Gramsci: The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming

[cynical lady]

THE EMPIRE’S HYPOCRITICAL POLITICS

 

It would be dishonest of me to remain silent after hearing the speech Obama delivered on the afternoon of May 23 at the Cuban American National Foundation created by Ronald Reagan. I listened to his speech, as I did McCain’s and Bush’s. I feel no resentment towards him, for he is not responsible for the crimes perpetrated against Cuba and humanity. Were I to defend him, I would do his adversaries an enormous favor. I have therefore no reservations about criticizing him and about expressing my points of view on his words frankly.

 

What were Obama’s statements?

 

"Throughout my entire life, there has been injustice and repression in Cuba. Never, in my lifetime, have the people of Cuba known freedom. Never, in the lives of two generations of Cubans, have the people of Cuba known democracy. (…) This is the terrible and tragic status quo that we have known for half a century – of elections that are anything but free or fair (…) I won't stand for this injustice, you won't stand for this injustice, and together we will

 

stand up for freedom in Cuba," he told annexationists, adding: "It's time to let Cuban American money make their families less dependent upon the Castro regime. (…) I will maintain the embargo."

 

The content of these declarations by this strong candidate to the U.S. presidency spares me the work of having to explain the reason for this reflection.

 

José Hernandez, one of the Cuban American National Foundation directives who Obama praises in his speech, was none other than the owner of the 50-calibre automatic rifle, equipped with telescopic and infrared sights, which was confiscated, by chance, along with other deadly weapons while being transported by sea to Venezuela, where the Foundation had planned to assassinate the writer of these lines at an international meeting held in Margarita, in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta.

 

Pepe Hernández’ group wanted to renegotiate a former pact with Clinton, betrayed by Mas Canosa’s clan, who secured Bush’s electoral victory in 2000 through fraud, because the latter had promised to assassinate Castro, something they all happily embraced. These are the kinds of political tricks inherent to the United States’ decadent and contradictory system.

 

Presidential candidate Obama’s speech may be formulated as follows: hunger for the nation, remittances as charitable hand-outs and visits to Cuba as propaganda for consumerism and the unsustainable way of life behind it.

 

How does he plan to address the extremely serious problem of the food crisis? The world’s grains must be distributed among human beings, pets and fish, which become smaller every year and more scarce in the seas that have been over-exploited by the large trawlers which no international organization could get in the way of. Producing meat from gas and oil is no easy feat. Even Obama overestimates technology’s potential in the fight against climate change, though he is more conscious of the risks and the limited margin of time than Bush. He could seek the advice of Gore, who is also a democrat and is no longer a candidate, as he is aware of the accelerated pace at which global warming is advancing. His close political rival Bill Clinton, who is not running for the presidency, an expert on extra-territorial laws like the Helms-Burton and Torricelli Acts, can advice him on an issue like the blockade, which he promised to lift and never did.

 

What did he say in his speech in Miami, this man who is doubtless, from the social and human points of view, the most progressive candidate to the U.S. presidency? "For two hundred years," he said, "the United States has made it clear that we won't stand for foreign intervention in our hemisphere. But every day, all across the Americas, there is a different kind of struggle --not against foreign armies, but against the deadly threat of hunger and thirst, disease and

 

despair. That is not a future that we have to accept --not for the child in

 

Port au Prince or the family in the highlands of Peru. We can do better. We

 

must do better. (…) We cannot ignore suffering to our south, nor stand for the globalization of the empty stomach." A magnificent description of imperialist globalization: the globalization of empty stomachs! We ought to thank him for it. But, 200 years ago, Bolivar fought for Latin American unity and, more than 100 years ago, Martí gave his life in the struggle against the annexation of Cuba by the United States. What is the difference between what Monroe proclaimed and what Obama proclaims and resuscitates in his speech two centuries later?

 

"I will reinstate a Special Envoy for the Americas in my White House who will work with my full support. But we'll also expand the Foreign Service, and open more consulates in the neglected regions of the Americas. We'll expand the Peace Corps, and ask more young Americans to go abroad to deepen the trust and the ties among our people," he said near the end, adding: "Together, we can choose the future over the past." A beautiful phrase, for it attests to the idea, or at least the fear, that history makes figures what they are and not all the way around.

 

Today, the United States have nothing of the spirit behind the Philadelphia declaration of principles formulated by the 13 colonies that rebelled against English colonialism. Today, they are a gigantic empire undreamed of by the country’s founders at the time. Nothing, however, was to change for the natives and the slaves. The former were exterminated as the nation expanded; the latter continued to be auctioned at the marketplace —men, women and children—for nearly a century, despite the fact that "all men are born free and equal", as the Declaration of Independence affirms. The world’s objective conditions favored the development of that system.

