“pened several days later, my colleague Melinda Liu and I went back to the hotel to check out, and the hotel tried to charge us for the days we couldn’t reach it. My colleague asked for a discount as access to the hotel was dicey “due to what happened in Tiananmen Square.” In retort, the man behind the counter said, “Nothing happened in Tiananmen Square.””
Human Rights Watch deputy executive director for external relations, Carroll Bogert, who covered the Tiananmen protests as a reporter for Newsweek, talks about how China has been shaped by the horrific events of those days 25 years ago.
SO they came with thud winning mega construction tenders worth billions of dollars on road networks, government buildings and institutions construction while carrying brief-cases swollen with bribe cash money. However, the days of massive influence by big business people from Bringing who have dominated the construction industry in Kenya for decades is soon coming to an abrupt end.
Under the reign of the retired President Mwai Kibaki, the Chinese big business people invaded the Kenyan market
The Chinese contractors fizzled out the traditional Kenya in business partners from Western Europe, especially those from the EU nations which had dominated the construction industry ib Kenya in the pre-independence and post-independence period between 1963 and 2002,
Major construction firms like Mowlem Construction of the UK, Sterling Astaldi of Italy, Israelis solebhonen and other were swept away, as the generous Chinese big business people visited government offices in Nairobi with their hands well oiled with bribe money.
President Mwai Kibaki made several official tours and state visit of China in the company of top government officials and cabinet ministers where he signed numerous bilateral agreement on trade. These missions opened floodgate, and no sooner, the streets of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital and other urban centers were swarmed by Chinese hawkers, hawking with petty wares such as ball pens, mobile phones, radios, watches and other cheap items.
At first, the indigenous Kenyan hawkers in Nairobi streets staged a near violent protest against the Chinese hawkers,
Kenyan businessmen of African origins are up in arms against any more Chinese. The National Construction Authority, the state body that is tasked with the responsibility of regulating guidelines to check on the construction sector and to check the growing Chinese influence on the oriental’s on local construction scene last month came out with the gun blasting.
The authority’s action came as the result of numerous complaints lodged by the local African contractors that the Chinese contractors were taking the lion’s share in nearly all the big construction projects.
The authority recently issued a statement saying that the local construction companies are now edged of public infrastructure work to private virtues. The Authority said it would lobby parliament and the House Committee on delegated legislation to have rules aping the Chinese contractors participation in Kenya building industry.
It reported that both house and the team have agreed that the regulation be published after Easter Monday before being tabled by Parliament.
Among the key concerns raised in the regulation is that at least 30 per cent of the monetary value of a project should go to the locals. This will made possible through joint venture or sub contracting.
Some of the Chinese construction firms undertaking major infrastructure projects in Kenya include China Road and Bridge Corporation and China Wu Yi was to constructed to build the Kshs 4.47 billion standard gauge railway line between Kenya’s port city of Mombasa and Nairobi. But already the parliament is demanding detailed account of how this particular tender contract was dished out and has called for a probe team to be setup
China WU WAS last year named the contractors University of Nairobi’s 22 story Building Complex valued at Kshs 2.3 billion ad another Chinese company China Jiangxi International is the main contractor for the proposed tallest building in Nairobi Hazina Trade Center..
The authority regulation dictate that recruitment or employment of foreign technical or skilled workers on such contracts shall be done on occasions when skills by the foreigners are not avoidably locally..The dishing out the tenders for such project must be approved by the regulating authority. Compulsory training of lower carder construction by the NCA upgrade their standards.
All these strings now being attached to construction industry retargeting to put in check the Chinese excesses.
Despite the global economic and financial crises of recent years, corporate China continues its push for globalization. China now ranks third in the world for outward FDI (2012 data), with its fastest revenue growth over the period 2008?2012 coming from operations in North America and Europe. The top Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) are increasing their overseas assets and overseas employment at rapid rates, and seeing greater revenue increases from overseas operations than from their Chinese ones.
Moreover, today’s Chinese globalizers have even more aggressive plans for geographic and functional expansion in the near future. A survey by the World Economic Forum and Booz & Company of 125 leading Chinese globalizers shows these companies planning to expand in the next five years in virtually every region of the world and to expand their functional footprints outside of China as well.
Our research on the success of leading Chinese globalizers has also found, however, that increased effort at globalization does not necessarily lead to increased output. Furthermore, companies with similar, perfectly sound globalization strategies do not necessarily achieve similar results. What distinguishes a group of companies the report identifies as Chinese Globalization Champions from the rest of the pack is their ability to systematically tackle various operational challenges in the globalization process.
In analyzing these challenges and how Chinese Globalization Champions overcome them, we developed a reference framework for a global operating model, a framework with four building blocks: Culture, Governance, Processes, and People. Successful execution in these four areas, in turn, allows Chinese Globalization Champions to address three sets of polarities or tensions that challenge all globalizing companies: Home country & Host Country, Consistency & Innovation, and Control & Empowerment.
Our research on how Chinese Globalization Champions successfully manage these three polarities in their operating models reveals several best practices in the areas of Culture, Governance, Processes, and People from which other Chinese globalizers can draw lessons.
From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014
Jacob from Nairobi writes: “Fr Beste I agree with your recent article that President Uhuru cannot do away with cartels of corruption in his Jubilee government and that corruption is in every government sector, from bottom to the top.
Father it is very sad that Sh3.9 billion used by NHIF to build a multi-storey car park at Upper Hill in Nairobi cannot be justified according to report by Auditor-General Edward Ouko. The audit also questions a decision by NSSF to invest more than Sh1.1 billion of workers’ money in public forests, which are gazetted areas, and which cannot be owned or developed. This is terrible.
Even though during the National Dialogue Conference on the rising wage bill last week, President Uhuru criticised NSSF’s investment policy, there is nothing much he can do to recover the stolen money”.
I am glad you have realized this Jacob. President Uhuru cannot do away with cartels of corruption in his Jubilee government because these are powerful brokers targeting multi-billion shilling government tenders.
These are the same “mafia style operators” who were involved in the multi-billion shilling Anglo-Leasing scandal, whose debt the national Treasury has not recovered since it was exposed in 2002.
These mafias are known. Even Jubilee leaders close to Uhuru have admitted they cannot be exposed publicly because they are individuals well known by Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto “since they are hiding under government skirts”.
It explains why, even thoug the President and his deputy were given seven days to name these people who have perfected the art of corruption through successive governments but has since never exposed them.
These are the same mafias who are behind the standard gauge railway project scandal, laptops among other tenders.
That is also why the directives by the Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko that former Cabinet minister Amos Kimunya is prosecuted over alleged abuse of office and fraudulent disposal and acquisition of public property means nothing.
The charges are in connection with a 25 acre piece of public land in Njambini, Nyandarua County that was part of a 75-acre plot reserved by the Agriculture ministry for a potato seed multiplication project.
Kimunya, while Lands minister during President Mwai Kibaki’s government, caused part of the land to be allocated to Midlands, a company in which he was a director and shareholder, without the consent of the Agriculture ministry.
Kimunya held various ministerial posts during the 10 years of Kibaki presidency with scandals but Kibaki never laid hands on him. He started as Land minister before moving to Finance, Trade and finally Transport, all with scandals.
Even after Kimunya was defeated by his former ally Samuel Gichigi in the March 2013 elections after which he retired to a quiet private life, Kimunya is still powerful and close ally to Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kimunya is aware of this that is why when he was forced to cut short his appearance before the Public Investments Committee after was declared a hostile witness while testifying on the standard gauge railway project, Uhuru never mentioned anything about him.
It explains further, why in 2008 when Parliament passed a vote of no confidence against Kimunya while he was serving as Finance minister over the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel, now Laico Regency, instead Kibaki reinstated him, this time as minister for trade.
Kimunya then criticized the Parliamentary Finance committee over the Grand Regency report, accusing the MPs of focusing on his character instead of proving that there was corruption. It was alleged that Kibaki new about the sale of the Hotel since he was part of it.
That is also why as Finance minister, when Kimunya was involved in controversies over the Safaricom privatisation and the De la Rue currency printing contract, Kibaki could not sack him, and instead he kept silence about the issue.
While in 2010, when MPs accused Kimunya, while Transport minister, of making appointments from one community only at the Kenya Ports Authority, in August 2012 when he became entangled in the cancellation of a Sh55 billion tender for the construction of a new terminal at the JKIA, he was untouchable.
Even after the Public Procurement and Oversight Authority later declared Kimunya’s actions regarding the airport tender illegal, Kibaki could not take any action against him. Instead the PPOA reinstated the Chinese firm that was originally awarded the tender.
The same powerful mafias have now hijacked the National Social Security Fund’s (NSSF) two housing upgrade projects worth Sh12 billion in Nairobi, leading to award of the contracts to a Chinese firm.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole
Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli Has dismissed claims by some section of Coast politicians that their people in plum government positions are being targeted. Claims which appeared in a section of the press was emphatic that plans had been hatched and finalised to ensure that their people be sacked from the government.
“If you’re corrupt and incompetent as an officer in the establishment don’t hide in your tribal cocoons as away of salvaging your diminishing image or fate”,
The coast leaders were trying to defend the besieged Cabinet Secretary for Labour Kazungu Kambi who has been taken to court by a civil society crusader Charles Omanga on grounds of alleged incompetence and dubious academic credentials.
The case is slated for hearing on 11th Feb. in the High Court Nairobi.
Kambi is of late marooned with accusations that together with NSSF CEO and the board they failed to follow procurement procedures to award a Chinese firm multi Billion project. Atwoli together with FKE Chair person Jackline Mugo have maintained that procurement provisions were violated to favour the Chinese outfit culminating to cancellation of the tender.
“As Cotu we will always remain steadfast to ensure that Kenyan workers interests is catered for and we won’t condone these heartless cartels whose only agenda is to milk our workers dry”, Atwoli said.
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On November 3, 2013, The Guardian Newspaper reported that Dar es Salaam City police arrested 3 Chinese citizens in the city, and confiscated large amount of tusks on the spot.
The Embassy of People’s Republic of China in the United Republic of Tanzania felt shocked at this report that 3 Chinese citizens suspected of smuggling ivory were arrested by the police and is now in contact with the Tanzania side on this issue. The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of wildlife, promulgated a series of laws and regulations, and set up a National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Collaboration Group (NICECG) mechanism.
Chinese State Forestry Administration has set up a special armed anti-poaching team. China leads the world on severe punishment in cases of wild animal protection violation including ivory smuggling and its products. It has also actively participated in international law enforcement cooperation to crack down criminal activities on smuggling and trade of ivory and its products. In February this year, the Chinese government carried out successfully Operation COBRA, a cross-continent joint special operation to combat illegal wildlife trade together with 22 countries in Asia and Africa.
H.E. LU Youqing, Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, and the Chinese Embassy strongly condemn criminal acts of killing elephants and smuggling ivory, firmly support the Tanzania government action to fight ivory smuggling by law, and are willing to actively provide help. The Chinese government and police are ready to work together with their Tanzania counterparts to crack down on criminals according to law.
Majority Chinese citizens are able to abide by local laws in Tanzania and take part in legitimate businesses. China’s national image has been severely undermined by illegal or bad behavior of quite few Chinese. Chinese Embassy in Tanzania will, as always, require all Chinese in Tanzania, and those coming to Tanzania either for tourism or on business, to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, never involve themselves in illegal activities like the ivory smuggling, make joint efforts to safeguard the good image of Chinese in Tanzania and promote the China-Tanzania friendship and cooperation.
To single out Chinese companies for entering into shady business in the DRC is to miss a fundamental point: Western firms have been at it for centuries, and still are.
Last January I was in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to research Sicomines, China’s controversial $6.5 billion megadeal in which Chinese companies will construct roads, schools and hospitals in exchange for mining and untold billions of dollars worth of copper and cobalt with Congo’s state mining agency.
On a sunny morning in the south-eastern mining city of Lubumbashi, I called a Congolese official to pose some hard questions about the deal – particularly, what happened to the $350 million ‘signing bonus’ that was handed over by the Chinese. But I hardly got a word in before his response betrayed his fear as to the more sensitive concern on his mind: “Is this about COMIDE?”
It wasn’t, of course. But perhaps it should have been, because the corruption scandal that burns hottest among Congolese officials today has nothing to do with the Chinese. In 2009, the International Monetary Fund started a $551 million loan to improve the DRC’s business climate through a series of projects. As a condition of the loan, Congo’s government would have to make all its mining contracts and transactions public.
So it must have come as a surprise to the IMF when Bloomberg revealed the DRC had sold its 25% stake in a copper mining venture called COMIDE SPRL – a trade the Congolese government hadn’t disclosed. The IMF responded to the news by refusing to renew the loan, meaning the DRC will essentially forfeit an incredible $225 million because a few Congolese officials didn’t want the world to know what they were up to.
Learning from the masters
When Westerners try to explain China’s rapid rise in Africa, they often assume that it comes through corruption, secret deals and manipulation. But there is nothing Chinese about COMIDE. Its parent company, Straker International Corp., is based offshore in the British Virgin Islands, and it is primarily owned by the multinational Eurasian Natural Resource Company, headquartered in London and traded on the Kazakhstan stock exchange.
Certainly the circumstances surrounding the Chinese Sicomines deal merit concern too. The DRC’s government doesn’t seem to have conducted any study that estimates the potential value of the minerals buried at the Sicomines site, meaning no-one can predict the eventual profits and what’s truly at stake for the Chinese companies, the Congolese mining company and the Congolese government.
What’s more, a 2011 study by the accountability NGO Global Witness reported that $24 million of that signing bonus was mysteriously diverted into an offshore account in the British Virgin Islands by Sicomines’ Congolese partners. Even in the DRC’s multibillion-dollar mining sector, $24 million is a lot of money to go unaccounted.
But does this then set China’s Congolese ambitions apart from the West’s? Is the $6.5 billion Sicomines deal in fact unprecedented in its lack of transparency and its potential to make its CEOs rich while the Congolese people remain poor?
To single out the Chinese companies as uniquely responsible for entering into shady business in the DRC is to miss a fundamental point: If the Chinese have learned how to leverage power over the Congolese government, they owe the lesson to the rogue businessmen from Western countries that preceded them. .
Two centuries ago it was the Belgians who colonised the Congo, first for its ivory, a trade which would eventually die out along with most of the wild elephants that supplied it. After ivory, it was rubber, transported by Belgian-constructed railroads whose tracks remain embedded in the ground, relics of Congo’s resource-driven history. Then, to build the atomic bombs it would drop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States sourced its uranium from a mine just 100 km southeast of Kolwezi in south-eastern DRC.
Companies from Canada, the UK, South Africa and elsewhere began operating industrial mines. They extracted billions of dollars worth of copper, cobalt, and other minerals. Today, Congo’s mining sector generates 28% of the country’s GDP and is the primary source of income for 16% of the population, according to the World Bank.
In theory, the country should be rich from its vast mineral wealth. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at how most Congolese live. Rural families sleep in huts that flood when it rains. Only 4% have electricity.
Western nations such as the United States tend to claim they have tried to solve the DRC’s problems. But the record shows that for at least the first 30 years following the Congo’s independence they did the opposite, entrenching one of Africa’s most corrupt and violent dictators by supplying him with billons of dollars in aid, weapons and bribes. Mobutu Sese Seko killed his adversaries with impunity and commandeered as much as 40% of Congo’s wealth (between 4 and 8 billion dollars) during his 31-year rule.
In the years since Mobutu’s rein, foreign mining companies have garnered blame for manipulating Congo out of its natural wealth. On at least five occasions in 2009 and 2010, Congo’s state-owned mining companies sold their stakes in mines to offshore companies that immediately re-sold the same stakes for up to five times the price. “Between 2010 and 2012, the DRC lost at least US$1.36 billion in revenues from the underpricing of mining assets that were sold to offshore companies”, claimed a report released earlier this year by an international panel chaired by Kofi Annan.
Looking East
All the while, Congolese eyes are turning toward China in the hopes that the Chinese may usher in prosperity where patrons before it have not. The fact that China succeeded in moving 600 million people out of poverty over the past 35 years is a source of admiration for some Congolese who remain entrenched in it themselves. Many see China as much more welcoming than the US. Twice a week, a line forms outside the Chinese embassy in Kinshasa as Congolese students and businessmen arrive to apply for visas to work or study in China. They say it’s far easier to get a visa there than to the US.
China’s government has consistently reinforced the sentiment that it is eager to help the Congolese people flourish. In his very first trip abroad as China’s leader, Xi Jinping travelled in March 2013 to Tanzania, South Africa and Congo-Brazzaville, where he promised $20 billion in loans for aid to Africa over the next three years. In June, US President Barack Obama followed in the Chinese leader’s footsteps in what was only Obama’s first extended trip to Africa since taking office some four and a half years ago.
The metaphor of America’s lagging commitment to the continent is not lost upon Africans themselves. In a 2009 survey of 250 people in nine African countries, three-quarters said the Chinese way was a ‘very positive’ or ‘somewhat positive’ model of development. When asked which model offers more promise for Africa’s future, the Western or the Chinese one, they overwhelmingly chose the latter.
Chinese investment may not, in fact, radically alter the future of one of the world’s most underdeveloped nations. Unless the DRC’s government collects its fair share from the Sicomines deal and somehow uses that wealth to benefit Congolese society in a way it never has before, China may simply become the latest benefactor in Congo’s long history as a country rich in resources whose neediest citizens will never benefit from them.
But it’s hard to blame the Congolese for hoping China will succeed where the West has failed.
In an office overlooking Kinshasa’s grand Boulevard 30 Jeune, newly repaved and widened by the Chinese under Sicomines, stands Mack Dumba, Congo director of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which works to improve accountability in the global mining sector.
“Why don’t Americans build roads like this anymore?” Dumba asks. “Why don’t the Belgians, that colonised, build roads like this? The Chinese are doing things that no one else will.”
This article was adapted from Jacob Kushner’s new eBook, China’s Congo Plan, now available on iPad, iPhone and Kindle. Kushner’s research was advised by faculty at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Jacob Kushner is a freelance journalist currently based in Nairobi. He reports on international peacekeeping, foreign aid and development, offshore tax havens, and Chinese mining and other investments in Africa. See more on his blog at http://jacobkushner.com and follow him on twitter @JacobKushner.
The following Chinese statement directed to UK and US sounds challenging and provocative and it is unacceptable.
Chinese interests in Kenya are corrupt and toxic. Their activities are against public interest and mandate and are not within the policy establishment of the Constitution of Kenya.
The kind of direct outburst shows they are afraid their butt-naked will be exposed along with their illegal special business interest network that have brought pain and sufferings to the people of Kenya. Their influence in Kenya has not brought anything good but destruction on fundamental fabric of livelihood and survival. They are afraid they shall be exposed at the ICC Hague on matters that are of Human Rights Crime, Violation, Abuse with Environmental pollution and that their butt will be on fire?????……..and are they therefore, sounding a threat to challenge US and UK……????
The Chinese must beware that US and UK have vested interest in Kenya for the good of both countries and that Kenya victims have rights for fair Justice where the law must be seen to be done in the most favorable and fair manner. It is therefore that, the Chinese Government must watch how they conduct themselves on matters that are of Public interest and mandate and watch how they engage and communicate.
Kenya’s security, livelihood and survival are paramount of crucial concern to the people of Kenya and the world; and no amount of conspiracy theories on fear factor, intimidation, manipulation or foul-play shall be tolerated.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson &
Executive Director for
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
email: jbatec@yahoo.com
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Anger after Kenyan ICC trial witness ‘outed’ online
By Helen Vesperini
Published September 18, 2013
AFP
NAIROBI (AFP) – A woman who appeared as a protected witness in the crimes against humanity trial of Kenya’s vice president has been named by local media and bloggers, prompting a stark warning from the Hague-based tribunal.
The woman was the prosecution’s first witness in the case against William Ruto, and she delivered a harrowing testimony to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday. She was referred to only as “Witness P0536,” her face pixellated and voice distorted.
But within hours of the court session, relayed live on several Kenyan television stations, viewers began speculating on her real identity on Twitter and other social media.
By Wednesday, scores of posts on Twitter gave her supposed real name, while one Kenyan blogger and the website of a tabloid newspaper even published photographs they said were of the witness. Several comments also denounced the woman as a “liar.”
The ICC said it may take legal action.
“Any revelation of the identity of a witness whose identity has been protected… amounts to an offence,” the ICC’s presiding judge Chile Eboe-Osuji said. “Such conducts will be investigated and the culprits will be prosecuted.”
The judge said the warning applied to “everyone inside the courtroom, in the public gallery, in Kenya, and anywhere in the world,” and urged “members of the press, bloggers, social media members or participants and their web hosts… to desist from doing anything that would reveal or attempt to reveal the identity of protected witnesses.”
Rights groups were also furious.
Amnesty International said it was “deeply concerned”, urging “the ICC and the Kenyan authorities to take effective measures to protect the safety and well-being of this witness and her family.”
“The publication, if correct, amounts to a serious breach of an order made by ICC Judges barring the disclosure of the identity of the first witness,” Amnesty’s Deputy Africa Director Sarah Jackson told AFP.
The Kenyan Human Rights Commission, an independent NGO, said other witnesses could now back out of the trial.
“Now that a witness has been identified it will be difficult to assure others that they are their family members will be safe. And in Kenya, it’s not just the nuclear family: there are aunts, uncles, cousins,” said spokeswoman Beryl Aidi.
“Witnesses are bound to feel that their family and their extended family may be in danger and might want to withdraw.”
‘Risk of collapse’
The witness had broken down in the Hague court as she recounted how a machete-wielding mob of “around 3,000” youths had trapped some 2,000 people hiding inside a church and set it ablaze.
The prosecution alleges the resulting massacre was part of a plan of ethnic violence orchestrated by Ruto to “satisfy his thirst for power” after disputed 2007 elections. In all, more than 1,000 people died in the post-poll unrest, the worst since Kenya’s independence in 1963.
The ICC, which has also charged Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for allegedly masterminding a campaign of murder, rape, persecution and deportation. His trial is due to start in November, and like Ruto he contests the charges.
