors to consider in national developments.
Additionally, or besides, we have waited for so long for these desirable preconditions which we stipulate and parrots too often, to occur and yet, the government is unwilling, unable and neglectful of the importance of these preconditions! We should then begin alternatives by substitutions. We should move from plan A to plan B! As it does appear that our stipulated preconditions are not speedily occurring as we have demanded. The best and brightest, the smartest among us Nigerians should start to think outside the box! We should adjust our attitudes to meet challenges we face. National development must be seen as road-run jogging, it requires disciplined focus. And waiting for the perfect conditions is foolhardy. There is always an excuse not to run, it can be too cold, too hot, too humid, to snowy-messy, too rainy, too windy etc. But good runners know, after the first ten minutes the weather conditions are almost irrelevant, as a good runners at such point is already enjoying her road-run, notwithstanding weather conditions! Israel is developing despite wars and suicide bombing. Israel’s agriculture is booming despite water scarcities and desertification. A challenge can present opportunity for ingenuity, Nigerian ingenuities!
Poverty and scarcity, the desperate plunge for what is only available or rationed exemplifies differences in our diversity. It is as if everyone is rushing for the last bus-ride home! Mismanagement by what have passed as our political leadership, have in essence, created acute thirst in the middle of our clean body of waters. There is so much want and desperation wrapped in hopelessness in our nation of natural material infinite abundance.
This is the elephant in the room of our national existence. And this constitutes the clear and present danger and it remains an existential threat to our nationhood. The good news is that, we have millions of Nigerians with robust intellects who can tackle and eliminate eradicate, every the challenges which life may present to our nation. It just except that we have, and are still currently too distracted by irrelevancies of region, religion and other vagaries of bigotries and prejudices against fellow Nigerians citizens. And we can certainly do better that this. I know Nigerians can.
Nigerians want the same things! Same things, such as clean water, steady supply of electricity, optimum to full employment, good and safe motor roads, sturdy and sustainable public infrastructures. Graduate unemployment, power failure, scarcity of clean water, roads as death traps, and paucity of public infrastructures afflicts all Nigerians in most identical manners, regardless of region, religion, state, indigene, settler dichotomies! So why can’t Nigerians focus, singularly, on the things we share and the other things we all yearn for? Who are some of us really rooting for in all these? The ethnic champions, the ethnic flame-thrower bigots, the ones who says, only Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo can lead the Central Bank of Nigeria for the next one hundred years?
Nigerians at home and in the Diasporas ought and should, be rooting for Nigeria! There are abundant and enough resources for all Nigerians and then some. There is enough expanse of land for all Nigerians and then some. The only thing which Nigerians currently lack is the will, the discipline and focus on our national best interests. It is when, and not if Nigeria does well, Nigeria will do well, and when Nigeria does well, we, the infinitesimal component pebbles parts, will benefit and be entirely unconcerned how many more pebbles constitute or comprise or it takes to make the whole of the national corporate existence which will be forever known as our dear great country, Nigeria!
There are other articles titles supplied below, similar in themes, by the same author, previously published which can be linked through, and with the use of most web-search engines. Google, Yahoo etc.
Learn more and get details by visiting the following links:
1. The Benefits of Nigerian Unity and The Perils of Disintegration …published in 2003?
2. The Benefits In Self-Definition And Self-Assertion
3. Are Some Nigerians' Psyche Damaged?
4. Are Nigerians Fatalistic And Doomed?
5. Nigerians In Diaspora Organization, As Nigeria Advance,
6. Comparing Diasporas: Asians, Jews, Irish with Nigerians.
7. Nigeria Is Worth Dying For!
8. Nigeria Is Full of promise! Nigeria Deserves Our Love And Loyalty
9. NIGERIA My Love
10. I Love Nigeria Just Because!
11. Minister Andoakaa SAN, AG, Nigeria's Public Enemy Number One!
12. No Tears For Looters!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Obama’s Health Reform; The Anathema To Change Is, The Fear Factor!
Obama’s Health Reform; The Anathema To Change Is, The Fear Factor!
Written Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
A public citizen, once famously proclaimed, during crises, that there was nothing to fear, but fear itself! As it happens, this famous statement is poignantly relevant to the current boisterous debates about healthcare reforms. Healthcare Reform efforts have met with attendant deluge of high din of noise and ubiquitously permeating fear-mongering.
This fear-mongering, is being perpetuated by those opposed to change and reforms of the presently antiquated, discriminatory and lopsided healthcare delivery system in America. A system which have managed to leave out over forty million uninsured citizens! Citizens who are therefore condemned to do without necessary health insurance coverage or a even suitable alternative.
In real terms, the healthcare system as currently configured leaves out these scores of millions of citizens to their own miserly devices upon being afflicted by any illness. This has resulted in avoidable deaths in the thousands, of people. This has led to financial ruin and endless debts and even, eventual bankruptcies for many more American citizens. All these, are life changing, in most profound sense.
President Obama in his journey to the presidency and the White House, wisely made structural change to and reform of American healthcare delivery system one of his core policy thrusts, in his vision of the best road to making America, a more perfect union, in which are citizens are put in proximity of good healthcare. Obama’s rationale is informed by the knowledge that good health is a prerequisite for the creation of wealth and happiness. Hence the tripartite as it were. “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” A profound understanding of the way the world works, is a major factor and one of the explanations of Obama’s popularity about healthcare, then as candidate for president of the United States. Obama came across as possessed of the understanding and empathy for all, an empathy, even a wise Latina would love! It remains the case that the provision of healthcare for all will be a remarkable policy achievement for this president and for this nation.
The way this works, the logic and rationale is even a tad too simple and rather very easy to comprehend, but for the fear-mongers. First, there is pride in America in being our sisters’ and brothers’ keeper. There is pride in being a good neighbor. And most of all, there is the realization that good health is the foundation and bedrock of all other life’s aspirations. Who in bad health or who, when steeped in deep afflictions by diseases is at her most productive? It goes without saying therefore then with good health a person can or may contemplate the world. With good health humans are able to go on their merry ways of creating wealth and happiness for self and for the rest of the world.
Expansively put, it is requires not much ruminations, that the absence of good health coverage and health care for all citizens, is clearly defeatist. It is similar to any action undertaken, which may leave out and leave more than 40 million citizens in America to lay fallow and unproductive. A resilient and resurgent American economy will of necessity, be reliant on the optimum employment of all employable citizens, in the creation of gross national product. Creating a world class GDP/GNP requires a nation’s ability to fire full throttle in productivity. In effect, leaving out a segment of the American population, as much as over forty million does not make any economic sense. Nor does it make any sense whatsoever, be it moral or good neighborliness sense.
Big Insurance Companies and their lobbyists ensured the sudden death of efforts to reform the healthcare delivery sector during Bill Clinton’s presidency. And now again, after promising and shaking hands in the White House with President Obama, in truce and co-operation with reform efforts this time, they have reneged on their promises of support and cooperation. And instead, there is an ongoing fallacious farce, perpetrated by sundry interests groups. They are spreading confusion with insinuations such as the lie that government is desirous of taking over the management of healthcare delivery systems or apparatuses and machinery as currently existing and turned it into socialized medical care system similar to Canada or some even say Cuba.
According to these corporate spin doctors, the outcome of the reform will be such that soon after such “takeover” the government will, entrench itself as monumental obstacles, impediments and worse than useless behemoth of a spoiler which will insert itself, between the citizen and healthcare providers. There are two quick truths with which to demolish and dismantle this assertion by the corporate spin-doctors. First of all, the government already positively impacts and influences very big chunks of the healthcare system in the United States and “Medicare and Medicaid” are such programs, initiated and funded by the federal government of the United States. And both programs have millions of beneficiaries. Can these programs be more cost efficient and more effective? Of course!
The second of the two truths, is that, there is already nomenclatures which regularly constitute themselves into obstacles, they constitute themselves as monumental obstacles, impediments and worse than useless behemoth of a spoiler always inserting themselves between the citizen and healthcare providers; and they are called “Health Insurance Companies” Or “Health Maintenance Organizations” or (HMOs) and the only thing the consistently maintain, is not our health, but their aggrandizing tremendous annual profit margins at our expense, and the fact that they excel in denying holders of health coverage policies, needful treatments covered by such policies. I can hear you asking, what is the purpose of a health insurance coverage, if coverage will be routinely denied by these health insurance companies? That is exactly what health insurance companies do in the main. Their egregious death inducing, death causing conducts in preventing medical care givers from providing patients needed care.
These corporate profit cretins dictate to medical care givers, how much time to spend with patients, what proprietary or generic medicines to prescribe and what medicine is determined by these insurance companies, as they please, to be merely experimental or efficacious. So, rationing already exists and is practiced now and motivated solely by profits seekers. These corporate greed hordes are splendidly uninterested in good medical care, but instead, they put their bottom-line and sumptuous profit feasts ahead of lives made precarious by diseases and ill-health. And what is worse? These corporate oligarchs are now, in the most disingenuous manner, spreading the rumor to undiscerning average Joe and Jane, that is the government which seeking to do to us, what they the companies have been inflicting upon us for years and still do! Their actions not informed by best interests of patients and not informed by best medical practice or by current medical science.
All these are reasons for all of us, interested in the reforms slated for healthcare delivery in the United States, to start spreading the news.
Knowing the facts about this healthcare reform debate is so crucial to the eventual outcome. The fear mongering which is being spread and perpetrated by these corporate vampires and their lobbyists should be effectively confronted. And these corporate representatives encapsulated in varied interest groups can and should be effectively rebutted through robust and rigorous dissemination of information, regarding the facts, the evidence and the truth about the intended reform outcome.
As for the Republicans, they are known to be perennially on the side big businesses, and the Republican Party is known to have auto response as a default position, regarding reforms and regulations as a general rule. Regulation whether the troubled financial system or as in the present case, regulating and reforming the healthcare delivery system. Republicans argue that deregulation implications stifle innovation, and stunt growth of business and the economy. This is hogwash. Ill health is the worst harbinger to creativity, business and economic growth; and besides, it is illogical and unreasonable even, to argue that a busy road traffic artery without a traffic cop is better for motorists!
Sarah Palin, the only Republic Party member, still newsworthy, but only for her silliness, is particularly notable for her paucity public policy knowledge, sadly now though, she has “weighed in” with her rather morbidly slanderous addition of “Death Panel” nonsense to this worthy debate about healthcare reforms. She has, through her “FaceBook” “contribution” to the debates, allege, falsely, that the reforms components comprise “Death Panels” for all grandmothers, as the reforms is portrayed as envisaging some outlandish circumstance, in which a panel of persons, doubling as voyeuristic Dracula, determines how long any grandmother can receive treatments cost-efficiently and when or how soon thereafter, grandmothers can be summarily dispatched to go meet their makers!
Members of the Republican Party are desperadoes in the current atmosphere in Washington D.C. They lost the White House in the last general elections. They are a minority in the House of Representatives and as well as in the United States Senate. Republicans are political orphans at best and a bunch of desperadoes at worst, and so, policy reform is not their forte. They are in essence only concerned with how to defeat members of the Democratic Party in the forthcoming midterm elections and other elections after that. And so, the Republicans have, in their desperation, resorted to mischief making. These current political orphans are doing everything to surmount the Democrats, this is somewhat understandable. But the tactics which they have deployed is unconscionably unacceptable for the future of women, men and child in America. I strongly believe that spreading the facts, the information and the truth about Obama’ healthcare reforms, will at the end of the day, ultimately win out or prevail and a desirable outcome will be attained.
Newt Gingrinch accuses reform proponents of planning to impose or forced euthanasia on unsuspecting citizens. Limbaugh chimes in with more falsehoods to the effect that the healthcare reforms will led to a “pull the plug on grandma” and similar nonsense. Republicans are against “socialized” and then quickly add Obama should keep his hands off their Medicare too! Republicans are oxymoron gifted! There are so many other inflammatory fear-mongering rumors and falsehoods, which are being spread by opponents of reforms.
The handwriting as it were, is now on the wall. The Republicans are vehemently opposed to these healthcare reform efforts, they should be pushed harder by Democrats, Republicans will in effect, put the last nails in their own coffins for opposing sensible policy reforms, which is what the healthcare reform really is. And the Democrats in order to accomplish this, successfully, must get out of the unfruitful romantic notion of bipartisanship with Republicans, it has not happened, and it is not going to happen! Recent behaviors by Republicans in crucial votes, proves my position here. Additionally, proclamations and pronouncements by overwhelming numbers of Republicans demonstrate beyond any doubt, that they are not interested in the much vaunted and so fabled bipartisanship. Democrats appear to me, to be in the process of being lured to a drunken sleep stupor as they await the Republicans in the hope for a moribund bipartisanship! The Democrats may wake up to the absence of bipartisanship, too late and to the detriment of Democrats and those of us, who ensured the election Democrats in the first place! Republicans demonstrated this during confirmation hearings of the now justice of the US Supreme Court, the Honorable Justice Sonia Sotomayor. So why does anyone still pretend otherwise?
Meanwhile, Obama and the Democrats ought to and should, do a better business of disciplining the entire Democratic Party, whether they are “Blue Dogs” “Yellow Dogs” or lively ”Pink Dogs” Democrats! Failure of this health reform would inflict damaging “body” blow to the Obama administration and presidency. It will be a watershed moment with a Waterloo quality to it, and it will manacle the entire Democratic Party for such blunder and monumental failure of policy cohesion, were that eventuality to occur, culminating into a defeat of this healthcare reform efforts.
What can be acutely observed so far, in these debates, are the unnecessary flame-throwing gymnastics gyrations with a toxic mix of accusations socialism-communism style wealth redistribution. Then, there is the appearance of racism, instigated by those who see the reform efforts as targeting historically neglected black and brown citizens for health coverage and as such, a semblance of some sorts of class warfare or class discrimination, is motivating those against the poor and or citizens not currently covered, perhaps because they are poor, unemployed or underemployed and poor or a combination of these categories. Too many code-words have been deployed or thrown-up and about; and discerning ears and eyes are quite able to grasps fear-mongers’ rhetoric, even if flung, in slants, from all directions!
Senator Edward (Ted) Moore Kennedy, that legislative tiger and the defender of all underprivileged citizens and underdogs of every imaginable issue is gone now, sadly, Kennedy, the poor persons’ ombudsman, did not live long enough to see through this healthcare reforms. I think the time is nigh now, for someone in the Democratic Party to step forward, and say, follow me, I will lead this groundbreaking healthcare reforms to a positive outcome. Supporters of Democrats and in fact, all Americans who believe in this healthcare reform deserve nothing less.
As the saying goes, if you want to kill a dog, your first step is to falsely label the poor dog a bad dog, then you can “excuse your brutality to the mongrel, and say to all the world, look, after all, she was worse than useless, never capable carrying her own weight sorts of dog! This is precisely the scatological methodologies which have been amply deployed by Republicans and corporate interest groups, seeking to malign these health reform efforts; in order to ruin it for all of us, through fear-mongering and shrill-shouting of inanities! Happily, we can counter their efforts with the welter of information at our disposals. The evidences and facts are plentiful. We can offer sound rebuttals to our opponents’ filthily dirty tactics of fear mongering and prevail through the provision of accurate and detailed reality checks. A positive outcome on healthcare reform is not only desirable, it is a necessity.
Learn more and get details by visiting the following links:
www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf
WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV
Written Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
A public citizen, once famously proclaimed, during crises, that there was nothing to fear, but fear itself! As it happens, this famous statement is poignantly relevant to the current boisterous debates about healthcare reforms. Healthcare Reform efforts have met with attendant deluge of high din of noise and ubiquitously permeating fear-mongering.
This fear-mongering, is being perpetuated by those opposed to change and reforms of the presently antiquated, discriminatory and lopsided healthcare delivery system in America. A system which have managed to leave out over forty million uninsured citizens! Citizens who are therefore condemned to do without necessary health insurance coverage or a even suitable alternative.
In real terms, the healthcare system as currently configured leaves out these scores of millions of citizens to their own miserly devices upon being afflicted by any illness. This has resulted in avoidable deaths in the thousands, of people. This has led to financial ruin and endless debts and even, eventual bankruptcies for many more American citizens. All these, are life changing, in most profound sense.
President Obama in his journey to the presidency and the White House, wisely made structural change to and reform of American healthcare delivery system one of his core policy thrusts, in his vision of the best road to making America, a more perfect union, in which are citizens are put in proximity of good healthcare. Obama’s rationale is informed by the knowledge that good health is a prerequisite for the creation of wealth and happiness. Hence the tripartite as it were. “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” A profound understanding of the way the world works, is a major factor and one of the explanations of Obama’s popularity about healthcare, then as candidate for president of the United States. Obama came across as possessed of the understanding and empathy for all, an empathy, even a wise Latina would love! It remains the case that the provision of healthcare for all will be a remarkable policy achievement for this president and for this nation.
The way this works, the logic and rationale is even a tad too simple and rather very easy to comprehend, but for the fear-mongers. First, there is pride in America in being our sisters’ and brothers’ keeper. There is pride in being a good neighbor. And most of all, there is the realization that good health is the foundation and bedrock of all other life’s aspirations. Who in bad health or who, when steeped in deep afflictions by diseases is at her most productive? It goes without saying therefore then with good health a person can or may contemplate the world. With good health humans are able to go on their merry ways of creating wealth and happiness for self and for the rest of the world.
Expansively put, it is requires not much ruminations, that the absence of good health coverage and health care for all citizens, is clearly defeatist. It is similar to any action undertaken, which may leave out and leave more than 40 million citizens in America to lay fallow and unproductive. A resilient and resurgent American economy will of necessity, be reliant on the optimum employment of all employable citizens, in the creation of gross national product. Creating a world class GDP/GNP requires a nation’s ability to fire full throttle in productivity. In effect, leaving out a segment of the American population, as much as over forty million does not make any economic sense. Nor does it make any sense whatsoever, be it moral or good neighborliness sense.