 

In his speech, Obama portrays the Cuban revolution as anti-democratic and lacking in respect for freedom and human rights. It is the exact same argument which, almost without exception, U.S. administrations have used again and again to justify their crimes against our country. The blockade, in and of itself, is an act of genocide. I don’t want to see U.S. children inculcated with those shameful values.

 

An armed revolution in our country might not have been needed without the military interventions, Platt Amendment and economic colonialism visited upon Cuba.

 

The revolution was the result of imperial domination. We cannot be accused of having imposed it upon the country. The true changes could have and ought to have been brought about in the United States. Its own workers, more than a century ago, voiced the demand for an eight-hour work shift, which stemmed from the development of productive forces.

 

The first thing the leaders of the Cuban revolution learned from Martí was to believe in and act on behalf of an organization founded for the purposes of bringing about a revolution. We were always bound by previous forms of power and, following the institutionalization of this organization, we were elected by more than 90 percent of voters, as has become customary in Cuba, a process which does not in the least resemble the ridiculous levels of electoral participation which, many a time, as in the case of the United States, stay short of 50 percent of the voters. No small and blockaded country like ours would have been able to hold its ground for so long on the basis of ambition, vanity, deceit or the abuse of power, the kind of power its neighbor has. To state otherwise is an insult to the intelligence of our heroic people.

 

I am not questioning Obama’s great intelligence, his debate skills or his work ethic. He is a talented orator and is ahead of his rivals in the electoral race. I feel sympathy for his wife and little girls, who accompany him and give him encouragement every Tuesday. It is indeed a touching human spectacle. Nevertheless, I am obliged to raise a number of delicate questions. I do not expect answers; I wish only to raise them for the record.

 

1) Is it right for the president of the United States to order the assassination of any one person in the world, whatever the pretext may be?

 

2) Is it ethical for the president of the United States to order the torture of other human beings?

 

3) Should state terrorism be used by a country as powerful as the United States as an instrument to bring about peace on the planet?

 

4) Is an Adjustment Act, applied as punishment on only one country, Cuba, in order to destabilize it, good and honorable, even when it costs innocent children and mothers their lives?

 

If it is good, why is this right not automatically granted to Haitians, Dominicans, and other peoples of the Caribbean, and why isn’t the same Act applied to Mexicans and people from Central and South America, who die like flies against the Mexican border wall or in the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific?

 

5) Can the United States do without immigrants, who grow vegetables, fruits, almonds and other delicacies for U.S. citizens? Who would sweep their streets, work as servants in their homes or do the worst and lowest-paid jobs?

 

6) Are crackdowns on illegal residents fair, even as they affect children born in the United States?

 

7) Are the brain-drain and the continuous theft of the best scientific and intellectual minds in poor countries moral and justifiable?

 

8) You state, as I pointed out at the beginning of this reflection, that your country had long ago warned European powers that it would not tolerate any intervention in the hemisphere, reiterating that this right be respected while demanding the right to intervene anywhere in the world with the aid of hundreds of military bases and naval, aerial and spatial forces distributed across the planet. I ask: is that the way in which the United States expresses its respect for freedom, democracy and human rights?

 

9) Is it fair to stage pre-emptive attacks on sixty or more dark corners of the world, as Bush calls them, whatever the pretext may be?

 

10) Is it honorable and sound to invest millions and millions of dollars in the military industrial complex, to produce weapons that can destroy life on earth several times over?

 

Before judging our country, you should know that Cuba, with its education, health, sports, culture and sciences programs, implemented not only in its own territory but also in other poor countries around the world, and the blood that has been shed in acts of solidarity towards other peoples, in spite of the economic and financial blockade and the aggression of your powerful country, is proof that much can be done with very little. Not even our closest ally, the Soviet Union, was able to achieve what we have.

 

The only form of cooperation the United States can offer other nations consist in the sending of military professionals to those countries. It cannot offer anything else, for it lacks a sufficient number of people willing to sacrifice themselves for others and offer substantial aid to a country in need (though Cuba has known and relied on the cooperation of excellent U.S. doctors). They are not to blame for this, for society does not inculcate such values in them on a massive scale.

 

We have never subordinated cooperation with other countries to ideological requirements. We offered the United States our help when hurricane Katrina lashed the city of New Orleans. Our internationalist medical brigade bears the glorious name of Henry Reeve, a young man, born in the United States, who fought and died for Cuba’s sovereignty in our first war of independence.

 

Our revolution can mobilize tens of thousands of doctors and health technicians. It can mobilize an equally vast number of teachers and citizens, who are willing to travel to any corner of the world to fulfill any noble purpose, not to usurp people’s rights or take possession of raw materials.

 

The good will and determination of people constitute limitless resources that cannot be kept and would not fit in a bank’s vault. They cannot spring from the hypocritical politics of an empire.

 

 

Fidel Castro Ruz

 

May 25, 2008

 

10:35 p.m.