According to a Western source, who asked not to be identified, around one-third of the witnesses originally scheduled to testify for the prosecution in the Ruto case have pulled out.
“The risk of collapse is credible,” the source said.
Kenyan political scientist Mutahi Ngunyi said the exposure was a major setback for ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
“The ICC prosecutor is extremely naive because she assumed that putting the witness behind a curtain and distorting the voice was enough,” he told AFP, noting that the court’s first trial, that of DR Congo warlord Thomas Lubanga, had also been dogged by witness protection issues when former child soldiers were initially expected to testify in court with him present.
In an interview prior to the start of the Ruto trial, Richard Dowden, a writer, journalist and head of the Royal Africa Society, said the ICC risked being severely damaged.
“If the cases… were dropped because of witnesses who appeared credible, and were taken by the ICC to be credible, have withdrawn, then I think the credibility of the ICC would take a big hit because they were not able to protect the witnesses,” he said.
Woman: My life is in danger for being branded as ICC witness in Kenya’s deputy pres. trial
Published September 19, 2013
Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan woman says she fears for her life after her photo was circulated on social media and on blogs claiming she was the first witness — whose identity was hidden — to testify against Kenya’s deputy president during his trial at the International Criminal Court.
Rahab Muthoni says she reported her fears to police late Wednesday.
The attempt to reveal the identity of the first witness prompted the presiding judge in the ICC trial of William Ruto to issue a stern warning Wednesday against witness intimidation and revealing the names of protected witnesses testifying in the case.
Ruto, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and broadcaster Joshua Sang face crimes against humanity charges for allegedly orchestrating the postelection violence in 2007-08 that killed more than 1,000 people.
Chinese President differs with US and BRITAIN over UHURU/ RUTO’s ICC trial – End the cases UNCONDITIONALLY!
By staff02/09/2013 09:47:00 // News | Africa | Kenya | Chinese President differs with US and BRITAIN over UHURU/ RUTO’s ICC trial – End the cases UNCONDITIONALLY!
The Kenyan DAILY POSTPolitics06:47
Monday September 2, 2013 – The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has strongly differed with United States and Britain over the trials of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy, William Ruto, at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement to the ICC on Friday, the Chinese President said the Chinese people support the deferral of cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto to Nairobi, saying the country has a good judicial mechanism to prosecute cases of such magnitude.
When contacted on Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi explained China’s position on the ICC cases against the two Kenyan leaders.
“The Chinese Government understands the concerns of the Kenyan Government over the ICC cases and supports efforts by the Kenyan Government to put these cases to an end,” Said Shifan Wu, a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi said.
“We hope the ICC can fully respect Kenya’s judicial sovereignty.” The spokesman added.
This is a big reprieve to Uhuru and Ruto since China has veto power (One veto vote at the UN Security Council) and the cases can easily be deferred to Kenya.
USA and Britain had initially opposed the move and with China supporting it now it is up to the court to decide the venue.
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News / Africa
Rights Activists Urge Obama to Prevent Sudan Leader’s UN Visit
September 19, 2013
Omar al-Bashir speaks during a news conference with Umma Party leader and former PM Al-Sadiq Al Mahadi. August 2013.
UNITED NATIONS — Hollywood actors George Clooney, Don Cheadle and Mia Farrow and other human rights activists on Thursday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to do everything in his power to prevent Sudan’s indicted president from attending the U.N. General Assembly.
The appeal was part of a letter addressed to Obama and signed by more than 20 activists.
World leaders gather in New York next week for the opening of the 193-nation assembly’s annual general debate. Khartoum has said Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for suspected genocide and other war crimes in Sudan’s western Darfur region, wants to attend.
Washington says it has received Bashir’s visa application and described the request as “deplorable.” However, the United States is not a member of the Hague-based ICC, so the court would not be legally bound to cooperate. The United States also has a special agreement that allows leaders of U.N. member states to attend the General Assembly.
Rights activists outraged
The idea of a war criminal indictee attending the General Assembly sparked outrage among human rights activists.
“Our immigration laws prohibit admitting perpetrators of genocide and extrajudicial killings into our country, and it is unprecedented for someone wanted by the International Criminal Court for the crime of genocide to travel to the United States,” the letter said.
“While we recognize that the U.S. government is obliged to facilitate President Bashir’s visit under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement, we urge you to do everything in your power to prevent the trip,” it said.
The text of the letter was made public by the Enough Project, an anti-genocide group whose co-founder John Prendergast, a former U.S. State Department official, is among the signatories.
Sudan says charges overblown
Sudan dismisses the ICC charges and says reports of mass killings in Darfur were exaggerated. It refuses to recognize the court, which it says is part of a Western plot against it.
Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.
A trip to the United States could be risky for Bashir, who has limited his travel mostly to African neighbors and Arab allies since the court ordered member countries in 2009 and 2010 to detain him if he entered their territories.
Several U.N. diplomats told Reuters they were surprised by Bashir’s request to come to the United States. One Latin American ambassador said it was a “travesty of international justice.” The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not have an immediate reaction to the letter to Obama.
A case for US courts?
The activists said the U.S. Justice Department should explore the possibility of a criminal case against Bashir under U.S. law, which allows for anyone on U.S. soil to be prosecuted for genocide, regardless of where the crimes were committed.
They also suggested that the United States offer Bashir only minimal protection required under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement, a 1947 pact between the U.S. government and the United Nations, and urge states to deny landing rights for Bashir’s plane.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in Washington on Thursday that “there are a variety of considerations in play with respect to President Bashir’s visa request, including the outstanding warrant for his arrest.” She did not provide details.
Mainly non-Arab tribes took up arms in Darfur in 2003 against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, complaining of neglect and discrimination.
The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died since the conflict erupted in 2003, but Khartoum rejects that figure.
Not without precedent
It would not be the first time a controversial figure who displeased the U.S. government appeared at the U.N. General Assembly session. In 1974, Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, addressed the General Assembly wearing a holster and denounced Zionism.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro blasted U.S. imperialism in a four-hour speech to the General Assembly in 1960. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the United States and Israel in recent years, once suggesting that the U.S. government may have orchestrated the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Wednesday September 18, 2013 – The Chinese Government has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to drop the two Kenyan cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto saying Kenya is not a Pariah State
In statement read by Chinese Government Spokesman, Hong Lei, on Wednesday, the Chinese Government said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto were elected in a democratic and fair manner and ICC and other Western powers (US and Britain) should respect the country’s sovereignty.
“We have noticed that there are different voices in Kenya on the ICC trials, and that quite a few African nations have raised serious questions about the trials,” Hong said Uhuru and Ruto were elected by Kenyans in a free vote, Hong said, adding that an African Union summit in May urged the ICC to transfer the trials of Kenyan leaders to Kenya.
“We hope the international community will respect the Kenyan people’s choice, and the ICC will heed the advice of African nations and the African Union,” he said adding that the Chinese President will formally meet with ICC officials in order to urge them to respect Kenya’s sovereignty.
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Why should we not all live in peace and harmony ? we look up the same stars , we are fellow passengers on the same planet and dwell beneath the same sky , what matters it along which road each individual endeavours to reach the ultimate truth ? the riddle of existence is too great that there should be only one road leading us to an answer
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QUINTUS AURELIUS SYMMACHUS
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Chinese and African Leaders Herald a New Era of Health Cooperation at First China-Africa Health Ministers’ Meeting
Leaders issue Beijing Declaration to set priorities for health collaboration at the first meeting of health ministers under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)
BEIJING, China, August 16, 2013/ — Today, dozens of African health ministers and Chinese health officials gathered at the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development (http://www.focac.org/eng/) to map out new efforts to support Africa’s long-term health progress and shape the future of China-Africa health cooperation. This was the first-ever meeting of health ministers under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) since it was established in 2000, demonstrating the highest level of political commitment to tackle Africa’s most pressing health challenges together.
At the Forum, health ministers and officials launched the Beijing Declaration of the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development, which sets a roadmap for jointly addressing key health challenges across Africa, including malaria, schistosomiasis, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, immunization and vaccine preventable diseases. Under the Declaration, China and African countries will embark on new efforts to achieve sustainable, long-term health solutions, such as increasing partnerships on joint research and addressing the shortage of healthcare workers. China and African countries will engage further with private enterprise to encourage technology transfer and increase access to low-cost health technologies that meet high quality standards. The Declaration emphasizes that such health cooperation efforts will align with African countries’ priorities as well as national and regional development plans.
“China and African countries have enjoyed strong and effective partnerships on health for half a century, based on our common experiences and our shared vision for a brighter and healthier future for all our citizens,” said Hon. Min. Awa Coll-Seck, Minister of Health of Senegal. “The Beijing Declaration solidifies our governments’ commitments to developing and implementing Africa-led strategies that drive sustainable health progress and improve the lives of people across the continent.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of China sending medical teams to African countries, with the first team sent to Algeria in 1963. Since then, thousands of medical personnel have served in 43 African countries. China has also worked with African partners and international organizations to build hospitals and malaria centers, train health workers and increase access to antimalarial treatments and other health technologies. Academic institutions and private companies have also supported these efforts.
Now, China and African countries are exploring opportunities to build on this progress and contribute new resources, innovation and leadership to drive health progress across Africa. “Chinese and African citizens live on the same planet, under the same sky. China’s partnership with Africa is rooted in humanitarianism. As President Xi described, this love has no borders,” said Hon. Dr. Li Bin, Minister of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission. “I believe the Chinese Medical Teams will strive to make a greater contribution in the future.”
In this new era of collaboration, Chinese and African government officials and other stakeholders will work closely together to identify sustainable solutions to health challenges. This will include bolstering human resources capacity in African countries, supporting domestic manufacturing capacity, and increasing access to low-cost, high-quality health products.
These joint efforts will draw on and leverage China’s own experiences with improving public health in a resource-limited setting. China will also share the tools and expertise it has acquired through its investments in health research and development, the production of health technologies, and its current health reform effort to expand healthcare to all citizens.
China and African countries will also work closely with key global health stakeholders to support China-Africa health cooperation, including multilateral organizations, international NGOs and civil society organizations. Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, African Union, World Bank, GAVI Alliance and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria were observers of the Forum. These international partners have been critical to the health progress already made in both China and African countries, and their expertise and experiences can support deepened and more effective China-Africa health cooperation.
“The decades of collaboration between China and Africa has long been characterized by friendship and goodwill,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. “China is now a significant force in Africa’s development, with substantially increased commitments and engagements. This is a south-to-south model of development cooperation based on mutual interests and respect.”
The Ministerial Forum builds on important discussions in Botswana at the 4th International China-Africa Health Cooperation Roundtable, which took place for the first time in Africa in May 2013.
The Forum is held under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and is hosted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, formerly the Ministry of Health. Together, these meetings have laid the groundwork for continued South-South collaboration between China and African countries on pressing health challenges.
Distributed by African Press Organization on behalf of the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development.
You’re now confusing us. DECOLONIZATION means to REMOVING COLONIZATION.
According to your story, I thing you mean to say RECOLONIZATION i.e. RE-INSTUTING COLONIZATION.
Sivyo?
Courage
– – – – – – – – – – –
On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 9:09 AM, Judy Miriga wrote:
Good People,
Foreign Contract to Chinese Government to Stop Poaching is another way to spread Chinese Policing into the village country-side to hijack (take-over) Kenya and deny Kenyan Youths Jobs. It is another way to directly control over Kenya and the Great Lakes of East Africa. It is a system applied for quite transitioning of Uhuru-Ruto Administration handing-over power to Chinese Government to Rule and take Kenya by storm, in the process of DECOLONIZATION; which is going the Mozambique style and it must be stopped instantaneously.
Kenya with the rest of Great Lakes of East Africa are a Democratic Nation and No amount of invasion will be accepted as long as the International and UN Treaty have not been revoked. This calls for an urgent investigation of the World Bank, IMF and United Nations’ Secretary General Ban-Ki-moonby the FBI for fueling Corruption and Impunity through being part of this great conspiracy trigger. It is because, the manner at which they recommended funding for AIDs Funding to remove poverty, provide health-care, provide security, initiate job opportunities and Education in the Great Lakes of East Africa is questionable and suspicious. They instead purposely fueled extreme corruption and impunity in the Greater Region of East Africa.
Funds have been channeled through corrupt means with unclear Agreements in Partnership with the operating International NGOs on the ground who work along the Government side, where they don’t seem to transmit those funding directly to do what they were initiated for. Consequently, there are no follow-ups to determine positive effectiveness where if there is no good results from those funding, what immediate action were taken to avoid its failure???……… It was then found that, drivers of the funding disbursement have instead created and financed take-over of East Africa which is why, Migingo and Goma was taken with annexing of Port of Kismayu. We found that, the insecurity is spreading fast with fueling of thuggery, proliferation of Arms through Kismayu, Migingo and Lake Victoria. This is zeroed-in with active participation and funding of Rebel Groups thus:
Al-Qaeda, Al-shabaab, Mungiki, Pirating, drug peddling with foreign exchange money trafficking, Child Prostitution and trafficking; with more problems to include environmental pollutions, sicknesses, careless killings, forceful Land Grabbing and theft………Therefore, all these numerous accounts of injustices are unacceptable and justice must prevail……..They are all as a result of funds being channeled the wrong way without transparency and accountability, through Foreign NGOs on the Ground supposed to be providing AIDs to the Great Lakes of Africa to remove poverty, sickness and provide security and education.
Having realized that these NGOs are not doing much fast enough to aid quick killings and take-over, the UN Agencies with the Corrupt African Leaders with their network of the International Corporate Special Business Interest resolved to forcefully take-over Great Lakes of East Africa through Chinese Private Army in Kenya that was sensored by Kalonzo Musyoka and supervised by Raila and Kibaki in the Coalition Government.
This is the unfinished business Raila, Kagame with Museveni are fighting for while their paymasters standing akimbo watching them to fulfill their mission urgently……….and which is why, there is this struggle between Raila and Uhuru Government and why Museveni is the Chairman and Kagame the Secretary in this Great Lakes of East Africa who are both entrusted with the mission by heir pay masters who are the International Corporate of Special Business Interest in the Great Region of East Africa.
This is not right, it is not fair and it is not morally justified. It is a serious crime against humanity and it cannot be left to happen that way.
Therefore, Contracting Poaching Unit by Chinese must be stopped, it is not economical viable for Kenya or to any other Sovereign Nationality of Africa. It will be the beginning of World War and, Kenya with the Great Lakes of East Africa will be the battle-ground.
PETITIONING OVER CONCERNS:
These concerns must not be taken lightly by the International Community Leaders; as they provide fodder for the Third World War meant to wipe out Africans from Africa like what happened to Mozambique. It is immorally unjust to kill Africans and replace them with Chinese. It is all along known in world records that Chinese Government is the worst in Human Rights Crime, Violation and Abuse records including environment pollution. They must not be left to destroy Kenya with the rest of East Africa. I therefore petition US President Obama to lead good leaders Allys of USA to save a situation in Kenya with the rest of Great Lakes of East Africa.
Africa needs sustainable functioning development Agenda and not those of wiping out Africans through Chinese Private Army that are posing as policing poacher………..This is not what they are going for………they are going for human beings…….which is why Raila is calling the Youth Lizards (Raila led the onslaught comparing Obura to a lizard. He said according to a Nigerian parable, there was a lizard that craved recognititon. He said the lizard climbed a tree hoping people would see him). That in their cry for justified demands as per public mandate, the Youth have no rights……..They are going to exterminate human beings not Lizards in reality, and more or so, they are more interested in poaching themselves that to protect and save ……. They are interested in the big money not to preserve Africas interest………..
Wake up people, wake up and join forces to reject this mission in totallity………Let the world help to save Africans, let Africans not perish in the hands of these selfish and greedy businessmen !!!
Extremely very sad indeed………but the Truth with Justice ill set us all free……….and Peace and Liberty in pursuit for Hapiness shall prevail…………
May God Protect and Bless Africa with its people !!!
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
China to help fund anti-poaching war
PHOTO | COURTESY Kenya Wildlife Service rangers on patrol. China has pledged to fund Kenya’s efforts to curb wildlife poaching. NATION MEDIA GROUP | KWS
By NATION REPORTER
Posted Friday, August 9 2013 at 23:30
China has pledged to fund Kenya’s efforts to curb wildlife poaching.
Speaking at a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Prof Judi Wakhungu, Chinese ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan said his country would give Kenya a grant, which he did not specify, to protect the elephant, rhino and other endangered species.
The pledge comes in the wake of renewed efforts by the Kenyan authorities to totally eradicate poaching.
The government has already formed a special unit to fight the menace, with China, the United States and UK among the countries funding it.
Last week, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta launched the “Hands off Elephants” campaign to spearhead the protection of elephants.
Speaking during the meeting with Prof Wakhungu, the Chinese envoy urged Kenya to strengthen wildlife conservation measures and severely punish poachers.
China’s anti-poaching laws are some of the most stringent in the world, with offenders often getting life imprisonment.
Expressing Kenya’s wish to join hands with other nations in combating illegal ivory and rhino horn trade, Prof Wakhungu praised China for its consistent measures and actions towards the enforcement of wildlife conservation laws.
The Kenya Wildlife Service says Kenya lost 384 elephants and 29 rhino to poachers last year alone. This year, 190 elephants and 34 rhinos have been killed.
Last month, a huge consignment of ivory was impounded in Mombasa.
The ivory, weighing 3.3 metric tonnes and valued at Sh65 million, was concealed in gunny sacks and declared as groundnuts bound for Malaysia.
The consignment comprised 382 whole pieces and 62 cut pieces of ivory.
The seizure came barely two months after customs officials in the United Arab Emirates seized 259 pieces of ivory shipped from Mombasa.
Ministry urges MPs to prioritise Wildlife Bill
Environment Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe flags off one of the vehicles that will be used by Inter Security Agency Anti-Poaching Unit at KWS headquarters in Nairobi August 8, 2013. The Ministry urged MPs to move with speed and pass the Wildlife Bill that seeks to tighten penalties for poachers. ANTHONY OMUYA
By JEREMIAH KIPLANG’AT jkiplangat@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, August 10 2013 at 09:57
Related Stories
Prioritise anti poaching Bill, MPs urged
Environment Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu has urged MPs to move with speed and pass the Wildlife Bill that seeks to tighten penalties for poachers.
Prof Wakhungu said poaching had shot up since the beginning of the year hence the need for the fast enactment of the proposed law, which she said is expected to play a bigger role in preventing the vice.
“We are keen on the speedy enactment of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill, 2013 that proposes stiffer and deterrent penalties. It has been published and tabled in Parliament but expect faster enactment,” she said Thursday in a speech read on her behalf by the ministry’s Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe during the launch of a special unit of security officers to tackle poachers.
The Bill will be read for the first time when the lawmakers return from their recess on September 17. It is expected that the proposed law will impose heftier penalties when it is enacted.
Last June, the Cabinet approved the Bill that is set to, among others, increase the fine to up to one million shillings for those found engaging in poaching.
Enhanced sentences
Mr Lesiyampe said the Ministry was lobbying for enhanced sentences for those found guilty of poaching.
“These are not ordinary criminals. They are economic saboteurs who should not be treated softly anymore. We are thinking of 15 years imprisonment or even life sentences,” he said.
The special unit comprises 121 officers drawn from Kenya Wildlife Service, Administration Police and General Service Unit. They will undergo training at the KWS centre in Manyani before being deployed to the three poaching hotspots in the country.
The hotspots are Narok, Tsavo and Isiolo.
KWS director William Kiprono said the unit will boost the fight against poaching, a menace he said, could not be addressed alone by the wildlife department.
“It is now a serious issue that KWS cannot address it alone. It is a national problem. We need everybody on board to tackle it,” Mr Kiprono said.
The formation of the unit comes a week following the launch of another campaign, Hands Off Elephants, by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
The campaign aims at pushing for tighter measures to guard against elephant poaching.
COMMENTS:
theafricanthinker
•a day ago •2 upvotes
Rot in government ministries. I’m just sick of news I’m hearing from
home these days.
There is nothing good. JKIA burnt, no one knows why.
Balala is demanding corruption from investors, no one is gonna stop him.
If police and other first responders loot victims properties, who shall we trust? If the ministry entrusted with wildlife is smuggling out wild animal parts, who should protect Kenya’s natural beauties?
Poor Kenyans have always been on the losing end!
see more
jackmuraguri@hotmail.com
•a day ago •0 upvotes
Life sentence to poachers and the confiscation of all their wealth is the only solution.
see more
Hoorayhenry
•a day ago•3 upvotes
It’s not new laws that we need, we need to let people who love & value
this great heritage look after it. We, indigenous Africans have no time for wildlife. Traditionally, we’ve always seen animals as a source of our basic needs (food clothing, shelter) period. This is my argument…. KWS under the Leakeys, was so efficient that poaching had almost completely been eradicated, & in fact the population of the ‘big five’ had increased to an extent of them starting to be a menace, & there was talk of culling elephants in Kenya. KWS is still here, now managed by us indigenous Africans, why has it become a joke? SA still have their wildlife protection intact!!!! Same reason perhaps???
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Published on Aug 9, 2013
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CORD leader Raila Odinga tells off
Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura over
leadership
Updated Friday, August 9th 2013 at 23:19 GMT +3
By RUSHDIE OUDIA
KENYA: CORD leader Raila Odinga has told off the young Turks over their plans to take over leadership in ODM.
The former PM alongside other CORD leaders, who spoke during the homecoming for Kisumu County Assembly majority leader, Samuel Ong’ou, aimed their blows at Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura who had showed his interest in the ODM Secretary General’s post.
Obura’s onslaught was brought forth using parables and straight attacks.
Raila led the onslaught comparing Obura to a lizard. He said according to a Nigerian parable, there was a lizard that craved recognititon. He said the lizard climbed a tree hoping people would see him.
“You can be old in body but young in mind and similarly you can be old in mind and young in body,” said Raila, advising the young leaders.
Funyula MP Paul Otuoma said Obura was like a young bull trying to overthrow the oldest bull in the house.
Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama also dismissed the young leaders.