Big Insurance Companies and their lobbyists ensured the sudden death of efforts to reform the healthcare delivery sector during Bill Clinton’s presidency. And now again, after promising and shaking hands in the White House with President Obama, in truce and co-operation with reform efforts this time, they have reneged on their promises of support and cooperation. And instead, there is an ongoing fallacious farce, perpetrated by sundry interests groups. They are spreading confusion with insinuations such as the lie that government is desirous of taking over the management of healthcare delivery systems or apparatuses and machinery as currently existing and turned it into socialized medical care system similar to Canada or some even say Cuba.
According to these corporate spin doctors, the outcome of the reform will be such that soon after such “takeover” the government will, entrench itself as monumental obstacles, impediments and worse than useless behemoth of a spoiler which will insert itself, between the citizen and healthcare providers. There are two quick truths with which to demolish and dismantle this assertion by the corporate spin-doctors. First of all, the government already positively impacts and influences very big chunks of the healthcare system in the United States and “Medicare and Medicaid” are such programs, initiated and funded by the federal government of the United States. And both programs have millions of beneficiaries. Can these programs be more cost efficient and more effective? Of course!
The second of the two truths, is that, there is already nomenclatures which regularly constitute themselves into obstacles, they constitute themselves as monumental obstacles, impediments and worse than useless behemoth of a spoiler always inserting themselves between the citizen and healthcare providers; and they are called “Health Insurance Companies” Or “Health Maintenance Organizations” or (HMOs) and the only thing the consistently maintain, is not our health, but their aggrandizing tremendous annual profit margins at our expense, and the fact that they excel in denying holders of health coverage policies, needful treatments covered by such policies. I can hear you asking, what is the purpose of a health insurance coverage, if coverage will be routinely denied by these health insurance companies? That is exactly what health insurance companies do in the main. Their egregious death inducing, death causing conducts in preventing medical care givers from providing patients needed care.
These corporate profit cretins dictate to medical care givers, how much time to spend with patients, what proprietary or generic medicines to prescribe and what medicine is determined by these insurance companies, as they please, to be merely experimental or efficacious. So, rationing already exists and is practiced now and motivated solely by profits seekers. These corporate greed hordes are splendidly uninterested in good medical care, but instead, they put their bottom-line and sumptuous profit feasts ahead of lives made precarious by diseases and ill-health. And what is worse? These corporate oligarchs are now, in the most disingenuous manner, spreading the rumor to undiscerning average Joe and Jane, that is the government which seeking to do to us, what they the companies have been inflicting upon us for years and still do! Their actions not informed by best interests of patients and not informed by best medical practice or by current medical science.
All these are reasons for all of us, interested in the reforms slated for healthcare delivery in the United States, to start spreading the news.
Knowing the facts about this healthcare reform debate is so crucial to the eventual outcome. The fear mongering which is being spread and perpetrated by these corporate vampires and their lobbyists should be effectively confronted. And these corporate representatives encapsulated in varied interest groups can and should be effectively rebutted through robust and rigorous dissemination of information, regarding the facts, the evidence and the truth about the intended reform outcome.
As for the Republicans, they are known to be perennially on the side big businesses, and the Republican Party is known to have auto response as a default position, regarding reforms and regulations as a general rule. Regulation whether the troubled financial system or as in the present case, regulating and reforming the healthcare delivery system. Republicans argue that deregulation implications stifle innovation, and stunt growth of business and the economy. This is hogwash. Ill health is the worst harbinger to creativity, business and economic growth; and besides, it is illogical and unreasonable even, to argue that a busy road traffic artery without a traffic cop is better for motorists!
Sarah Palin, the only Republic Party member, still newsworthy, but only for her silliness, is particularly notable for her paucity public policy knowledge, sadly now though, she has “weighed in” with her rather morbidly slanderous addition of “Death Panel” nonsense to this worthy debate about healthcare reforms. She has, through her “FaceBook” “contribution” to the debates, allege, falsely, that the reforms components comprise “Death Panels” for all grandmothers, as the reforms is portrayed as envisaging some outlandish circumstance, in which a panel of persons, doubling as voyeuristic Dracula, determines how long any grandmother can receive treatments cost-efficiently and when or how soon thereafter, grandmothers can be summarily dispatched to go meet their makers!
Members of the Republican Party are desperadoes in the current atmosphere in Washington D.C. They lost the White House in the last general elections. They are a minority in the House of Representatives and as well as in the United States Senate. Republicans are political orphans at best and a bunch of desperadoes at worst, and so, policy reform is not their forte. They are in essence only concerned with how to defeat members of the Democratic Party in the forthcoming midterm elections and other elections after that. And so, the Republicans have, in their desperation, resorted to mischief making. These current political orphans are doing everything to surmount the Democrats, this is somewhat understandable. But the tactics which they have deployed is unconscionably unacceptable for the future of women, men and child in America. I strongly believe that spreading the facts, the information and the truth about Obama’ healthcare reforms, will at the end of the day, ultimately win out or prevail and a desirable outcome will be attained.
Newt Gingrinch accuses reform proponents of planning to impose or forced euthanasia on unsuspecting citizens. Limbaugh chimes in with more falsehoods to the effect that the healthcare reforms will led to a “pull the plug on grandma” and similar nonsense. Republicans are against “socialized” and then quickly add Obama should keep his hands off their Medicare too! Republicans are oxymoron gifted! There are so many other inflammatory fear-mongering rumors and falsehoods, which are being spread by opponents of reforms.
The handwriting as it were, is now on the wall. The Republicans are vehemently opposed to these healthcare reform efforts, they should be pushed harder by Democrats, Republicans will in effect, put the last nails in their own coffins for opposing sensible policy reforms, which is what the healthcare reform really is. And the Democrats in order to accomplish this, successfully, must get out of the unfruitful romantic notion of bipartisanship with Republicans, it has not happened, and it is not going to happen! Recent behaviors by Republicans in crucial votes, proves my position here. Additionally, proclamations and pronouncements by overwhelming numbers of Republicans demonstrate beyond any doubt, that they are not interested in the much vaunted and so fabled bipartisanship. Democrats appear to me, to be in the process of being lured to a drunken sleep stupor as they await the Republicans in the hope for a moribund bipartisanship! The Democrats may wake up to the absence of bipartisanship, too late and to the detriment of Democrats and those of us, who ensured the election Democrats in the first place! Republicans demonstrated this during confirmation hearings of the now justice of the US Supreme Court, the Honorable Justice Sonia Sotomayor. So why does anyone still pretend otherwise?
Meanwhile, Obama and the Democrats ought to and should, do a better business of disciplining the entire Democratic Party, whether they are “Blue Dogs” “Yellow Dogs” or lively ”Pink Dogs” Democrats! Failure of this health reform would inflict damaging “body” blow to the Obama administration and presidency. It will be a watershed moment with a Waterloo quality to it, and it will manacle the entire Democratic Party for such blunder and monumental failure of policy cohesion, were that eventuality to occur, culminating into a defeat of this healthcare reform efforts.
What can be acutely observed so far, in these debates, are the unnecessary flame-throwing gymnastics gyrations with a toxic mix of accusations socialism-communism style wealth redistribution. Then, there is the appearance of racism, instigated by those who see the reform efforts as targeting historically neglected black and brown citizens for health coverage and as such, a semblance of some sorts of class warfare or class discrimination, is motivating those against the poor and or citizens not currently covered, perhaps because they are poor, unemployed or underemployed and poor or a combination of these categories. Too many code-words have been deployed or thrown-up and about; and discerning ears and eyes are quite able to grasps fear-mongers’ rhetoric, even if flung, in slants, from all directions!
Senator Edward (Ted) Moore Kennedy, that legislative tiger and the defender of all underprivileged citizens and underdogs of every imaginable issue is gone now, sadly, Kennedy, the poor persons’ ombudsman, did not live long enough to see through this healthcare reforms. I think the time is nigh now, for someone in the Democratic Party to step forward, and say, follow me, I will lead this groundbreaking healthcare reforms to a positive outcome. Supporters of Democrats and in fact, all Americans who believe in this healthcare reform deserve nothing less.
As the saying goes, if you want to kill a dog, your first step is to falsely label the poor dog a bad dog, then you can “excuse your brutality to the mongrel, and say to all the world, look, after all, she was worse than useless, never capable carrying her own weight sorts of dog! This is precisely the scatological methodologies which have been amply deployed by Republicans and corporate interest groups, seeking to malign these health reform efforts; in order to ruin it for all of us, through fear-mongering and shrill-shouting of inanities! Happily, we can counter their efforts with the welter of information at our disposals. The evidences and facts are plentiful. We can offer sound rebuttals to our opponents’ filthily dirty tactics of fear mongering and prevail through the provision of accurate and detailed reality checks. A positive outcome on healthcare reform is not only desirable, it is a necessity.
Learn more and get details by visiting the following links:
www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf
WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV
Friday, August 28, 2009
Oil For Terrorist Or Is It Compassion? Western Ideals; Real Or Romantic Figments?
Oil For Terrorist Or Is It Compassion? Western Ideals; Real Or Romantic Figments?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
As a precursor to the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein in March 2003, there was a US-Iraq policy supported by the United Nations, it was called the Oil-For-Food Program. It was an outgrowth of the overall policy which constituted the post 1991 US-Iraq war, fought ostensibly to dislodge Saddam Hussein’s Iraq from Kuwait which Iraq had occupied as her so-called nineteenth province! The sanctions were very broad and wide ranging, it included economic, political, diplomatic and military, among others. Notably, the No-Fly-Zone and economic blockade or embargo made life for ordinary Iraqis miserable and countless deaths occurred as a consequence. Hence the eventual Oil-For-Food and Medicine Program supervised then by the United Nations.
The matter presently at hand is really about Libya on the one hand, and then, Britain, Scotland and the United States on the other. It will be recalled that Libya was accused of responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 out of the skies over Lockerbie in the dying days of December 19888. A so-called Libyan Intelligence agent, Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi and another Libyan of the same vocation, were fingered and accused and tried for that dastardly act. The other defendant was acquitted as the jury decided that there was insufficient evidence against that defendant. Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi was not so lucky as his professional partner. The sole evidence against Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi was a fateful purchase of a shirt he had made prior to the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The merchant from whom he purchased the shirt, connected the dots, evidenced by the fact that a similar, if identical shirts was used in wrapping the explosives, which forensic evidence managed to have retrieved amidst the crashed site debris in Lockerbie Scotland. Base solely on this shirt and shopkeeper account, a connection albeit, tenuous, was made between the Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, the shirt, the bomb, the bombing and the splintering of Pan Am flight 103.
Many in Scotland, including some victims of the bombing, were unconvinced that there was water-tight evidence against Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi to convict him of terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103. If there was no watertight evidence against the Libyan in the first place, many fair-minded Britons believed this to be the case were opposed to the conviction and sentence imposed on him in the end. The tragic loss of 270 persons in this fiery crash, which killed all 259 persons on board flight 103 and 11 more persons on the ground in Lockerbie, engendered understandable raw emotions and outrage. And the suggestion that that anyone or anything was responsible for such massive was of lives elicited revenge in the form of the severest punishments possible, for anyone who responsible.
Many western nations have routinely accused other nations of terrorism or sponsorship of same. Some nations as a consequence were named the Axis of Evil by George W. Bush a former president of the United States. Some nations were named rogue states, sponsors of terrorism and proliferators of atomic, biological and or nuclear weapons as well. Oppression and terrorism are evils which should be rejected by all persons. All reasonable persons! Some have argued and continue to argue that global inequalities and abject poverty wrapped in hopelessness is the cause source of terrorism, terrorism seem to derive from oppression, almost always and invariably so. It is therefore argued that global security attainment will be possible, only through the reduction of abject poverty and desperation worldwide.
Until a few years ago, was a labeled and castigated by western nations as a pariah in the international community of nations. When Pan Am airline was bombed out the skies in 1988, western nations “linked” Libya almost inexplicably to the flaming inferno and air crashing deaths in Scotland. Libya was at the time an outcast to Western nations. It is unclear how this perception of Libya by the West, seeming without direct and specific evidence precipitated the accusations against Libya as a rogue nation and therefore, Libyan agents as actors in the criminal enterprise of bombing Pan Am flight 103 out of the skies. There were raw emotions by the massive loss of lives, and these emotions were further inflamed, by the belief in the western world, that Libyan Intelligence agents were the culprits. This obviously may have impacted the outcome, the conviction and sentence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, who allegedly acted in concerted with another defendant, who was never convicted. This exoneration of the other defendant heightens the possible innocence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, but for his connection with the store-bought shirts as told to the trial by the storekeeper.
Many in Scotland, including some members of victim families doubted conviction and sentence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, some in the legal community also expressed reservation as to the fact of a single evidence by the storekeeper which was never corroborated by anyone else or through any other source. Baset Meghrahi filed an appeal while that appeal was pending he became afflicted with cancer of the prostrate, and was told it was terminal. Scotland made a deal with the prisoner. He will be released, if he dropped his insistence on proving that he is innocent of the charges which led to his conviction and sentence to life in jail. After several years of confinement, coupled with being afflicted with cancer of the prostrate of terminal variety, there was really no choice to be made by the prisoner. He took the offer and jetted out of Scotland within hours of being freed from the slammer dungeon life.
Baset Megrhahi arrived in Libya to an uproarious flag waving welcome by joyously proud Libyans, this, according to critics in western nations, was contrary to the gentleman agreement entered into by the leader of Libya, Moumar Ghaddaffi. Adding the fuels and accelerants of tsunami of blistering criticisms in western nations, was what filtered out in the midst of all this. Britain had feigned powerlessness over the Scot’s legal system and political leadership, in the freedom-for-terrorist-affair; then came word, that some in Britain actually exerted pressure and lobby efforts targeting Scotland, on behalf of Libya, efforts and lobby, to free the prisoner, motivated by an oil deal which is in the works between Libya and a plethora of British oil multinationals.
Since this seismic revelations about this Oil-For-Terrorist angle of the twisted fate of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi saga, high ranking office holders in the United States including Senator Charles Schumer, the senior US senator from the state of New York, as well as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and sundry victim families, have publicly fumed about the release of Baset Meghrahi whose innocence they say is assailable. The FBI Director, Mr. Mueller actually, took an extraordinary step of writing to express his consummate displeasure to the authorities of Scotland, and Scotland promptly accused him of breaching order, protocol, convention and rules of diplomatic engagement etc.
It is worth a mention that these reactions were all in the works, as soon as suggestions and speculations surfaced in the media, regarding the possible release and freedom for Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, and the tempo and intensity was made worse by the incremental indecencies which seemed to have belied the release of and freedom for Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, this is so, in the eyes and perspectives of victims’ families in particular.
Those who were somewhat unhappy about release and freedom of someone who, in their assessment, remains the cause of their bereavements, release and freedom, hinged on compassion for a prisoner with terminal illness and near-death, became more incensed as they learned of the pressure and lobby efforts exacted on Scotland by Britain. Then, there is now the incendiary crescendo, for the victims’ families as they now have to add acid and salt to their still very raw bereavement injuries, with the outwardly unconscionable outrage perpetrated against them and the memory of their loved ones, in the name of a contemplated business deal for British multinational oil companies.
In the eyes and from perspectives of victims’ families, this Oil-For-Terrorist deal is the unkindest cut, and the ultimate betrayal by those who saw to it, that Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi is now a freeman. Among the questions being asked by victims’ families and even the average person, is whether Baset should have remained in prison, while he pursued his appeals to determine whether his conviction remained sustainable, based on the sole uncorroborated evidence of a lone witness, the storekeeper who connected him to a particular shirt purchase.
Would he have been eventually vindicated? Did he compromise his insistence on his professed innocence in order to have a shortcut to freedom in view of his precarious state of health? Or, is his release justified? Is this really all about oil or compassion? Or is this really an Oil- For-Terrorist Release Program?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
As a precursor to the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein in March 2003, there was a US-Iraq policy supported by the United Nations, it was called the Oil-For-Food Program. It was an outgrowth of the overall policy which constituted the post 1991 US-Iraq war, fought ostensibly to dislodge Saddam Hussein’s Iraq from Kuwait which Iraq had occupied as her so-called nineteenth province! The sanctions were very broad and wide ranging, it included economic, political, diplomatic and military, among others. Notably, the No-Fly-Zone and economic blockade or embargo made life for ordinary Iraqis miserable and countless deaths occurred as a consequence. Hence the eventual Oil-For-Food and Medicine Program supervised then by the United Nations.
The matter presently at hand is really about Libya on the one hand, and then, Britain, Scotland and the United States on the other. It will be recalled that Libya was accused of responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 out of the skies over Lockerbie in the dying days of December 19888. A so-called Libyan Intelligence agent, Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi and another Libyan of the same vocation, were fingered and accused and tried for that dastardly act. The other defendant was acquitted as the jury decided that there was insufficient evidence against that defendant. Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi was not so lucky as his professional partner. The sole evidence against Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi was a fateful purchase of a shirt he had made prior to the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The merchant from whom he purchased the shirt, connected the dots, evidenced by the fact that a similar, if identical shirts was used in wrapping the explosives, which forensic evidence managed to have retrieved amidst the crashed site debris in Lockerbie Scotland. Base solely on this shirt and shopkeeper account, a connection albeit, tenuous, was made between the Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, the shirt, the bomb, the bombing and the splintering of Pan Am flight 103.
Many in Scotland, including some victims of the bombing, were unconvinced that there was water-tight evidence against Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi to convict him of terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103. If there was no watertight evidence against the Libyan in the first place, many fair-minded Britons believed this to be the case were opposed to the conviction and sentence imposed on him in the end. The tragic loss of 270 persons in this fiery crash, which killed all 259 persons on board flight 103 and 11 more persons on the ground in Lockerbie, engendered understandable raw emotions and outrage. And the suggestion that that anyone or anything was responsible for such massive was of lives elicited revenge in the form of the severest punishments possible, for anyone who responsible.