[Fabregas]

The revolution will not be SOlIZED! Have to read another time, waa Friday Morning..gday........

[cynical lady]

U.S. Fourth Fleet in Venezuelan Waters

May 27th 2008, by Nikolas Kozloff - CounterPunch

With U.S. saber rattling towards Venezuela now at its height, the Pentagon has decided to reactivate the Navy’s fourth fleet in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

 

It’s a bold move, and has already stirred controversy within the wider region.

 

The fleet, which will start patrolling in July, will be based at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida and will answer to the U.S. Southern Command in Miami. Rear Admiral Joseph Keran, current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, will oversee operations. About 11 vessels are currently under the Southern Command, a number that could increase in future. The Navy plans to assign a nuclear-powered air craft carrier, USS George Washington, to the force.

 

It’s difficult to see how the revival of the Fourth Fleet is warranted at the present time. The move has only served to further antagonize Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, already rattled by a U.S. navy plane’s violation of Venezuelan airspace over the weekend. In the long-term, the Pentagon’s saber rattling may encourage South American militaries to assert great independence from Washington, a trend which is already well under way as I discuss in my new book, Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left (Palgrave-Macmillan).

 

Reacting angrily to the Navy’s announcement, Chávez said: ``They don't scare us in the least.'' Chávez remarked that ``along with Brazil we're studying the creation of a South American Defense Council'' which would defend South America from foreign intervention. “If a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exists,” the Venezuelan leader postulated, “why can’t a SATO exist, a South Atlantic Treaty Organization?"

 

Though the resuscitation of the Fourth Fleet has led many to believe that the U.S. is pursuing a course of gunboat diplomacy in the region, there was a time when the force arguably served a real need. What is the history of the Fourth Fleet in Venezuelan waters?

 

Venezuela in World War II

 

On the eve of the Second World War, Venezuela was the world’s leading oil exporter and during the conflict the oil rich Maracaibo fields, located in the westernmost Venezuelan state of Zulia, were considered a crucial resource for both the axis and allied powers.

 

British and American oil subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell, Standard Oil and Gulf had in fact long operated in the Maracaibo Basin prior to the outbreak of European hostilities. Transportation of crude from Jersey Standard’s producing fields in Lake Maracaibo region was carried out through use of specially constructed shallow draft tankers. A refinery owned by Royal Dutch Shell located on the island of Aruba, which processed Maracaibo crude, was strategically important as it supplied products not only to Britain but also to France.

 

In 1940, Britain received fully 40 percent of her total oil imports from Venezuela, and during the first years of the war that total jumped to as high as 80 percent. Venezuelan oil also represented a vital commodity for the Nazis and the ability of the German state to wage war in Europe. As late as 1938, oil produced from Aruba, Curacao and Venezuela accounted for 44 percent of German oil imports. Germany did not buy oil directly from Venezuela but from U.S. and British-Dutch oil companies which shipped Venezuelan crude to refineries in Aruba and Curacao and then sold the final product in Europe. Venezuelan-German trade remained at normal levels but ended abruptly in September 1939 with the beginning of the British naval blockade of Germany.

 

By 1940, with Britain increasingly isolated as the result of German attack and prior to the entrance of the U.S. into the war, Venezuelan sentiment was bitterly anti-German. Meanwhile Venezuela moved into the U.S. orbit and became a chief recipient of American economic aid. U.S. military officials preferred that Venezuela publicly stay neutral in an effort to preempt any German moves to shell Venezuela’s coast.

 

Venezuelan neutrality however was a mere legal fiction: in reality, the South American nation had granted U.S. ships and airplanes special access to ports and airstrips. Two days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Venezuela declared its solidarity with the United States and on December 31, 1941 the Andean nation severed relations with the Axis powers.

 

Operation “Roll of Drums”

 

It wasn’t long before the Venezuelan government’s decision to sell oil to the allies resulted in Nazi counter measures. On December 12, 1941 Hitler met with his naval advisers and approved PAUKENSCHLAG or “ROLL OF DRUMS” a U-boat operation in Western Atlantic/Caribbean waters. In February, 1942 German submarines plied the Caribbean, sinking 25 tankers in one month.

 

The Nazis were chiefly concerned with the Dutch islands of Curacao and Aruba, Dutch colonies where U.S. forces had set up defensive fortifications in order to protect refineries processing Venezuelan crude from Maracaibo (with an estimated crude capacity of 480,000 barrels a day, the Aruba refinery, owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey, and the Curacao refinery, owned by Royal Dutch Shell, outranked Abadan in Iran with 250,000 barrels; the Baku complex in the U.S.S.R. with about 230,000 barrels; and the largest plants in the United States at Baytown, Port Arthur, Bayonne, Baton Rouge, and Whiting with over 100,000 barrels each).