“Obura does not know what he is saying and he should stop all these theatrics,” said Muthama, adding that Raila wants unity yet some people are set to destabilise ODM.
National Assembly Deputy Chief Whip, Jakoyo Midiwo told Obura to respect the older leaders.
Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang’ said ODMis like a church and there is no way a small priest could sit on the bishop’s seat simply because he is old.
Fears over new split as ODM bigwigs
cling on ‘one-man’
Updated Friday, August 9th 2013 at 23:50 GMT +3
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Dogeretti North MP Simba Arati (LEFT) are welcomed by ODM supporters in Dagoretti for presentation of bursaries in the constituency. [PHOTO: FILE]
By JUMA KWAYERA
KENYA: A fresh storm is simmering in the Orange Democratic Movement after the party’s top hierarchy failed to provide a definite roadmap to the eagerly anticipated National Delegates Convention.
The meeting is expected to result in radical decisions about the future of the party following a push from the rank and file for change at the top. ODM MPs demanded party leader Raila Odinga to cut lose certain officials at a meeting in Nairobi on Wednesday.
So sensitive is the issue that some of the party officials contacted either flatly declined to comment or referred all questions to newly appointed executive director Joseph Magerer Lang’at, himself facing a revolt as some members question his appointment.
At least 10 MPs are contemplating ‘technically’ defecting from ODM to underline their unhappiness. Former Roads Minister Franklin Bett says the party faces serious integrity questions in the manner it handles its affairs. In a tell-all interview with The Standard on Saturday, Bett took a swipe at the opacity in party operations that excludes majority of its members.
“I am aware they have tried to set meetings after the last Parliamentary Group meeting in June,” says Bett, who was in charge of the party’s presidential election team. “However, meeting and sharing with members is critical to the survival of this party. A clique around the party leader makes decisions. If a party avoids its members, it is doomed to fail. If they cannot find a way of accommodating all members, then the party risks being a one-man show.”
The brickbat that was clearly aimed at the party’s top brass left no doubt he shares the sentiments and frustrations younger MPs and senators have been expressing.
Jubilee is reportedly preparing a war chest to pounce on the dissenters. There have been reports of an effort to woo Western Kenya among other areas.
The latest developments represent the many twists and turns ODM has had to navigate to remain vibrant in the bicameral Parliament, despite its relatively weaker numerical strength. Some of the MPs met Raila on Wednesday evening during which they were categorical the bad eggs have to be dispensed with soon or the party risks another mass exodus as witnessed in the countdown to the March elections.
Kakamega meeting
The meeting was an attempt by Raila to calm the storm that has been building up involving mainly first-time MPs who have been calling for radical surgery to rid the party of senior officials they accuse of being responsible for the debacle suffered in the elections. The former PM’s responses to specific questions allegedly left some “frustrated”.
Raila, party secretary-general, treasurer and minority leader come from the same community, a reality those calling for disaggregation of seats to reflect the face of Kenya want changed.
The frustration of MPs from ODM political base in Nyanza coincides with a planned meeting in Kakamega this weekend to be addressed by, among others, former National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende. Marende is positioning himself for chairmanship.
The realignment takes place against a backdrop of reports that pressure is piling on Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chair Ababu Namwamba and Funyula MP Paul Otuoma “to work with” the Jubilee government. Namwamba would not respond to our phone calls or text messages.
Hot topic
One of the MPs who attended the 5-9pm “dinner” meeting told The Standard on Saturday that the former PM remained vague on when the party would hold elections to rejuvenate it. The MP says it is unlikely the much-talked about polls will take place this year, as it had become hot topic that would split the party further.
The Serena Hotel dinner talks were attended by Millie Odhiambo (Mbita), Opondo Kaluma (Homa Bay), David Ochieng’ (Ugenya), Ken Obura (Kisumu Central), Jared Opiyo (Awendo), Ken Okoth (Kibra), Sylvance Osele (Kabondo Kasipul) and George Oner Ogalo (Rangwe).
We have also learned that some MPs at the meeting said a senior official in Deputy President William Ruto’s office has been tasked with recruitment of disgruntled MPs from Nyanza and Western.
Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura referred to the meeting as routine “coffee meeting” with the party leader. “There is nothing extra-ordinary. We always meet with party leader for tea,” Mr Obura explained. The first-time MP, however, acknowledged the need to rebuild and re-brand the party.
“The National Governing Council will meet soon to set a date for elections. Once the NGC sets a date for a National Delegates Convention, we shall have enough reasons to speak on the direction we want the party to take,” he says.
Another first time MP from South Nyanza, who requested anonymity, says the session at Serena was stormy, with the MPs insisting demagogues responsible for the chaotic primaries be kicked out.
In a text message after the meeting, the MP described as “hot” the debate on the role played by chairman Henry Kosgey, Secretary-General Anyang Nyong’o, Eliud Owalo and Deputy National Assembly Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo in the March 4 elections.
The MPs questioned the recruitment of Magerer. The latter could not be reached by phone. Leaders from the former Western Province are pushing for either chairmanship or secretary-general’s post. Coast too is eying one of the positions, which are currently held by Kosgey and Nyong’o.
Other than Marende, Otuoma is said to be interested in Kosgey’s post while Namwamba and party assistant executive director Nabii Namwera are lining up to replace Nyong’o. Some MPs from Western are accused of either not propagating their party’s agenda or are quietly “working” with Jubilee.
10/03/08
03:32:29 pm, by nazret.com, 220 words
Categories: Ethiopia, Somalia
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia?
File Photo: Ethiopian Troops in Somalia
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia?
Writer Donald Kipkorir argues it is time for Ethiopia and Kenya to annex Somalia, in an opinion piece published in Kenya’s, The Daily Nation, titled, “Why Kenya and Ethiopia ought to annex and divide Somalia”.
Described by the Economist magazine as ‘The world’s most utterly failed state’, Somalia is a lawless state with no functioning central government since 1991. The writer argues the country is a ‘haven for terrorists and pirates’. He goes on to say,
“Annexing Somalia is thus in our strategic interest and we must do it now as the financial meltdown continues to take away the attention of the world.
Somalia as a state exists only in world maps. It is a classic case of a failed state. It is a state dismembered into as many independent units as there are sub-clans. Its 90-strong cabinet is emblematic of the actual number of units. Somalia neighbours Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Of these, it is only Ethiopia and Kenya that have strategic interest in Somalia. Kenya and Ethiopia must and ought to dismember Somalia and divide it between themselves along the 4 degrees latitude, each taking all the land below and above the line.”
You can read the full article from Kenya’s Daily Nation.
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia? Have Your Say
168 comments
Comment from: tola [Visitor]
I think that was the plan all along i say Hell yea we should take over Somaliland and Puntland and give the rest of Somalia to Kenya and also take Eritrea back and have Djibouti join us
10/03/08 @ 15:49
Comment from: KOKEB [Visitor]
ETHIOPIA never annex somalia. It is a dirty trick of MELATAW ZOMBIE and the TPLF TEGRE morans for all this un-wanted war.
Long live the people of ETHIOPIA & SOMALIA!
DEATH to MELESE and HIS bloodY family SHABIA!
10/03/08 @ 15:49
Comment from: dereje [Visitor]
it is sad the Somalis can’t put their house in order, relatively speaking. but Ethiopia never took other people’s land in its history and should keep it that way.
10/03/08 @ 15:53
Comment from: Emperor Menelik II [Visitor]
Perfect discussion We have to do this! Somaliland and Puntland join Ethiopia. The southern Somalians (Mogadishu)are the Shertam’ Somali dirt bag illiterate donkeys, they must join Kenya.
10/03/08 @ 15:53
Comment from: Ogadenian [Visitor]
Ethiopia is not even capable of feeding itself let alone annex Somalia. Ethiopia is in Somalia with the help of Christian Nations who have a deep hatred for all Somali Muslims,beside with all the finance,weapon,air and sea support for those Christians nations still it can not control one single city.
For goodness sake lets fight each other one to one,i meant Ethiopia against Somalia only no outside help and i swear to you Ethiopia will not last a week with us Somalis.
Its always Russian,Cuban,British, etc
Who are fighting against Somalian in the name of Ethiopians,that is why we are saying this is not fair.
10/03/08 @ 15:57
Comment from: berta [Visitor]
Not annex but it is a good strategy to temporarily split Somalia in to at least pieces. one ruled by Kenya plus AU and UN, the next piece ruled by Ethiopia plus AU and UN the other piece Puntland/Djibuti plus AU and UN.
10/03/08 @ 16:11
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
We have to be realistic. Somaliland & Puntland can join Ethiopia. Djoubiti & Eritrea should be given back to Ethiopia. Then we can build our country. We can mobilise our human and material resources to the maximum. This time we have to be serious about our internal enemies. They should be hunted and eliminated. Ethiopia needs a true national leader. Those leaders who have no respect for history are either insane or agents of foreign powers. ThEY HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH.
The case of Eritrea should be also resolved. Muslim Eritrea can be given to Sudan and the christian areas including Massawa should be given to Ethiopia. This is the way to deal with people who are bandas and messeners of destruction. The eritreans are mercenaries, slaves who been waging a war of detruction by proxy.
10/03/08 @ 16:26
Comment from: kirkiri [Visitor]
Kenya and Ethiopia don’t have the capacity to annex Somalia.
Somalia is closer to annexing both countries.
The Islamic courts union/al shabab hold more territory today than when Ethiopia cowardly thought it could do something about Somalia.
20,000 Ethiopian soldiers are dead and the Somali fighters not reached their full potential. Kenya is far weaker than Ethiopia.
Dreams are so cheap. Every fool can dream.
10/03/08 @ 16:27
Comment from: Tenkir [Visitor]
This is such a stupid question for those of us Ethiopians who know Ethiopia is run by a sophisticated gov that gives away land and territory (viz Eritrea) to manage a small country effectively In fact in a series of interviews I heard woyane officials complaining Ethiopia being too big to govern. So, please tell me how on earth will Ethiopia under the leadership of woyane would annex a land? Or are you asking a philosophical question suggesting since Somalia could be equated as a problem that the gov will not hesitate to bring anything negative to our side?
10/03/08 @ 16:28
Comment from: common sense [Visitor]
Sure it sounds an outlandish idea, but it’s really not that crazy an idea.It’s actually a win win situation for both Ethiopia and Somalia.If we look past European colonists era African tribes were just living side by side with out per say having a country of their own. It was mostly the English’s policy of divide and concur that brought about all these African nations. In light of that,if we are to entertain the idea of joining part of Somalia with Ethiopia should be given serious consideration.However it has to be in a democratic fashion with something like a referendum.I’m sure a lot of Somalis would support living side by side with their Ethiopian brothers.
10/03/08 @ 16:29
Comment from: Death to Weyanes [Visitor]
This is just stupid question? First let’s give Oromia and Ogaden their independence, they don’t want be a part of Ethiopia, then we can talk the other dream you have.
10/03/08 @ 16:42
Comment from: Emperor Menelik II [Visitor]
Tesfaye =You say Muslim Eritrea (30%) should be given to Sudan and Christian Eritrea(70%) should be given to Ethiopia? Did you know Ethiopia has more Muslim population then Sudan does? Ethiopia is 55% Muslim… at the same time you want Massawa in Eritrea to be given to Ethiopia? Massawa is Muslim Afars who live there. You want Djibouti and Somaliand to join Ethiopia and they are 100% Muslim If this is going to work we can not let religion play in this at all. The only Christians in the region are the Amhara and Tigray. The rest are Muslims.
10/03/08 @ 16:44
Comment from: raee [Visitor]
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia? what a moron question? Ethiopia should start feeding, educating, providing health care etc… for its nation. Stop talking about Ethiopia as if it’s some kind of a super power country. We have been begging for food every year God knows since when.
10/03/08 @ 16:54
Comment from: danieltekle [Visitor]
You guys are crazy.
If Haile Selasie’s annexation of Eritrea in 1951 ended with a devastation in 1991, as Eritrea gained its independence, why in the world would some of you suggest it is a good idea to annex Somalia. It is not controversial to say Eritreans and Ethiopians (at least those who live on the highlands) have a great deal in common with one another. Yet 30 years of war ensued in spite of the commonality. You want to repeat history?
Moreover, Ethiopia was also listed as a part of the failed states of the world, does that mean Kenya should annex Ethiopia, NOT!!!
Let’s clean our house before we judge other failed states.
10/03/08 @ 16:57
Comment from: Monkey [Visitor]
If Ethiopia commits to annexing Somalia and by doing so gives us an outlet to the ocean, I’ll volunteer to fight anyone who tries to stop this great plan.
The guy who thought of this is a genius.
10/03/08 @ 17:02
Comment from: gimatam shabiya [Visitor]
Really excellent article i ever read in this web site.This the only way to remove terrorist from horn Africa and to help Somalian brothers. Some Shabiyas in this web site start to urinate in there trousers.
10/03/08 @ 17:03
Comment from: uwnet lemenager [Visitor]
that’s dream which will not happen for ever because the Somalians are very energetic and a hero people. if their country were peace, they would have been control the horn of Africa by their military power,but their only enemy is a drug called “chat” or “mirah” if they avoid taking the above drug, they will be one of the strongest country in the region believe it or not.
10/03/08 @ 17:13
Comment from: Dr. Ashebir [Visitor]
Anyone who knows that even our brothers the Eritreans left us in a bloody war, would not be gullible enough to accept such seductive message. Let the Somalis keep their misfortune at a distance. Let’s not inherit their misfortune, instead fight it from overflowing.
10/03/08 @ 17:14
Comment from: Thomas [Visitor]
KOKEB
Kokeb; your comments are always full of hate, but nothing else. Why? I don’t know. Here is my assumptions; I think You are one of the losers from this government. Or, you are one of Iss-Ass Dikala who wants the destruction of Ethiopia.
Just get a life and stay in your Artera’s (Asmera) affaire. Leave us Alone please. You are Full of hate. use your hate to build your useless Aretera with your father Iss-ass.
10/03/08 @ 17:22
Comment from: soma [Visitor]
SOMALIA IS AN INDEPENDENT NATION WHO ARE SHOWING THEIR STRENGTH BY DEFEATING US AND MELESE
We all should understand Somalia is an independent nation no body will annex them.
The people of Somalia are different they are different when it come to US and Ethiopia.
Even though they have big difference among themselves when it comes to enemy like Ethiopia and US they have shown their strength.
10/03/08 @ 17:23
Comment from: Ali roble [Visitor]
In this day and age,even a drunkard Negro like this scumbag has some crazy idea, of course it unlikely his pure imagination but just some copy-cuts of colonialists and his former white master, what do with Somalia.Is he got enough share from the spoils left British by annexing Somaliland area to Kenya? What about if Luo tribes and others that live in Uganda and Tanzania when hostility against Kukuyo erupts next time around? Does Tanzania and Uganda also have right to annex them. Where we gonna draw the line? Are we redraw all African borders again thereby opening Pandora’s box?I think Ethiopia has enough problems of its own. Besides, its experience over Eritrea’s Annexation in the past taught unforgettable lesson. In the meantime I think Somalis will sort out their differences if left alone to deal with it.
10/03/08 @ 17:30
Comment from: Yonas Bekele [Visitor]
Another dumb and unsustainable idea. Somalia is not just a vast land mass, it has actually people living there and they do not want to be part of Ethiopia or Kenya. And what does Ethiopia have to gain by annexing its neighbor, if not more violence and other problems? I think we should withdraw our guys and let Somalis resolve their own problems, even if that means an Islamist state taking root there. No one like that scenario but Ethiopia is paying dearly in term of lives and treasure to help a country that may be a failed state forever.
10/03/08 @ 17:37
Comment from: habeshawu [Visitor]
the best way to secure peace in east Africa is to secure our borders and leave the Somalians to solve their problems by themselves, and most importantly give the eritrean law land to Sudan and throw the hamaseins in the salty red sea and give the high land to Ethiopia.
10/03/08 @ 17:59
Comment from: M.T. [Visitor]
no
10/03/08 @ 18:05
Comment from: sintayehu [Visitor]
please so not run so fast to say something without thinking about them. Even though Ethiopia has strong army in Horn now we can not invade Somalia because that would be a shame for us.What are we trying to show let invade Somalia like the Europeans did in their time. Somalia people are love people and we have to respect that O WE ETHIOPIANS LIKE IF ANY COUNTRY INVADE ETHIOPIA? ANSWER THAT AS THE FOR SOMALIA. But we are strong and we will be strong always.That is Ethiopia
10/03/08 @ 18:36
Comment from: Passerby [Visitor]
Honestly people! And nazret!!!!
This is the most stupidest idea let alone an idea for discussion…it suggests nazret thinks Ethiopians are that stupid? Now i wonder who owns this websites and on who side the owner is on politically.
1) Ethiopia during the 77 war won and could have annexed Somaliland but chose not to.
2) Ethiopia has under her rightful and patriotic rulers a history of hands-off lands that don’t belong to us, we went after eritrea thinking we were brothers and that didn’t workout as meles ceded all to his mothers side of the family.
3) every Ethiopian should be insulted by such questions cause Ethiopians don’t have a real representative gov’t that gives a darn about the people. When a rightful gov’t that is representative of the people comes to power, the real land of Ethiopia should be up for discussion…asseb!
10/03/08 @ 18:43
Comment from: SPINX [Visitor]
Hello my Horn Africa people
Let me take you back to 1960-70,war between Somalia and Ethiopia,or allow me to say Between Somalia and Russia and Cuba,with out the direct help of the then Soviet-Union,back then,Ogaden-land which is legally Somalian land,would still be Somalian,History repeats it’s self,Ethiopia never fought any war or battle alone by it’s own,it’s always been supported by the West,starting from Haile-Selassie and the British,then Megustu and Russia,Now Meles-USA,Dear Ethiopians,don’t believe the hype Somalians never forgot their stolen land,OGADEN,and now you acually think to take over the whole Somalia,are you out of touch,or reality,or common sense,The USA,Ethiopia’s #1,ally is no more a Super Power,it is collapsing,so Meles,please don’t think over your head,first think about how if you can beat the AL-Shabad,warriors,that are really getting stronger as we speak.Meles please think positive,and get our of Somalian-KusH-Land.HAPPY-EID,Brothers/Sisters
10/03/08 @ 19:01
Comment from: mercato [Visitor]
The nonsense idea of the century I have no word to express we have lost Djibouti ,Eritrea and part of Gondar I believe this is not our government plan!
To an wise commentator
Religions issue is like playing with fire it is not good for Christians based on east Africa reality also do not forget we have enough pagan in east Africa. Can’t you see we have enough problem? With 81 tribe and many religions. Way we do not try to negotiate with Eritrea at last we have the same culture in most area also we speak the same kind of language even our prime minister is from Eritrea.
10/03/08 @ 19:17
Comment from: aste menelik II (the best of all kings and dictators) [Visitor]
I say Somalia, Djouti, and Eritrea must all be comletely and totally be in the hand of Ethiopia. No Kenya should ever take a piece of land regardless. So that it will benefit the four countries. We will be as strong as Rassia, China, India and U.S.A. Do it right away without wasting any time. It is a very good idea but who has the stomach to do what is best for Ethiopia? If Meles can do such a thing for our country, we will praise him and keep him as an emperior that he holds currently until the time of his death. But the emperior is a spoild one, he never does what is best for our coutry but the opposite. ONE ETHIOPIA, GREEN, YELLOW AND RED. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MY HOME.
10/03/08 @ 19:28
Comment from: ????? Free [Member]
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Stupid nechachiba
10/03/08 @ 19:51
Comment from: EthioMan [Visitor]
Some with spinning heads spinx out of control. Ethiopia does not need to prove any battels fought and won. History will do that. Africans do not need to kill eachother over anything, not relegion not ideology, both not ours to begin with. For those who shout with the crazy annex theory… well, they are just venting. Those who claim territories of sovereign nations are as crazy as the annexers.
Somalia is an independant nation, has been for many decades. The fact there is no working govt does not lead anyone to suggets such dilusional and thoughtless means. It is poisoning otherwise lawful people and nations near by. It must be condemed for what it is. Spreading poison.
My take on this issue is, Ethiopia MUST withdraw and allow the Somali people to do what they may to themselves. If and when they cross our borders, then we will let those who claim we never beat any shiritam or shabian punk back to oblivion, come and watch. Till then, I say somalia to Somalis.
10/03/08 @ 20:02
Comment from: yahye [Visitor]
:Once Kenya and Ethiopia have sent their combined army to Somalia and declared the annexation, we will present to the world a fait accompli. ”
A mentally handicapped Negro Rambo.
10/03/08 @ 20:17
Comment from: Tegerami [Visitor]
Those of you support this idea must be out of your mind. In return, rather, ethiopia shoul leave and depart from the somali region of Ogaden, which was annexed by menilki the II a century ago. Because that is the root problem for all animosity and mistrust between these two brotherly horn of afrikaners.
If once ethiopia leaves the region, no doubt that peace will be prevailed between somalis and ethios for eternity. Anyways,we had the gut to give eritrea, the real habesha land, away by the bless of our government in our modern day history. So why we lose a courage to do so in Ogaden, non-habesha land, but somali land.
10/03/08 @ 20:23
Comment from: Sprinter [Visitor]
Ethiopia is cutting and running, what can it annex? As for the Kenya Kelinjin reporter, his suggestion of passing the buck to Ethiopia is interesting. Why did he not suggest Kenya to annex instead. Because he knows Kenyans cannot face Somalis. Kenyan soldiers are heavily equipped but in battles they defate on themselves. Anyone who lived in Northern Kenya knows that.
As for Ethiopia, its hallucination is over. It is reality checks. Its opportunistic moves are bust. What a field day we Somalis have. Its time you taste defeat. Your boys are hold up in few buildings in Mogadishu. As I write they want to desperately run away. They are afraid and terribly lonely. The bullet is their fate, either way if they say or not. They have exit strategy.
It must be horrible to be defeated by a country without a regular army. Yes, yes, your adventurism has eventually cought up with you. Allua Continua!!!