Many western nations have routinely accused other nations of terrorism or sponsorship of same. Some nations as a consequence were named the Axis of Evil by George W. Bush a former president of the United States. Some nations were named rogue states, sponsors of terrorism and proliferators of atomic, biological and or nuclear weapons as well. Oppression and terrorism are evils which should be rejected by all persons. All reasonable persons! Some have argued and continue to argue that global inequalities and abject poverty wrapped in hopelessness is the cause source of terrorism, terrorism seem to derive from oppression, almost always and invariably so. It is therefore argued that global security attainment will be possible, only through the reduction of abject poverty and desperation worldwide.
Until a few years ago, was a labeled and castigated by western nations as a pariah in the international community of nations. When Pan Am airline was bombed out the skies in 1988, western nations “linked” Libya almost inexplicably to the flaming inferno and air crashing deaths in Scotland. Libya was at the time an outcast to Western nations. It is unclear how this perception of Libya by the West, seeming without direct and specific evidence precipitated the accusations against Libya as a rogue nation and therefore, Libyan agents as actors in the criminal enterprise of bombing Pan Am flight 103 out of the skies. There were raw emotions by the massive loss of lives, and these emotions were further inflamed, by the belief in the western world, that Libyan Intelligence agents were the culprits. This obviously may have impacted the outcome, the conviction and sentence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, who allegedly acted in concerted with another defendant, who was never convicted. This exoneration of the other defendant heightens the possible innocence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, but for his connection with the store-bought shirts as told to the trial by the storekeeper.
Many in Scotland, including some members of victim families doubted conviction and sentence of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, some in the legal community also expressed reservation as to the fact of a single evidence by the storekeeper which was never corroborated by anyone else or through any other source. Baset Meghrahi filed an appeal while that appeal was pending he became afflicted with cancer of the prostrate, and was told it was terminal. Scotland made a deal with the prisoner. He will be released, if he dropped his insistence on proving that he is innocent of the charges which led to his conviction and sentence to life in jail. After several years of confinement, coupled with being afflicted with cancer of the prostrate of terminal variety, there was really no choice to be made by the prisoner. He took the offer and jetted out of Scotland within hours of being freed from the slammer dungeon life.
Baset Megrhahi arrived in Libya to an uproarious flag waving welcome by joyously proud Libyans, this, according to critics in western nations, was contrary to the gentleman agreement entered into by the leader of Libya, Moumar Ghaddaffi. Adding the fuels and accelerants of tsunami of blistering criticisms in western nations, was what filtered out in the midst of all this. Britain had feigned powerlessness over the Scot’s legal system and political leadership, in the freedom-for-terrorist-affair; then came word, that some in Britain actually exerted pressure and lobby efforts targeting Scotland, on behalf of Libya, efforts and lobby, to free the prisoner, motivated by an oil deal which is in the works between Libya and a plethora of British oil multinationals.
Since this seismic revelations about this Oil-For-Terrorist angle of the twisted fate of Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi saga, high ranking office holders in the United States including Senator Charles Schumer, the senior US senator from the state of New York, as well as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and sundry victim families, have publicly fumed about the release of Baset Meghrahi whose innocence they say is assailable. The FBI Director, Mr. Mueller actually, took an extraordinary step of writing to express his consummate displeasure to the authorities of Scotland, and Scotland promptly accused him of breaching order, protocol, convention and rules of diplomatic engagement etc.
It is worth a mention that these reactions were all in the works, as soon as suggestions and speculations surfaced in the media, regarding the possible release and freedom for Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, and the tempo and intensity was made worse by the incremental indecencies which seemed to have belied the release of and freedom for Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi, this is so, in the eyes and perspectives of victims’ families in particular.
Those who were somewhat unhappy about release and freedom of someone who, in their assessment, remains the cause of their bereavements, release and freedom, hinged on compassion for a prisoner with terminal illness and near-death, became more incensed as they learned of the pressure and lobby efforts exacted on Scotland by Britain. Then, there is now the incendiary crescendo, for the victims’ families as they now have to add acid and salt to their still very raw bereavement injuries, with the outwardly unconscionable outrage perpetrated against them and the memory of their loved ones, in the name of a contemplated business deal for British multinational oil companies.
In the eyes and from perspectives of victims’ families, this Oil-For-Terrorist deal is the unkindest cut, and the ultimate betrayal by those who saw to it, that Abdel Basset al-Meghrahi is now a freeman. Among the questions being asked by victims’ families and even the average person, is whether Baset should have remained in prison, while he pursued his appeals to determine whether his conviction remained sustainable, based on the sole uncorroborated evidence of a lone witness, the storekeeper who connected him to a particular shirt purchase.
Would he have been eventually vindicated? Did he compromise his insistence on his professed innocence in order to have a shortcut to freedom in view of his precarious state of health? Or, is his release justified? Is this really all about oil or compassion? Or is this really an Oil- For-Terrorist Release Program?
Monday, August 24, 2009
Nigerian Citizenship Should Be Redefined NOW!
Nigerian Citizenship Should Be Redefined NOW!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcreer2007@ aol.com
New York, United States
On Sunday, August 23, 2009, I read on the internet, a news report by one Mr. Samuel Aruwan reporting from Kaduna state in Nigeria. The news story related how full-fledged citizens of Nigeria, who were ordinarily resident in Lagos, were bundled and stripped of their properties and shipped from Lagos, by the government of Lagos state and then, deposited and dumped in Kaduna, just like that! This is an illegal act. It is an unconstitutional act, as it is equally immoral, and a very shameful and disgraceful act on the part of Lagos state. I can only hope that no other state in Nigeria follows this extremely foolish and illegal act. As it is clearly a bad example!
First, upon reading this most ill-conceived action by Lagos state, I was thrown into a state of suspended disbelief. The governor of Lagos state is lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria at that! This is particularly surprising, because Mr. Fashola is lawyer and the action he sanctioned, is obviously unconstitutional and illegal and plainly immoral and unjustifiable! Mr. Fashola’s illegitimate action on this score, makes me wonder if he has misplaced his copy of the Nigerian constitution? How could a state governor order such action which flies in the face of decency, morality and constitutionality? Such an urbane governor as Mr. Fashola, a man who rather a very young politician? What informed this offensive and discriminatory act?
The illogicalities, the illegalities, the unconstitutionaliti es in every sense of these, made me at first to wonder, if this news story is untrue! How can a state actually do this without wide outrage and outcry nationwide in Nigeria? Where is censure and reprimand for this kidnapping engineered by a state in Nigeria? Are some Nigerians so warped and twisted now, in our sense of what is legal, fair, decent and moral? Are we now so far in a state of anomie and beyond shock? Are some Nigerians now so shockproof even from the debased and most profane of conducts by public officials? When did we stop being our brothers and sisters’ keeper? What in the world have happened to our psyche?
Nigerians should as the governor of Lagos state several questions to determine his “reasons” “rationale” for his decision to throw Molotov cocktails and live grenades into our already volatile state of national unity? Why did the governor, and government of Lagos state decide to act as flamethrowers against our country? I have lived in Lagos in the past and there was at that time, no physical fitness tests. No physical or fiscal inspections or determinations before a Nigerian could become a Lagosian, Lagos City used to be Nigeria’s New York City, Lagos welcomed all comers, all Nigerians. What changed? Why did Lagos engage in this opprobrium?
May Nigerians now be told, what the minimum income, and minimum wealth and minimum physical disability, which a Nigerian have to have to be accepted or tolerated as resident of Lagos state? What is the cutoff point, monetarily and in physical attributes for a Nigerian desirous of residency in Lagos? What is the litmus test of physical dexterity and fiscal suitableness for Nigerians citizens who desire to make Lagos state their home state, regardless of ethnicity or “state-of-origin”? There had been press reports suggesting that the governor of Lagos state, Mr. Fashola, had commenced a rebirth and rehabilitation of Lagos into the much talked about megacity or megalopolis. But cleaning and beautifying Lagos state or any state for that matter, certainly cannot be the poor excuse for abducting, kidnapping and bundling proven citizens of Nigeria, from whatever state of birth and dumping them outside of Lagos!
We know that money is tight in Lagos, in Nigeria and in fact, everywhere else in the world. But tight budget, tight finances cannot be the excuse, refusal or neglect by Lagos state to seek alternative solutions or other options to street begging! Lagos would have had support, if Lagos sought to rehabilitate beggars, Area Boys or the so-called street urchins, and as a consequence, Lagos created a shelter or even takes the extraordinary steps of creating a colony, for such purpose within Lagos state. Even so, it would be possible that some may see such measures as drastic, if draconian. But, here we are faced with a much worse and much more drastically senseless abductions and kidnapping of some Nigerians as a policy of a unit of government in my federal republic! Tufia! Haba Lagos!
If these citizens had swine flu or some other disease determined to be contagious, even at that, no state government should abduct, kidnap and expel Nigerians from one state to the other. If infected persons or even livestock must be quarantined, such confinements must be undertaken within the state of established presence of such infected persons or livestock. Bundling and expelling Nigerian citizens should never be contemplated by any sane Nigerian! This is class warfare too. This is class discrimination this is a unique discrimination against Nigerians with disabilities. There ought to be a law against all discriminations, but, more particularly so, laws to punish those who would engage in the egregious discriminations of all, against disable people who are not able to fend for themselves! The “crimes” of these citizens of Nigeria, “deported” by Lagos state, is that they are poor and, on top of it, they have the misfortunes to be disabled or have disabilities. Would Lagos state or any state deport Dangote, Otedola or Iwuchukwu whether they were blind or quadriplegics on wheelchairs? No! They would react, Naira for Naira! And with 100 Senior Advocates of Nigeria representing them.
Too much unpalatable news emanates from Nigeria and this dastardly act by Lagos state is just rank –rancid wrong-headed public policy! As I understand it, the governor of Lagos state is a lawyer, a nice urbane Nigerian, who is said to have done a lot for Lagos. Those accomplishments, if they are sustainable and not mere cosmetic, warrant the applause of all Nigerians. But now does this? Common!
All Nigerians must take strong exceptions, the strongest exceptions, to the malevolent treatments by Lagos state, meted out to bona fide citizens of Nigeria. Any citizen of Nigeria should have the right to live where ever whichever part of Nigeria such Nigerian citizen chooses and prefers. And such choice should be left to such Nigerian citizen regardless of wealth, health, ethnicity, state or region of origin or religion. Once a Nigerian has established proof of his citizenship, where he chooses to live should not be a discussable transaction by any branches of our government, be it local, state or federal. No state, Lagos or Plateau or Edo or Anambra should tell me where I can live within Nigeria! Lagos must not get away with this unconstitutionality and illegality, just so, no other state may in the future engage in this sorts of mindlessness of the unhinged. Lagos should be fined. Governors who discriminate should be impeached and removed from office! This is because these sorts actions endanger Nigeria’s national security and national unity and cohesion. It is treasonable to endanger our national security. What if Kaduna retaliates and uses whatever criterion Kaduna may chose? Deport every college graduate from Lagos who lives in Kaduna? Or deport any Lagosian in Kaduna who weighs over 200 kilograms?
I am thoroughly embarrassed that there are some people here applauding the Lagos state government! Lagos should be ASHAMED! Those poor citizens deserve better than that from Lagos state and every other state in Nigeria… and from the federal government too! A citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria! A citizen of Nigeria should be free to live where ever she chooses! It is irrelevant whether such Nigeria is a billionaire or destitute!
The illegal and unconstitutional action by Lagos state against some citizens of Nigeria is most unwarranted. It is discrimination and there is simply no excuse. Clearly, it is unacceptable that Lagos is discriminating against some Nigerian citizens on the bases of ethnicity, state and region of origin and on the basis of disability and wealth! There is nothing to be said in favor of Lagos state! NOTHING! The Federal Executive Council or FEC should table Lagos for discussion, for censure and reprimand for this offensive and discriminatory act.
"Deportation" of Nigerians by some other Nigerians should be condemned by all of us. That act on the part of Lagos state, my Eko Akete, surely smacks of elitism in particular reference to the stations in life and wealth and disability of the Nigerians who we talk about here.
A good society, with human refinement, is judged or measured by how such society treats/handles/ deals with her under-privileged citizens. Lagos state has just failed this acid test!
Citizenship in Nigeria should not be a fleeting and an ephemeral thing! My Nigerian citizenship should entitle me to equal protection in every of Nigeria's 36 federating states, and the Federal Capital Territory inclusive. I have in the past written that “Nigerian Citizenship Should Be Redefined” which was published on Friday, 18 June 2004 http://www.nigeriav illagesquare. com/...redefined .html
But with this act by Lagos state, and the unrests in Plateau a couple of years ago, then the bloodletting which followed the Boko Haram extremism accompanied by gory violence, there is now no better time for Nigeria’s National Assembly to swing to action, amend the constitution, to define citizenship of Nigeria, as among other things, a citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of the locality and state, which such Nigerian has adopted and where such Nigerian has lived in, meaningful and where such Nigeria may choose and such Nigerian has demonstrated and indicated, whether she is Adamu, Bola or Chima!
And this, definition should be regardless of whether Adamu’s grandparents were originally from Kaduna as Adamu has chosen Lagos as his home state, from where he can be the best Nigerian he can be. This will be regardless of whether Bola parents or grandparent are originally from Ondo, and now, Bola has adopted Yobe state as her home state, Yobe would suffice for Bola. And Chima should be free to create wealth, health and happiness in Ogbomosho, regardless of the fact that his grandparents and parents were originally from Nnewi or Oguta. A Nigerian’s home state should be where he chooses. Where she reside etc Nigerian citizenship should be tenable everywhere in Nigeria. It should not be fleetingly flimsy!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcreer2007@ aol.com
New York, United States
On Sunday, August 23, 2009, I read on the internet, a news report by one Mr. Samuel Aruwan reporting from Kaduna state in Nigeria. The news story related how full-fledged citizens of Nigeria, who were ordinarily resident in Lagos, were bundled and stripped of their properties and shipped from Lagos, by the government of Lagos state and then, deposited and dumped in Kaduna, just like that! This is an illegal act. It is an unconstitutional act, as it is equally immoral, and a very shameful and disgraceful act on the part of Lagos state. I can only hope that no other state in Nigeria follows this extremely foolish and illegal act. As it is clearly a bad example!
First, upon reading this most ill-conceived action by Lagos state, I was thrown into a state of suspended disbelief. The governor of Lagos state is lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria at that! This is particularly surprising, because Mr. Fashola is lawyer and the action he sanctioned, is obviously unconstitutional and illegal and plainly immoral and unjustifiable! Mr. Fashola’s illegitimate action on this score, makes me wonder if he has misplaced his copy of the Nigerian constitution? How could a state governor order such action which flies in the face of decency, morality and constitutionality? Such an urbane governor as Mr. Fashola, a man who rather a very young politician? What informed this offensive and discriminatory act?
The illogicalities, the illegalities, the unconstitutionaliti es in every sense of these, made me at first to wonder, if this news story is untrue! How can a state actually do this without wide outrage and outcry nationwide in Nigeria? Where is censure and reprimand for this kidnapping engineered by a state in Nigeria? Are some Nigerians so warped and twisted now, in our sense of what is legal, fair, decent and moral? Are we now so far in a state of anomie and beyond shock? Are some Nigerians now so shockproof even from the debased and most profane of conducts by public officials? When did we stop being our brothers and sisters’ keeper? What in the world have happened to our psyche?
Nigerians should as the governor of Lagos state several questions to determine his “reasons” “rationale” for his decision to throw Molotov cocktails and live grenades into our already volatile state of national unity? Why did the governor, and government of Lagos state decide to act as flamethrowers against our country? I have lived in Lagos in the past and there was at that time, no physical fitness tests. No physical or fiscal inspections or determinations before a Nigerian could become a Lagosian, Lagos City used to be Nigeria’s New York City, Lagos welcomed all comers, all Nigerians. What changed? Why did Lagos engage in this opprobrium?
May Nigerians now be told, what the minimum income, and minimum wealth and minimum physical disability, which a Nigerian have to have to be accepted or tolerated as resident of Lagos state? What is the cutoff point, monetarily and in physical attributes for a Nigerian desirous of residency in Lagos? What is the litmus test of physical dexterity and fiscal suitableness for Nigerians citizens who desire to make Lagos state their home state, regardless of ethnicity or “state-of-origin”? There had been press reports suggesting that the governor of Lagos state, Mr. Fashola, had commenced a rebirth and rehabilitation of Lagos into the much talked about megacity or megalopolis. But cleaning and beautifying Lagos state or any state for that matter, certainly cannot be the poor excuse for abducting, kidnapping and bundling proven citizens of Nigeria, from whatever state of birth and dumping them outside of Lagos!
We know that money is tight in Lagos, in Nigeria and in fact, everywhere else in the world. But tight budget, tight finances cannot be the excuse, refusal or neglect by Lagos state to seek alternative solutions or other options to street begging! Lagos would have had support, if Lagos sought to rehabilitate beggars, Area Boys or the so-called street urchins, and as a consequence, Lagos created a shelter or even takes the extraordinary steps of creating a colony, for such purpose within Lagos state. Even so, it would be possible that some may see such measures as drastic, if draconian. But, here we are faced with a much worse and much more drastically senseless abductions and kidnapping of some Nigerians as a policy of a unit of government in my federal republic! Tufia! Haba Lagos!
If these citizens had swine flu or some other disease determined to be contagious, even at that, no state government should abduct, kidnap and expel Nigerians from one state to the other. If infected persons or even livestock must be quarantined, such confinements must be undertaken within the state of established presence of such infected persons or livestock. Bundling and expelling Nigerian citizens should never be contemplated by any sane Nigerian! This is class warfare too. This is class discrimination this is a unique discrimination against Nigerians with disabilities. There ought to be a law against all discriminations, but, more particularly so, laws to punish those who would engage in the egregious discriminations of all, against disable people who are not able to fend for themselves! The “crimes” of these citizens of Nigeria, “deported” by Lagos state, is that they are poor and, on top of it, they have the misfortunes to be disabled or have disabilities. Would Lagos state or any state deport Dangote, Otedola or Iwuchukwu whether they were blind or quadriplegics on wheelchairs? No! They would react, Naira for Naira! And with 100 Senior Advocates of Nigeria representing them.