 

On 15 February 1942, a convoy of oil tankers and ships left the Maracaibo Bar. The first ships in line were the ‘Monagas,’ of the Mene Grande Oil Company, followed by the ‘Tia Juana’ and ‘Pedernales’ both belonging to the Lago Petroleum Corporation. These tankers were followed by the ‘Rafaela’ belonging to Shell, and the ‘San Nicolas’and ‘Orangestad,’ belonging to Lago Oil and Transport Co, based in Aruba. A number of other tankers joined the column.

 

German U-Boat Attack and Creation of the U.S. Fourth Fleet

 

Suddenly a German U-boat torpedoed the ‘Monagas’ which sank immediately. The tankers ‘Tia Juana,’ ‘Pedernales,’ ‘Rafaela,’ ‘San Nicolas,’ and ‘Orangestad’ were also hit and sustained casualties. On the same day, the oil refinery on Aruba was attacked by German submarine shellfire. The political fallout from the attack was predictable: soon, angry street protesters hit the streets of Caracas, denouncing German aggression.

 

In response to stepped up German escalation in the Caribbean, the U.S. Navy created the Fourth Fleet to hunt submarines in the South Atlantic. The U.S. moves came none too soon: as the naval war raged in the Caribbean, Venezuela suffered tremendous economic losses. As a result of the lost tankers, production in the Lake Maracaibo Basin had to be cut back by nearly 100,000 tons of crude daily. By July 1942 the situation was still dire, with tankers operating at only one-third their average capacity of 30,000 barrels.

 

German attacks on the Aruba refinery marked the beginning of the Battle of the Caribbean. It wasn’t until August, 1943 that the Fourth Fleet was able to turn the tables on the submarine menace in Venezuelan waters. In 1950, with German U-boats now long gone, the U.S. Navy disbanded the fleet.

 

Reviving the Fourth Fleet

 

The Navy claims that it needs to resuscitate the Fourth Fleet now to combat terrorism, to keep the economic sea lanes of communication free and open, to counter illicit trafficking and to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

 

However, the move comes at a particularly sensitive moment within the region. U.S. ally Colombia launched a deadly raid across the Ecuadoran border in March, killing 16 members of the FARC guerilla insurgency including the organization’s number two, Raúl Reyes. Last weekend, Chávez accused Colombia of launching a cross-border incursion, while the Pentagon routinely lambastes Venezuela for its arms buildup including acquisition of high performance fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and diesel submarines.

 

Unlike the Second World War, when many South Americans welcomed the Fourth Fleet in Caribbean waters, some view the current U.S. naval presence as a veiled threat directed at the region’s new Pink Tide countries. In an interview with Cuban television, Bolivian President Evo Morales remarked that the U.S. naval force constituted "the Fourth Fleet of intervention."

 

Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro has asked why the U.S. has sought to revive the Fourth Fleet at this precise moment. Writing in the Cuban newspaper Granma, Castro suggested that the move constituted a return to U.S. gunboat diplomacy. Castro, whose island nation confronted a U.S. naval blockade during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, remarked "The aircraft carriers and nuclear bombs that threaten our countries are used to sow terror and death, but not to combat terrorism and illegal activities.”

[cynical lady]

New fund 'to stop radicalisation'

 

Ministers want mosques to take a stronger role in tackling extremism

A new £12.5m fund is to be launched by the government in an attempt to tackle radicalisation in the Muslim community.

 

Community groups and councils in England and Wales will be allocated cash to fund projects that "challenge and resist" violent extremists.

 

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the scheme was a "key element" of a four-stage counter-terrorism strategy.

 

But some critics have voiced concerns that the funding plans could alienate young Muslims.

 

The announcement comes as ministers are seeking new laws allowing police to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 42 days - an extension of the current limit of 28 days.

 

'Fresh approach'

 

The Home Office has also unveiled new guidelines on how to work with people who are deemed to be vulnerable to radicalisation, as well as supporting "mainstream voices" who oppose extremism.

 

Grassroots projects would also benefit from the funding - especially in areas of England and Wales where extremists have been active.

 

This would see police leading projects to identify those who are thought to be at risk of being targeted by extremists.

 

It really is like trying to sell Christmas to a Turkey

 

Dr M G Khan, University of Birmingham

 

The Prison Service is also being asked to carry out further work to tackle radicalisation among inmates.

 

Ms Smith said a "fresh approach" was needed to deal with the national security threat to the UK.

 

"A key element of our strategy aims to stop people getting involved in extremist violence," she said.

 

The new initiative to prevent radicalisation is one of the four prongs of the government's counter-terrorism strategy, known as Contest, which includes pursuing offenders and disrupting threats.

 

'Loss of integrity'

 

The strategy was welcomed by West Midlands Police - seen as one of the key areas where extremists are active.

 

Ch Supt Paul Scarrot told the BBC: "It's about dealing with the problem at it's origin.

 

"Instead of picking up the pieces, let's do something about it and work with all communities, whoever they are, to prevent extremism."