10/03/08 @ 21:07
Comment from: Gemechu [Visitor]
SPINX:
Your information on regards the war between Ethiopia and Somalia is right, but I have something to tell u.
Somalia was getting full support from Russian on the begging of the war when they invade Ethiopia. They have more than 200 tanks, MG fighter’s jet and other military hardwires. Then after Russia shifted their support to Ethiopia Somalia was supported by Egypt, USA (because of Russia Support to Ethiopia) and other Middle east countries……
The real question is, there were/are no countries in Africa who won any battle without other foreign/west countries support. We or Somalia don’t produce any weapon at the moment and because of that we always seek help from those who produce it.
When your country (Eriteria) fought for their independence they were getting supports from Egypt and other Middle East countries. So please don’t make it a big deal just because we get lots of supports from other country such as USA. No matter how much the support is you don’t wean without good fighters. Somalia invaded Ethiopia with more than 200 tanks and don’t know how to use it. Finally, they have to abandon all of their tanks for Ethiopian solders.
On recent battle with your Country Eri and Ethiopia your country did get lots of support from Egypt but they were not successful. The reason why they were not successful was luck of man power. U are 4 milon and we are 80 million. Somalia is 7-10 million and we are 80 million. You need to understand the facts. Don’t be moron! Population matters when it comes to battle and economy.
10/03/08 @ 21:56
Comment from: Training1 [Visitor]
Are these people on drugs?
They can’t control Somalia and they are thinking of annexing it?
30,000 Tigryabs,2,200 Ugandans and Burundis and thousands of Americans spying on Somalia can’t control the SOUTH. Tigryans are being dragged on the streets.
Now this guys is suggesting that we annex the whole country? Please brother. Stop taking drugs before you write.
10/03/08 @ 21:59
Comment from: ZXAmiche [Visitor]
In your dreams!
Be afraid and pray Somalinization not to haunt Ethiopia and Kenya!
10/03/08 @ 22:09
Comment from: Land of the day dreamers [Visitor]
Funny these are the same retards who comment about the unity of Ethiopia day and night
But turn around and dream of the dividing a neighboring country Somalia!!!!
I am appalled even for Nazeret to publish this kind of non sense article in the first place! But again seeing most of the contents published here day in day out and the majority of their clientele here it should not be surprising!!
Fools get down of your donkeys and think again! You could not even convince your cousins, the Orthodox Christian Eritreans to stay with you, what makes you think the Somalians can go along?
Get your house in order before your dreams of others!!!!!
What you are gonna do with an empty empty empty land with the most getto people on earth?
Westerners should use it as hunting ground for wild animals?
10/03/08 @ 22:40
Comment from: Ababu [Visitor]
What a ludicrous idea!!! is there any legality of annexing a sovereign country? If so, yes. but i don’t think a failed state like Ethiopia would be able to annex a neighboring country and administer it. The only African country that played such a role was South Africa which had been mandated to admiister Namibia after the defeat of Germany in WWI. This whole idea is a wishful thinking that would mar our country to another round of instability and political complexity.
10/03/08 @ 22:51
Comment from: Wenebz [Visitor]
Ethiopia annexing who and what!? The love for aggrandizing thoughts – that is the real joke!
10/03/08 @ 23:11
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
What is his name? Kipkorir? Wow, I did not know a Kalenjin guy had the audacity to think beyond his nose!!. Does he know his uncle MOI when he was overthrown the man who saved his ass was a Somali (General Mohamoud)? All the Kalenjins went and hid themselves in their Shambas (farms) including Moi. It was Mohamoud who with few Somalis under his command took back the Statehouse and the Radio station and announced Moi is still the President.
Mohamoud took a helicopter and went to Moi’s Shamba (farm) to bring him back. The Kalenjin man (Moi) told Mohamoud ‘Please kill me in my farm. Don’t take me away’. Wow! and Wow again. A kalenjin can dare think of annexing Somalia? It is us somalis who allowed these low life neighbours who never dare look at our side the chance to even think of it. Alas, we somalis might be brave but we are stupid. This generations is definately not like our grand fathers. The year 2020 will be somalia’s year and down hill Issack Newton’s theory for Ethiopia. I guess Kenya has already started the rift more than eethiopia but what can a Kalenjin’s brain comprehend. Haven’t you seen the flying machetes? Each one of them has it in his garage and are ready to cut each other into pieces.
Having said all that, I would prefer seeing the people of Africa living in peace and prosperity rather than talking of annexing a sisterly nation. The Kalenjin boy forgot his country is at the brink of extinction.
Let me say all Afrcan countries need to re-evaluate their way forward. otherwise they will be written into the history books. Aids, Maleria, Poverty, droughts, Wars will only increase bearing in mind the scars reaources the world will be facing. I fear for Africa and he is talking of Annexing another country.
Wait until 2020 and tell me about it. Strategy and maticulous planning that covers many dimension will be the way out for Somalia. By 2020 the Alshabaab and warlords will be history and there will be enough educated somalis in western countries who will take the lead. Investing in Infrastructure, Education, Agriculture and strong social engineering will put Somalia on Track. If you remember what I said, Ethiopia will be going down hills since by then they are recovering from Meles and Tigrey Legacy if they are not mired in civil war. I just pray to God the Somalis don’t take revenge in playig a role in distabilizing Ethiopia more. That is what Meles did. If this happens I wonder who will hold together Ethiopian tribes and religions.
Somalis, we have a saying that says ” Don’t dig your brother’s grave as you might be the one that will fall into it”. Ethiopia has dug the Grave but will it be the one to fall into it? Twelve years will tell.
If you read my post please try to remember what I have posted.
Proud Somali.
NAZRET PLEASE POST IT.
10/04/08 @ 00:42
Comment from: araadom [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia-b/n Ethiopia and Kenya.
You people-why ,why you always bark when your masters in the west tell you.You daydream when your country is always called the land of famine and hunger.Do your homework clean your dirty backyard before you look into Eritrea and Somalia. For Eritrea Adois it is the land of its owners.
10/04/08 @ 01:10
Comment from: Master Mind [Visitor]
raee
Thank you.
You bunch of morons knowing your limitations and capablites should be priority, but which part of your air head have a brain to think?
Let alone annexing somalia you couldn’t take control of feeding your family, it’s too easy to open your mouth hiding your dusty head behind your $20.00 flea market PC but that is not the point…the point is know who you are, some of you idiots can not tell your own names in proper Amharic and most of you have no value of Africanism, simply a borndogs brainless idiots do you think Somalis will stand in a corner and watch you while your kimal is takin over their land?
What a stupid question???????
Nazret thank you for this rubish topic which was able to pull out these morons out of their rat hole.
10/04/08 @ 01:39
Comment from: Z-Mike [Visitor]
Although the suggestion is not a bad idea, Ethiopia should only offer Kenya 10% of Somalia’s land. Kenya did does not have the military need to stand for a fight if and when a fight (war that is0 breaks out. Kenya’s total military is estimate at about 45,000 including the police force, the navy army etc. So to suggest Kenya taking over half of Somalia is not realistic and a very dangerous suggestion by the media.
The next steps of Ethiopia should be:
1} train and build strong navy.
2) Stay in Somalia and if need get rid of the clan leaders and tell Somalis if they don’t get there act together, there wont be another nation call Somalia.
3} get rid of Sheabians along with its terrors.
4} hold a referendum in Ethiopia whether or not Eritrea becomes independent.
****Keep on building even stronger military in Ethiopia and work on stronger democratic systems. Once we do that, Ethiopia will become stronger then ever before and the world will see the strength of Ethiopia/ns.
Z-Mike
10/04/08 @ 01:51
Comment from: kitkat [Visitor]
Annex Somalia !
Yes, Please Please Annex it.
Specially for the sake of unarmed clans who are beings massacred by so called noble clans.
Please Ethiopia Annex Somalia !
10/04/08 @ 03:01
Comment from: habeshawu [Visitor]
Time,
you are full of sh*t, you keep saying 2020, did Somalia win the chance to host Olympic or what seriously be specific about your 2020 plan. you are a typical angry man with a hot balloon head just like our northern neighbors.
10/04/08 @ 03:50
Comment from: Tamrat Tamrat [Visitor]
Lets levae somalians affair to somalians. And if they tried to mess with uss like 2006, 1977, etc then will show them who we are and they strat singing cuba and russia help ethiopia. The worrest thing about the somalians is the story they creat and believ. Is it not a disgrace to discuss anexation of a nation by itself.
10/04/08 @ 04:04
Comment from: Interesting Topic [Visitor]
The writer is a good thinker of the time. But lacks the knowledge of History.
Once Hirsi Ali (a Somalian activist) said about herself that she is the 7th generation of an Immigrant came to todays Somalia. Meaning the not Habesha look like Somalians are not the original residents in todays Somalia.
Somalia never ever has been a country before the British, Italian colonization on her dividing in three. They were primitive nomadic acting and living the way their animals demanding them to do. As the Abyssinian history says, the Entire Somalia territory was under the axumite kingdom including Yemen, southern Saudi Arabia and Gulf states that many of them still looks like the Habesha people. Mogadishu means moqat and shum= the Abyssinians word. The shum/Astedader of the moqat area.
Because of spreading Islam in Africa through war and invasion, the Arabs and Iranians fought against the Abyssinians the same way the Arabs did at the time in todays Sudan against them, too. But never ever been Somalia as a state with her todays territory boundary.
Abyssinia (Ethiopia) was the oldest statehood in AFRICA/one of the world. Modern Ethiopia (small Ethiopia) is the oldest modern statehood in Africa since 1850/60+ under the leadership of the modern Ethiopian father Atse Teodros.
After the death of Zere Jacob, the powerful Queen Ellni took the Abyssinian responsibility including todays Somalia Territory. But the time was very bad to Ethiopia as the Turks and Arabs were taking vast territory in todays Sudan including the territory called Sabians (all of them were at the time Christians including eastern, northern and central Sudan). The conflict was going on actively for 400 years but started since 8/9 century. And the worst was between 11-15 in the north and eastern part of the country. In the 16 century after the queen Eleni death (1522), the Arabs saw the weakness of the kingdom and they came through the south (todays Somalia by hiring a primitive nomad converted to become Muslim and as then brainwashed blood sucker against all Christians.
The gruesome Muslim invasion against the Christian Abyssinians took 14 years (1529-1543). During this time they even reached to the centre of the Christian kingdom in Axum and burned down the Axum Tsion mariam. This shows how much human and material damaged all over the country they had caused and the country situation changed for good.
With the European help, the Arabs invasion to spread Islam through war and killing is defeated. But the Abyssinians were badly destroyed. Many have died. Others immigrated to the north to the highlands to escape. The rest became Muslims and the same times they started acting as the todays Somalian do. This is the way the Abyssinian look like Somalians became as Somalians. That is why we said Ethiopian Muslims didn’t become Muslims by choice but by force through invasion and war.
The weakness of the Abyssinians became an opportunity to the massive migration/invasion like ants for the gala migration to the southern, central and western Ethiopia. The Somalians also did the same by defeating the Adals.This way the Zemene Mesafent created and took about 300 years.
Yet, when Ethiopia regrouped and became as a nation in 1860+, there was no a single nation in Africa at the time. That is why I said, “Ethiopia is not only the oldest ancient country but also the oldest modern country, too.”
Egypt became as it is since 1922. The rest of Africa became as it is today since 1953 started from Ghana. Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and the rest of Africa is just 50+ years old. Even in the middle east countries Like Saudi Arabia became as it is today in 1906. Iraqi 1923. And other Gulf States became, as they are latter on. So, the OLF idea of Ethiopia hundreds years old is fiction, ignorant, baseless, wrong and second even if she it so, she is older than any nation in Africa and the Middle East, too. No a single African nation has a hundred years modern statehood.
When it comes to Somalia they have been a country for only 20+ years under Siadbarie. That is it. They never ever have been a country more than that. I think the habesha look like Somalians have the right to be part of Ethiopia if they want to be that way. But Ethiopia demanding them to be part of her will be a mistake. You cannot govern them because of they never been governed by themselves and they have no idea to respect it.
As the entire Kenyan cost is part of the Kenyan Somalians, Kenya will have big problem with them. If you listen Somalians individually, almost all of them like Ethiopians that any one from Africa including the Kenyans. The Somalian Immigrants that have been in Kenya will tell you their feeling about the Kenyans. While the same time those have been in Ethiopia also will tell you their appreciation and respect towards Ethiopians. Only few Jiahdists do hate Ethiopians because of religion.
Ethiopia has a big rat on her back yard and first and for most she has to deal with it. That rat is Eritrea. So, it is time to deal with the shabia rats. The have disappeared from Eritrea means all over Ethiopia will be peace and security as shabia is training all anti Ethiopian elements including the primitive Somalia Islamic terrorists, OLF and nomadic primitive ONLF.
10/04/08 @ 04:28
Comment from: Legassi Zenawi [Visitor]
Somaliland will be a free country with close ties to Ethiopia, UK, and USA, white isolated south somalia and pirate infested puntland are killing each other with their warlords and clan.
they always try to polarize and oversimplify the situation saying oh ethiopia = christian, somalia = muslim
you idiots either don’t have a clue or are primitive animals.
this is 100% about Territorial integrity of Ethiopia and 0% about religion.
u think that relgion can solve ur problem of fragmented society based on ethnic and tribal lines, YOU WRONG.
10/04/08 @ 05:10
Comment from: Legassi Zenawi [Visitor]
Ill make damn well sure that we take ONLY ASSEB and expel all NON AFAR eritrean animals/donkeys.
We will take back our ports, as Mengistu said:
“I was there [Eritrea] with 700 people, We are there only for military strategy of water [Red Sea], there’s no Oil there, no diamonds, no gold, it’s not a country, there’s no people, NOTHING”
We will be comming back for Asseb!
Ethiopia Tikdem
10/04/08 @ 05:16
Comment from: Yohannes [Visitor]
No! No! No! All so-called national boundries created by colonial masters should be dismantled. Africa must be united in order to survive in the 21st century as a viable entity. Clanish and tribal thought should be arrested. Let us think big and far into the future while educating the unlearned. Had it not been for their identity crisis, Africans could have thrived in modern global economy becuase of their untapped natural resources.
We have no one to blame now but ourselves.
Democracy is not for Africans, at least for now, for we do not have the cornerstones for it, education, self-respect, human dignity, etc. I think the primitive paternalistic dictatorship based on fatherly or may be, motherly rule would transition us to a better tomorrow. But for the current dictators….
10/04/08 @ 05:21
Comment from: dekia [Visitor]
who is giving ethiopia 100 years of more homework war again.
10/04/08 @ 07:34
Comment from: Somali [Visitor]
Kenya
– A country with the worst record of corruption in Africa since independence
– A country with the largest slums in Africa
– A country whose economy is controlled by ex-colonials and Indians and now Somalis
– A country where people a few months ago were burning/hacking and shooting each other to death – A situation that could break out again any day of the week considering all these ethnic groups are still not satisfied
– A country who’s main tourist industry is prostitution
– A country with a mindblowing aids rate – seven or eight times higher than Somalia
– A country that can’t provide water to all it’s nomadic ethnicities( funny how Djibouti was called primitive for the same reason)
This country is suppossed to solve the Somali problem? who’s going to solve KENYA’S PROBLEMS?
Ethiopia
– A country where a racist minority rules over majorities
– A country where a dozens different seccesion groups are active who want nothing to do with the country
– A country that has an inferior telecommunication system compared to Somalia
– A country with less universities in the top 100 of Africa than Somalia
– A country with a smaller GDP per capita than the failed-state Somalia( see Economist)
– A country where 15 million people every year face starvation
– A country that tap dances to every Uncle Sam tune
This country is going to solve the Somali problem? Who’s going to solve Ethiopia’s problems?
These GI JOE’s Arnold Kipkopkipko’s and Mutunga Wango’s pretending their countries are anything but slaves of America are amusing
Insha-allah by the time of his deadline 2030 Somalia will have swallowed them all
10/04/08 @ 08:03
Comment from: Mesganaw [Visitor]
Time:
A proud Somali? Proud of what?
Before the British and Italian came to scrub nomadic/primitive Somalia, there was no any form of govt since her existence. It was like a no mans land territory. It was ruled under a clan and sub clan system. After independency, Somalia was became as a nation only for less than 30 years.
Egypt was ruled by British. Libya was ruled by Italy. Algeria was ruled by France and Morocco was at last ruled by Spain. That is why there are 4 different countries despite they have the same religion and speaking the same language.
The same thing has to apply for Somalia, too. Somaliland was ruled by British. You have an Italian Somalia and Punt land. So, there must come three different nations in somalia the same way as it happened in North African and other nations, too. So you can count 2020, 2040, 2100+ as numbers are infinitive, but Somalia will not become as one nation. Canada and USA are speaking the same language and have the same religion, why they became two separate states? In the Middle East, South America and elsewhere different nations are speaking the same language and have the same religion. So, Somalia to become, as one nation because of they are speaking the same language and have the same religion is a weak, cheap and never materialise silly thinking. It is already tested for 20+ years and it didn’t work.
Why are you mad towards Ethiopia while the writer is from Kenya? Kenyans are using their arrows and machete against the Somalians calling them the primitive people in Africa.
You can cry or do what ever you like, but your Satanic wish about Ethiopia will never fulfil.
You really have no idea about Ethiopia. When the serious comes, they are one and even the air can not come between them. Accept it and learn more about the Ethiopians good side.
After all Ethiopians are the one saved Islam by giving shelter and support to Prophet Mohamed and his followers. This was the first recognised political asylum granted to any one in human history. The first person who became Muslim is an Ethiopian, Belay (Bilal). We also know what P. Mohammed said about the habesha land and people and to His followers would be conduct towards the habesha people.
But you bastard, his followers became the enemy to the prophet special friends(Habeshas). You are using his name to commit crimes by not respecting his message including towards the habesha people.
I think King Negash/the habesha people made mistakes by giving save heavens and accommodations to them and saved Islam from disappearing as it happened to other religion in human history. If they didn’t, Islam might not be here today. You can try what ever you can in the name of Mohammed against Ethiopia, but Mohammed, Jesus and God will not allow something bad happening against the habesha people. The Arabs are busy all the times against the habesha people for many centuries, but God is fighting against them in the name of the Habesha people. Their crime against the beautiful Habesha women also will be answered by God, soon. Their oil money will be the real curse towards them. You, a primitive Somalian is a slave to them. We know and you know about. Have you been in the middle East. They see you as a Mistake, servant, slave, leftover or a monkey came from the central Africa jungle.
How can you judge Ethiopia while you know nothing about yourself?
I’m talking this to you, not to other Somalians I know that are wise and respectful towards Ethiopians. Go to the Kenyans Blog and deal with them if you can how.
10/04/08 @ 10:20
Comment from: Wadani [Visitor]
If Ethiopia annexed Somalia,the dreams of Somalia will become true from the opposite way.It will be a surprising and an excitements to the Somalis that their dreams became true from their unexpected and believing their enemy of Ethiopia sides.As,ogaden peoples also,it will boost the voices we have in the federal parliaments of Ethiopia.
And it will be the end of the sources of liberator groups that used to be coming of each decades from Somalia (Mogadishu)without the Ogaden peoples consent.
Thus, it will be, a relaxing, peacefulness and a pretty ideas,if that dreams of unifications of Ethiopian and Somalia becomes true. Despite of the many causalities in the process,it will be really,a great idea and surely the rest of the region countries would be joining when they see the greatness and the prosperity reached of united countries of Addis and Mogadishu.
Nevertheless,My predictions of that early bird joining to the unions would be Asmara and the second would be Libiya even before the Djabuti joined to the unions,its Libiya of my second guess.
10/04/08 @ 10:30
Comment from: dereje [Visitor]
they say you can choose your friends but not your neighbors.
ethiopia is very unlucky to have somale and eritrea as its neighbor. ethiopias short term strategy should be to strengthen its economy and military so these bad neighbors stay off its affair and its land. in the long term ethiopia may have to take military actions to change the geography and the politics of the two menace.
10/04/08 @ 10:37
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
I have addressed this note to the editor of that article. Those like him should take heed. Africa is sick and tired of people like him.
———————————–
Dear Kir (Somali word),
What is your name again? Kipkorir? Wow, I did not know a Kalenjin guy had the audacity to think beyond his nose! Do you know your uncle MOI when he was overthrown the man who saved his sorry butt was a Somali (General-Mohamoud)? All the Kalenjins went and hid themselves in their Shambas (farms) including Moi. It was Mohamoud who with few soldiers mostly Somalis under his command took back the Statehouse and the Radio station and announced Moi is still the President.
Mohamoud took a helicopter and went to Moi’s Shamba to bring him back. The Kalenjin man (Moi) told Mohamoud ‘Please kill me in my farm. Don’t take me away’. Wow! and Wow again. A Kalenjin can dare think of annexing Somalia! It is us Somalis who allowed these low life neighbours who never dare look at our side the chance to even think of it. Alas, we Somalis might be brave but we are stupid. This generation is definately not like our grand father’s-Admission of guilt. The year 2020 will be Somalia’s year and down hill Isaac Newton’s theory for Ethiopia. I guess Kenya has already started the rift more than Ethiopia but what can a Kalenjin’s brain comprehend. Haven’t you seen the flying machetes? Each one of you has it in his garage and is ready to cut the other into pieces.
Having said all that, I would prefer seeing the people of Africa living in peace and prosperity rather than talking of annexing a sisterly nation. Kalenjin boy you forgot your country is at the brink of extinction. Let me say all African countries need to re-evaluate their way forward. Otherwise, they will be written into the history books. Aids, Malaria, Poverty, droughts, Wars will only increase bearing in mind the scarce resources the world will be facing. I fear for Africa and you are talking of annexing another country.
Wait until 2020 and tell me about it. Strategy and meticulous planning that covers many dimension will be the way out for Somalia. By 2020 the Al-shabaab and warlords will be history and there will be enough educated Somalis in western countries and back home who will take the lead. Investing in Infrastructure, Education, Agriculture and strong social engineering will put Somalia on Track. If you remember what I said, Ethiopia will be going down hills since by then they will be recovering from Meles and Tigrey Legacy if they are not mired in civil war. I just pray to God the Somalis don’t take revenge in playing a role in destabilizing Ethiopia more. That is what Meles did to Somalis. If this happens, I wonder who will hold together the Ethiopian tribes and religions. Somalis who have one religion and language have taken this long to resolve a civil war, what will you think of Kenya? this is a good perspective for a wise man.