Too much unpalatable news emanates from Nigeria and this dastardly act by Lagos state is just rank –rancid wrong-headed public policy! As I understand it, the governor of Lagos state is a lawyer, a nice urbane Nigerian, who is said to have done a lot for Lagos. Those accomplishments, if they are sustainable and not mere cosmetic, warrant the applause of all Nigerians. But now does this? Common!
All Nigerians must take strong exceptions, the strongest exceptions, to the malevolent treatments by Lagos state, meted out to bona fide citizens of Nigeria. Any citizen of Nigeria should have the right to live where ever whichever part of Nigeria such Nigerian citizen chooses and prefers. And such choice should be left to such Nigerian citizen regardless of wealth, health, ethnicity, state or region of origin or religion. Once a Nigerian has established proof of his citizenship, where he chooses to live should not be a discussable transaction by any branches of our government, be it local, state or federal. No state, Lagos or Plateau or Edo or Anambra should tell me where I can live within Nigeria! Lagos must not get away with this unconstitutionality and illegality, just so, no other state may in the future engage in this sorts of mindlessness of the unhinged. Lagos should be fined. Governors who discriminate should be impeached and removed from office! This is because these sorts actions endanger Nigeria’s national security and national unity and cohesion. It is treasonable to endanger our national security. What if Kaduna retaliates and uses whatever criterion Kaduna may chose? Deport every college graduate from Lagos who lives in Kaduna? Or deport any Lagosian in Kaduna who weighs over 200 kilograms?
I am thoroughly embarrassed that there are some people here applauding the Lagos state government! Lagos should be ASHAMED! Those poor citizens deserve better than that from Lagos state and every other state in Nigeria… and from the federal government too! A citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria! A citizen of Nigeria should be free to live where ever she chooses! It is irrelevant whether such Nigeria is a billionaire or destitute!
The illegal and unconstitutional action by Lagos state against some citizens of Nigeria is most unwarranted. It is discrimination and there is simply no excuse. Clearly, it is unacceptable that Lagos is discriminating against some Nigerian citizens on the bases of ethnicity, state and region of origin and on the basis of disability and wealth! There is nothing to be said in favor of Lagos state! NOTHING! The Federal Executive Council or FEC should table Lagos for discussion, for censure and reprimand for this offensive and discriminatory act.
"Deportation" of Nigerians by some other Nigerians should be condemned by all of us. That act on the part of Lagos state, my Eko Akete, surely smacks of elitism in particular reference to the stations in life and wealth and disability of the Nigerians who we talk about here.
A good society, with human refinement, is judged or measured by how such society treats/handles/ deals with her under-privileged citizens. Lagos state has just failed this acid test!
Citizenship in Nigeria should not be a fleeting and an ephemeral thing! My Nigerian citizenship should entitle me to equal protection in every of Nigeria's 36 federating states, and the Federal Capital Territory inclusive. I have in the past written that “Nigerian Citizenship Should Be Redefined” which was published on Friday, 18 June 2004 http://www.nigeriav illagesquare. com/...redefined .html
But with this act by Lagos state, and the unrests in Plateau a couple of years ago, then the bloodletting which followed the Boko Haram extremism accompanied by gory violence, there is now no better time for Nigeria’s National Assembly to swing to action, amend the constitution, to define citizenship of Nigeria, as among other things, a citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of the locality and state, which such Nigerian has adopted and where such Nigerian has lived in, meaningful and where such Nigeria may choose and such Nigerian has demonstrated and indicated, whether she is Adamu, Bola or Chima!
And this, definition should be regardless of whether Adamu’s grandparents were originally from Kaduna as Adamu has chosen Lagos as his home state, from where he can be the best Nigerian he can be. This will be regardless of whether Bola parents or grandparent are originally from Ondo, and now, Bola has adopted Yobe state as her home state, Yobe would suffice for Bola. And Chima should be free to create wealth, health and happiness in Ogbomosho, regardless of the fact that his grandparents and parents were originally from Nnewi or Oguta. A Nigerian’s home state should be where he chooses. Where she reside etc Nigerian citizenship should be tenable everywhere in Nigeria. It should not be fleetingly flimsy!
Friday, August 21, 2009
American African Command; (AFRICOM): Western Self-Serving Interests Or African Security?
American African Command; (AFRICOM): Western Self-Serving Interests Or African Security?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
America’s establishment of the so-called African Command should be seen for what it is. This is America’s self-interested armada of protection for America, and her allies. As Africa have steadily and increasingly become more important, playing the role for Westerners, as repository of energy resources which powers the engine-rooms of Western economies.
In addition America and her Western allies are in trepidations and stampede, to stem China’s forays into Africa with plethora of real investments in solid infrastructures in many African nations. The formation of this command was made official by former president of the United States, George W. Bush on February 6, 2007. It has been controversial since; particularly, among Africans. There is as well a lively debate by Americans in the Department of Defense or DOD, the War College, US State Department, various Policy Foundations by policy wonks, aside from the Africans’.
A major component and a key element in these debates is the fear of China. China is buoyed be her recent economic progress. China has, for more than a decade, attained major economic expansion of more than nine percent annually. China has become exceedingly confident on the world stage. America and her Western allies are therefore deeply troubled by this state of affairs or development. China is seen by Western governments as a nuisance, an irritant and a competitor behemoth worth her weight in gold. The sheer size of China, her industrial and technological ascendancy, tripled with her ability to produce with low overhead costs, empowers China, like no other nation. China is as well a major financier of America’s public debt, in the trillions. Sino-phobia in Western countries can also be blamed for America’s sudden desire to establish military presence in Africa.
In my view therefore, America’s African Command was in conceptual terms and actual implementation, was not intended to serve Africa’s best interests. It is just some happenstances that Africa has grown in geopolitical and geo-economic importance to America and her allies. Africa has been there all along.
Africa suddenly has the attentions of Western governments? Africa is suddenly a priority? I very much doubt it! As America and her allies are ensnared in the volatile Persian Gulf-Middle East, there is suddenly these self-serving attention being paid to the long neglected, ridiculed and forlorn Africa? Given Africa’s experience in the hands of Western governments, from slave trade to colonialism to the hemispheric Cold War hegemonic struggles for chunks of the African continent, it should be no surprise to the United States and other Western governments, that Africans view them with enlightened and sanguine suspicions. These suspicions are informed by Africa’s extremely checkered history and the roles of Westerners in it.
There are, in addition to African historical experiences with Westerners, the experiences of other regions and nations outside of Africa. There are such places such the Honduras, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic to mention a few, where American military presence have not served best interests of the local populations. The collective experience of these countries, in which American military presence have been parceled and touted as being of some sorts of mutual benefit for America and the host country, it has turned out, in many cases, America interests were all she was interested in. There were for instance, reports of how American military, acting supposedly in partnership or cooperation with Nigerian military, literally took over Nigerian Defense Headquarters. I know for a fact, that the US military would not brook such behaviors by foreign military personnel at Pentagon, the US Department of Defense or military complex.
It is probably important as a mention, that the United States already operates at least three other commands, namely, the European Command (EUCOM), Central Command, (CENTCOM) and Pacific Command (PACOM), therefore, African Command or (AFRICOM) will be the fourth leg of US military global spread.
America’s African Command, in the circumstances, cannot be seen by Africans as instrument for African Security. America’s African Command is instead seen, as machinery for Western governments to pursue their vaunted economic, political and hegemonic hemispheric influence, at the expense of Africans, as well as a backdoor through which Westerner can outmaneuver rivals such as China and perhaps, Russia in addition. In my observation, the only interests which Westerners pursues, have ever pursued in Africa, are Western interests regardless of their protestations to the contrary; regardless of new and improved fanciful packaging.
Just think about it. Africa has laid as greenest field and fallow before the very eyes of Westerners for hundreds of years. Westerners have exploited Africa for Western benefit enough already. Africans can do without Western nations’ afterthoughts. AFRICOM and the current debate about China are two sides of the same coin. There is a renewed scramble for Africa it is motivated mostly by the search for hydrocarbon and beyond that, an opportunity for those in the scramble to expand their global market share, in this era of globalization. Africa is still their pawn, sadly! They have never been committed or dedicated to our cause or best interests.
This is the crux of the matter for Africans who have become deeply and extremely suspicious motives by Westerners who are pretending, permanently, to be on right side of all that is good for Africa, meanwhile, all through history, there have been no scintilla of truth in claims by Western governments which have pretending to be helping or assisting Africa in some sorts of altruistic, disinterested, selfless or gratuitous way. History is my witness and it is verifiably the case that Western contacts with Africa have had most negative consequences. It began with slave trade, then colonialism, neocolonialism, cold war and through all these, Westerners stripped and exploited Africa for Africa’s human, mineral and sundry resources. As a consequence, discerning Africans have gone beyond merely wary of Westerners, Africans who are alert and have become extremely suspicious of Westerners. Again, we should be mindful, when an umbrella seller doubles as someone who predicts daily rain falls. Africans have become more circumspect in evaluating advice offered by Westerners, in matters of continental, regional security or matters of trade and investments on the continent.
The attitudes of Westerners to Africans have been based mostly, on some sorts of ad hoc policy thrusts. It is marked by the absence of a well thought out and well reasoned substantive and significant policy position for Africa. Be it economic, political or military-strategic. Africa has always been seen as of no strategic or national security relevance or significance to Westerners. I cannot recount how many Western policy papers which explicitly and implicitly state such positions abundantly. But suddenly, exigent circumstances, which propelled solely by Western interests, is now pushing Western government to a waking moment of Africa’s importance? And Westerners expect Africans to be jumping for joy and dance in the streets, in excitements? Africans should be overjoyed and happily receive America’s African Command? If past is prologue, I will say, think again!
For starters, former president of the United States George W. Bush’s administration underestimated what would be Africans’ reaction to the presence of America AFRICOM; Non-Africans are too frequently presumptuous about Africans. Africans are taken for granted quite too often. This all has smudges of condescension and it is an attitude which smacks of Western paternalistic talk-downs in dealings with Africans. This is why unpleasant failure results are consequences sometimes. Herein lay the difference between the West and resurgent China in Africa. China invited African countries to Beijing, China. And together, Africans and the Chinese, created the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (CACF) This Africa-China body have met in China and in parts of Africa since its creation. And this is the sorts of partnership, the sort of friends and robust engagement which have been absence between the West and Africa. Africa, for far too long, remained the inconvenient part of the world in the eyes of the Western governments. Westerners have only been in exploitation mode and Africa as the butt of their dinner jokes, bluntly put. China on the other hand is, practical, engaged and straightforward. When was the last time the United States invited African leaders together to a joint summit or conference on economic, strategic or military cooperation? When was the last time (ever) did the United states or Western nations practice active engagements and rapprochement with African leaders the way China have demonstrated her leadership in that direction? China has excelled in action and not rhetoric and false promises!
China has over the years sent almost 20,000 medical doctors into many nations on the African continent. Beyond that, China has given loans, guaranteed loans for infrastructure development for African nations. China has been engaged, as well, in the direct creation of public infrastructures in some African nations. Railways, refineries and sundry public works, are abundant evidences which are already on the grounds in different parts of Africa and these, it must be said, tells you where China stands. Africans are tired of profound platitudinous proclamations by Western governments. China in a short span of time has proven their worthiness to Africans, through their actions. Westerners are alarmed, understandably so, because, it is becoming obvious to the Africans, tremendous difference between hundreds of years of words by Western governments, compared with the recent Chinese presence. China does not seek to dictate leadership choice to Africans.
China is not dictating to Africans a mode of government or governance as in presidential or parliamentary systems. China is not interested in interfering or meddling in the internal affairs Africans. That is how it should be! Africans are now children of the West! China goods are all over the United States. Chinese products are known Westerners and Africans alike, to be cheap and to fulfill intended utility. China is not known to hold Chinese products over and above products made in Africa. Western nations have done just that for decades, for instance, Schnapps was held up in Nigeria as superior to local brew, which is now almost extinct. And this is the practice of the West across the board. And yet, some people wonder why African farmers and manufacturers can compete against Western multinationals? For that, I recommend, “Life and Debt of Jamaica” the negative impact upon developing nations’ productive capacities occasioned by dumping by Western nations.
And furthermore, on matters of impositions, China, quite unlike the West which imposed English, French or Portuguese etc, so far, China is not known to be force-feeding Africans any Cantonese and or Mandarin! Western contact with Africa began by imposing Christianity as the “civilized” non-primitive and superior religion, China unlike the West which exulted Christian faith over every, and any, of Africa’s holies, China has not preached any religions to Africans.
China has given loans to African nations. China has guaranteed loans to African nations for public projects and sundry public infrastructures. Western nations on the other, have always led African nations to the World Bank and or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through which Western nations put punishing strictures upon developing nations in Africa and Latin America etc. These strictures, which are well coordinated, act to stifle development in Africa and elsewhere. You the reader must have heard of something called the Structural Adjustment Program or SAP? It ruined many nations in Africa and Latin America, it ruined millions of lives!
China has given loans, guaranteed loans to some African nations. China has also speedily executed some key projects in some African nations they go busily like acts and voila! End results or outcomes are seen by the Africans. China has in loan grants and loan guarantees, have been acting for some African nations, the way the United States acted on behalf of Israel when the US single-handed, made a $10 billion loan guarantee for Israel in one single year! And this excludes the $5billion yearly financial aid to Israel, with no strings attached, with no meddling and interference with Israel domestic and foreign policies! The amount of US foreign aid to all of the 53 countries in Africa during the last ten years is less than $10 billion, this despite the presence of over 900 million people in Africa and this, despite the recognition that the need in Africa is greater than in Israel with her 5 million in population. Africans are tired of ostentatious pledges and promises which are never fulfilled and never redeemed! China is a suitable alternative and a welcome change.
On matters of repressive and undemocratic governments in Africa; Western nations are friends to Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, with his notoriously repressive government, he is a man who has been president for about thirty years. Most Western nations had dealings with Mobutu Sese Sekor, a tyrant and dictator, who was as corrupt as corruption itself. Western nations have historically been strange-bedfellows with the world’s worst dictators, tyrannical brutal leaders. The West have perennially been in marriages of convenience with political leaders of other nations, particularly, leaders who do not pursue the interests of local electorates, but rather, selfish personal interests of select individuals and the West winks and nods, so longs as Western interests are amply protected. The West practices permanent Expediency, with an uppercase E! And frequently, it is counterproductive and chickens come home to roost. Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran etc, are historical example. Expediency can never be good substitute for thorough policy which contemplates and anticipates long term outcomes and consequences.
Western nations seem to have no issues with governments in Arabia and Persia, that is, regarding the abject absence of Democracy and Human Rights, Women Rights, in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates etc about and yet, the West lecture us about how China has been uninterested in Africans’ progress through forms of government? And that China deals with repressive African governments? And how China is willing to deal with some corrupt officials etc? Swiss Banks are notorious for being safe havens for the prodigiously corrupt and criminal looters, who pillage and plunder. And not Banks in Beijing or Shanghai! Western nations serve as harbors for fleeing thieves, and their families. Western nations serves as their refugee, and hospitals and choice place to acquire sumptuous opulence, mansions, investments and squander resources stolen from Africa. Show me a mansion in China which belongs to an African rogue. China actually executes corrupt officials by firing squad!
It should be obvious to even the undiscerning, that Western nations excel in hypocrisy and double standards. The only thing of importance to hypocrites, are usually, their self-serving sanctimonious sermons, which serves their self-interests. Discerning Africans already know those who are friends and partners to Africa. Africans do not need Western nations’ preachment of the West is holier than thou, in comparison to China. And someday, Africans and peoples of African descent will rise upon seeing the difference.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
America’s establishment of the so-called African Command should be seen for what it is. This is America’s self-interested armada of protection for America, and her allies. As Africa have steadily and increasingly become more important, playing the role for Westerners, as repository of energy resources which powers the engine-rooms of Western economies.
In addition America and her Western allies are in trepidations and stampede, to stem China’s forays into Africa with plethora of real investments in solid infrastructures in many African nations. The formation of this command was made official by former president of the United States, George W. Bush on February 6, 2007. It has been controversial since; particularly, among Africans. There is as well a lively debate by Americans in the Department of Defense or DOD, the War College, US State Department, various Policy Foundations by policy wonks, aside from the Africans’.
A major component and a key element in these debates is the fear of China. China is buoyed be her recent economic progress. China has, for more than a decade, attained major economic expansion of more than nine percent annually. China has become exceedingly confident on the world stage. America and her Western allies are therefore deeply troubled by this state of affairs or development. China is seen by Western governments as a nuisance, an irritant and a competitor behemoth worth her weight in gold. The sheer size of China, her industrial and technological ascendancy, tripled with her ability to produce with low overhead costs, empowers China, like no other nation. China is as well a major financier of America’s public debt, in the trillions. Sino-phobia in Western countries can also be blamed for America’s sudden desire to establish military presence in Africa.
In my view therefore, America’s African Command was in conceptual terms and actual implementation, was not intended to serve Africa’s best interests. It is just some happenstances that Africa has grown in geopolitical and geo-economic importance to America and her allies. Africa has been there all along.
Africa suddenly has the attentions of Western governments? Africa is suddenly a priority? I very much doubt it! As America and her allies are ensnared in the volatile Persian Gulf-Middle East, there is suddenly these self-serving attention being paid to the long neglected, ridiculed and forlorn Africa? Given Africa’s experience in the hands of Western governments, from slave trade to colonialism to the hemispheric Cold War hegemonic struggles for chunks of the African continent, it should be no surprise to the United States and other Western governments, that Africans view them with enlightened and sanguine suspicions. These suspicions are informed by Africa’s extremely checkered history and the roles of Westerners in it.