 

But others have expressed concerns that the proposals would be ineffective and risk alienating young Muslims.

 

Dr M G Khan, of the University of Birmingham, who has campaigned against negative portrayals of Muslims, said: "It really is like trying to sell Christmas to a Turkey.

 

"I know organisations who are reluctant to accept funding on the basis of preventing violent extremism, simply because they feel they would lose integrity - it would compromise access to young people."

 

BBC home editor Mark Easton said many mosques were signing up to the strategy and that the timing of the announcement was significant.

 

He said: "The government wants to reassure the country - and its own backbenchers - that when it comes to fighting extremism, it's about carrot as well as stick."

[Jacaylbaro]

come on CL ,, u don't want me to read all these ,,,,

[cynical lady]

maybe

[Malika]

^Thank You..pheew! erm in summary blizz

[cynical lady]

Hello Malika....And wlc to my little corner

 

Id1ot alert

 

 

[cynical lady]

Bono wants United States of Africa

 

June 03, 2008

POP star and activist Bono has called for the creation of a United States of Africa, saying that a pan-continental identity would serve as a catalyst for resolving its conflicts.

 

The U2 frontman, who was in Japan to take part in a major development conference last week, said that a United States of Africa "would be the dream'' in the long term.

 

"I think a kind of broader African identity is going to be very important to deal with tribal tensions," Bono told today's Asahi Shimbun, where he served as a guest-editor for a special Africa edition.

 

The Irish rock star said that developing a broader identity may seem largely "poetic", but has been proven successful.

 

"Irish people used to always have a little giggle when they would see Americans saluting their flags in schools, and then the whole standing there, singing the flag thing," Bono said.

 

"But as you get to know a little bit more about things, you start to think, ah, there's so many different tribal groups in the United States, that to create a national identity of that size, they had to really work at this kind of patriotism," he said.

 

The African Union was created in 2002 with inspiration from the European Union, but critics say the body has lacked the funds and political will to take effective action on the continent's flashpoints.

[cynical lady]

Lesotho's royal house - a world apart

 

Prince Seeiso:

»The chief is a bucket of shit!«

 

© afrol News

afrol News - In comes Prince Seeiso Seeiso, second in line to the throne in Lesotho. He just had his first born son and was terribly beaten by his villagers. "I'm terribly sorry I'm late for the interview," he says, coming directly from hospital. "And I have to apologise again, as I will have to leave immediately to go home and pick up some things for my wife." We agree to meet the next day.

 

The little Basotho prince that just has been born may end up King of Lesotho one day if Prince Seeiso's elder brother, 39-years-old King Letsie III, not produces a son and heir. The King's two-year-old daughter can by tradition not inherit the throne.

 

But although 37-years-old Prince Seeiso and his 4.2 kg newborn son are next in line to the Basotho throne, there is nothing pompous about the prince. In fact, he comes without any security guards, driving his car on his own and is licking his wounds after having been beaten heavily by fellow villagers.

 

Beneath the Western outfit, it's all tradition. Prince Seeiso was beaten with sticks according to tradition - it is a message of having become father to a son. "Some took advantage and were beating very hard," he says. "I have noted who they are and will have them flogged," he adds, roaming with a laughter that assures the latter part is only a joke.

 

Also the lack of security is explained by tradition. "So you expected a line of bodyguards, did you," he laughs again. "A chief is a chief because of his people," he explains. According to traditional leadership, a chief like himself "has to be in the same camp as his people," visible and accessible, and he cannot be blocked away from people through security guards.

 

To illustrate, Prince Seeiso quotes a Basotho saying: "The chief is a bucket of shit!" Observing the astonished face of the interviewer, who thinks he's understood things wrongly, the Prince laughs again. He sees the need to explain. You go to chief and empty all your shit on him. The chief has to take it. As any other toilet, the "bucket of shit" will not protest, and it will be ready the next time you need it. Very exemplary.

 

In the otherwise hygienic conditions of the stylish terrace of Lancer's Inn, in the middle of Lesotho's capital, Maseru, we finally get our coffees served. If not before, we finally understand it wasn't at all necessary to invite the Prince to such an ambitious place. One of those livelier, more or less legal beer shanties - sharing scarce square metres with vendors of herbs, tomatoes, cellphones and other necessaries- just some blocks off the main street, Kingsway, would probably have done. But we are well seated at Lancer's Inn, and we sure won't complain on the prices.

 

Prince Seeiso continues the conversation by emphasising that access to the traditional leader is a very serious matter for Lesotho's royal house. The jokes about his lack of security guards turn into matters of profound political impact when elaborated on.

 

- I can go anywhere and talk to the people, he explains, this including the shanties just outside this resort. "The King however can't do that. He has to go through the Prime Minister and cabinet to get an approval on whether this is appropriate." And this is not only for security reasons, one learns.