We Somalis, have a saying that says “Don’t dig your brother’s grave as you might be the one that will fall into it”. Kenyans also say “Mchimba kisima huingia mwenyewe”. I have lived in Kenya long enough to know it upside down. You will not give me credit if I told you I am capable of formulating a strategy that will put Kenya on its knees within couple of years. I will not shout around like pumpkin head like you but be rest assured your desire was well known and it is a note well taken. Ethiopia with the help of America has already dug the grave for Somalis for many years and it is time they fall into it. As for Kenya and the likes of Kipkorir who don’t know what Somalis are, let me tell you, Somalis will not miss a sleep guarding against Kenyan invasion. The clock has started ticking two years ago and Twelve years from now will tell.
Proud Somali,
Mohamed Abass.
NAZRET PLEASE POST IT. THANKS
10/04/08 @ 10:47
Comment from: Master Mind [Visitor]
Time [Visitor]
What is a single point in all that crap?
You are recommanded to take a capule called “Vocabulary” every 8 hours before meal.
10/04/08 @ 11:07
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia is of strategic importance for Ethiopia to play the role of an ancient black civilisation. Ethiopia should take back Artra and Djoubiti. We have to do it by war if necessary. Eritrea is an ethiopian history. Those who do not want to live under Ethiopian administration are eritrean who are mercenaries. The real eritreans are ethiopians. Djubiti was taken from Ethiopia through international manipulations. Ethiopia is a might power. Unfortunaely the Zenawi group are anti-Ethiopia and are working against a centralised might power.
The Somalians have to be led. And it is only Ethiopia that could give Somalis some hope to live. The ethiopian army is still in full control in Somalia. If Ethiopia is serious, the Islamist will be destroyed with no man left. Ethiopia should wage a full scale war and annex Somalia for Ethiopia. The somalians could be chritinized and eat injera. No Islam in somalia. Somalians deserve more. Their children will go to the same schools as ethiopians. Somali girls will represent Ethiopia as ethiopians as atheletic champions.
Ethiopia is 70% christian- Orthodox Christian (60%). Islam is growing in Ethiopia but not significantly.
Wake up Ethiopians! Unite Africans under the banner of Ethiopia! Start with Somalia because Somalia needs us more!
10/04/08 @ 11:07
Comment from: visitor [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia…and what then? The problem of ethiopians is that we never learn..Last time, we annexed a country, we paid paid a huge price for it: 30 years of war and we missed a great chance to better our lives.
What i would advice all the dreamers in rags that we are, it’s to push woyannes to leave Somalia and focus on bringing health,education and food to the people they are supposed to rule :ethiopians.
10/04/08 @ 11:10
Comment from: ANNEX BRITISH EAST AFRICA AND HABASH [Visitor]
To annex Somalia mr. Kukiyo you need to
come to somali cities like Kismayo and
fight real men, Union of islamic courts/
Somali jihad movement/Somaliland National Army etc. We all know that conlonization of
of africa is finish but indeed the slaves
will never change their mindset. I am sitting today in Mombasa and looking at a Muslim /somali city and feeling home,
Kenya is a somali region and soon shall return to SOMALIYA/ we shall it return by be force or by talk, but untill then countinue with your Dreams.Because we as people
don’t talk nonsense we Somali take actions and Kenya is somali, go to any city and look for your self. while you are born slaves and only take orders, by somalis or british as in the past.We give orders. And
Todays Order to your mr Kikiyo is dream o
on my BOY>. this Text is written on behave of UNITED SOMAL EAST AFRICAN STATE (includes habashia and kenya).
thank you.
10/04/08 @ 11:11
Comment from: TEDDY [Visitor]
You mean ,annexion what a jock ,a tribal milicia army ,agazis ,blocked and harassed by bare footed children fighters ;has no means to control Somalia any longer than withdrawing or surrender .It’s sad to recognise since the evil Zenawi and his thugs took power Ethiopian Armed Forces have ceased to exist ,today the so called National Armed Forces are simply tribal based milicia forces led by illitrate TPLF bandit self apointed officers and generals .Agazis have no pride and dignity as much as the armed forces led in 1964 by Aman Adom and letter in 1977 led by Demisse Bulto ,of course the Air Force of Fanta Belay who really defeated twice Somalian invasion forces . LONG LIVE THE TRUE ETHIOPIANS !!!
10/04/08 @ 11:34
Comment from: D-barry [Visitor]
D. EAR Ogadenian please you talk sheet.I bean in ethio-somalia war 1977.When we start counter atack I saw with my eye the somalia army left behind all the Tank and weapon run like Horse 500k|meter.You know it 2 years ago it takes the heroic ethiopian army less than one week to control south Somalia.That is the fact broo.May be i have some difference with the government I still like ethiopia and the army.
10/04/08 @ 11:44
Comment from: girma yirgu [Visitor]
it is a good idea to take somalia to motherland ethiopia mokadischo means the papties city of ethiopia all ethiopian creastianity came frome thhough mmekadescha mokodischo if meles zenawi did that his name will be among the greatest of all somalia must join ethiopia as 14 provice of ethiopia
no more somalia only one ethiopia
ertrea will came by it self we must not forse them they used to be one nations
ertrea can not servive with out ethiopia please meles zenawi do that and clean your hand and make reconsilations among all ethiopians
so that your beloved childeren will with out fear of ethiopians
10/04/08 @ 11:50
Comment from: lekim [Visitor]
Only those who want Ethiopia and or Kenya to fight their dirty wars for them would advocate the annexation of Somalia. Ethiopia is a law abiding member of the world community and not a Trojan horse for imperialist pigs. Somalis can keep their banana republic.
10/04/08 @ 11:52
Comment from: Somalirealist [Visitor]
Somalia can Annex both Ethiopia and Kenya but not the vice versa.
This Kukuyu Niggar is dreaming.
Somalis own the biggest land in kenya, North Eat, NFD. SOmalis control the econmy in Kenya by taking over from the Indians. We have many politicians well placed into the system fot hat country. Muslims in Mombasa are with us. So basiccally we own Kenya.
TO Ethiopia, we own the biggest land, Oromos the majority of Ethiopia are firendly to us. 50 or more % are Muslim in Ethiopia and associate with Somalia, Eritrea is our Friend. Only Mountain people can go against us.
Above all, Somalia has the gutts to do this, without feering US and EU.
So given these facts, SOmalia can Annexx both of these countries.
However, it should not be our policy to do this.
This writer is a narrow minded fool who does not have any clue of what he is talking about about.
Somalia will think of Annexing any of its neighbours and if its neighbors start thinking so, we know how to respond with swift defeat.
10/04/08 @ 12:00
Comment from: Confussed [Visitor]
I was reading the credentials and experience of this so called the writer of this article, and come to the point of imagining the thoughts of his likes but less credentials. I guess they will imagine annexing the USA as well. All I can say is that this writer is loosing his mind and soon be a mad naked fool running around the streets begging for “Ugali”.
For those of you who applauded to his stupidest idea of all time are also thoughtless idiots. The matter of fact is that both Ethiopia and Kenya are barely making their needs let alone annexing another nation.
You all be really!
10/04/08 @ 12:32
Comment from: Seleme [Visitor]
. . . i dont agree,. . .let them live alone!. . .
10/04/08 @ 13:05
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
HERE IS THE FEEDBACK FROM THE EDITOR IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND MY FOLLOW UP RESPONSE:
Mohamed,
Thanks for your comments though part of them are unnecessarily vitriolic! The strand of my thesis is that if Somalia can’t fix its problems since 1960 and be able to exploit its minerals then kenya and ethiopia should do it!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Kenya
————————————
With all due respect Mr. Kipkorir, who would fix Ethiopia and Kenya’s problems? Did Kenya and Ethiopia exploit their resources? I think you are using lame excuse to bring forth your hidden agenda. Please advocate for civility and respect among the nighbouring countries. If we look at Kenya, solving the problem of Nairobi slums, disease and poverty will take years. Why don’t you concern yourself with that? It is humilating to suggest poor and backward countries like Ethiopia and Kenya should annex another African country. Why have you never talked of annexing Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, and Zaire to mention a few?
Your comment has no place in modern Africa. If you are among the peace loving Kalenjin people who are very friendly to Somalis, you would write an appology article in response to the ill thought and sinister article you titled “Annexing Somalia”.
10/04/08 @ 13:28
Comment from: el [Visitor]
Somali [Visitor]
assuming you are Somalian, where did you get your facts about Somalia’s GDP being higher than ethiopia or Somalia having more universities than ethiopia? It doesn’t actually matter whither you are somalian or Eritrean since you both have a lot in common in terms of being the only so called nations in the world with no annual budget and higher education(university) to talk about, let alone GDP . be happy you are not alone.
10/04/08 @ 13:47
Comment from: United Alem [Visitor]
I WILL POOT IT IN SHORT !…. NO NEED TO CREAT AGAIN EAST AFRICAN EVERLASTING WAR AS PALESTINE AND ISRAEL BETWEEN ETHIOPAN AND SOMALIAN!!!!!!EVEN 1000000 % WORST THAN PALESTINIAN AND ISRAEL!!!! “GOMEN/CABAGE BETEN” SANG TSHAY YOHANES
10/04/08 @ 14:07
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
Emperor minilk said if god gave him the the bless to live longer and in health, he would annex all territories along the indian ocean coastline.
When he aimed this He ignored the Eritreans(BANDAS)at the moment.
But minilik died before accomplishment.
Now Meles Zenawi look like
accomplishing what Minilk started.
10/04/08 @ 14:08
Comment from: mo [Visitor]
did i heard him say somalis have more per-capita then kenya.that says alot isn’t it? if that is the case knowing kenya has more per-capita then ethopia,they could only invade with artificially sustained armies. its a fact that we are prosprering more than you lot eventhougt we didnot have proper governemet for ages.what will happen if we have peace god knos
10/04/08 @ 14:38
Comment from: jank@mail.com [Visitor]
MY ANSWER IS SIMPLE YES!
WHY DID YOU TAKE YOU LONG!
for starter I have a fealing Somilian in Ethiopian have better life then Somilian in Somilian… Ethiopian problem is always money otherwise we are much modern people… even much better advance people then USA… we are very poor but we are not killing each or fool reason… you don’t some one telling you he will kill you because you are muslim etc etd.. or he doesn’t like because you are this or that ethnic groups… beside we are not war like people… we respect rule and law we vaule human life….
Beside on this Somilian would be better of ruled by Ethiopian under Ethiopian flag…
To make sure this become a reality we should arm all woman in Somilia give them gun to proect themselves from war lord… once we are all the woman in Somilia the man will lose their power… The man can not go around and tell the woman to sew their privet part… if they do the woman police officer will coem and take him to jail… you see if you want the woman right to be respected then you should give woman power how by giving them power meaning gun… GUN MEAN POWER IN AFRICA… if the woman misss use the gun and attack the Ethiopian army then that is their lose…
In fact armying the woman would be the best staragy even in all Arab countries… if all the woman have gun… how in hell the man will going to oppress them?
100,000 woman army will do the job to fix the men… now the warlord can’t wear the woman dress and do their drity job the woman will stop him!!!!
Eritean have woman army… some northern arab country also have woman army… if the woman feed up with this BS then they should be happy to fitght for their freedom…. if they didnot then they are have only themselves to belmeam
10/04/08 @ 14:53
Comment from: Shewarega [Visitor]
Somalia is a sovreign nation. What ever problem they have within them, including those of Somalilan/Puntland belongs to them. Having said that, I think Somalis should also stop this never ending plot of attacking and plotting against Ethiopia. We can all go to history and talk about who did what to whom. But lets just live that alone, and let us both strive to first reconstitute Somalia, and second bring about true Democratic governments in both countries. For Democratic nations do not spend their day plotting how to destabilize, or conquer their neighbors. Somalia had one chance to grab territories from Ethiopia. That was 1977 when Ethiopia was swept by revolution. But look what that brought upon Somalia. It disintegrated at its seems. And you fed and bred Meles, who was carrying a Somali passport, and you got what you deserved. He is bombing and destroying your homes. I think the bottom line is this talk of annexing Somalia is a joke. On the same token Somalis should stop this dream of grabbing land from their neighbors. The most important thing is that those who live there get a voice, and are beneficiaries of what they possess. I for one will be very happy if there is peace in Ogaden, and the oil is brought out to change the lives of those long suffering people there.
10/04/08 @ 15:26
Comment from: coolman [Member]
All of you people trumpeting for this
outrageous idea suffer from delusion of grandeur, which has proven to be the best recipe for disaster.
Thank God none of you seats at the wheel of power. What is next, Madagaskar? I think we should start with Sudan. And, with the oil money, we can buy all those fancy weapons and cash in Egypt and Libya.
Oh, Talian gudish fela, we are coming to get you too.
Peace
10/04/08 @ 15:31
Comment from: Mr Fair [Visitor]
I don’t know where Mr. Kopkirir grew up but I can see a dangerous mix of hate and ignorance.
If Southern and Central Somalia where part of Kenya, I have no doubt that withing few years, Kenya would have turned into a Somali dictatorship, Woyane style.
Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin etc. would have been just like the Gurage, Afar, Wolyta etc in Ethiopia i.e nice hard working people who have nothing to do with power struggle. In a few decades, there would probably be another Mao Mao to kick out the Somalis, or there may be Kenyan Liberation Front.
Somali Kenyans represent about 3% of the Kenyan population at the same time they control a big junk of the economy and they controlled the military to some extent. Raise that percentage to about 18% and Kenya would be in a big trouble.
What about Puntaland and Somaliland (Northern and Northwestern Somalia) being part of Ethiopia?
Here are two scenarios;
If they decide to fight occupation, then they are the ones who can organize themselves the most and they can wage a war comparable to that of Eritrea. Actually the Somalilanders (Nortwest) and the Ogadenis were historically the bulwark against the expansionist Ethiopian kings and they had the upper hand until European colonialists tied their hands(there was weapons embargo on all Somali Speaking region for more than 70 years).
If they decide to forget about Somali ethnocentrism, hold hands with their muslim brothers in the Horn, and compete for power withing Ethiopia, then the fundamentalist Ethiopian Orthodox church would be in trouble. That would have been a big boost for the humbled Ethiopian Muslims.
A short answer for the whole article would have been;
Tried it and good luck.
10/04/08 @ 16:14
Comment from: jank@mail.com [Visitor]
RE:-Somalia is a sovreign nation.
Next you will tell us they are Muslim nation.. you see sovereign nation doesn’t rap and murder their own people..
be it in Muslim be it in any law NO! country have the right to kill their own citizen… I have no marcy for those killer and murderer hiding behind Sovreign nation crap!
If they want to be respected as Sovreign ation then why are they looting the sea? if they are Msulim why are they looting at Gun point.. they are not Msulim yes they hide behind Muslim cover but what they did is not Isalam…
The old day where a sovreign nation can do any crap as they wish in their own people is gone… if you don’t trust me ask those Bosinan Msulim they got help from USA… when their own nation kill them
My point is Somilian are not a sovreign nation they break all the rule in the book be it UN rule be it Muslim rule be it devil rule be it any rule… they burn the rule and the holy book
my friend when white colonzation end the black colonzation started we Ethiopian will be the first to stop this black colonzation they like it or not..
I hope the Russian would be very happy to help us out to restore peace and law and rule in Ethiopia… it not today 20 years later Somilian will be greatful for the help we give them at their time of need…
MY question to any Ethipian would be you would not mind if the Somilian come and kick out Meles? I know you will not mind! that is why you are working with Eritrean to kick Meles therefore what is the diffrent here… if we help the Somilian people kick out the war lord…
as united with Ethiopia we are the same people think about it the federal system will sove all our proplem they can keep their port but all Somilian or Ethiopian will not need visa to come and work in Ethiopia or Somilia we use the birr and Somilaian currecy… us see we don’t want to control them we only want to be hlep that all..
USA President Obama recently issued statement in late June2013 calling for reduction of ‘carbon pollution’ from Fossil fuel fired electrical power generation plants. Groups such as MoveOn etc. have been fast to praise that statement.
We may well be facing climate change, and this may be a phenomena effecting the worlds across the entire solar system.
However, there is a problem – – that presidential statement presumes that human industrial and agricultural activity are significant or even leading cause factor in climate shifts, at least on this world, although that may be not valid here either.
Our civilization’s members likely will need, at high priority, to devise and shift technological details, so as to operate in the face of changing climate without grave difficulties. One of the most important aspects is in regards to avoiding reductions in food production abilities.
Such developments can be technologically and economically plausible, but only if investment resources are applied now with urgency to efforts of this type.
It specifically is NOT helpful to de-industrialize the USA, Europe, Japan, and at same time give nod to outsourcing those capabilities to China, because that nation has been demonstrating tendencies to be even less caring for environmental quality, inside or outside China, than western societies.
The East African Community [EAC} has commissioned a study ahead of direct trade negotiations between the bloc and the United States which is keen to deepen ties with the region.
A directive by the EAC Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment, which consists of Ministers who handled the EAC docket, has directed the directors to undertake a study to determine what the negotiations should be based and how the region would benefit from any resultant agreement.
The Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement {TIPA] between the EAC and the US was initiated last year to support the economic integration of the region and enhance the EAC-US trade and investment play in economic and social development, including job creation,
Washington’s push for the clearly defined trade ties between East Africa Community and the United comes at a time when China is emerging as a dominant player in the region.
The study expected to be completed within four months will allow for shorter and more focused negotiations as opposed to the outgoing talks between the EAC a nd EU, which have dragged on for a long time.
A Mr Felix Okatch, a Kenyan multilateral trade expert, however, said the region should not expect a lot from the agreement because the distance between the two partners is a hindrance for trade when compared with the EU. Rwanda is the only country in the region that has a bilateral trade and investment agreement with the US. It was signed in December 2011.
He added that Rwanda-US deal would not affect the trade agreement to be signed by all the EAC member states and the US, as they would be bound by the most favored between nation {MEN} clause.
“In this case, what the US exports to Rwanda will also be exported to the other partners and what Rwanda exports to US can also be exported by the other partner states”, as per what the EAC treaty states.
The EAC-US trade and investment is a component of the US strategy towards Sub-Saharan Africa,which President Barrack Obama announced in June 2012.
President Obama’s objecives are to strengthen democratic institutions, promote peace ,unity and trade and investment.
The total trade volume between the EAC and the US is estimated currently at US D 1.1 billion and the trade between the US and Kenya is estimated at 656 million followed by Tanzania USD 201 million, Uganda USD 142 million, Rwanda stands at USD 81 million while trade with Burundi is USED 51 MILLION.
from: Ouko joachim omolo
*The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images*
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
The month of May is ending with lots of shocking news. First it was the news that show the head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference filmed this weekend
http://video.corriere.it/widget/players/player_tv_video_iFrame.shtml?width=398&height=223&videoId=http://static2.video.corriereobjects.it/widget/content/video/rss/video_10e5d234-c545-11e2-896c-3db9fdd7e316.rss&channelName=ITALIA&advChannel=Dall>giving
Holy Communion to a notorious “transsexual” and homosexualist political activist who goes by the name Vladimir Luxuria, at the funeral Mass of a controversial Genoan priest.
The deceased priest, Fr. Andrea Gallo (hereafter referred to as Don Gallo), strongly opposed Catholic teaching on sexuality. In the video clip, published by the national newspaper Corriere della Sera, Angelo Bagnasco, the Cardinal Archbishop of Genoa is seen giving Communion to Luxuria, and another transsexual at the funeral of Fr. Andrea Gallo.
Three thousand flocked from all over Italy for the funeral of Don Gallo, the priest they called the “pretaccio communista” (an ironic use of “lousy communist priest”) and the “angelic anarchist”. Some participants wore t-shirts with the slogan, “Tell me who to exclude and I’ll tell you who you are”.
Standing in front of a group of priests wearing rainbow stoles and addressing the gathered thousands, Vladimir Luxuria gave a eulogy in which he thanked Don Gallo for “letting us open the doors of your church and your heart.”
“Thank you for having us transgender creatures feel willed by God and loved by God. We hope that many will follow your example and someone will apologize.”
Born Wladimiro Guadagno, actor and former prostitute Vladimir Luxuria (“Lust” in Latin) was a member of the Italian parliament and a founding member of the Communist Refoundation Party.
Although he remains physically a male, he claims “female identity” and is famous in European politics as the first openly “transgender” member of any European national legislature. In 1994 he helped organise Italy’s first Gay Pride festival in Rome.
Gallo, whose casket was decorated with a scarlet scarf, was known for his promotion of Marxist ideologies, and was popular with the more radical end of the homosexualist movement having participated in June 2009 in the Genoa Pride demonstration, complaining to the press about the “uncertainties” of Catholic teaching on homosexuality.
Gallo was called Gay Character of the Year by homosexualist activists. In March this year Don Gallo told media that the Catholic Church needs an openly gay pope
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/03/07/Italian-priest-calls-for-gay-pope/UPI-54211362661597/
and said that homosexual priests should be allowed to “express” their sexuality. “Because repression leads to pedophilia,” Gallo told ANSA news agency, adding that he had been sexually abused as a young priest.
No formal canonical sanction was ever laid against him during his priestly career. An obituary in Avvenire, the Italian bishops’ official paper, called Gallo “Priest of the road for the weak,” and said he gave “a witness of Christ and of the Church.”
Under the governance of Cardinal Bagnasco, who had been named a “front runner” for the last Conclave, Genoa is a haven for priests who openly oppose Catholic teaching and discipline.
When this was taking place, 29 years old male Andrew Mbugua Ithibu goes to court to have his name changed from Andrew Mbugua Ithibu to Audrey Mbugua Ithibu. He went to court after he was unable to win Government recognition of her new status as a woman.