There are, in addition to African historical experiences with Westerners, the experiences of other regions and nations outside of Africa. There are such places such the Honduras, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic to mention a few, where American military presence have not served best interests of the local populations. The collective experience of these countries, in which American military presence have been parceled and touted as being of some sorts of mutual benefit for America and the host country, it has turned out, in many cases, America interests were all she was interested in. There were for instance, reports of how American military, acting supposedly in partnership or cooperation with Nigerian military, literally took over Nigerian Defense Headquarters. I know for a fact, that the US military would not brook such behaviors by foreign military personnel at Pentagon, the US Department of Defense or military complex.
It is probably important as a mention, that the United States already operates at least three other commands, namely, the European Command (EUCOM), Central Command, (CENTCOM) and Pacific Command (PACOM), therefore, African Command or (AFRICOM) will be the fourth leg of US military global spread.
America’s African Command, in the circumstances, cannot be seen by Africans as instrument for African Security. America’s African Command is instead seen, as machinery for Western governments to pursue their vaunted economic, political and hegemonic hemispheric influence, at the expense of Africans, as well as a backdoor through which Westerner can outmaneuver rivals such as China and perhaps, Russia in addition. In my observation, the only interests which Westerners pursues, have ever pursued in Africa, are Western interests regardless of their protestations to the contrary; regardless of new and improved fanciful packaging.
Just think about it. Africa has laid as greenest field and fallow before the very eyes of Westerners for hundreds of years. Westerners have exploited Africa for Western benefit enough already. Africans can do without Western nations’ afterthoughts. AFRICOM and the current debate about China are two sides of the same coin. There is a renewed scramble for Africa it is motivated mostly by the search for hydrocarbon and beyond that, an opportunity for those in the scramble to expand their global market share, in this era of globalization. Africa is still their pawn, sadly! They have never been committed or dedicated to our cause or best interests.
This is the crux of the matter for Africans who have become deeply and extremely suspicious motives by Westerners who are pretending, permanently, to be on right side of all that is good for Africa, meanwhile, all through history, there have been no scintilla of truth in claims by Western governments which have pretending to be helping or assisting Africa in some sorts of altruistic, disinterested, selfless or gratuitous way. History is my witness and it is verifiably the case that Western contacts with Africa have had most negative consequences. It began with slave trade, then colonialism, neocolonialism, cold war and through all these, Westerners stripped and exploited Africa for Africa’s human, mineral and sundry resources. As a consequence, discerning Africans have gone beyond merely wary of Westerners, Africans who are alert and have become extremely suspicious of Westerners. Again, we should be mindful, when an umbrella seller doubles as someone who predicts daily rain falls. Africans have become more circumspect in evaluating advice offered by Westerners, in matters of continental, regional security or matters of trade and investments on the continent.
The attitudes of Westerners to Africans have been based mostly, on some sorts of ad hoc policy thrusts. It is marked by the absence of a well thought out and well reasoned substantive and significant policy position for Africa. Be it economic, political or military-strategic. Africa has always been seen as of no strategic or national security relevance or significance to Westerners. I cannot recount how many Western policy papers which explicitly and implicitly state such positions abundantly. But suddenly, exigent circumstances, which propelled solely by Western interests, is now pushing Western government to a waking moment of Africa’s importance? And Westerners expect Africans to be jumping for joy and dance in the streets, in excitements? Africans should be overjoyed and happily receive America’s African Command? If past is prologue, I will say, think again!
For starters, former president of the United States George W. Bush’s administration underestimated what would be Africans’ reaction to the presence of America AFRICOM; Non-Africans are too frequently presumptuous about Africans. Africans are taken for granted quite too often. This all has smudges of condescension and it is an attitude which smacks of Western paternalistic talk-downs in dealings with Africans. This is why unpleasant failure results are consequences sometimes. Herein lay the difference between the West and resurgent China in Africa. China invited African countries to Beijing, China. And together, Africans and the Chinese, created the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (CACF) This Africa-China body have met in China and in parts of Africa since its creation. And this is the sorts of partnership, the sort of friends and robust engagement which have been absence between the West and Africa. Africa, for far too long, remained the inconvenient part of the world in the eyes of the Western governments. Westerners have only been in exploitation mode and Africa as the butt of their dinner jokes, bluntly put. China on the other hand is, practical, engaged and straightforward. When was the last time the United States invited African leaders together to a joint summit or conference on economic, strategic or military cooperation? When was the last time (ever) did the United states or Western nations practice active engagements and rapprochement with African leaders the way China have demonstrated her leadership in that direction? China has excelled in action and not rhetoric and false promises!
China has over the years sent almost 20,000 medical doctors into many nations on the African continent. Beyond that, China has given loans, guaranteed loans for infrastructure development for African nations. China has been engaged, as well, in the direct creation of public infrastructures in some African nations. Railways, refineries and sundry public works, are abundant evidences which are already on the grounds in different parts of Africa and these, it must be said, tells you where China stands. Africans are tired of profound platitudinous proclamations by Western governments. China in a short span of time has proven their worthiness to Africans, through their actions. Westerners are alarmed, understandably so, because, it is becoming obvious to the Africans, tremendous difference between hundreds of years of words by Western governments, compared with the recent Chinese presence. China does not seek to dictate leadership choice to Africans.
China is not dictating to Africans a mode of government or governance as in presidential or parliamentary systems. China is not interested in interfering or meddling in the internal affairs Africans. That is how it should be! Africans are now children of the West! China goods are all over the United States. Chinese products are known Westerners and Africans alike, to be cheap and to fulfill intended utility. China is not known to hold Chinese products over and above products made in Africa. Western nations have done just that for decades, for instance, Schnapps was held up in Nigeria as superior to local brew, which is now almost extinct. And this is the practice of the West across the board. And yet, some people wonder why African farmers and manufacturers can compete against Western multinationals? For that, I recommend, “Life and Debt of Jamaica” the negative impact upon developing nations’ productive capacities occasioned by dumping by Western nations.
And furthermore, on matters of impositions, China, quite unlike the West which imposed English, French or Portuguese etc, so far, China is not known to be force-feeding Africans any Cantonese and or Mandarin! Western contact with Africa began by imposing Christianity as the “civilized” non-primitive and superior religion, China unlike the West which exulted Christian faith over every, and any, of Africa’s holies, China has not preached any religions to Africans.
China has given loans to African nations. China has guaranteed loans to African nations for public projects and sundry public infrastructures. Western nations on the other, have always led African nations to the World Bank and or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through which Western nations put punishing strictures upon developing nations in Africa and Latin America etc. These strictures, which are well coordinated, act to stifle development in Africa and elsewhere. You the reader must have heard of something called the Structural Adjustment Program or SAP? It ruined many nations in Africa and Latin America, it ruined millions of lives!
China has given loans, guaranteed loans to some African nations. China has also speedily executed some key projects in some African nations they go busily like acts and voila! End results or outcomes are seen by the Africans. China has in loan grants and loan guarantees, have been acting for some African nations, the way the United States acted on behalf of Israel when the US single-handed, made a $10 billion loan guarantee for Israel in one single year! And this excludes the $5billion yearly financial aid to Israel, with no strings attached, with no meddling and interference with Israel domestic and foreign policies! The amount of US foreign aid to all of the 53 countries in Africa during the last ten years is less than $10 billion, this despite the presence of over 900 million people in Africa and this, despite the recognition that the need in Africa is greater than in Israel with her 5 million in population. Africans are tired of ostentatious pledges and promises which are never fulfilled and never redeemed! China is a suitable alternative and a welcome change.
On matters of repressive and undemocratic governments in Africa; Western nations are friends to Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, with his notoriously repressive government, he is a man who has been president for about thirty years. Most Western nations had dealings with Mobutu Sese Sekor, a tyrant and dictator, who was as corrupt as corruption itself. Western nations have historically been strange-bedfellows with the world’s worst dictators, tyrannical brutal leaders. The West have perennially been in marriages of convenience with political leaders of other nations, particularly, leaders who do not pursue the interests of local electorates, but rather, selfish personal interests of select individuals and the West winks and nods, so longs as Western interests are amply protected. The West practices permanent Expediency, with an uppercase E! And frequently, it is counterproductive and chickens come home to roost. Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran etc, are historical example. Expediency can never be good substitute for thorough policy which contemplates and anticipates long term outcomes and consequences.
Western nations seem to have no issues with governments in Arabia and Persia, that is, regarding the abject absence of Democracy and Human Rights, Women Rights, in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates etc about and yet, the West lecture us about how China has been uninterested in Africans’ progress through forms of government? And that China deals with repressive African governments? And how China is willing to deal with some corrupt officials etc? Swiss Banks are notorious for being safe havens for the prodigiously corrupt and criminal looters, who pillage and plunder. And not Banks in Beijing or Shanghai! Western nations serve as harbors for fleeing thieves, and their families. Western nations serves as their refugee, and hospitals and choice place to acquire sumptuous opulence, mansions, investments and squander resources stolen from Africa. Show me a mansion in China which belongs to an African rogue. China actually executes corrupt officials by firing squad!
It should be obvious to even the undiscerning, that Western nations excel in hypocrisy and double standards. The only thing of importance to hypocrites, are usually, their self-serving sanctimonious sermons, which serves their self-interests. Discerning Africans already know those who are friends and partners to Africa. Africans do not need Western nations’ preachment of the West is holier than thou, in comparison to China. And someday, Africans and peoples of African descent will rise upon seeing the difference.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Turks & Caicos Seized by Britain in Re-colonization Aggression
Turks & Caicos Seized by Britain in Re-colonization Aggression
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
By Paul I. Adujie
New York, United States
It was on Friday the 14th of August 2009, when Britain abolished political life in Turks and Caicos. Britain banished Turks and Caicos parliament, cabinet and Prime Minister Michael Misick into nadir. Britain in an imperial proclamation, a reminder of her faded empire “glory” days, also repealed the constitutional right of trial by jury in Turks and Caicos. Britain in an act of unbridled aggression reminiscent of the eras of the worst twin evils of human history, slave trade and colonialism; Britain took over and confiscated the political life of the Island nation of Turks and Caicos.
Britain in one-full-swoop, sacked the prime minister, dissolved parliament and truncated Turks and Caicos’ parliamentary democracy! Britain’s poor excuse for this outrageous usurpation of political public space in Turks and Caicos is that the Island nation is rife, allegedly, with corruption. Britain has, by her takeover or coup, assumed the command and control of Turks and Caicos, and thereby, in a very substantial sense, significantly altered, the way life is lived in Turks and Caicos, until last Friday, August 14, 2009! And it is as if the world barely noticed this political earthquake of seismic proportions.
The world ought to be in uproar. This is flagrant breach of laws, rules and protocols. This is an oppressive usurpation of political power, power which belongs to the people of Turks and Caicos! Britain ought to be told in very clear and certain terms, that the era of slave trade, colonialism and empire brigandage is past. Britain, if unchallenged, might repeat this elsewhere and other powers may seek to imitate Britain’s thievery of the political space of the people of Turks and Caicos. Britain is about to ensnare the world in a slippery slope rule of the jungle of might is right. Britain should be ashamed.
This aggression by Britain against Turks and Caicos portends evils, evils of which consequences could flow far and wide, well beyond Turks and Caicos. The probable ramifications are glaring. And the first question to be asked is, if Turks and Caicos now, what Island nation is next and what nations and continent are next? Is a New World Order about to unfold; in which powerful nations with sufficient audacity and matching weapons of war and sundry armada, could aggressively take over weaker nations under some self-righteous guises?
This nonsense talk by Britain, of colony, protectorate, overseas territory or possessions, even in the twenty-first century, should make anyone decent person’s head spin! It turns my stomach!
Could the invasion of Mexico be foreseen, in which the argument would be that the violence there and the blooming narcotics trade make Mexico an existential threat to the health, wealth and happiness of the United States? And as consequence, the USA takes over Mexico? Or Spain assumes direct control of Mexico? Could the Nigeria Delta crises expose Nigeria to a forceful seizure and confiscation by powerful nations, and in the process, the argument will be made that Nigeria’s resources are too important to the engine-room of the world’s creation of more health, wealth and happiness, and so, it made eminent sense to re-colonize Nigeria?
In the prevailing atmosphere and circumstances, are we about to witness a replay of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 in which the continent of Africa was divided, between several European nations acting as rampaging pirates and an organized crime organization! And since then, the human conditions on the African continent have been dictated and shaped by these European nations, whether the publicly admit these facts or not. During the preceding 30 years, there have been similar actions, primarily by Britain and America. Britain forcefully asserted her suzerainty over the Malvinas also called Falkland Islands by Britain. And not long after that, the President George H. W Bush invaded and occupied the nation of Panama, in his drive to oust a former operative of the CIA and then president of Panama, Manuel Noriega, accusing him of participation and or tacit approval of narcotics trade.
In more recent years, former President George W. Bush of the United States engineered and facilitated the violent overthrow of the constitutional and legitimate government of the Island nation of Haiti led by Reverend Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004. This was accomplished through lies, deceit and events which demonstrated that the good government of the United States was acting in concert with unsavory criminal elements inside Haiti, persons in Haiti, who were notorious narcotics-traffickers as well as political assassins for hire.
The central theme and lessons in all of these, is, there are patterns emerging and crystallizing. In the rush for more resources, trade expansion and in search of wider reach of spheres of influence, the world should probably brace for more invasions, occupations and forceful seizures of weak nations by nations with sufficient armada and military wherewithal to confiscate such weak nations as exampled above.
Turks and Caicos is not a golf club owned and financed by an oil company, where an unhappy oil company may close the golf club management for bad management. Turks and Caicos had a prime minister, a parliament and a cabinet. If it were determined that Prime Minister Premier Michael Misick, was corrupted and irredeemably so, there are proper procedures and processes for addressing these in a twenty-first century world. A judicial process which seeks to find the truth, the facts and evidence of corruption in Turks and Caicos would have been one such avenue.
All manners of allegations, charges and counter charges of corruption have been made in Turks and Caicos in the past, but more particularly so, in the recent past. Matters actually went out of control and overboard when it appeared that matrimonial acrimony and discord between Turks and Caicos’ Premier Michael Misick culminated into his wife LisaRaye making charges of corruption against her husband. She thereafter became a sort of national symbol for the anti corruption crusade. Since LisaRaye’s public charges or revelations, the press frenzied over the details of her allegations against the PM, and much more.
There are of course other processes. There could impeachments or removal process. There could have calls for new elections and even back channel diplomacy and other pressures which could have been exacted. Britain could have done everything short of the sheer arrogance summoned by Britain in announcing the direct rule and Victorian era colonization of distant peoples.
Britain cannot pronounce cantankerous married couples in London divorced without adjudication any more than Britain have such power to assume the command and control of Turks and Caicos or any nation on earth for that matter! It is a source of constant amazement to me, the fact that world powers are quick to regard fine tenet of international laws, sovereignty, territorial integrity, democracy etc as nebulous and trite when it does not suit their national fancies and interests. There is this permanence of fleeting definitions of what is proper and make good sense.
This act by Britain full of grimes and is certainly brimming with all the coloration of racism. The bulk of the citizens of Turks and Caicos are peoples of African descent. Britain made blanket statements replete with codes and stereotypes. And the terse statement by Britain upon taking over Turks and Caicos, Britain insisted there was no takeover. And said the following, “This, together with clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and of general administrative incompetence, demonstrated a need for urgent suspension in whole or in part of the constitution and for other legislative and administrative reforms," the Foreign Office said. The report also recommends criminal investigations into former Premier Michael Misick and four of his former Cabinet ministers”
Britain and other Western government know for a fact, that there are peculiarities on ground in certain countries, which make perfect democracy a thing to handle rather very carefully, in cognizance of such local conditions. This understanding of democracy imperfect, is why, despite some reservations, Rashid Dostun, an erstwhile warlord in Afghanistan, has return to Kabul, and he might in effect boost Hamid Karzai’s chances of re-election. Westerners have been dealing with Pakistan, even despite the recognition that democracy is imperfect in Pakistan.
This recognition of democracy imperfect and the value of alternate dispute resolution is also a reason why Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and his followers, are not facing war crimes in Dublin, for their activities in Northern Ireland.
Westerners are well aware, of democracy imperfect, hence they are willing to deal with, and offer winks and nods to Motada Al Sadr in Iraq, even though his past and his stance remain opposed to Western presence in Iraq. Democracy can be unruly and even irritatingly slow and imperfect, imperfect democracy is like sleep, we still get tired, subsequent to our sleep or rest, but sleep or rest is obviously not considered useless, imperfect democracy therefore can be very disappointing, but it is no reason to truncate democracy through coups and egregious rape of constitutional government, as Britain has just done to Turks and Caicos!
Why must the world accept Britain’s aggression against Turks and Caicos, under the pretext of allegations of “amorality, “immaturity” and “corruption” when these allegations have not been tested in court or some other judicial process? But instead, just through a fiat by Britain? Adherence to due process and the rule of law, and a continuing fine-tuning of democracy, is clearly a better option, than this arrogant takeover of the peoples and government of Turks and Caicos by Britain. Why does Britain expect magic or miracles in Turks and Caicos, when in fact, Britain have been tarred and tarnished by a spate of high profile scandals and corruption by parliamentarians in Britain?
Even Sarah Palin, the erstwhile governor of Alaska, apart from saying that America was pursuing God’s will and duty in Iraq, acknowledged that democracy in Iraq will take quite sometimes with military surge and all. Even Sarah Palin is familiar with democracy imperfect, regarding Afghanistan and Iraq. Even Sarah Palin, a foreign policy “wonk” with “strong” policy credential which is limited to her knowledge of Africa as one nation would be surprised at Britain‘s incredulous impatient with Turks and Caicos.
Sarah Palin, despite her uncanny foreign policy “savvy“, which again is limited to her ability to see Russia from her bedroom window in Alaska, even she knows, democracy is imperfect in Afghanistan and Iraq, will take time to be close to ours, which by the way, is still work in progress. She has said that America is in Afghanistan and Iraq to do God’s work, but she does say, that the work will take time. Why then, is Britain engaged in these abrupt terminations of tenures for parliament, cabinet and prime minister of Turks and Caicos? There is a pattern for Britain; this is all about the imperial and empire interests of Britain and not the interests of the peoples and government of Turks and Caicos for which Britain purports to act.