 

Prince Seeiso leaves no doubt we now are touching a key conflict line in Basotho politics. "We are still going through the teething phase of democracy, and we still don't know who should do what," he explains. Therefore, the King's security guards rather are a symbol of government controlling the King than the King's security needs.

 

- There is a competition between the cabinet and the King, and it should not have to be like that, he complains. Prince Seeiso explains how the King even is barred from representing Lesotho at most occasions abroad due to jealousy. "If a promotion tour of the King would be successful, some evil

Prince Seeiso enjoys the shadow in an unofficial "throne"

 

© afrol News / Lawrence Keketso

tongues would say that this could not have been achieved by the Prime Minister, thus calling him useless."

 

Asked whether King Letsie in fact can be considered "a prisoner" of the Basotho government, Prince Seeiso says he would not use that word. Playing it down, he says the problem is that "the royal house and politicians are not confident with each other," but that with present Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, personal relations are "thawing".

 

On the other hand, it is understandable that the elected leaders of Lesotho are sceptical towards the role of monarchy in this small mountainous country of two million inhabitants, surrounded by South Africa. Basotho kings have played vital roles in this unique country.

 

Thanks to Lesotho's founding father, King Moshoeshoe, the kingdom can look back on almost 200 years of being a nation. Unlike most African countries, the nationbuilding process was achieved a long time ago as the southern Basotho people and other rallied the kings for protection from Boer and Zulu aggressions from the surrounding lowlands.

 

Moshoeshoe and his successors maintained independence from white-ruled South Africa through military power and diplomatic wisdom, forming a protectorate under direct protection from London. Until independence in 1965, the King - or the paramount chief as he was called during British rule - was pretty much the uniting symbol of Lesotho.

 

With the 1966 constitution, that made the paramount chief a king, power was given to elected politicians and Lesotho was made a constitutional monarchy. According to Prince Seeiso, however, the people was cheated. "They tricked the people by saying the paramount chief would become King, like the Queen of England, which was over-glorified. They didn't say he would be cut off from the people."

 

After independence came also political turbulence, with military rule in the 1970s and 80s. In the mid-1980s, the military even installed King Moshoeshoe III, King Letsie's father, as the head of the executive in a popular move. Popularity did not last long, however, and calls for democracy led to another coup in 1990, deposing the King.

 

Since then, the Basotho royal house has kept out of policy, the Prince confirms. Even in the troubled year of 1998, when political chaos resulted in a destructive invasion led by South African forces, King Letsie remained silent. A popular demand for the King to mediate in the crisis was not met. Letsie referred to the constitution, saying he was not in a position to help.

 

- Some found it difficult to understand that in a state of crisis, the King cannot mediate, Prince Seeiso says, apparently agreeing to the argument. "He is the Head of State. But other leaders of other states came in to mediate instead of him." Prince Seeiso indicates he would have acted in another way if he were King in such a situation.

 

- The constitution should be looked at, Prince Seeiso says. "We should not have a Head of State who is unable to interact with his people when there is a crisis. In fact, it seems there is no reason for having a Head of State at all." It again comes down to the lack of confidence between traditional and political leadership.

 

The Basotho King however is trusted with some representative roles in the country, even though "his functions are very limited," the Prince says. In some apolitical, crosscutting themes, like AIDS, orphans, poverty and children's rights, the King's voice is likely to be heard. "Implementing

Prince Seeiso:

»We are still going through the teething phase of democracy.«

 

© afrol News

policies on these issues will however become a more political issue," Prince Seeiso tries to explain the role of a constitutional monarch.

 

The Prince cannot emphasise enough on the difference between the Basotho royal house and their European counterparts. "It is a world apart," he says. Even contacts are minimal. Representatives from the British monarchy turned up in Lesotho at some important occasions, but not all. The latest invitation to go to a European royal occasion was the wedding of Spain's Princess Christina three years ago. Tight personal ties only exist with the nearby authoritarian royal house of Swaziland.

 

The difference from European monarchies and the popular rooting of Lesotho's royal house is also underlined by how the country's press treats the royals. Even the yellow press has mercy on the Basotho royals, which occasionally can be found having a delightful Maluti locally brewed beer in any type of local pub. "Even the sensationalist press would not write any scandalising article about His Majesty, and even I have many times escaped," the Prince says, laughing again.

 

- As a people, we don't really want to bury into other people's personal affairs, Prince Seeiso explains; "we just gossip a lot about it." Also editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper 'Mopheme', assisting in the interview, agrees "the level of privacy is quite high in Lesotho." Mr Lawrence, who doesn't hide he is a republican, was to mention the birth of a possible new King with only one paragraph in 'Mopheme'.