She accuses the national examinations body of preventing her from being employed by refusing to change her academic certificates to reflect her current gender status. The case is seeking orders to compel the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) to change her names in the examination certificate.
Audrey says she was born male and diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder seven years after completing High School and scoring a grade of A-minus. After completing High School in 2001, Andrew decided she wanted to be a female and chose the name Audrey.
Another shocking story making the headline this month was that of a Form Three Audrey Janet Radul who was abducted on her way to barber shop to have her hair cut on May 9. Her teacher at Nyamonye Girls’ High School in Bondo, Siaya County, had sent her to have her hair cut because it had chemical, which was against school rules.
She went missing since May 9 but resurfaced 21 days later on Wednesday, the day the *Daily Nation* published a story about how she went missing without trace
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Girl-went-for-haircut-never-to-return-/-/1056/1865590/-/x7f1f7/-/index.html
. She was in Bondo at the shopping centre heading to the barber shop to cut her hair when a saloon car approached her.
The man asked her for directions to a place she did not know. Although she told him she had no idea, he insisted on shaking her hand. She later found herself in a dark room. The man had told her to mind her on business and keep quiet if she wanted to live long.
Janet described the room where she was taken hostage as very dark and she could not distinguish day from night. The room had no ventilation and the door was always closed from the outside.
As days went by, two other girls were brought in; one a Form Two student and the other a Standard Seven pupil. They were called Marion and Victoria respectively; Marion was in a grey skirt, white shirt and grey windbreaker while Victoria was in a blue uniform with a white collar.
Later, some two men — an Indian and an African — came for the two and she remained alone again. The men appeared to be dealing in sex trade because she heard one say: ‘I like this little one, she looks so young. He was referring to Marion the class seven girl,”
Another shocking news making headline was that of a 20-year-old man from USA confessed to smothering a 14-year-old girl, keeping her body in a suitcase, and trying to set her remains on fire because she would not have an abortion.
In another story, 26-year-old pregnant mother Zhang Yinping was dragged to the local Family Planning Office in Yuyue, Hubei, for a forced abortion. Despite being 6-months pregnant, the Family Planning Officials reportedly went ahead with the forced surgery. After the surgery, Ms. Zhang suffered a massive hemorrhage and died the following morning on May 24th.
China’s one-child policy is routinely enforced through brutal measures including forced abortions and sterilizations, and crippling fines that can amount to several times a family’s annual income.
It is at the time statistics from the Nepalese Health Ministry indicate that more than 95,000 abortions were performed between April 2010 and April 2011, up from 89,000 the year before and 51,000 the year before that.
In 2002, Nepal legalized abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy, a deadline that is extended until the 18th week in cases of rape, incest, fetal disabilities, or if the woman’s health is in danger.
It is quite shocking that at Barcelona’s Sant Pau Hospital, which is co-administered by the Catholic Archdiocese of Barcelona, killed an unborn child earlier this month in a pre-scheduled abortion based on the “suspicion” of deformities that normally do not pose a medical danger to the mother, according to internal hospital documents obtained by LifeSiteNews.com.
The documents contradict repeated and vehement denials by Barcelona’s Cardinal Archbishop Lluis Martinez Sistach, who has dismissed numerous reports published in the Spanish media and abroad regarding the killing of the unborn at the facility since they first began to be published in 2010.
The documents, written in Catalonian and Spanish, include copied text in Word format apparently taken from hospital computer records, as well as two screen shots of hospital computers. They indicate that a woman entered the hospital on May 13 at 10 a.m. “for a medical interruption of pregnancy because of a suspicion of fetal osteochondrodysplasia with thoracic hypoplasia.”
According to standard medical references, osteochondrodysplasia is a disorder that causes stunted bone growth and is often associated with dwarfism. Thoracic hypoplasia is a lack of complete growth in the chest area.
The archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach, has stonewalled pro-life groups for years regarding numerous reports of abortions at the hospital, which began appearing in the media in 2010, when the Spanish newspaper *ABC *revealed government records indicating that several Church-affiliated hospitals in the Catalonia region had been performing abortions for years.
In 2011, the Cardinal began to publicly deny the reports, claiming that abortions do not occur at Sant Pau, adding that an order had been given not to perform abortions.
However, the evidence of the killing of unborn children at Sant Pau has continued to pile up.
The sad news is that after your abortion, you may go through a number of different emotions. Some women feel relieved; some feel sadness and grief, whereas others may have mixed feelings.
You may also develop an infection after your abortion, heavy vaginal bleeding with large clots, severe lower abdominal pain, high temperature and generally feeling unwell, unusual or unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge.
* *
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.*
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002
* *
From: Chang Kun
Changkun2010@gmail.com
April 5, 2013
Through the mail from him:“ today I , ASO SEIICHIRO, was again refused to enter into Mainland China at Lo Wu Control Point in Shenzhen City. Why? I always have a good influence in Chinese NGOs, the government is unhappy? They also closed the Dali’s film festival today.” We regret to hear that, and are unhappy about what that had happened.
Last time when he was refused to enter into Mainland China was on November 5, 2012. He planned to enter into China from Beijing international airport, but the police stopped him and arranged for his return to Tokyo. Later we learned that it was the first time he was refused to enter into China. Because of at the eve of the eighteenth Congress of the Communist Party of China, some of friends blind encourage him that it was just an accident. If he chose Pudong International Airport or Guangzhou, Shenzhen, maybe everything is going well.
But it is inexplicable to hear he is again refused to enter into Mainland China at Lo Wu Control Point in Shenzhen City. We are also quite angry for it. Even thousands of mountains also could not prevent the flow of a stream. Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO is a very gentle man. He lets more Japanese people to know civil society of China by his own thinking and writing. He promotes the exchanges of culture between China and Japan, and strengthens the understanding and reduces conflicts. How commendable things there are! What’s more precious, ASO SEIICHIRO has been visiting many activists no matter how hard. He introduces the Japanese how the activists’ work and their ideas. Is that really a problem?
I strongly believe that the decision involve Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO is very unwise.
In summer of 2010, I and Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO was acquainted with each other. Since that, he came into China nine times. No matter where he was, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Chongqing etc, he always visited to my office, have fun with our friends. We talked and even debated something, but still more tolerance and understanding.
During the communication with Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO, his strong civic spirit and civil society consciousness deeply touched my friends and me. For example, he doesn’t give others in trouble as soon as possible. It is something like the consciousness of rules, and also it has become the important language during the AIBO Youth Center’s education work of “Rule Consciousness”, which is a public service community, was started on May 4th, 2010, in Linquan City, Anhui Province which is mainly to carry out the work of civil rights education and change the social environments of my hometown.
Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO is more than 20 years older than me. But our friendship is so profound that it cannot use any simple word to describe. I can’t forget when he bought bottled water to flush the toilet in the middle of the night, and then he seriously said that he would suicide if he didn’t do it. That’s a day the water supply was cut off without note.
In December last year, Japan’s Kyodo News agency reporter Mr. WATANABE Yasuhito went to Zhengzhou City to interview me about the good friendship between ASO SEIICHIRO and me, which made me surprise.
Today, the gentle man, Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO who is promoting people-to-people culture exchange and strengthening the understanding and reducing conflicts between China and Japan was again refused enter into Mainland China. I was very sad and can’t understand about it.
We hope the relevant departments can truly know more about Mr. ASO SEIICHIRO, and allow his free enter into Mainland China in accordance with the law.
At the same time, we are firmly opposed to swindle or infringe behavior upon the interests of our country, such as swindling the money in the name of the so-called “stability, deliberately making the barriers to the social development and progress in the name of the so-called “merits”.
Contact ASO SEIICHIRO:
Telephone in Tokyo: 08054124915
Telephone in China: 15820785674
Mobile phone in Hong Kong: 852-56250302
E-mail: gikyoudai@hotmail.com
China is expanding and greasing corruption in Africa using corrupt leaders who agree to steal from taxpayers. Chinese influence in Africa is taking away wealth and resources from Africa to boost their Economy. When they do not pay taxes, how is that profiting Africa in return………How will Africa manage to get out of their poverty mess and maintenance and replenish the tear and wear from environmental destruction Chinese commit in Africa if there is no taxes paid in return………??? How is their activities profiting Africa ???
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
– – – – – – – – – – –
On Sun, Mar 31, 2013 at 8:08 PM, Mike Ikwalala wrote:
To me, this is yet another oversimplification of a subtle and complex relationship [with China] aimed at siphoning Africa’s wealth without a fuss. Just as we have been unsuspectingly embracing every Western handout wrapped up in a ‘development support’ packaging, we’re in for another shock of a generation. Chinese are not stupid. They know what they are doing. We don’t. The African mindset has hardly changed for the last 50 years when it comes to dealing with foreign partnerships. We still get lured to bed so easily by every ‘monied’ man who approaches us. We don’t seem to learn any lessons from the harsh treatments of the last 50 years partnership and alliances.
Yes, we need FDI to flow in so we can keep up with the global economical trend. Yes, we can’t ignore China in its upsurge to global dominance. My only worry is, are we doing something different from what we have been doing for the last 5 decades when it comes to closing deals that have national implications? From what I can see, it’s business as usual. It’s all about political stunt and appearing ‘investment friendly’. But in the end, it’s not the Chinese who will lose, it’s (as always) we!
On Sun, Mar 31, 2013 at 6:55 PM, wrote:
A friend in need is not always a friend indeed!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on the Tigo Tanzania Network
From: Mobhare Matinyi
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:06:58 +0000
Subject: The simplicity of China-Africa relations
We have the responsibility to defend and protect our country; the Chinese won’t.
Subject: The simplicity of China-Africa relations
From: abduldello@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:45:41 +0000
Well saidi Matinyi, but there is more to look at the China – Tanzania relationship. It is probably not just counterfeit and low quality products, it is also about the involvement of Chinese companies in corruption to win big construction bids (especially road construction) and leaving us with jobs half done. We pay for these constructions through big loans that have almost doubled our national debt within just two years. Its our own stupidity yes, but coming from a long time friend is not a big deal. China knows about all this, and nobody knows if these companies get their Government support to do what they do.
Regardless of what we hear and see, we must be very careful not to end up in having a counterfeit relationship with China.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on the Tigo Tanzania Network
From: Mobhare Matinyi
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:00:09 +0000
Subject: The simplicity of China-Africa relations
The simplicity of China-Africa relations
Mobhare Matinyi, Washington DC. The Citizen, Tanzania. Thursday, 28 March 2013 20:30.
Just ten days after taking office as the leader of the People’s Republic of China, President Xi Jinping landed in Tanzania on Sunday to begin his three-nation historic tour of Africa that included South Africa and the Republic of the Congo. He had just concluded his first foreign tour in Russia.
President Xi’s visit to Russia was explicable, but his decision to come to Africa before anywhere else stunned and even angered Western capitals and their biased press which always sees the worst side of Africa. He didn’t care!
Perhaps what was more surprising was Xi’s decision to start his visit in Tanzania, arguably the real friend of China in Africa for five decades now. Fine, a third of Sino-Africa trade is with South Africa, and Congo-Brazzaville supplies crude oil, but why Tanzania?
To quickly recap, Tanzania started relations with China immediately after the independences of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, and continued after the unification in 1964. Tanzania and China signed the Treaty of Friendship in February 1965 when President Julius Nyerere visited the country in the first of his five visits although economic, technical and military relations had already started in 1964.
Several agreements and visits by civilian and military leaders of the two countries followed including three Tanzanian presidents who came after Nyerere, and three Chinese premiers starting with Zhou Enlai in 1965, Zhao Ziyang in 1983, and Li Peng in 1997.
When the then Chinese president, Hu Jintao, visited Tanzania in February 2009, the leader of the world’s most populous nation and the emerging superpower noted admirably in his speech that the China-Tanzania relationship had become “a model for both China-Africa and South-South cooperation.”
The stories of China and Tanzania go centuries beyond modern history, a reason why Kilwa archaeological excavations recovered many Chinese coins dating to the Song Dynasty which ruled China between 960 and 1279. Yes! That far back!
The Chinese will never forget how Tanzania led other African nations in supporting Beijing’s efforts to regain its seat at the United Nations, kicking out the Taiwan-based Republic of China.
Between the two friendly countries there is a lot to justify their closiness, like the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara), and much more in foreign policy and ideological matters to warrant Xi’s decision to pay such an honourable visit to the United Republic of Tanzania. Putting it short and simple, Tanzania and China are friends in need and indeed.
But again, why did he choose to visit Africa after Russia, snubbing the big powers? President Xi wanted to send the message that China is serious about its relations with Africa. Why Africa? Well, historical ties are there, but in addition to that China needs Africa and Africa needs China, and between them there is neither hypocrisy nor hidden agenda.
I like the way Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete puts it every time the Western press bothers him. In one incidence in December 2011 he said: “Africa needs markets for its products; Africa needs technology and infrastructure for its development. China is ready to provide all that. What is wrong with that?”
Speaking in Washington DC in 2009 at the United States-Africa Business Summit, President Kikwete told Americans: “Why complain about China? Just come to Africa and invest the way the Chinese are doing.”
There is nothing complicated between China and Africa; it is give and take. Africans are aware of the situation that exists currently in which China seems to benefit more, but these things can be settled out with time and without the help of the West. Some of these challenges are counterfeit products, the sudden growth of the Chinese diaspora in African cities, and the poor quality of Chinese workmanship.
But I don’t agree with those who lament that China buys raw materials from Africa but brings in finished goods. Come on! Who prevented Africans from doing the opposite?
As we speak today, annual China-Africa trade stands at $200 billion, and if the trend continues Africa will soon surpass the sluggish economies of the US and the European Union. Shockingly, US-Africa trade stands slightly below $100 billion, while the EU is taking forever to conclude an economic partnership agreement with Africa.
If that is the case then, why should President Xi bother about the “powerful” West? Is that difficult to figure out? Again, China has what Africa needs and Africa has what China needs, and that is all we need in our mutual understanding and respect as Xi told the world and Africa on Monday. Nothing is complex!
Probably, it is time for those who trumpet aloud about new Chinese colonialism to Africa to be realistic. Africans want to move forward and they have no time with anyone who wants to impose their will on others. Africans are growing tired of receiving charitable donations and being lectured endlessly; let the world understand!
China-Africa Relations Scrutinized in AfDB’s New Book
20/09/2011
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http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/china-africa-relations-scrutinized-in-afdbs-new-book-8375/
Press conference (audio)
New AfDB Study Takes in-depth Look at China-Africa Partnership
The African Development Bank today released a book titled “China and Africa, An Emerging Partnership for Development?” In recent years, China has been the prominent emerging partner for most of Africa and new China-Africa relations have generated heated debates. Is China really the sole winner in its relations with the African continent? This book challenges this idea by analyzing opportunities and challenges for both parties.
According to AfDB Vice-President and Chief Economist, Mthuli Ncube, “China’s growing presence reflects this country’s growing economic and political power in the world and its appetite for natural resources of some African countries aims to fuel its economic expansion.” On the one hand, China needs natural resources; on the other, it plays an important role in providing financing and expertise needed for the continent’s development.
Trade between Africa and China is quite substantial. In 2009, trade flows rose to 93 billons dollars, an eight-folds increase in a decade. African exports to China come mainly from the four resource rich countries. Indeed, natural resource and oil exports account for three-quarters of Africa’s exports to China and only six countries receive two-thirds of Africa’s total imports from China.
Chinese trade and investments are mainly related to extractive industries and infrastructure. More than 35 African countries benefit from funds in this sector. Investments increased seven-folds in six years. Improved infrastructure facilitates African products access to regional and international markets. Opening special economic zones run by Chinese offers additional opportunities to strengthen manufacturing capacities in many African countries.
China’s growing role is complementary to those of Africa’s long-standing traditional development partners, who are still dominant in terms of official development assistance, trade and investment. In addition, these traditional partners often provide some forms of aid such as budget support, which is very effective. The Bank considers that traditional donors and emerging partners such as China complement each other. The AfDB wishes to leverage Chinese resources and development expertise for the benefit of African economies.
This new book is the culmination of Bank work in the framework of the “China in Africa” project. It contains contributions by some of the leading experts in China-Africa relations, and received financial support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
Documents
China and Africa: an Emerging Partnership for Development? (8.2 MB)
Working Paper 129 – China’s Engagement and Aid Effectiveness in Africa (574 kB)
Working Paper 128 – China’s Manufacturing and Industrialization in Africa (420 kB)
Working Paper 126 – China’s Trade and FDI in Africa (637 kB)
Working Paper 125 – China and Africa: An Emerging Partnership for Development? – An Overview of Issues (382 kB)
Working Paper 124 – Post-Crisis Prospects for China-Africa Relations (543 kB)
China in Africa: A New Development Partner? (366 kB)
China-Africa Trade: A Path to Mutual Prosperity? (22 kB)
Development Research Briefs – Impact of the Financial and Economic Crisis on China’s Trade, Aid and Capital Inflows to Africa (688 kB)
Working Paper 107 – China, Africa and the International Aid Architecture (543 kB)
From: Yona Maro
—
www.wejobs.blogspot.com Jobs in Africa
www.jobsunited.blogspot.com International Job Opportunities
www.naombakazi.blogspot.com
– – – – – – – – – – –
By Andrei Akulov
President Obama has instructed the Defense Establishment to pivot its forces and reorient its efforts toward Asia. Instead, the U.S. armed forces step by step get drawn into the quagmire of messy conflicts in Africa. Recently, the United States has become embroiled in conflicts in Somalia, Libya, Mali and central Africa. The presence is about 5,000 U.S. troops strong. The forces are scattered across the continent in the places like Djibouti, the Central African Republic and now – Niger.
The official reason is fighting al – Qaeda affiliates and other extremists. In a written statement provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army General David M. Rodriguez, who is expected to become the next commander of the Africa Command (AFRICOM), estimated that the military needs to increase its intelligence-gathering missions in Africa by nearly 15-fold. «I believe additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are necessary to protect American interests and assist our close allies and partners», the General wrote in the statement, which during his confirmation hearing in Congress. «The recent crises in North Africa demonstrate the volatility of the African security environment», Rodriguez is cited by the Washington Post (1).According to the newspaper, «Rodriguez said the Africa Command needs additional drones, other surveillance aircraft and more satellite imagery adding that it currently receives only half of its «stated need» for North Africa and only 7 percent of its total «requirements» for the entire continent».
When AFRICOM was created there were no plans to establish bases or have boots on the ground. In reality a network of small staging bases gradually comes into existence along with a forward base for special operations forces in Kenya. The US Congress has criticized the administration for not being able to rapidly respond to the September 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, when the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans lost their lives. Since then, the Defense Department has intensified the steps to boost military capabilities to react on short notice in case there is a contingency in Africa. «That is a fight we have a dog in», Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during a Jan. 24 2013 taping of «This Week in Defense News».
AFRICOM – military tool of US expansion in Africa
The Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) was begun by the Pentagon in 2005 to strengthen US presence in Africa. Mali, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger were now joined by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, and Tunisia in a ring of military cooperation with the Pentagon. The Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative was transferred to the command of AFRICOM.
On 1 October 2008, AFRICOM was separated from USEUCOM and began operating on its own as a full-fledged Unified Combatant Command headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations and military relations with 53 African nations – an area of responsibility (AOR) covering all of Africa except Egypt (the responsibility of Central Command). The command has defense attaché offices in 38 African nations, as well as numerous subordinate commands located in Germany, Italy and the Horn of Africa. The Sixth fleet is responsible for providing naval forces in case of contingency. The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa is ready for emergency actions. AFRICOM numbers around 2,000 assigned personnel, which includes military, civilian, contractor, and host nation employees. About 1,500 work at the command’s main headquarters. Others are assigned to the command’s units in England and Florida along with security cooperation officers posted at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions in Africa to coordinate Defense Department programs within the host nation. AFRICOM has limited assigned forces and relies on the Department of Defense for resources necessary to support its missions.
The command defines its mission as follows:
“Africa Command has administrative responsibility for US military support to US government policy in Africa, to include military-to-military relationships with 53 African nations». Speaking to the International Peace Operations Association in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 27, 2008 General Kip Ward, then Commander of AFRICOM defined the command’s mission as, «in concert with other US government agencies and international partners, to conduct sustained security engagements through military-to-military programs, military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of US foreign policy.”
Dr. J. Peter Pham, a leading Washington insider and an advisor of the US State and Defense Departments, states that one AFRICOM prime objectives is «protecting access to hydrocarbons and other strategic resources which Africa has in abundance … a task which includes ensuring against the vulnerability of those natural riches and ensuring that no other interested third parties, such as China, India, Japan, or Russia, obtain monopolies or preferential treatment».
Military activities
While joint military exercises between the US and South Korea hit the radar screen of global media this March, there have been two major military operations conducted by the US armed forces with the participation of the UK, France, Canada and several African states. The drills are an element of annual maneuvers targeted against terrorism in Africa.
In February Exercise Obangame Express 2013, an at-sea naval exercise focused on counter-piracy and maritime security operations, was conducted in the Gulf of Guinea. The event brought together African, European and Atlantic partner maritime services to work together, share information and hone skills to better monitor and enforce their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. The exercise included a wide variety of training for all participating forces including at-sea ship boarding and queries, air operations, communication drills and regional information sharing. Participating countries were Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Netherlands, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Spain, Togo and the United States.
In March AFRICOM conducted Operation Flintlock, an annual exercise that has been conducted since 2005. This time it involved over 1,100 troops from twenty African, European and North American countries honing their skills in Mauritania (the village of Weizen).
Another military exercise led by the command in March was the Saharan Express 2013. The mission was to enhance maritime interaction between the US, European and African states. It involved naval forces from the U.S., France, Britain, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mauritania and Morocco. The project featured numerous training drills including ship boarding, air operations, medical familiarization, communications and regional information sharing. The training event has been organized annually since 2011. It is one of four African regional maritime exercises taking place within the framework of the «African Partnership Station (APS)», a global maritime initiative developed by the US to boost cooperation with of the armed forces of African states.
Last December the US Stars and Stripes newspaper reported on plans to create an AFRICOM rapid reaction force (2).