Britain grudgingly and reluctantly relinquished political power in Hong Kong in July 1997 and the last so-called governor-general from Britain, Peter Batten departed Hong Kong, and soon after, Britain publicly fretted about democracy and liberty for people of Hong Kong, meanwhile, it never occurred to Britain to have offered self-governance and political independence to citizens of Hong Kong, until mainland China was to have influence at the helms of Hong Kong political strata.
Britain complete takeover, and particularly considering, the abrupt manner in which Britain accomplished this political rape of Turks and Caicos’ democratic government, is very instructive of Britain’s pattern of seeking only her nefarious imperial interests without a scintilla of concern about the fine principles and tenets of democracy, independence or self governance anywhere on earth.
How and why did some person in Britain summarily determined and decided that no woman or man, in the Turks and Caicos population, is as intelligent as anyone from Britain, to govern and administer Turks and Caicos, but only Britain’s direct rule could salvage Turks and Caicos from ruinous corruption? Shouldn’t Germany or Russia be taking over Britain and 10 Downing Street? After all, Britain have had her share of pungent corruption, including the very recent double-dealing scandalous allowance double-dipping by members of parliament in Britain. Japan or Mexico should take over Britain and give corruption etc as the excuse. Britain certainly would then know it, close to home, how it must feel, to be colonized, under any pretext or guise.
The world must stand up to Britain and demand and insist on political freedom and independence for Turks and Caicos. Turks and Caicos should manage their own affairs without Britain’s aggression, interference and meddling. Turks and Caicos should resist this egregious rape of Turks and Caicos’ democracy by Britain and the world must stand up to Britain, even as the world stands with Turks and Caicos against this aggression by Britain.
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
By Paul I. Adujie
New York, United States
It was on Friday the 14th of August 2009, when Britain abolished political life in Turks and Caicos. Britain banished Turks and Caicos parliament, cabinet and Prime Minister Michael Misick into nadir. Britain in an imperial proclamation, a reminder of her faded empire “glory” days, also repealed the constitutional right of trial by jury in Turks and Caicos. Britain in an act of unbridled aggression reminiscent of the eras of the worst twin evils of human history, slave trade and colonialism; Britain took over and confiscated the political life of the Island nation of Turks and Caicos.
Britain in one-full-swoop, sacked the prime minister, dissolved parliament and truncated Turks and Caicos’ parliamentary democracy! Britain’s poor excuse for this outrageous usurpation of political public space in Turks and Caicos is that the Island nation is rife, allegedly, with corruption. Britain has, by her takeover or coup, assumed the command and control of Turks and Caicos, and thereby, in a very substantial sense, significantly altered, the way life is lived in Turks and Caicos, until last Friday, August 14, 2009! And it is as if the world barely noticed this political earthquake of seismic proportions.
The world ought to be in uproar. This is flagrant breach of laws, rules and protocols. This is an oppressive usurpation of political power, power which belongs to the people of Turks and Caicos! Britain ought to be told in very clear and certain terms, that the era of slave trade, colonialism and empire brigandage is past. Britain, if unchallenged, might repeat this elsewhere and other powers may seek to imitate Britain’s thievery of the political space of the people of Turks and Caicos. Britain is about to ensnare the world in a slippery slope rule of the jungle of might is right. Britain should be ashamed.
This aggression by Britain against Turks and Caicos portends evils, evils of which consequences could flow far and wide, well beyond Turks and Caicos. The probable ramifications are glaring. And the first question to be asked is, if Turks and Caicos now, what Island nation is next and what nations and continent are next? Is a New World Order about to unfold; in which powerful nations with sufficient audacity and matching weapons of war and sundry armada, could aggressively take over weaker nations under some self-righteous guises?
This nonsense talk by Britain, of colony, protectorate, overseas territory or possessions, even in the twenty-first century, should make anyone decent person’s head spin! It turns my stomach!
Could the invasion of Mexico be foreseen, in which the argument would be that the violence there and the blooming narcotics trade make Mexico an existential threat to the health, wealth and happiness of the United States? And as consequence, the USA takes over Mexico? Or Spain assumes direct control of Mexico? Could the Nigeria Delta crises expose Nigeria to a forceful seizure and confiscation by powerful nations, and in the process, the argument will be made that Nigeria’s resources are too important to the engine-room of the world’s creation of more health, wealth and happiness, and so, it made eminent sense to re-colonize Nigeria?
In the prevailing atmosphere and circumstances, are we about to witness a replay of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 in which the continent of Africa was divided, between several European nations acting as rampaging pirates and an organized crime organization! And since then, the human conditions on the African continent have been dictated and shaped by these European nations, whether the publicly admit these facts or not. During the preceding 30 years, there have been similar actions, primarily by Britain and America. Britain forcefully asserted her suzerainty over the Malvinas also called Falkland Islands by Britain. And not long after that, the President George H. W Bush invaded and occupied the nation of Panama, in his drive to oust a former operative of the CIA and then president of Panama, Manuel Noriega, accusing him of participation and or tacit approval of narcotics trade.
In more recent years, former President George W. Bush of the United States engineered and facilitated the violent overthrow of the constitutional and legitimate government of the Island nation of Haiti led by Reverend Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004. This was accomplished through lies, deceit and events which demonstrated that the good government of the United States was acting in concert with unsavory criminal elements inside Haiti, persons in Haiti, who were notorious narcotics-traffickers as well as political assassins for hire.
The central theme and lessons in all of these, is, there are patterns emerging and crystallizing. In the rush for more resources, trade expansion and in search of wider reach of spheres of influence, the world should probably brace for more invasions, occupations and forceful seizures of weak nations by nations with sufficient armada and military wherewithal to confiscate such weak nations as exampled above.
Turks and Caicos is not a golf club owned and financed by an oil company, where an unhappy oil company may close the golf club management for bad management. Turks and Caicos had a prime minister, a parliament and a cabinet. If it were determined that Prime Minister Premier Michael Misick, was corrupted and irredeemably so, there are proper procedures and processes for addressing these in a twenty-first century world. A judicial process which seeks to find the truth, the facts and evidence of corruption in Turks and Caicos would have been one such avenue.
All manners of allegations, charges and counter charges of corruption have been made in Turks and Caicos in the past, but more particularly so, in the recent past. Matters actually went out of control and overboard when it appeared that matrimonial acrimony and discord between Turks and Caicos’ Premier Michael Misick culminated into his wife LisaRaye making charges of corruption against her husband. She thereafter became a sort of national symbol for the anti corruption crusade. Since LisaRaye’s public charges or revelations, the press frenzied over the details of her allegations against the PM, and much more.
There are of course other processes. There could impeachments or removal process. There could have calls for new elections and even back channel diplomacy and other pressures which could have been exacted. Britain could have done everything short of the sheer arrogance summoned by Britain in announcing the direct rule and Victorian era colonization of distant peoples.
Britain cannot pronounce cantankerous married couples in London divorced without adjudication any more than Britain have such power to assume the command and control of Turks and Caicos or any nation on earth for that matter! It is a source of constant amazement to me, the fact that world powers are quick to regard fine tenet of international laws, sovereignty, territorial integrity, democracy etc as nebulous and trite when it does not suit their national fancies and interests. There is this permanence of fleeting definitions of what is proper and make good sense.
This act by Britain full of grimes and is certainly brimming with all the coloration of racism. The bulk of the citizens of Turks and Caicos are peoples of African descent. Britain made blanket statements replete with codes and stereotypes. And the terse statement by Britain upon taking over Turks and Caicos, Britain insisted there was no takeover. And said the following, “This, together with clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and of general administrative incompetence, demonstrated a need for urgent suspension in whole or in part of the constitution and for other legislative and administrative reforms," the Foreign Office said. The report also recommends criminal investigations into former Premier Michael Misick and four of his former Cabinet ministers”
Britain and other Western government know for a fact, that there are peculiarities on ground in certain countries, which make perfect democracy a thing to handle rather very carefully, in cognizance of such local conditions. This understanding of democracy imperfect, is why, despite some reservations, Rashid Dostun, an erstwhile warlord in Afghanistan, has return to Kabul, and he might in effect boost Hamid Karzai’s chances of re-election. Westerners have been dealing with Pakistan, even despite the recognition that democracy is imperfect in Pakistan.
This recognition of democracy imperfect and the value of alternate dispute resolution is also a reason why Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and his followers, are not facing war crimes in Dublin, for their activities in Northern Ireland.
Westerners are well aware, of democracy imperfect, hence they are willing to deal with, and offer winks and nods to Motada Al Sadr in Iraq, even though his past and his stance remain opposed to Western presence in Iraq. Democracy can be unruly and even irritatingly slow and imperfect, imperfect democracy is like sleep, we still get tired, subsequent to our sleep or rest, but sleep or rest is obviously not considered useless, imperfect democracy therefore can be very disappointing, but it is no reason to truncate democracy through coups and egregious rape of constitutional government, as Britain has just done to Turks and Caicos!
Why must the world accept Britain’s aggression against Turks and Caicos, under the pretext of allegations of “amorality, “immaturity” and “corruption” when these allegations have not been tested in court or some other judicial process? But instead, just through a fiat by Britain? Adherence to due process and the rule of law, and a continuing fine-tuning of democracy, is clearly a better option, than this arrogant takeover of the peoples and government of Turks and Caicos by Britain. Why does Britain expect magic or miracles in Turks and Caicos, when in fact, Britain have been tarred and tarnished by a spate of high profile scandals and corruption by parliamentarians in Britain?
Even Sarah Palin, the erstwhile governor of Alaska, apart from saying that America was pursuing God’s will and duty in Iraq, acknowledged that democracy in Iraq will take quite sometimes with military surge and all. Even Sarah Palin is familiar with democracy imperfect, regarding Afghanistan and Iraq. Even Sarah Palin, a foreign policy “wonk” with “strong” policy credential which is limited to her knowledge of Africa as one nation would be surprised at Britain‘s incredulous impatient with Turks and Caicos.
Sarah Palin, despite her uncanny foreign policy “savvy“, which again is limited to her ability to see Russia from her bedroom window in Alaska, even she knows, democracy is imperfect in Afghanistan and Iraq, will take time to be close to ours, which by the way, is still work in progress. She has said that America is in Afghanistan and Iraq to do God’s work, but she does say, that the work will take time. Why then, is Britain engaged in these abrupt terminations of tenures for parliament, cabinet and prime minister of Turks and Caicos? There is a pattern for Britain; this is all about the imperial and empire interests of Britain and not the interests of the peoples and government of Turks and Caicos for which Britain purports to act.
Britain grudgingly and reluctantly relinquished political power in Hong Kong in July 1997 and the last so-called governor-general from Britain, Peter Batten departed Hong Kong, and soon after, Britain publicly fretted about democracy and liberty for people of Hong Kong, meanwhile, it never occurred to Britain to have offered self-governance and political independence to citizens of Hong Kong, until mainland China was to have influence at the helms of Hong Kong political strata.
Britain complete takeover, and particularly considering, the abrupt manner in which Britain accomplished this political rape of Turks and Caicos’ democratic government, is very instructive of Britain’s pattern of seeking only her nefarious imperial interests without a scintilla of concern about the fine principles and tenets of democracy, independence or self governance anywhere on earth.
How and why did some person in Britain summarily determined and decided that no woman or man, in the Turks and Caicos population, is as intelligent as anyone from Britain, to govern and administer Turks and Caicos, but only Britain’s direct rule could salvage Turks and Caicos from ruinous corruption? Shouldn’t Germany or Russia be taking over Britain and 10 Downing Street? After all, Britain have had her share of pungent corruption, including the very recent double-dealing scandalous allowance double-dipping by members of parliament in Britain. Japan or Mexico should take over Britain and give corruption etc as the excuse. Britain certainly would then know it, close to home, how it must feel, to be colonized, under any pretext or guise.
The world must stand up to Britain and demand and insist on political freedom and independence for Turks and Caicos. Turks and Caicos should manage their own affairs without Britain’s aggression, interference and meddling. Turks and Caicos should resist this egregious rape of Turks and Caicos’ democracy by Britain and the world must stand up to Britain, even as the world stands with Turks and Caicos against this aggression by Britain.
Friday, August 14, 2009
One Equals Fourteen Hundred in New World Order Mathematics (1=1400)!
One Equals Fourteen Hundred in New World Order Mathematics (1=1400)!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
Usually reliable and impeccable sources have informed me, that the mathematical formula above defines the New World Order and the logic of current geopolitics. In sum and effect, one sexy Iranian life, is worthier, than, the lives of 1400 persons in Palestine.
This usually impeccable sources informed me, that Israel Defense Forces or IDF conducted a brutal military action, of the scotched-earth variety, and as a consequence, 1400 persons, were killed unsung in Palestine. These Palestine persons comprised or included children, grandmothers and the infirm. This is not ancient history. These brutalities were inflicted on Palestine in January 2009!
Then, spring-showers came and May-flowers followed, June 2009 arrived as a natural cause of events. And on June 12, 2009, Iran engaged in a democratic experiment, albeit, imperfect by all accounts. There were suspicions and complaints against a perceived heavy-hand of the Iranian government of the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, whose finesse, politesse and diplomatic skills are arguably indistinct.
As it turns out, this Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been accused of not playing by the fleeting and ever shifting rules of the geopolitical nuclear weapons club. A club to which membership is determined solely your ability to engage in strategic ambiguities, so long as, your sanguine deceit is underwritten by powerful friends. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not photogenic, does not have friends or clout. It is even doubtful whether he has Arab and Persian family, other than those who are too willing to betray him and collaborate with outsiders who are keen at frustrating his nuclear club membership aspirations. Who decides nuclear which nation may acquire and possess nuclear capability? What are criterion such determinations?
So far at least, to be a nuclear power, all you need is the audacity. Then fortify such audacity with a few chess moves. And you are in. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has audacity perhaps. But he has no underwriter friends. Saddam Hussein’s attempts at strategic ambiguity caused him his throne, and then his life and the ruination of Iraq. Saddam did not have nuclear weapons or chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, but Saddam’s imitation of strategic ambiguity, opened his unguarded flank and he was walloped by those who had other plans for Iraq and the rest is, unfolding history. The Straits of Hormuz and the entire Gulf of Persia will never be the same.
Similarly, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has enemies in high places. These enemies pounced on the indisputably flawed Iranian elections on June 12, 2009. And all hell broke lose and it was all bedlam thereafter. There were what appeared to be choreographed, orchestrated and synchronized bashing of the government of Iran and the men at its pinnacle, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in particular. The government and the press in the Western world were on the same page and coordinating efforts to unhinge the government of Iran in regime change engineered by some unseen hands from outside Iran. Agents of the United States government took the extraordinary steps of demanding that Twitter.com postpone scheduled technical maintenance. All, order to allow, Iranian demonstrators, agitators, and their handlers, outside Iran, to coordinate unsavory activities against the legitimate government of Iran.
Is it just me? I think that it is not farfetched to deduct from all these, the role played thus far, by Iran’s nuclear power ambitions. Iran’s continues to insist that she is pursuing nuclear, for civilian energy or peaceful purposes only. But after the June 12th elections, the pursuit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran intensified. Declared and otherwise known enemies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under the guise of wishing Iranian good elections, and governance, went full blast against Iran. Western governments and Western press, in unison, uniformly attacked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran, without reserve.
It will be recalled, the Western press it was, which never questioned or take to task, the warmongering war drums of George W. Bush, former president of the United States, as he sought to invade and occupy Iraq. It will be recalled that Western press were willingly, and even eagerly embedded, trading away their press freedom and independence. And after June 12 2009, Westerners approvingly, and suddenly, named and extolled a theocrat Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a clear renegade retrogressive conservative retrograde; a reformer! Suddenly! These obvious affront and shenanigans of endorsements by the Western governments and press, pretended to ignore Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s record as part of the ruling conservative clubhouse member in Tehran! Again, telling that country who their leader should be… or what leader among them is palatable tolerable to the West’s desires for Iran?
While the protests in Iran were on, coming across as coordinated and engineered by Iranians, with apparent help from outsiders, or handlers, including employees of British Diplomatic outpost in Teheran. The government of Iran, presided over by no other than a torn on the flesh of the West, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cracked down on protesters and sundry agitators. There were reports that many Iranian citizens were injured or maimed or even killed. Molotov cocktails were and blazing fires featured prominently in the post election news reports.
In this admixture outrage and crackdown, there were reported deaths of about 69 Iranian civilians. An unknown person killed Neda Soltani, in circumstances that were not sufficiently clear. Meanwhile, so many protest posters borne by Iranians were prefabricated in English! I guess and suppose that the governing Ayatollahs respond more rapidly when beseeched in English? Why not in Farsi? Persian Languages are too sonorous and lame? Or is it that the posters were produced in an English speaking diplomatic outpost, as have been alleged by Iran, and then customized for CNN worldwide viewing audience for effect?
But, Western governments and western press have insisted all along, that Neda Soltani was killed by Iranian agents or security forces. Even though the jury was out, regarding specificities surrounding the murder of Neda and some other Iranians who died in post election rancor, stampede and violence.
Democracy and freedom, liberty and the rule law for all, are excellently wonderful concepts, there are simply nothing better. But this should be seen as quite distinct, from the idea of force-feeding democracy to peoples in democracy starved nations worldwide. Force-feeding of anything, no matter how ordinarily wonderful creates resistance, by the victim of force-feeding. Particularities and peculiarities of conditions and multiple variables on the grounds, in many nations dictate the quality of democratic ideals and other fine ideals which can be established or foisted easily or with phased efforts. We cannot presume to know what is good for every nation on earth.