 

Mr Lawrence and his cool attitude towards the royal house is however not representative for the Basotho. For most fellow countrymen, the news of the birth of a new prince is indeed of interest, given the male line of succession in chieftaincy and monarchy and given the historic continuity from the glorious days of Moshoeshoe that is marked with the birth. The little prince one day will become chief or even king.

 

For ordinary people, it is quite natural that the title of King one day will have to be passed over to Prince Seeiso and later his son if King Letsie is not blessed with a son on his own. But modern times are also omnipresent in the small mountain kingdom. Thus, institutions such as monarchy and chieftaincy are under discussion, as are the inheritance laws disfavouring women.

 

This is something the well-educated Prince is not indifferent to. "Some of us feel that the law of succession needs to be looked at [when it comes to gender]. I am personally in favour of equal opportunities for all," he says, knowing perfectly well he is undermining his current right to the throne by the argument.

 

Given the limited freedom and powers of the King, the office may not seem too interesting to Prince Seeiso, although he does not comment on that. He however leaves it clear that he would have struggled for a more popular role of the monarch. "The people want to see the King on his horseback, they don't want to see him as somebody mystified or glorified out there," he concludes on the role a Basotho king should have.

 

Prince Seeiso has to leave us. Instead of a horseback, he climbs into his modern four-wheel car, heading to his residence in the suburbs, some 30 kilometres outside Maseru. It is not yet sunset. Like any new father, he tells us before leaving; he is scared about the new power balance between the bedroom and the living room. Better to get off home before the madam arrives from hospital, bringing the new king of the house.

 

 

By afrol News editor Rainer Chr. Hennig

[Jacaylbaro]

Ohh come on .........

[cynical lady]

By Solomon Tembang, AfricaNews reporter in Limbe, Cameroon

 

A long standing rivalry between local and Chinese fishermen along the coast of Limbe in Cameroon recently took a dangerous turn when the locals beat some of the Chinese, seriously injuring two. The local fishermen accused the Chinese of using twin trawlers to fish thereby reducing the catch of the locals.

The incident occurred recently in Kange Fishing Port, along the Limbe- Tiko creeks. Security sources say six unidentified boats, allegedly owned by local fishermen attacked the Chinese in their twin trawler at sea, subjected them to torture, severely wounded two and carted away about 300 bags of fish, estimated to be five tons in scientific terms

 

The radio communication equipment, mobile phones and other valuables belonging to the Chinese fishermen were also seized.

Following the incident, the Divisional Officer for Limbe, Peter Itoe Mbongo, accompanied by security operatives visited Kange Fishing Port to assess the situation.

 

Genesis of crisis

The acrimony between Chinese-owned twin trawlers and local artisanal fishermen has been going on for about two years now. The local artisanal fishermen have persistently complained that the fishing methods used by the Chinese are unsustainable and has created fish scarcity for the local population and others who come from the hinterlands to buy.

 

This, the local fishermen complain, is because the Chinese use twin trawlers, catching both mature and premature fish in the ocean. Whereas they are permitted legally to fish only in the high seas, their activities have become unscrupulous as they now come close to the sea-shore.

The situation has degenerated to a point where local fishermen can no longer get fish, resulting in acute fish shortage both for the ocean population and those who come from the hinterlands to buy.

 

Livestock Minister’s Ban Ignored

In the wake of increasing local opposition and even hostility to the Chinese presence, the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Aboubakari Sarki in early May issued an order banning twin trawler fishing along the coast of Cameroon.

 

The order further specified the nautical limit within which mechanised fishermen must not exceed.

 

Despite this, there has been a lot of reluctance and volte-face on the part of the local administration to implement the order. Local artisanal fishermen are accusing the administration of conspiring with the companies that own these twin trawlers.

 

The companies are said to be based in Douala and are a joint venture between Cameroonians and Chinese

 

A fisheries technician in Limbe who opted for anonymity confided in Africanews that the fishing methods being used by the Chinese are the most unsustainable and are no longer in use any where in the world.

[cynical lady]

China Lays Out NGO Welcome Mat

A widely-held view is that NGOs start becoming popular when and where governments or markets are unable to provide for people's needs. If so, this may not so such a good sign as China encourages more NGOs to operate there--as long they don't have political aspirations, that is. No Falun Gong folks should apply. Take a look at this table of civil disturbances in China over the years, then read the story about China encouraging more NGOs to operate in the country. I suspect these two stories are related. Got social problems? Let those NGOs take care of them:

 

 

 

China will revise laws and policies to encourage the development of foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations (NG0s), a senior official has been quoted as saying

 

Among the key changes are a simplified registration procedure for all NGOs and better communication with governments, said Sun Weilin, director of the bureau for NGO administration affiliated to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

A foundation will also be set up to recognize and reward NGOs with good performance.

"The ministry is drawing up a detailed draft for revising laws and regulations, with the main objective of giving more room for NGOs to grow," Sun told China Business News.