Speaking at George Washington University, AFRICOM commander General Carter Ham said his command is now outfitted with a new capability. «With regard to a response force, when the command was initially formed there was a sharing arrangement with what’s called the Commander’s in-Extremis Force with European Command. That was a good relationship that up until the 1st of October of this year was a shared arrangement», Ham said. «And now we have our own». The force will be permanently stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, home to the 10th Special Forces Group. According to the Stars and Stripes, AFRICOM declined to comment further about the placement of its elite Special Forces team, whose movements are generally shrouded in secrecy. Jim Gavrilis, a security consultant, said, given the U.S. military’s small footprint in Africa, it is likely that the rapid response force will deploy on rotational missions.
On March 6 Gen. Carter Ham told a Senate Committee «A new Africa-focused Marine crisis response unit could soon be in place as part of a broader effort to beef up Africa Command’s ability to confront emerging terrorism threats on the continent». AFRICOM is also looking to place other special operation forces in three strategic locations in southern Europe and West Africa to bolster the command’s response capabilities, according to Ham. The General pointed out that AFRICOM’s response capacity is gradually improving. In October, AFRICOM received its own Commander’s in-Extremis Force, which is comprised of Green Berets from the Army’s 10th Special Forces Group that maintains a forward presence in Europe along with the unit, headquartered in Fort Carson, Colorado (3).
In January The United States dispatched about 100 military trainers to six nations that will contribute troops to a pan-African force being prepared for deployment to Mali. The training mission in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo and Ghana is the largest U.S. involvement to date in preparations for the African force, which is being assembled by the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. The United States also has promised to help fly equipment and troops for the force into Mali. That effort may involve U.S. aircraft but could also be done with Nigerian, South African or outside commercial aircraft paid for by the United States.
On Jan 28, 2013 the US signed a Status-of-Forces (SOFA) Agreement with Niger. The U.S. already has twenty-four such agreements with other African states. The U.S. Army, for instance, is launching a pilot program to deploy small Army elements to about 30 places in Africa to conduct partner-building missions and support American embassy outreach activities(4). On January 28, 2013 the government of Niger made public its consent to allow the deployment of US drone base on its territory. The facility is located in Agadez province bordering Mali, Algiers and Libya. President Obama announced the base was operational on February 21. The force is added to the US drones unit deployed in Djibouti. Mr. Obama said the 100 strong contingent armed for self-protection would support the French-led operation in neighboring Mali. Interestingly, this move comes just one month after the U.S. agreed to fly French troops and supplies into the country. According to the New York Times, «The new drone base will join a constellation of small airstrips in recent years on the continent, including one in Ethiopia, for surveillance missions flown by drones or turboprop planes designed to look like civilian aircraft». (5) The Pentagon has also expanded operations and construction at the only permanent U.S. base on the continent, Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which serves as a hub for counterterrorism missions in Somalia and Yemen.
China in Africa
It’s an open secret AFRICOM was created to counter the growing presence of China in Africa. The Chinese African performance is a story of success. China’s dynamic economy has great need for oil and other natural resources to sustain it. The country currently imports approximately 2.6 million barrels of crude per day, or about half of its total consumption. Approximately a third of its imports come from African states.
China secures long-term economic agreements for raw materials from Africa in exchange for Chinese aid and production sharing agreements and royalties. In comparison with IMF-dictated austerity measures, China offers large credits, soft loans to build roads and schools, something greatly appreciated by African countries.
In terms of development lending, as opposed to conditional lending by the World Bank, Chinese aid is rendered with no strings attached and usually spent on infrastructure projects that raise grass roots living standards. The most frequently cited example is Sinopec, a China’s state oil company. It has acquired oil concessions in Angola and is rebuilding the country’s transport infrastructure, hospitals and state buildings. China is viewed by African countries as a more attractive economic partner, compared to what the West has to offer.
Just a few months before the US decision to establish AFRICOM, China hosted an historic Beijing summit, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which brought nearly fifty African heads of state and ministers to Beijing in October 2006. In 2008 then Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a three-year, $3 billion program in preferential loans and expanded aid for the African continent. The funds came on top of the $3 billion in loans and $2 billion in export credits announced by the Chinese government earlier. In the ensuing four years China’s trade with Africa reached $166 billion in 2011, according to Chinese statistics. African exports to China rose to $93 billion from $5.6 billion over the past decade. In July 2012 China offered African countries $20 billion in loans over the next three years, double the amount pledged in the previous three-year period…
The trend is clear – Africa is becoming a theater for strategic competition between the United States and China, as both countries seek to expand their clout and secure access to resources.
Stiff competition for strategic resources like oil, gas, uranium, gold or iron is the specific feature of the situation in Africa. It’s not only about fighting extremists. The mission of AFRICOM is to push China and other rivals, like Russia, for instance, out of the continent or at least to cripple their access to the resources. The war on terror is a good disguise.
Talking about the Mali and other flashpoints. These are the follow-ups of the recent mistakes. In a television interview last month, Mr. Lavrov said, «France is fighting against those in Mali whom it had once armed in Libya against Qaddafi».
Russia has pointed repeatedly that the ongoing unrest in North Africa testifies to the fact that the Western-supported Arab Spring has created turmoil and instability, the breeding grounds for terrorists. The US and NATO went beyond the UN resolution 1973 in Libya against Russia’s and China’s warnings not to do so. The NATO’s intervention spurred a domino-like effect across Africa’s Sahel region. Now we all face the implications. While supporting the efforts to combat terrorism in Africa, Russia has simultaneously criticized Western nations, including the USA and France, for arming the opposition in Libya. Now military skills and weapons spread across the region. The US presence in Niger may provoke further entanglement in case the facility is attacked, for instance. Like the very presence of Iraqi troops provoked attacks against the servicemen.
Military force, even when used for peacekeeping missions solely, is not the only thing the region needs. On March 1 Russia also announced the beginning of its involvement in the conflict by delivering 36 tons of aid to the country, including canned food, 45 tents, 2,000 blankets, cereals, and rice. Russia’s action comes just one day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with the U.N. Special Envoy for the Sahel, Romano Prodi about the ongoing conflict in Mali. It is expected the situation in Africa will be addressed during the BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa 26 – 27 March 2013. There is a hope the members will discuss the situation in wide perspective, perhaps coming up with proposals to positively tackle the issue of Africa’s instability.
Samir Amin is director of the Third World Forum in Dakar, Senegal. His books include The Liberal Virus, The World We Wish to See, and The Law of Worldwide Value (all published by Monthly Review Press). This article was translated from the French by James Membrez.
The debates concerning the present and future of China—an “emerging” power—always leave me unconvinced. Some argue that China has chosen, once and for all, the “capitalist road” and intends even to accelerate its integration into contemporary capitalist globalization. They are quite pleased with this and hope only that this “return to normality” (capitalism being the “end of history”) is accompanied by development towards Western-style democracy (multiple parties, elections, human rights). They believe—or need to believe—in the possibility that China shall by this means “catch up” in terms of per capita income to the opulent societies of the West, even if gradually, which I do not believe is possible. The Chinese right shares this point of view. Others deplore this in the name of the values of a “betrayed socialism.” Some associate themselves with the dominant expressions of the practice of China bashing1 in the West. Still others—those in power in Beijing—describe the chosen path as “Chinese-style socialism,” without being more precise. However, one can discern its characteristics by reading official texts closely, particularly the Five-Year Plans, which are precise and taken quite seriously.
In fact the question, “Is China capitalist or socialist?” is badly posed, too general and abstract for any response to make sense in terms of this absolute alternative. In fact, China has actually been following an original path since 1950, and perhaps even since the Taiping Revolution in the nineteenth century. I shall attempt here to clarify the nature of this original path at each of the stages of its development from 1950 to today—2013.
The Agrarian Question
Mao described the nature of the revolution carried out in China by its Communist Party as an anti-imperialist/anti-feudal revolution looking toward socialism. Mao never assumed that, after having dealt with imperialism and feudalism, the Chinese people had “constructed” a socialist society. He always characterized this construction as the first phase of the long path to socialism.
I must emphasize the quite specific nature of the response given to the agrarian question by the Chinese Revolution. The distributed (agricultural) land was not privatized; it remained the property of the nation represented by village communes and only the use was given to rural families. That had not been the case in Russia where Lenin, faced with the fait accompli of the peasant insurrection in 1917, recognized the private property of the beneficiaries of land distribution.
Why was the implementation of the principle that agricultural land is not a commodity possible in China (and Vietnam)? It is constantly repeated that peasants around the world long for property and that alone. If such had been the case in China, the decision to nationalize the land would have led to an endless peasant war, as was the case when Stalin began forced collectivization in the Soviet Union.
The attitude of the peasants of China and Vietnam (and nowhere else) cannot be explained by a supposed “tradition” in which they are unaware of property. It is the product of an intelligent and exceptional political line implemented by the Communist Parties of these two countries.
The Second International took for granted the inevitable aspiration of peasants for property, real enough in nineteenth-century Europe. Over the long European transition from feudalism to capitalism (1500–1800), the earlier institutionalized feudal forms of access to the land through rights shared among king, lords, and peasant serfs had gradually been dissolved and replaced by modern bourgeois private property, which treats the land as a commodity—a good that the owner can freely dispose of (buy and sell). The socialists of the Second International accepted this fait accompli of the “bourgeois revolution,” even if they deplored it.
They also thought that small peasant property had no future, which belonged to large mechanized agricultural enterprise modeled on industry. They thought that capitalist development by itself would lead to such a concentration of property and to the most effective forms of its exploitation (see Kautsky’s writings on this subject). History proved them wrong. Peasant agriculture gave way to capitalist family agriculture in a double sense; one that produces for the market (farm consumption having become insignificant) and one that makes use of modern equipment, industrial inputs, and bank credit. What is more, this capitalist family agriculture has turned out to be quite efficient in comparison with large farms, in terms of volume of production per hectare per worker/year. This observation does not exclude the fact that the modern capitalist farmer is exploited by generalized monopoly capital, which controls the upstream supply of inputs and credit and the downstream marketing of the products. These farmers have been transformed into subcontractors for dominant capital.
Thus (wrongly) persuaded that large enterprise is always more efficient than small in every area—industry, services, and agriculture—the radical socialists of the Second International assumed that the abolition of landed property (nationalization of the land) would allow the creation of large socialist farms (analogous to the future Soviet sovkhozes and kolkhozes). However, they were unable to put such measures to the test since revolution was not on the agenda in their countries (the imperialist centers).
The Bolsheviks accepted these theses until 1917. They contemplated the nationalization of the large estates of the Russian aristocracy, while leaving property in communal lands to the peasants. However, they were subsequently caught unawares by the peasant insurrection, which seized the large estates.
Mao drew the lessons from this history and developed a completely different line of political action. Beginning in the 1930s in southern China, during the long civil war of liberation, Mao based the increasing presence of the Communist Party on a solid alliance with the poor and landless peasants (the majority), maintained friendly relations with the middle peasants, and isolated the rich peasants at all stages of the war, without necessarily antagonizing them. The success of this line prepared the large majority of rural inhabitants to consider and accept a solution to their problems that did not require private property in plots of land acquired through distribution. I think that Mao’s ideas, and their successful implementation, have their historical roots in the nineteenth-century Taiping Revolution. Mao thus succeeded where the Bolshevik Party had failed: in establishing a solid alliance with the large rural majority. In Russia, the fait accompli of summer 1917 eliminated later opportunities for an alliance with the poor and middle peasants against the rich ones (the kulaks) because the former were anxious to defend their acquired private property and, consequently, preferred to follow the kulaks rather than the Bolsheviks.
This “Chinese specificity”—whose consequences are of major importance—absolutely prevents us from characterizing contemporary China (even in 2013) as “capitalist” because the capitalist road is based on the transformation of land into a commodity.
Present and Future of Petty Production
However, once this principle is accepted, the forms of using this common good (the land of the village communities) can be quite diverse. In order to understand this, we must be able to distinguish petty production from small property.
Petty production—peasant and artisanal—dominated production in all past societies. It has retained an important place in modern capitalism, now linked with small property—in agriculture, services, and even certain segments of industry. Certainly in the dominant triad of the contemporary world (the United States, Europe, and Japan) it is receding. An example of that is the disappearance of small businesses and their replacement by large commercial operations. Yet this is not to say that this change is “progress,” even in terms of efficiency, and all the more so if the social, cultural, and civilizational dimensions are taken into account. In fact, this is an example of the distortion produced by the domination of rent-seeking generalized monopolies. Hence, perhaps in a future socialism the place of petty production will be called upon to resume its importance.
In contemporary China, in any case, petty production—which is not necessarily linked with small property—retains an important place in national production, not only in agriculture but also in large segments of urban life.
China has experienced quite diverse and even contrasting forms of the use of land as a common good. We need to discuss, on the one hand, efficiency (volume of production from a hectare per worker/year) and, on the other, the dynamics of the transformations set in motion. These forms can strengthen tendencies towards capitalist development, which would end up calling into question the non-commodity status of the land, or can be part of development in a socialist direction. These questions can be answered only through a concrete examination of the forms at issue, as they were implemented in successive moments of Chinese development from 1950 to the present.
At the beginning, in the 1950s, the form adopted was petty family production combined with simpler forms of cooperation for managing irrigation, work requiring coordination, and the use of certain kinds of equipment. This was associated with the insertion of such petty family production into a state economy that maintained a monopoly over purchases of produce destined for the market and the supply of credit and inputs, all on the basis of planned prices (decided by the center).
The experience of the communes that followed the establishment of production cooperatives in the 1970s is full of lessons. It was not necessarily a question of passing from small production to large farms, even if the idea of the superiority of the latter inspired some of its supporters. The essentials of this initiative originated in the aspiration for decentralized socialist construction. The Communes not only had responsibility for managing the agricultural production of a large village or a collective of villages and hamlets (this organization itself was a mixture of forms of small family production and more ambitious specialized production), they also provided a larger framework: (1) attaching industrial activities that employed peasants available in certain seasons; (2) articulating productive economic activities together with the management of social services (education, health, housing); and (3) commencing the decentralization of the political administration of the society. Just as the Paris Commune had intended, the socialist state was to become, at least partially, a federation of socialist Communes.
Undoubtedly, in many respects, the Communes were in advance of their time and the dialectic between the decentralization of decision-making powers and the centralization assumed by the omnipresence of the Communist Party did not always operate smoothly. Yet the recorded results are far from having been disastrous, as the right would have us believe. A Commune in the Beijing region, which resisted the order to dissolve the system, continues to record excellent economic results linked with the persistence of high-quality political debates, which disappeared elsewhere. Current projects of “rural reconstruction,” implemented by rural communities in several regions of China, appear to be inspired by the experience of the Communes.
The decision to dissolve the Communes made by Deng Xiaoping in 1980 strengthened small family production, which remained the dominant form during the three decades following this decision. However, the range of users’ rights (for village Communes and family units) has expanded considerably. It has become possible for the holders of these land use rights to “rent” that land out (but never “sell” it), either to other small producers—thus facilitating emigration to the cities, particularly of educated young people who do not want to remain rural residents—or to firms organizing a much larger, modernized farm (never a latifundia, which does not exist in China, but nevertheless considerably larger than family farms). This form is the means used to encourage specialized production (such as good wine, for which China has called on the assistance of experts from Burgundy) or test new scientific methods (GMOs and others).
To “approve” or “reject” the diversity of these systems a priori makes no sense, in my opinion. Once again, the concrete analysis of each of them, both in design and the reality of its implementation, is imperative. The fact remains that the inventive diversity of forms of using commonly held land has led to phenomenal results. First of all, in terms of economic efficiency, although urban population has grown from 20 to 50 percent of total population, China has succeeded in increasing agricultural production to keep pace with the gigantic needs of urbanization. This is a remarkable and exceptional result, unparalleled in the countries of the “capitalist” South. It has preserved and strengthened its food sovereignty, even though it suffers from a major handicap: its agriculture feeds 22 percent of the world’s population reasonably well while it has only 6 percent of the world’s arable land. In addition, in terms of the way (and level) of life of rural populations, Chinese villages no longer have anything in common with what is still dominant elsewhere in the capitalist third world. Comfortable and well-equipped permanent structures form a striking contrast, not only with the former China of hunger and extreme poverty, but also with the extreme forms of poverty that still dominate the countryside of India or Africa.
The principles and policies implemented (land held in common, support for petty production without small property) are responsible for these unequalled results. They have made possible a relatively controlled rural-to-urban migration. Compare that with the capitalist road, in Brazil, for example. Private property in agricultural land has emptied the countryside of Brazil—today only 11 percent of the country’s population. But at least 50 percent of urban residents live in slums (the favelas) and survive only thanks to the “informal economy” (including organized crime). There is nothing similar in China, where the urban population is, as a whole, adequately employed and housed, even in comparison with many “developed countries,” without even mentioning those where the GDP per capita is at the Chinese level!
The population transfer from the extremely densely populated Chinese countryside (only Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Egypt are similar) was essential. It improved conditions for rural petty production, making more land available. This transfer, although relatively controlled (once again, nothing is perfect in the history of humanity, neither in China nor elsewhere), is perhaps threatening to become too rapid. This is being discussed in China.
Chinese State Capitalism
The first label that comes to mind to describe Chinese reality is state capitalism. Very well, but this label remains vague and superficial so long as the specific content is not analyzed.
It is indeed capitalism in the sense that the relation to which the workers are subjected by the authorities who organize production is similar to the one that characterizes capitalism: submissive and alienated labor, extraction of surplus labor. Brutal forms of extreme exploitation of workers exist in China, e.g., in the coal mines or in the furious pace of the workshops that employ women. This is scandalous for a country that claims to want to move forward on the road to socialism. Nevertheless, the establishment of a state capitalist regime is unavoidable, and will remain so everywhere. The developed capitalist countries themselves will not be able to enter a socialist path (which is not on the visible agenda today) without passing through this first stage. It is the preliminary phase in the potential commitment of any society to liberating itself from historical capitalism on the long route to socialism/communism. Socialization and reorganization of the economic system at all levels, from the firm (the elementary unit) to the nation and the world, require a lengthy struggle during an historical time period that cannot be foreshortened.
Beyond this preliminary reflection, we must concretely describe the state capitalism in question by bringing out the nature and the project of the state concerned, because there is not just one type of state capitalism, but many different ones. The state capitalism of France of the Fifth Republic from 1958 to 1975 was designed to serve and strengthen private French monopolies, not to commit the country to a socialist path.
Chinese state capitalism was built to achieve three objectives: (i) construct an integrated and sovereign modern industrial system; (ii) manage the relation of this system with rural petty production; and (iii) control China’s integration into the world system, dominated by the generalized monopolies of the imperialist triad (United States, Europe, Japan). The pursuit of these three priority objectives is unavoidable. As a result it permits a possible advance on the long route to socialism, but at the same time it strengthens tendencies to abandon that possibility in favor of pursuing capitalist development pure and simple. It must be accepted that this conflict is both inevitable and always present. The question then is this: Do China’s concrete choices favor one of the two paths?
Chinese state capitalism required, in its first phase (1954–1980), the nationalization of all companies (combined with the nationalization of agricultural lands), both large and small alike. Then followed an opening to private enterprise, national and/or foreign, and liberalized rural and urban petty production (small companies, trade, services). However, large basic industries and the credit system established during the Maoist period were not denationalized, even if the organizational forms of their integration into a “market” economy were modified. This choice went hand in hand with the establishment of means of control over private initiative and potential partnership with foreign capital. It remains to be seen to what extent these means fulfill their assigned functions or, on the contrary, if they have not become empty shells, collusion with private capital (through “corruption” of management) having gained the upper hand.
Still, what Chinese state capitalism has achieved between 1950 and 2012 is quite simply amazing. It has, in fact, succeeded in building a sovereign and integrated modern productive system to the scale of this gigantic country, which can only be compared with that of the United States. It has succeeded in leaving behind the tight technological dependence of its origins (importation of Soviet, then Western models) through the development of its own capacity to produce technological inventions. However, it has not (yet?) begun the reorganization of labor from the perspective of socialization of economic management. The Plan—and not the “opening”—has remained the central means for implementing this systematic construction.
In the Maoist phase of this development planning, the Plan remained imperative in all details: nature and location of new establishments, production objectives, and prices. At that stage, no reasonable alternative was possible. I will mention here, without pursuing it further, the interesting debate about the nature of the law of value that underpinned planning in this period. The very success—and not the failure—of this first phase required an alteration of the means for pursuing an accelerated development project. The “opening” to private initiative—beginning in 1980, but above all from 1990—was necessary in order to avoid the stagnation that was fatal to the USSR. Despite the fact that this opening coincided with the globalized triumph of neo-liberalism—with all the negative effects of this coincidence, to which I shall return—the choice of a “socialism of the market,” or better yet, a “socialism with the market,” as fundamental for this second phase of accelerated development is largely justified, in my opinion.
The results of this choice are, once again, simply amazing. In a few decades, China has built a productive, industrial urbanization that brings together 600 million human beings, two-thirds of whom were urbanized over the last two decades (almost equal to Europe’s population!). This is due to the Plan and not to the market. China now has a truly sovereign productive system. No other country in the South (except for Korea and Taiwan) has succeeded in doing this. In India and Brazil there are only a few disparate elements of a sovereign project of the same kind, nothing more.
The methods for designing and implementing the Plan have been transformed in these new conditions. The Plan remains imperative for the huge infrastructure investments required by the project: to house 400 million new urban inhabitants in adequate conditions, and to build an unparalleled network of highways, roads, railways, dams, and electric power plants; to open up all or almost all of the Chinese countryside; and to transfer the center of gravity of development from the coastal regions to the continental west. The Plan also remains imperative—at least in part—for the objectives and financial resources of publicly owned enterprises (state, provinces, municipalities). As for the rest, it points to possible and probable objectives for the expansion of small urban commodity production as well as industrial and other private activities. These objectives are taken seriously and the political-economic resources required for their realization are specified. On the whole, the results are not too different from the “planned” predictions.