Western governments and press were loud in their silences when Israel rammed roughshod into Palestine territory and brutally snuffed out the lives of 1400 Palestinians. This is not the first time, during which hundred of Palestinians have been killed by Israelis in the preceding couple of years. The indiscriminate killings hundreds of Palestinians at time, by Israel is actually not limited to the last couple of years. It is a periodic and rather regular occurrence. There is sense of an apocalyptic foreboding, regarding what Israel may do next, not in Palestine, but instead, an military attack against Iran, which could very easily become the beginning of the Third World War!
Why does the world, appear to have made “peace” with the deliberate devaluation of life in Palestine? And in comparison with Iran, what is the difference between the lives of Palestinians and the Iranians? Why did Western governments and press, all of sudden become advocates and advertisers of martyrdom after the death of Neda? All of a sudden, Neda was omnipresent and wrapped symbolisms. And even those who hitherto suffered from self-inflicted xenophobia and unrestrained Islamo-phobia, suddenly became “informed” interpreters of martyrdom, right before our very eyes, all of a sudden!
The world should be asking, why there are these double standards in the measurements of life’s value and worth in Palestine and Iran? Advocacy of democracy, freedom, liberty and human rights etc should not be motivated by our self-serving interests. Human Rights and democracy etc should be pursued genuinely for because of the known value of these great ideas; And not informed by expediency of our self-interests.
There are legitimate Human Rights, democracy and the rule of law etc in Iran. And that was the case before, during and after the June 12 2009 flawed elections. Similarly, There are Human Rights, democracy, liberty, political independence etc in Palestine, the crises in Palestine are rather intractable.
Clearly, a Palestine demonstrator against settlement expansions on Palestine land by Israelis is too easily construed as Palestine terrorist. A Palestinian who resists land grabs by Israelis, a Palestinian is an unreasoned terrorist who does not value human life, if she says to Israel, what a former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, that is, tear down the Apartheid Wall!
A Palestinian who endures humiliations in daily life, including being a permanent refugee in his own land since 1948, and compelled daily to present an Apartheid like pass to Israelis, for ingress and egress on Palestine soil, is a terrorist? Palestinians who are resisting occupiers and occupation forces; in the only existing colonial enclave, such a Palestinian, is a terrorist? What would you, and I, do, if we were, and are, subjected to the same fate to which Palestinians have had to endure since 1948 and still endure, even as you read this?
Before anyone accuses me of seeking 70 Heavenly Virgins, as reason for my expression of dismay and disgust, over the plights and predicaments of Palestinians; Let it known that I am not biologically a Palestinian. I was not raised as a Muslim. One does not have to be a Muslim to identify obvious and perpetual human suffering. Nor does anyone have to be of Palestinian descent, Arabian or Persian origin, before one can see the glaring injustices and inhumanity meted unto Palestinians.
Let it be known that I do not have the strength for 70 women on earth or heaven. And virgins are just too much work anyway! I am impatient with the sorts of pedagogical efforts it would require to teach one virgin, let alone, 70, worse, I prefer my gifts here, as heaven can wait, as we must first, deal with all the trouble in the world, including the abject and appalling conditions in Palestine! I have no desire for the urban legend and folkloric 70 Heavenly virgins.
Injustice in Palestine therefore, is injustice to fellow humans cohabiting earth with the rest of us all. We should care.
Those who seek to undermine Palestinian cause have over the years, portrayed Palestinians as unreasoned, illogical, murderous, and possessed with mindless bloodlust. Critics of Palestinians want the world to believe that the average Palestinian is incapable of objectivity or negotiation for peace. Palestine is too often presented as a place where the average citizen is an Islamic extremist and zealot who seeks martyrdom and 70 heavenly virgins. Such inanities present Palestinians as subhuman, and as if in Palestine, the average Joe Plumber, come prepackaged with terrorist tendency in their genetic markers!
Palestinians who are seeking freedom from oppression are too often presented as persons seeking phantasmagoric orgies of blood and orgasmic satisfaction from suicide bombing. Perhaps the world ought to and must ask, how any person, driven to the wall of hopelessness and with seeming nothing to lose, would act.
Palestinians are not unreasoned. They simply want their land. Just as they want their suffering and hardship to be recognized. They want their endless refugee status to have an expiration date stamped on it. They want the usurpation of their political, economic and cultural power to come to an end. This is not too much for any group of people to ask.
We have to wonder how the average citizen in Palestine must feel, when as it happens, 1400 Palestinian are killed, houses burnt, bombed and bulldozed by Israelis, and the world suffers willful amnesia, rather blissfully. But the same world cried ceaseless tears for Neda Soltani and the other 60 plus Iranians who died during the post June 12th election imbroglios. What is good for 69 dead Iranians must be good for 1400 dead Palestinians; unless 1400 is less than 69 in the New World Order mathematics of geopolitics?
The world ought to be expressing righteous indignations and rightfully so! Palestinians are humans, just like Iranians and the rest of us! Public policies driven by expediency are shortsighted and parochial. Such policies are merely gunpowder and high octane petrol in a hot and unventilated room. Such highly flammable combustibles are bound to sooner than later, come home to roost. There is oppression and inhumanity in Palestine. The conditions in Palestine are combustible accelerants by any other name.
In Palestine, the ordinary person, on a daily basis faces inhuman conditions. People in Palestine are subjected to depraved and exceedingly perverse treatments. Why would these sorts of degradations be reserved for ordinary persons in Palestine, who are not necessarily violent persons? Palestinians who are not in the government of PLO, FATAH or HAMAS? There is a pervading worldwide silence regarding the searing conditions face by citizens of Palestine. And what is worse, is the fact that the deaths in post election activities in Iran, saw loud drumbeats by governments and the press. Whereas 1400 deaths in Palestine went unsung! These sordid state of affairs surely cannot continue or peace and security will remain an elusive dream forever.
REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=susan+sontag+regarding+the+pain+of+others&aq=&aqi=&aq=f&aqi=g2&fp=8ec80112f99bfde5
This essay is dedicated to the memory of a Jewish woman, the late Susan Sontag, author of, among many written works, a wonderful one titled: Regarding the Pain of Others. Susan Sontag was woman
a woman who, in her written prose expressed beautiful thoughts; A woman whose beautiful prose was matched by her own gorgeousness in real life. A woman, whose gentle soul courageously carried the lights of social conscience, so that others can see and find their pathways; a woman who rendered, her thoughts in beautiful prose; she was a luminous beauty in person and in her thoughts and care for others.
A woman, who did not allow her biological origins and religion to foreclose or serve as bar for the truth. Even when it was eminently inconvenient and uncomfortable to those near, dear and treasured by her.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
Usually reliable and impeccable sources have informed me, that the mathematical formula above defines the New World Order and the logic of current geopolitics. In sum and effect, one sexy Iranian life, is worthier, than, the lives of 1400 persons in Palestine.
This usually impeccable sources informed me, that Israel Defense Forces or IDF conducted a brutal military action, of the scotched-earth variety, and as a consequence, 1400 persons, were killed unsung in Palestine. These Palestine persons comprised or included children, grandmothers and the infirm. This is not ancient history. These brutalities were inflicted on Palestine in January 2009!
Then, spring-showers came and May-flowers followed, June 2009 arrived as a natural cause of events. And on June 12, 2009, Iran engaged in a democratic experiment, albeit, imperfect by all accounts. There were suspicions and complaints against a perceived heavy-hand of the Iranian government of the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, whose finesse, politesse and diplomatic skills are arguably indistinct.
As it turns out, this Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been accused of not playing by the fleeting and ever shifting rules of the geopolitical nuclear weapons club. A club to which membership is determined solely your ability to engage in strategic ambiguities, so long as, your sanguine deceit is underwritten by powerful friends. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not photogenic, does not have friends or clout. It is even doubtful whether he has Arab and Persian family, other than those who are too willing to betray him and collaborate with outsiders who are keen at frustrating his nuclear club membership aspirations. Who decides nuclear which nation may acquire and possess nuclear capability? What are criterion such determinations?
So far at least, to be a nuclear power, all you need is the audacity. Then fortify such audacity with a few chess moves. And you are in. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has audacity perhaps. But he has no underwriter friends. Saddam Hussein’s attempts at strategic ambiguity caused him his throne, and then his life and the ruination of Iraq. Saddam did not have nuclear weapons or chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, but Saddam’s imitation of strategic ambiguity, opened his unguarded flank and he was walloped by those who had other plans for Iraq and the rest is, unfolding history. The Straits of Hormuz and the entire Gulf of Persia will never be the same.
Similarly, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has enemies in high places. These enemies pounced on the indisputably flawed Iranian elections on June 12, 2009. And all hell broke lose and it was all bedlam thereafter. There were what appeared to be choreographed, orchestrated and synchronized bashing of the government of Iran and the men at its pinnacle, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in particular. The government and the press in the Western world were on the same page and coordinating efforts to unhinge the government of Iran in regime change engineered by some unseen hands from outside Iran. Agents of the United States government took the extraordinary steps of demanding that Twitter.com postpone scheduled technical maintenance. All, order to allow, Iranian demonstrators, agitators, and their handlers, outside Iran, to coordinate unsavory activities against the legitimate government of Iran.
Is it just me? I think that it is not farfetched to deduct from all these, the role played thus far, by Iran’s nuclear power ambitions. Iran’s continues to insist that she is pursuing nuclear, for civilian energy or peaceful purposes only. But after the June 12th elections, the pursuit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran intensified. Declared and otherwise known enemies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under the guise of wishing Iranian good elections, and governance, went full blast against Iran. Western governments and Western press, in unison, uniformly attacked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran, without reserve.
It will be recalled, the Western press it was, which never questioned or take to task, the warmongering war drums of George W. Bush, former president of the United States, as he sought to invade and occupy Iraq. It will be recalled that Western press were willingly, and even eagerly embedded, trading away their press freedom and independence. And after June 12 2009, Westerners approvingly, and suddenly, named and extolled a theocrat Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a clear renegade retrogressive conservative retrograde; a reformer! Suddenly! These obvious affront and shenanigans of endorsements by the Western governments and press, pretended to ignore Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s record as part of the ruling conservative clubhouse member in Tehran! Again, telling that country who their leader should be… or what leader among them is palatable tolerable to the West’s desires for Iran?
While the protests in Iran were on, coming across as coordinated and engineered by Iranians, with apparent help from outsiders, or handlers, including employees of British Diplomatic outpost in Teheran. The government of Iran, presided over by no other than a torn on the flesh of the West, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cracked down on protesters and sundry agitators. There were reports that many Iranian citizens were injured or maimed or even killed. Molotov cocktails were and blazing fires featured prominently in the post election news reports.
In this admixture outrage and crackdown, there were reported deaths of about 69 Iranian civilians. An unknown person killed Neda Soltani, in circumstances that were not sufficiently clear. Meanwhile, so many protest posters borne by Iranians were prefabricated in English! I guess and suppose that the governing Ayatollahs respond more rapidly when beseeched in English? Why not in Farsi? Persian Languages are too sonorous and lame? Or is it that the posters were produced in an English speaking diplomatic outpost, as have been alleged by Iran, and then customized for CNN worldwide viewing audience for effect?
But, Western governments and western press have insisted all along, that Neda Soltani was killed by Iranian agents or security forces. Even though the jury was out, regarding specificities surrounding the murder of Neda and some other Iranians who died in post election rancor, stampede and violence.
Democracy and freedom, liberty and the rule law for all, are excellently wonderful concepts, there are simply nothing better. But this should be seen as quite distinct, from the idea of force-feeding democracy to peoples in democracy starved nations worldwide. Force-feeding of anything, no matter how ordinarily wonderful creates resistance, by the victim of force-feeding. Particularities and peculiarities of conditions and multiple variables on the grounds, in many nations dictate the quality of democratic ideals and other fine ideals which can be established or foisted easily or with phased efforts. We cannot presume to know what is good for every nation on earth.
Western governments and press were loud in their silences when Israel rammed roughshod into Palestine territory and brutally snuffed out the lives of 1400 Palestinians. This is not the first time, during which hundred of Palestinians have been killed by Israelis in the preceding couple of years. The indiscriminate killings hundreds of Palestinians at time, by Israel is actually not limited to the last couple of years. It is a periodic and rather regular occurrence. There is sense of an apocalyptic foreboding, regarding what Israel may do next, not in Palestine, but instead, an military attack against Iran, which could very easily become the beginning of the Third World War!
Why does the world, appear to have made “peace” with the deliberate devaluation of life in Palestine? And in comparison with Iran, what is the difference between the lives of Palestinians and the Iranians? Why did Western governments and press, all of sudden become advocates and advertisers of martyrdom after the death of Neda? All of a sudden, Neda was omnipresent and wrapped symbolisms. And even those who hitherto suffered from self-inflicted xenophobia and unrestrained Islamo-phobia, suddenly became “informed” interpreters of martyrdom, right before our very eyes, all of a sudden!
The world should be asking, why there are these double standards in the measurements of life’s value and worth in Palestine and Iran? Advocacy of democracy, freedom, liberty and human rights etc should not be motivated by our self-serving interests. Human Rights and democracy etc should be pursued genuinely for because of the known value of these great ideas; And not informed by expediency of our self-interests.
There are legitimate Human Rights, democracy and the rule of law etc in Iran. And that was the case before, during and after the June 12 2009 flawed elections. Similarly, There are Human Rights, democracy, liberty, political independence etc in Palestine, the crises in Palestine are rather intractable.
Clearly, a Palestine demonstrator against settlement expansions on Palestine land by Israelis is too easily construed as Palestine terrorist. A Palestinian who resists land grabs by Israelis, a Palestinian is an unreasoned terrorist who does not value human life, if she says to Israel, what a former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, that is, tear down the Apartheid Wall!
A Palestinian who endures humiliations in daily life, including being a permanent refugee in his own land since 1948, and compelled daily to present an Apartheid like pass to Israelis, for ingress and egress on Palestine soil, is a terrorist? Palestinians who are resisting occupiers and occupation forces; in the only existing colonial enclave, such a Palestinian, is a terrorist? What would you, and I, do, if we were, and are, subjected to the same fate to which Palestinians have had to endure since 1948 and still endure, even as you read this?
Before anyone accuses me of seeking 70 Heavenly Virgins, as reason for my expression of dismay and disgust, over the plights and predicaments of Palestinians; Let it known that I am not biologically a Palestinian. I was not raised as a Muslim. One does not have to be a Muslim to identify obvious and perpetual human suffering. Nor does anyone have to be of Palestinian descent, Arabian or Persian origin, before one can see the glaring injustices and inhumanity meted unto Palestinians.
Let it be known that I do not have the strength for 70 women on earth or heaven. And virgins are just too much work anyway! I am impatient with the sorts of pedagogical efforts it would require to teach one virgin, let alone, 70, worse, I prefer my gifts here, as heaven can wait, as we must first, deal with all the trouble in the world, including the abject and appalling conditions in Palestine! I have no desire for the urban legend and folkloric 70 Heavenly virgins.
Injustice in Palestine therefore, is injustice to fellow humans cohabiting earth with the rest of us all. We should care.
Those who seek to undermine Palestinian cause have over the years, portrayed Palestinians as unreasoned, illogical, murderous, and possessed with mindless bloodlust. Critics of Palestinians want the world to believe that the average Palestinian is incapable of objectivity or negotiation for peace. Palestine is too often presented as a place where the average citizen is an Islamic extremist and zealot who seeks martyrdom and 70 heavenly virgins. Such inanities present Palestinians as subhuman, and as if in Palestine, the average Joe Plumber, come prepackaged with terrorist tendency in their genetic markers!
Palestinians who are seeking freedom from oppression are too often presented as persons seeking phantasmagoric orgies of blood and orgasmic satisfaction from suicide bombing. Perhaps the world ought to and must ask, how any person, driven to the wall of hopelessness and with seeming nothing to lose, would act.
Palestinians are not unreasoned. They simply want their land. Just as they want their suffering and hardship to be recognized. They want their endless refugee status to have an expiration date stamped on it. They want the usurpation of their political, economic and cultural power to come to an end. This is not too much for any group of people to ask.
We have to wonder how the average citizen in Palestine must feel, when as it happens, 1400 Palestinian are killed, houses burnt, bombed and bulldozed by Israelis, and the world suffers willful amnesia, rather blissfully. But the same world cried ceaseless tears for Neda Soltani and the other 60 plus Iranians who died during the post June 12th election imbroglios. What is good for 69 dead Iranians must be good for 1400 dead Palestinians; unless 1400 is less than 69 in the New World Order mathematics of geopolitics?
The world ought to be expressing righteous indignations and rightfully so! Palestinians are humans, just like Iranians and the rest of us! Public policies driven by expediency are shortsighted and parochial. Such policies are merely gunpowder and high octane petrol in a hot and unventilated room. Such highly flammable combustibles are bound to sooner than later, come home to roost. There is oppression and inhumanity in Palestine. The conditions in Palestine are combustible accelerants by any other name.
In Palestine, the ordinary person, on a daily basis faces inhuman conditions. People in Palestine are subjected to depraved and exceedingly perverse treatments. Why would these sorts of degradations be reserved for ordinary persons in Palestine, who are not necessarily violent persons? Palestinians who are not in the government of PLO, FATAH or HAMAS? There is a pervading worldwide silence regarding the searing conditions face by citizens of Palestine. And what is worse, is the fact that the deaths in post election activities in Iran, saw loud drumbeats by governments and the press. Whereas 1400 deaths in Palestine went unsung! These sordid state of affairs surely cannot continue or peace and security will remain an elusive dream forever.
REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=susan+sontag+regarding+the+pain+of+others&aq=&aqi=&aq=f&aqi=g2&fp=8ec80112f99bfde5
This essay is dedicated to the memory of a Jewish woman, the late Susan Sontag, author of, among many written works, a wonderful one titled: Regarding the Pain of Others. Susan Sontag was woman
a woman who, in her written prose expressed beautiful thoughts; A woman whose beautiful prose was matched by her own gorgeousness in real life. A woman, whose gentle soul courageously carried the lights of social conscience, so that others can see and find their pathways; a woman who rendered, her thoughts in beautiful prose; she was a luminous beauty in person and in her thoughts and care for others.