He was speaking at a recent ceremony where the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement to support a large-scale initiative aimed at strengthening the rule of law and enhancing civil society participation in China. The program will be implemented by the National People's Congress, the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"If the registration procedure is simplified for domestic NGOs and foreign NGOs can register as NGOs, it will make it easier for them to operate and raise funds for their programs," Li Jianghua, the deputy representative of the China branch of Handicap International, told China Business News.

Experts said the changes will create a better legal framework for foreign NGOs to have a wider presence in China and provide a platform for better coordination with government agencies.

 

"Foreign NGOs operate in China but their presence has no legal basis, which makes it impossible for them to recruit members or raise funds," Jia said.

 

As a result, the China operations of some foreign NGOs, including the World Wild Fund for Nature, have been registered as commercial organizations and thus cannot raise funds or recruit volunteers. They also have to pay taxes.

Jia also told China Daily that the unfavorable policy environment has become a major bottleneck for the development of domestic NGOs

[cynical lady]

The World Bank Tuesday June 3, 2008 approved three credits for Ghana totaling US$145 million, in fulfillment of the Bank’s commitment to provide assistance annually through the budget, under the multi-donor budget support (MDBS) framework.

 

The Credits include additional funding valued at more than US$20 million, to support measures designed urgently including some of those outlined by the Government in President Kufuor’s recent address to the nation to help Ghana deal with rising cost of living due to global food and oil price hikes.

 

MDBS is a harmonized partnership framework in which the Government of Ghana and a number of its development partners committed to provide direct funding for the implementation of the Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy through the annual budget.

 

Since its inception in 2003, a total of US$1.7 billion has been disbursed under the framework, with over US$700 million coming form the World Bank alone, through six Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSC 1 to 6).

 

The three credits consist of: (i) Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC 6) - (US$100 million); (ii) Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (NREG) - (US$20 million); (iii) Agriculture Development Policy Operation (AgDPO) – (US$25 million). The PRSC remains the cornerstone of donor support for Ghana’s poverty reduction strategy, while the NREG and AgDPO provide new important support for policy reform on natural resources and environment, as well as the agriculture sector.

 

Policy actions under the PRSC6 focus on the implementation of various reform programs to accelerate private sector-led growth (by facilitating private sector development and increasing agricultural productivity and exports); develop human resources (by consolidating achievements in education, health, and water and sanitation); and promote good governance (by deepening decentralization, strengthening public financial management and enhancing efficiency, transparency and accountability in public investments and service delivery at both central and decentralized levels).

 

The NREG supports governance reforms in the interrelated sectors of forestry and wildlife, mining and environmental protection. They are intended to ensure effective forest law enforcement, improve mining an forestry sectors revenue collection, management, and transparency; address social issues in forest and mining communities; and mainstream environmental protection into growth (safeguards and adaptation to climate change). It also initiates support to the adoption and future implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI++) approach in the existing forestry and mining sectors as well as in the emerging oil sector.

 

The AgDPO supports recent positive achievements in the agricultural sector, including: further diversification of horticulture exports; addressing constraints to productivity of food crops and improving planning and execution of budgets in the sector. Specifically, the program supports the Government’s national agricultural strategy, by promoting key reforms essential for the growth of the sector. In addition, it provides support to help Ghana respond to recent rises in global food prices.

 

According to Ishac Diwan, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, “these operations are focusing on accelerating the kind of growth that benefits the poor, improving environmental sustainability for the benefit of future generations, supporting the delivery of basic services, especially water, to the citizens across the country, and continuing to work towards better and more inclusive governance. The operations also respond to the recent rise in food price by expanding the safety net and providing quick support for agriculture. The collaboration between the Government of Ghana and its development partners over the past years is clearly paying good dividends -- the program we have presented to our Board today is probably a best practice globally in its focus on ownership, civil society participation, and donor coordination. ”

 

 

Source: The World Bank

[cynical lady]

Id1ots

 

Kenyans proud of Obama

Posted on Thursday 5 June 2008 - 10:32

 

NairobiKenya celebrates the victory for Senator Barack Obama, who is most likely to become candidate for the Democratic Party to run for president of the USA. Obama is a son of a Kenyian father and American mother. Kenya is proud again, AfricaNews.com reporter Felix Masi finds out.

Loading video...Despite Kenya’s recent political instability, most Kenyans see Senator Obama as their savior should he become the next president of America. A thing some say, they might not care much who is Kenya’s president, as long as Obama is in White house. Obama has his roots in Kogelo village, Nyanza province, in the West of Kenya.

 

Senator Obama visited Kenya in 2006 to pay tribute to his father and his grandmother Sarah Obama who still live in Kogelo village.

 

Celebration in Kenya is underway in honor of Senator Obama in most beer joints. New born babies are being named Senator Obama.

 

In this video you find an attorny, aan actor, an event manager and a taxi driver expressing their hopes for Africa, when Obana makes it to the White House.