A woman, who did not allow her biological origins and religion to foreclose or serve as bar for the truth. Even when it was eminently inconvenient and uncomfortable to those near, dear and treasured by her.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
China As Friend And Partner To Africa
China As Friend And Partner To Africa
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
There is a raging debate which has persisted for a while now. And it is of concern to me in a triumvirate sense. The outcome of this debate will have tremendous ramifications for Africans. Such outcome will reverberate throughout Africa for hundreds of years.
Foremost, is the impact any outcome of this debate, or contest, between America and Europe on the one hand. And China on the other, What the consequences on Africa will be. Secondly, what effect will this pressure being applied on China, have on China’s forays into Africa. But most urgent of all my concerns here, is whether African public intellectuals are attentively, following this debate or contest wills or spheres of influence between these superpowers , and whether we are seeking to influence the debate-contest and the eventual outcomes.
On August 11, 2009, an uproarious and rancorous event occurred in the Republic of Congo during public questioning of Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Rodham Clinton of the United States time in that central African country. Madam Secretary of State was said to have bristled testily, when the questioner appeared to have asked her, what her husband, the other world famous Clinton, thought of a reported meddling by the World Bank, in a contract or loan from the Chinese, which is reportedly being frustrated and truncated, because the World Bank has been pressuring the government of the Congo. I regret that Madam Secretary of State appeared to have faced what probably was a sexist questioning or mindset, or what is now said to be a mere misunderstanding arising from misinterpretation of a question rendered in French.
But here are the crucial questions which ultimately should be addressed by Washington in connection with the questioner‘s concerns. Why should any foreign institution or foreign government interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo? And why should the World Bank or the United States government or any of its departments or agency, be remotely connected in any way, to the reported attempt to thwart contracts between the Congo and China, two politically independent and sovereign nations?
In recent times, there have been this sorts of contracts and loan twists and turns in Nigeria-China interactions, so perhaps, we now know the sources?
And is Nigeria’s open dealings with China really the reason for the snub of Nigeria recently? But why must Nigeria, nay Africa, let Westerners have monopoly of doing “business” or exploiting Africa?
History is our witness, and the evidence establishes and demonstrates incontrovertibly that America and Europe do not have clean hands regarding the human conditions in Africa. History bear the facts of America and European horrid brutalities in Africa. How is it therefore, America and Europe are shouting the loudest about China’s forays into Africa. It is often said that those who seek equity or those who come to equity should come with clean hands. Regarding Africa, Americans and European hands are soiled most putridly . The preachments which we now are hearing from America and Europe, are mere pretentious and farcical preachments. America and Europe, are pots, and if anything, China is kettle, and it is oxymoronic to find pot calling kettle black.
For starters, America and Europe have been in Africa for almost a thousand years! And evidences about of how America and Europe have pauperized Africa by stripping the continent of tangible and intangible resources. Ranging from human beings during slave trade, to raw materials during industrial revolution and since. And more recently, stripping of Africa of gold, diamond, petroleum and cheap labor.
China was not involved in slave trade of Africans, China was not involved in colonialism of Africans, China was not involved in imposing foreign religious on Africans. China was not involved in imposing foreign languages, such as English, French and Portuguese on Africans. China has not been involved in the assassination of African political leaders. China has so far been doing business in Africa, in ways, not any way as egregious as Union Carbide in Bhopal India or Pfizer in Nigeria
The West does not brook competition for resources or business or hemispheric influence, and there lays the West scurrilous attack on China’s foray into the African continent. Only the gullible will believe that this is about Human Rights or Labor Practices or Best Business Practices, history has abundantly borne this out. In Nigeria, environmental pollution degradation by oil companies from America and Europe who have engaged in unbridled oil spillages and gas flaring. And Pfizer pharmaceuticals, which experimented its toxic concoctions on the innocents lives of Nigerian children in Kano City Nigeria, a thing Pfizer would never do in America or Europe! China so far, at least, has not engaged in the egregious practices for which many American and European companies in African and most of the developing world are infamous.
Africa did not benefit from Western slave trade and colonialism in Africa and Westerners can be sure that Africans are no retards unaware of Africa's best interests. On the other hand, African public intellectuals and of course, by what is African political leadership, should make it abundantly clear and certain to the Chinese that Africa need partners, friends and investors, but not re-colonization by anyone, from the west or east! The Westerners should hands off Africa. Let Africa chart her own course and path to progress, development and advancement. Africa have been stifled with strictures endlessly.
As for labor practices and pollution, oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria and elsewhere has not shown that companies and corporations run by Westerners are interested in Best Business Practices or Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Good Citizenship. Persistent oil spillages in Nigeria. Ruinous medical experiment in Kano Nigeria by Pfizer and activities of such as the ones by Union Carbide in Bhopal India are clearly indictments against phony and pretentious claims by Western business in the Africa and the rest of the developing world! Westerners have not laid any good precepts, and China cannot do any worse than Westerners have done. It certainly better to have a wider pool of options of Foreign Direct Investments in Africa.
China invest wads and wads of dollars in America. China in effect underwrites a great deal of American public debt and why then is it, that America does not tell China to go stuff her dollars elsewhere, because of her infamous record on democracy and human rights?
And I will say it a million times if I have to. Africans should be very wary of persons, such as umbrella sellers who also doubles as meteorologist in the habit of always predicting or forecasting rains
Africans including Nigerians of course, should want to know why America accepts money from China without even a whimper or murmur inclination to hinge such on and about China ‘s political economic systems and without raising issues about democratic forms of governance and human rights etc
Essentially therefore, Africa has nothing to show for a thousand years of Africa’s contact with America and Europe, unless of course Western Imperialism is considered a benefit to Africa. History does show, that Africa’s contact with America and Europeans, have only brought to the average African, endless sorrows, tears and shedding of bloods. Weapons of conflicts in African nations are not supplied by China.
The scramble for Africa, the white man conquest of the African continent had no Chinese input or participation. And lest the world forgets, China was not invited to the so-called Berlin Conference in which Western powers “shared” African amongst themselves, as if pirates dividing illegal loots. The Irish-Anglo historian, Thomas Pakenham wrote a book which he recounted the scramble for Africa. He detailed interventions in African affairs, encapsulates the horrors and brutalities meted upon Africa by Westerners, still evident today!
China was not invited to it, and China played no roles when Victorian England, Germany and rest of Europe partitioned Africa. And arbitrarily assigned African peoples to different European so-called mother countries of Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain etc
And now, it is China, Russia and the United States ate scrambling anew, for needful resources to oil their economies, all puns intended! And Africa remains a great source of plethora of resources for industrial powers. Africans should determine their own fate; apologies to President Obama. America and Europe must hands off Africa and allow Africans to determine who are worthy and meaningful partners. Africans are able to determine who are the true friends and partners of the continent.
African public intellectuals and political leadership, must insist that only Africans may rightly determine where Africa’s interests will be served and served with commitment and dedication, and above all, with respect. Westerners have for centuries sought prestige, strategic resources at Africa’s expense. For centuries, Africa has served Western expediencies, and needs in human cargoes, gold and diamond now, petroleum oil, to lubricates Westerners’ economic engines, while leaving Africa in poverty, and worse, actually ridiculing Africa for being poor and backward.
A thousand of years is proof enough of the abysmal and dismal effects of appalling methods used by Westerners in Africa and Westerners’ interventions in Africa have had no measurable beneficial effects and the Chinese have never been involved nor played any roles or parts in the nefarious activities by Westerners which have degraded and dehumanized Africans and the human conditions on the African continent. I therefore do not see the why Africans must allow Westerners, these same Westerners, of whom we are thoroughly familiar.
Westerners with blood in their hands. Westerners who now pretend to be acting in Africa’s best interests, be warning Africa against the Chinese “invasion and takeover” of Africa! The truth of the matter is that, Africa have in the past been bullied and stampeded into plied for Westerner health, wealth and happiness for far too long, and if the relationship between Westerners and Africa were a marriage, Africa should have had or demanded for divorce or separation long ago. Africa should be free to have “an affair” with the Chinese! Westerners have taken Africa for granted for hundreds of years. So perhaps it is time for Africa to tell Westerners that papa got a brand new bag!
Why is China being criticized for having no political views, on local matters in African nations in which the Chinese are making some inroads? Put conversely, why does the United States accept money from China to finance American public debts without a whimper or murmur about China’s Human Right records or and Chinese non-adherence to the fine ideals of democracy, freedom, liberty and the rule of law? But instead, President Obama upon assuming office and inheriting the economic meltdown, actually singled China out and appealed to China to continue to have faith in the resilience of the American economy. As he urged China keeping the tap of more dollars flowing into the American economy. This, even though, China already has more than a trillion dollars invested in purchase of American public debt.
Why would Westerners ignore all the “evils” reeking off China’s clothes, when the bell tolls for Westerners? But, the same Westerners are trepidations and stampede to warn Africa off, of, Chinese pungent undemocratic ways, and perverse-putrid human rights abuses, only now, because China is giving the Westerners a run for their money in Africa? Western self-interests of course! In China’s forays into various African nations, Westerners finally have a fidelity challenge. Let the competition begin, I’ll say!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States
There is a raging debate which has persisted for a while now. And it is of concern to me in a triumvirate sense. The outcome of this debate will have tremendous ramifications for Africans. Such outcome will reverberate throughout Africa for hundreds of years.
Foremost, is the impact any outcome of this debate, or contest, between America and Europe on the one hand. And China on the other, What the consequences on Africa will be. Secondly, what effect will this pressure being applied on China, have on China’s forays into Africa. But most urgent of all my concerns here, is whether African public intellectuals are attentively, following this debate or contest wills or spheres of influence between these superpowers , and whether we are seeking to influence the debate-contest and the eventual outcomes.
On August 11, 2009, an uproarious and rancorous event occurred in the Republic of Congo during public questioning of Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Rodham Clinton of the United States time in that central African country. Madam Secretary of State was said to have bristled testily, when the questioner appeared to have asked her, what her husband, the other world famous Clinton, thought of a reported meddling by the World Bank, in a contract or loan from the Chinese, which is reportedly being frustrated and truncated, because the World Bank has been pressuring the government of the Congo. I regret that Madam Secretary of State appeared to have faced what probably was a sexist questioning or mindset, or what is now said to be a mere misunderstanding arising from misinterpretation of a question rendered in French.
But here are the crucial questions which ultimately should be addressed by Washington in connection with the questioner‘s concerns. Why should any foreign institution or foreign government interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo? And why should the World Bank or the United States government or any of its departments or agency, be remotely connected in any way, to the reported attempt to thwart contracts between the Congo and China, two politically independent and sovereign nations?
In recent times, there have been this sorts of contracts and loan twists and turns in Nigeria-China interactions, so perhaps, we now know the sources?
And is Nigeria’s open dealings with China really the reason for the snub of Nigeria recently? But why must Nigeria, nay Africa, let Westerners have monopoly of doing “business” or exploiting Africa?
History is our witness, and the evidence establishes and demonstrates incontrovertibly that America and Europe do not have clean hands regarding the human conditions in Africa. History bear the facts of America and European horrid brutalities in Africa. How is it therefore, America and Europe are shouting the loudest about China’s forays into Africa. It is often said that those who seek equity or those who come to equity should come with clean hands. Regarding Africa, Americans and European hands are soiled most putridly . The preachments which we now are hearing from America and Europe, are mere pretentious and farcical preachments. America and Europe, are pots, and if anything, China is kettle, and it is oxymoronic to find pot calling kettle black.
For starters, America and Europe have been in Africa for almost a thousand years! And evidences about of how America and Europe have pauperized Africa by stripping the continent of tangible and intangible resources. Ranging from human beings during slave trade, to raw materials during industrial revolution and since. And more recently, stripping of Africa of gold, diamond, petroleum and cheap labor.
China was not involved in slave trade of Africans, China was not involved in colonialism of Africans, China was not involved in imposing foreign religious on Africans. China was not involved in imposing foreign languages, such as English, French and Portuguese on Africans. China has not been involved in the assassination of African political leaders. China has so far been doing business in Africa, in ways, not any way as egregious as Union Carbide in Bhopal India or Pfizer in Nigeria
The West does not brook competition for resources or business or hemispheric influence, and there lays the West scurrilous attack on China’s foray into the African continent. Only the gullible will believe that this is about Human Rights or Labor Practices or Best Business Practices, history has abundantly borne this out. In Nigeria, environmental pollution degradation by oil companies from America and Europe who have engaged in unbridled oil spillages and gas flaring. And Pfizer pharmaceuticals, which experimented its toxic concoctions on the innocents lives of Nigerian children in Kano City Nigeria, a thing Pfizer would never do in America or Europe! China so far, at least, has not engaged in the egregious practices for which many American and European companies in African and most of the developing world are infamous.
Africa did not benefit from Western slave trade and colonialism in Africa and Westerners can be sure that Africans are no retards unaware of Africa's best interests. On the other hand, African public intellectuals and of course, by what is African political leadership, should make it abundantly clear and certain to the Chinese that Africa need partners, friends and investors, but not re-colonization by anyone, from the west or east! The Westerners should hands off Africa. Let Africa chart her own course and path to progress, development and advancement. Africa have been stifled with strictures endlessly.
As for labor practices and pollution, oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria and elsewhere has not shown that companies and corporations run by Westerners are interested in Best Business Practices or Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Good Citizenship. Persistent oil spillages in Nigeria. Ruinous medical experiment in Kano Nigeria by Pfizer and activities of such as the ones by Union Carbide in Bhopal India are clearly indictments against phony and pretentious claims by Western business in the Africa and the rest of the developing world! Westerners have not laid any good precepts, and China cannot do any worse than Westerners have done. It certainly better to have a wider pool of options of Foreign Direct Investments in Africa.
China invest wads and wads of dollars in America. China in effect underwrites a great deal of American public debt and why then is it, that America does not tell China to go stuff her dollars elsewhere, because of her infamous record on democracy and human rights?
And I will say it a million times if I have to. Africans should be very wary of persons, such as umbrella sellers who also doubles as meteorologist in the habit of always predicting or forecasting rains
Africans including Nigerians of course, should want to know why America accepts money from China without even a whimper or murmur inclination to hinge such on and about China ‘s political economic systems and without raising issues about democratic forms of governance and human rights etc
Essentially therefore, Africa has nothing to show for a thousand years of Africa’s contact with America and Europe, unless of course Western Imperialism is considered a benefit to Africa. History does show, that Africa’s contact with America and Europeans, have only brought to the average African, endless sorrows, tears and shedding of bloods. Weapons of conflicts in African nations are not supplied by China.
The scramble for Africa, the white man conquest of the African continent had no Chinese input or participation. And lest the world forgets, China was not invited to the so-called Berlin Conference in which Western powers “shared” African amongst themselves, as if pirates dividing illegal loots. The Irish-Anglo historian, Thomas Pakenham wrote a book which he recounted the scramble for Africa. He detailed interventions in African affairs, encapsulates the horrors and brutalities meted upon Africa by Westerners, still evident today!
China was not invited to it, and China played no roles when Victorian England, Germany and rest of Europe partitioned Africa. And arbitrarily assigned African peoples to different European so-called mother countries of Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain etc
And now, it is China, Russia and the United States ate scrambling anew, for needful resources to oil their economies, all puns intended! And Africa remains a great source of plethora of resources for industrial powers. Africans should determine their own fate; apologies to President Obama. America and Europe must hands off Africa and allow Africans to determine who are worthy and meaningful partners. Africans are able to determine who are the true friends and partners of the continent.
African public intellectuals and political leadership, must insist that only Africans may rightly determine where Africa’s interests will be served and served with commitment and dedication, and above all, with respect. Westerners have for centuries sought prestige, strategic resources at Africa’s expense. For centuries, Africa has served Western expediencies, and needs in human cargoes, gold and diamond now, petroleum oil, to lubricates Westerners’ economic engines, while leaving Africa in poverty, and worse, actually ridiculing Africa for being poor and backward.
A thousand of years is proof enough of the abysmal and dismal effects of appalling methods used by Westerners in Africa and Westerners’ interventions in Africa have had no measurable beneficial effects and the Chinese have never been involved nor played any roles or parts in the nefarious activities by Westerners which have degraded and dehumanized Africans and the human conditions on the African continent. I therefore do not see the why Africans must allow Westerners, these same Westerners, of whom we are thoroughly familiar.
Westerners with blood in their hands. Westerners who now pretend to be acting in Africa’s best interests, be warning Africa against the Chinese “invasion and takeover” of Africa! The truth of the matter is that, Africa have in the past been bullied and stampeded into plied for Westerner health, wealth and happiness for far too long, and if the relationship between Westerners and Africa were a marriage, Africa should have had or demanded for divorce or separation long ago. Africa should be free to have “an affair” with the Chinese! Westerners have taken Africa for granted for hundreds of years. So perhaps it is time for Africa to tell Westerners that papa got a brand new bag!
Why is China being criticized for having no political views, on local matters in African nations in which the Chinese are making some inroads? Put conversely, why does the United States accept money from China to finance American public debts without a whimper or murmur about China’s Human Right records or and Chinese non-adherence to the fine ideals of democracy, freedom, liberty and the rule of law? But instead, President Obama upon assuming office and inheriting the economic meltdown, actually singled China out and appealed to China to continue to have faith in the resilience of the American economy. As he urged China keeping the tap of more dollars flowing into the American economy. This, even though, China already has more than a trillion dollars invested in purchase of American public debt.
Why would Westerners ignore all the “evils” reeking off China’s clothes, when the bell tolls for Westerners? But, the same Westerners are trepidations and stampede to warn Africa off, of, Chinese pungent undemocratic ways, and perverse-putrid human rights abuses, only now, because China is giving the Westerners a run for their money in Africa? Western self-interests of course! In China’s forays into various African nations, Westerners finally have a fidelity challenge. Let the competition begin, I’ll say!
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