Chinese state capitalism has integrated into its development project visible social (I am not saying “socialist”) dimensions. These objectives were already present in the Maoist era: eradication of illiteracy, basic health care for everyone, etc. In the first part of the post-Maoist phase (the 1990s), the tendency was undoubtedly to neglect the pursuit of these efforts. However, it should be noted that the social dimension of the project has since won back its place and, in response to active and powerful social movements, is expected to make more headway. The new urbanization has no parallel in any other country of the South. There are certainly “chic” quarters and others that are not at all opulent; but there are no slums, which have continued to expand everywhere else in the cities of the third world.
The Integration of China into Capitalist Globalization
We cannot pursue the analysis of Chinese state capitalism (called “market socialism” by the government) without taking into consideration its integration into globalization.
The Soviet world had envisioned a delinking from the world capitalist system, complementing that delinking by building an integrated socialist system encompassing the USSR and Eastern Europe. The USSR achieved this delinking to a great extent, imposed moreover by the West’s hostility; even blaming the blockade for its isolation. However, the project of integrating Eastern Europe never advanced very far, despite the initiatives of Comecom. The nations of Eastern Europe remained in uncertain and vulnerable positions, partially delinked—but on a strictly national basis—and partially open to Western Europe beginning in 1970. There was never a question of a USSR–China integration, not only because Chinese nationalism would not have accepted it, but even more because China’s priority tasks did not require it. Maoist China practiced delinking in its own way. Should we say that, by reintegrating itself into globalization beginning in the 1990s, it has fully and permanently renounced delinking?
China entered globalization in the 1990s by the path of the accelerated development of manufactured exports possible for its productive system, giving first priority to exports whose rates of growth then surpassed those of the growth in GDP. The triumph of neoliberalism favored the success of this choice for fifteen years (from 1990 to 2005). The pursuit of this choice is questionable not only because of its political and social effects, but also because it is threatened by the implosion of neoliberal globalized capitalism, which began in 2007. The Chinese government appears to be aware of this and very early began to attempt a correction by giving greater importance to the internal market and to development of western China.
To say, as one hears ad nauseam, that China’s success should be attributed to the abandonment of Maoism (whose “failure” was obvious), the opening to the outside, and the entry of foreign capital is quite simply idiotic. The Maoist construction put in place the foundations without which the opening would not have achieved its well-known success. A comparison with India, which has not made a comparable revolution, demonstrates this. To say that China’s success is mainly (even “completely”) attributable to the initiatives of foreign capital is no less idiotic. It is not multinational capital that built the Chinese industrial system and achieved the objectives of urbanization and the construction of infrastructure. The success is 90 percent attributable to the sovereign Chinese project. Certainly, the opening to foreign capital has fulfilled useful functions: it has increased the import of modern technologies. However, because of its partnership methods, China absorbed these technologies and has now mastered their development. There is nothing similar elsewhere, even in India or Brazil, a fortiori in Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, and other places.
China’s integration into globalization has remained, moreover, partial and controlled (or at least controllable, if one wants to put it that way). China has remained outside of financial globalization. Its banking system is completely national and focused on the country’s internal credit market. Management of the yuan is still a matter for China’s sovereign decision making. The yuan is not subject to the vagaries of the flexible exchanges that financial globalization imposes. Beijing can say to Washington, “the yuan is our money and your problem,” just like Washington said to the Europeans in 1971, “the dollar is our money and your problem.” Moreover, China retains a large reserve for deployment in its public credit system. The public debt is negligible compared with the rates of indebtedness (considered intolerable) in the United States, Europe, Japan, and many of the countries in the South. China can thus increase the expansion of its public expenditures without serious danger of inflation.
The attraction of foreign capital to China, from which it has benefitted, is not behind the success of its project. On the contrary, it is the success of the project that has made investment in China attractive for Western transnationals. The countries of the South that opened their doors much wider than China and unconditionally accepted their submission to financial globalization have not become attractive to the same degree. Transnational capital is not attracted to China to pillage the natural resources of the country, nor, without any transfer of technology, to outsource and benefit from low wages for labor; nor to seize the benefits from training and integration of offshored units unrelated to nonexistent national productive systems, as in Morocco and Tunisia; nor even to carry out a financial raid and allow the imperialist banks to dispossess the national savings, as was the case in Mexico, Argentina, and Southeast Asia. In China, by contrast, foreign investments can certainly benefit from low wages and make good profits, on the condition that their plans fit into China’s and allow technology transfer. In sum, these are “normal” profits, but more can be made if collusion with Chinese authorities permits!
China, Emerging Power
No one doubts that China is an emerging power. One current idea is that China is only attempting to recover the place it had occupied for centuries and lost only in the nineteenth century. However, this idea—certainly correct, and flattering, moreover—does not help us much in understanding the nature of this emergence and its real prospects in the contemporary world. Incidentally, those who propagate this general and vague idea have no interest in considering whether China will emerge by rallying to the general principles of capitalism (which they think is probably necessary) or whether it will take seriously its project of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” For my part, I argue that if China is indeed an emerging power, this is precisely because it has not chosen the capitalist path of development pure and simple; and that, as a consequence, if it decided to follow that capitalist path, the project of emergence itself would be in serious danger of failing.
The thesis that I support implies rejecting the idea that peoples cannot leap over the necessary sequence of stages and that China must go through a capitalist development before the question of its possible socialist future is considered. The debate on this question between the different currents of historical Marxism was never concluded. Marx remained hesitant on this question. We know that right after the first European attacks (the Opium Wars), he wrote: the next time that you send your armies to China they will be welcomed by a banner, “Attention, you are at the frontiers of the bourgeois Republic of China.” This is a magnificent intuition and shows confidence in the capacity of the Chinese people to respond to the challenge, but at the same time an error because in fact the banner read: “You are at the frontiers of the People’s Republic of China.” Yet we know that, concerning Russia, Marx did not reject the idea of skipping the capitalist stage (see his correspondence with Vera Zasulich). Today, one might believe that the first Marx was right and that China is indeed on the route to capitalist development.
But Mao understood—better than Lenin—that the capitalist path would lead to nothing and that the resurrection of China could only be the work of communists. The Qing Emperors at the end of the nineteenth century, followed by Sun Yat Sen and the Guomindang, had already planned a Chinese resurrection in response to the challenge from the West. However, they imagined no other way than that of capitalism and did not have the intellectual wherewithal to understand what capitalism really is and why this path was closed to China, and to all the peripheries of the world capitalist system for that matter. Mao, an independent Marxist spirit, understood this. More than that, Mao understood that this battle was not won in advance—by the 1949 victory—and that the conflict between commitment to the long route to socialism, the condition for China’s renaissance, and return to the capitalist fold would occupy the entire visible future.
Personally, I have always shared Mao’s analysis and I shall return to this subject in some of my thoughts concerning the role of the Taiping Revolution (which I consider to be the distant origin of Maoism), the 1911 revolution in China, and other revolutions in the South at the beginning of the twentieth century, the debates at the beginning of the Bandung period and the analysis of the impasses in which the so-called emergent countries of the South committed to the capitalist path are stuck. All these considerations are corollaries of my central thesis concerning the polarization (i.e., construction of the center/periphery contrast) immanent to the world development of historical capitalism. This polarization eliminates the possibility for a country from the periphery to “catch up” within the context of capitalism. We must draw the conclusion: if “catching up” with the opulent countries is impossible, something else must be done—it is called following the socialist path.
China has not followed a particular path just since 1980, but since 1950, although this path has passed through phases that are different in many respects. China has developed a coherent, sovereign project that is appropriate for its own needs. This is certainly not capitalism, whose logic requires that agricultural land be treated as a commodity. This project remains sovereign insofar as China remains outside of contemporary financial globalization.
The fact that the Chinese project is not capitalist does not mean that it “is” socialist, only that it makes it possible to advance on the long road to socialism. Nevertheless, it is also still threatened with a drift that moves it off that road and ends up with a return, pure and simple, to capitalism.
China’s successful emergence is completely the result of this sovereign project. In this sense, China is the only authentically emergent country (along with Korea and Taiwan, about which we will say more later). None of the many other countries to which the World Bank has awarded a certificate of emergence is really emergent because none of these countries is persistently pursuing a coherent sovereign project. All subscribe to the fundamental principles of capitalism pure and simple, even in potential sectors of their state capitalism. All have accepted submission to contemporary globalization in all its dimensions, including financial. Russia and India are partial exceptions to this last point, but not Brazil, South Africa, and others. Sometimes there are pieces of a “national industry policy,” but nothing comparable with the systematic Chinese project of constructing a complete, integrated, and sovereign industrial system (notably in the area of technological expertise).
For these reasons all these other countries, too quickly characterized as emergent, remain vulnerable in varying degrees, but always much more than China. For all these reasons, the appearances of emergence—respectable rates of growth, capacities to export manufactured products—are always linked with the processes of pauperization that impact the majority of their populations (particularly the peasantry), which is not the case with China. Certainly the growth of inequality is obvious everywhere, including China; but this observation remains superficial and deceptive. Inequality in the distribution of benefits from a model of growth that nevertheless excludes no one (and is even accompanied with a reduction in pockets of poverty—this is the case in China) is one thing; the inequality connected with a growth that benefits only a minority (from 5 percent to 30 percent of the population, depending on the case) while the fate of the others remains desperate is another thing. The practitioners of China bashing are unaware—or pretend to be unaware—of this decisive difference. The inequality that is apparent from the existence of quarters with luxurious villas, on the one hand, and quarters with comfortable housing for the middle and working classes, on the other, is not the same as the inequality apparent from the juxtaposition of wealthy quarters, middle-class housing, and slums for the majority. The Gini coefficients are valuable for measuring the changes from one year to another in a system with a fixed structure. However, in international comparisons between systems with different structures, they lose their meaning, like all other measures of macroeconomic magnitudes in national accounts. The emergent countries (other than China) are indeed “emergent markets,” open to penetration by the monopolies of the imperialist triad. These markets allow the latter to extract, to their benefit, a considerable part of the surplus value produced in the country in question. China is different: it is an emergent nation in which the system makes possible the retention of the majority of the surplus value produced there.
Korea and Taiwan are the only two successful examples of an authentic emergence in and through capitalism. These two countries owe this success to the geostrategic reasons that led the United States to allow them to achieve what Washington prohibited others from doing. The contrast between the support of the United States to the state capitalism of these two countries and the extremely violent opposition to state capitalism in Nasser’s Egypt or Boumedienne’s Algeria is, on this account, quite illuminating.
I will not discuss here potential projects of emergence, which appear quite possible in Vietnam and Cuba, or the conditions of a possible resumption of progress in this direction in Russia. Nor will I discuss the strategic objectives of the struggle by progressive forces elsewhere in the capitalist South, in India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Arab World, and Africa, which could facilitate moving beyond current impasses and encourage the emergence of sovereign projects that initiate a true rupture with the logic of dominant capitalism.
Great Successes, New Challenges
China has not just arrived at the crossroads; it has been there every day since 1950. Social and political forces from the right and left, active in society and the party, have constantly clashed.
Where does the Chinese right come from? Certainly, the former comprador and bureaucratic bourgeoisies of the Guomindang were excluded from power. However, over the course of the war of liberation, entire segments of the middle classes, professionals, functionaries, and industrialists, disappointed by the ineffectiveness of the Guomindang in the face of Japanese aggression, drew closer to the Communist Party, even joining it. Many of them—but certainly not all—remained nationalists, and nothing more. Subsequently, beginning in 1990 with the opening to private initiative, a new, more powerful, right made its appearance. It should not be reduced simply to “businessmen” who have succeeded and made (sometimes colossal) fortunes, strengthened by their clientele—including state and party officials, who mix control with collusion, and even corruption.
This success, as always, encourages support for rightist ideas in the expanding educated middle classes. It is in this sense that the growing inequality—even if it has nothing in common with inequality characteristic of other countries in the South—is a major political danger, the vehicle for the spread of rightist ideas, depoliticization, and naive illusions.
Here I shall make an additional observation that I believe is important: petty production, particularly peasant, is not motivated by rightist ideas, like Lenin thought (that was accurate in Russian conditions). China’s situation contrasts here with that of the ex-USSR. The Chinese peasantry, as a whole, is not reactionary because it is not defending the principle of private property, in contrast with the Soviet peasantry, whom the communists never succeeded in turning away from supporting the kulaks in defense of private property. On the contrary, the Chinese peasantry of petty producers (without being small property owners) is today a class that does not offer rightist solutions, but is part of the camp of forces agitating for the adoption of the most courageous social and ecological policies. The powerful movement of “renovating rural society” testifies to this. The Chinese peasantry largely stands in the leftist camp, with the working class. The left has its organic intellectuals and it exercises some influence on the state and party apparatuses.
The perpetual conflict between the right and left in China has always been reflected in the successive political lines implemented by the state and party leadership. In the Maoist era, the leftist line did not prevail without a fight. Assessing the progress of rightist ideas within the party and its leadership, a bit like the Soviet model, Mao unleashed the Cultural Revolution to fight it. “Bombard the Headquarters,” that is, the Party leadership, where the “new bourgeoisie” was forming. However, while the Cultural Revolution met Mao’s expectations during the first two years of its existence, it subsequently deviated into anarchy, linked to the loss of control by Mao and the left in the party over the sequence of events. This deviation led to the state and party taking things in hand again, which gave the right its opportunity. Since then, the right has remained a strong part of all leadership bodies. Yet the left is present on the ground, restricting the supreme leadership to compromises of the “center”—but is that center right or center left?
To understand the nature of challenges facing China today, it is essential to understand that the conflict between China’s sovereign project, such as it is, and North American imperialism and its subaltern European and Japanese allies will increase in intensity to the extent that China continues its success. There are several areas of conflict: China’s command of modern technologies, access to the planet’s resources, the strengthening of China’s military capacities, and pursuit of the objective of reconstructing international politics on the basis of the sovereign rights of peoples to choose their own political and economic system. Each of these objectives enters into direct conflict with the objectives pursued by the imperialist triad.
The objective of U.S. political strategy is military control of the planet, the only way that Washington can retain the advantages that give it hegemony. This objective is being pursued by means of the preventive wars in the Middle East, and in this sense these wars are the preliminary to the preventive (nuclear) war against China, cold-bloodedly envisaged by the North American establishment as possibly necessary “before it is too late.” Fomenting hostility to China is inseparable from this global strategy, which is manifest in the support shown for the slaveowners of Tibet and Sinkiang, the reinforcement of the U.S. naval presence in the China Sea, and the unstinting encouragement to Japan to build its military forces. The practitioners of China bashing contribute to keeping this hostility alive.
Simultaneously, Washington is devoted to manipulating the situation by appeasing the possible ambitions of China and the other so-called emergent countries through the creation of the G20, which is intended to give these countries the illusion that their adherence to liberal globalization would serve their interests. The G2 (United States/China) is—in this vein—a trap that, in making China the accomplice of the imperialist adventures of the United States, could cause Beijing’s peaceful foreign policy to lose all its credibility.
The only possible effective response to this strategy must proceed on two levels: (i) strengthen China’s military forces and equip them with the potential for a deterrent response, and (ii) tenaciously pursue the objective of reconstructing a polycentric international political system, respectful of all national sovereignties, and, to this effect, act to rehabilitate the United Nations, now marginalized by NATO. I emphasize the decisive importance of the latter objective, which entails the priority of reconstructing a “front of the South” (Bandung 2?) capable of supporting the independent initiatives of the peoples and states of the South. It implies, in turn, that China becomes aware that it does not have the means for the absurd possibility of aligning with the predatory practices of imperialism (pillaging the natural resources of the planet), since it lacks a military power similar to that of the United States, which in the last resort is the guarantee of success for imperialist projects. China, in contrast, has much to gain by developing its offer of support for the industrialization of the countries of the South, which the club of imperialist “donors” is trying to make impossible.
The language used by Chinese authorities concerning international questions, restrained in the extreme (which is understandable), makes it difficult to know to what extent the leaders of the country are aware of the challenges analyzed above. More seriously, this choice of words reinforces naive illusions and depoliticization in public opinion.
The other part of the challenge concerns the question of democratizing the political and social management of the country.
Mao formulated and implemented a general principle for the political management of the new China that he summarized in these terms: rally the left, neutralize (I add: and not eliminate) the right, govern from the center left. In my opinion, this is the best way to conceive of an effective manner for moving through successive advances, understood and supported by the great majority. In this way, Mao gave a positive content to the concept of democratization of society combined with social progress on the long road to socialism. He formulated the method for implementing this: “the mass line” (go down into the masses, learn their struggles, go back to the summits of power). Lin Chun has analyzed with precision the method and the results that it makes possible.
The question of democratization connected with social progress—in contrast with a “democracy” disconnected from social progress (and even frequently connected with social regression)—does not concern China alone, but all the world’s peoples. The methods that should be implemented for success cannot be summarized in a single formula, valid in all times and places. In any case, the formula offered by Western media propaganda—multiple parties and elections—should quite simply be rejected. Moreover, this sort of “democracy” turns into farce, even in the West, more so elsewhere. The “mass line” was the means for producing consensus on successive, constantly progressing, strategic objectives. This is in contrast with the “consensus” obtained in Western countries through media manipulation and the electoral farce, which is nothing more than alignment with the requirements of capital.
Yet today, how should China begin to reconstruct the equivalent of a new mass line in new social conditions? It will not be easy because the power of the leadership, which has moved mostly to the right in the Communist Party, bases the stability of its management on depoliticization and the naive illusions that go along with that. The very success of the development policies strengthens the spontaneous tendency to move in this direction. It is widely believed in China, in the middle classes, that the royal road to catching up with the way of life in the opulent countries is now open, free of obstacles; it is believed that the states of the triad (United States, Europe, Japan) do not oppose that; U.S. methods are even uncritically admired; etc. This is particularly true for the urban middle classes, which are rapidly expanding and whose conditions of life are incredibly improved. The brainwashing to which Chinese students are subject in the United States, particularly in the social sciences, combined with a rejection of the official unimaginative and tedious teaching of Marxism, have contributed to narrowing the spaces for radical critical debates.
The government in China is not insensitive to the social question, not only because of the tradition of a discourse founded on Marxism, but also because the Chinese people, who learned how to fight and continue to do so, force the government’s hand. If, in the 1990s, this social dimension had declined before the immediate priorities of speeding up growth, today the tendency is reversed. At the very moment when the social-democratic conquests of social security are being eroded in the opulent West, poor China is implementing the expansion of social security in three dimensions—health, housing, and pensions. China’s popular housing policy, vilified by the China bashing of the European right and left, would be envied, not only in India or Brazil, but equally in the distressed areas of Paris, London, or Chicago!
Social security and the pension system already cover 50 percent of the urban population (which has increased, recall, from 200 to 600 million inhabitants!) and the Plan (still carried out in China) anticipates increasing the covered population to 85 percent in the coming years. Let the journalists of China bashing give us comparable examples in the “countries embarked on the democratic path,” which they continually praise. Nevertheless, the debate remains open on the methods for implementing the system. The left advocates the French system of distribution based on the principle of solidarity between these workers and different generations—which prepares for the socialism to come—while the right, obviously, prefers the odious U.S. system of pension funds, which divides workers and transfers the risk from capital to labor.
However, the acquisition of social benefits is insufficient if it is not combined with democratization of the political management of society, with its re-politicization by methods that strengthen the creative invention of forms for the socialist/communist future.
Following the principles of a multi-party electoral system as advocated ad nauseam by Western media and the practitioners of China bashing, and defended by “dissidents” presented as authentic “democrats,” does not meet the challenge. On the contrary, the implementation of these principles could only produce in China, as all the experiences of the contemporary world demonstrate (in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Arab world), the self-destruction of the project of emergence and social renaissance, which is in fact the actual objective of advocating these principles, masked by an empty rhetoric (“there is no other solution than multi-party elections”!). Yet it is not sufficient to counter this bad solution with a fallback to the rigid position of defending the privilege of the “party,” itself sclerotic and transformed into an institution devoted to recruitment of officials for state administration. Something new must be invented.
The objectives of re-politicization and creation of conditions favorable to the invention of new responses cannot be obtained through “propaganda” campaigns. They can only be promoted through social, political, and ideological struggles. That implies the preliminary recognition of the legitimacy of these struggles and legislation based on the collective rights of organization, expression, and proposing legislative initiatives. That implies, in turn, that the party itself is involved in these struggles; in other words, reinvents the Maoist formula of the mass line. Re-politicization makes no sense if it is not combined with procedures that encourage the gradual conquest of responsibility by workers in the management of their society at all levels—company, local, and national. A program of this sort does not exclude recognition of the rights of the individual person. On the contrary, it supposes their institutionalization. Its implementation would make it possible to reinvent new ways of using elections to choose leaders.
Acknowledgements
This paper owes much to the debates organized in China (November–December 2012) by Lau Kin Chi (Linjang University, Hong Kong), in association with the South West University of Chongqing (Wen Tiejun), Renmin and Xinhua Universities of Beijing (Dai Jinhua, Wang Hui), the CASS (Huang Ping) and to meetings with groups of activists from the rural movement in the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan and Chongqing. I extend to all of them my thanks and hope that this paper will be useful for their ongoing discussions. It also owes much to my reading of the writings of Wen Tiejun and Wang Hui.
Notes
? China bashing refers to the favored sport of Western media of all tendencies—including the left, unfortunately—that consists of systematically denigrating, even criminalizing, everything done in China. China exports cheap junk to the poor markets of the third world (this is true), a horrible crime. However, it also produces high-speed trains, airplanes, satellites, whose marvelous technological quality is praised in the West, but to which China should have no right! They seem to think that the mass construction of housing for the working class is nothing but the abandonment of workers to slums and liken “inequality” in China (working class houses are not opulent villas) to that in India (opulent villas side-by-side with slums), etc. China bashing panders to the infantile opinion found in some currents of the powerless Western “left”: if it is not the communism of the twenty-third century, it is a betrayal! China bashing participates in the systematic campaign of maintaining hostility towards China, in view of a possible military attack. This is nothing less than a question of destroying the opportunities for an authentic emergence of a great people from the South.
Sources
The Chinese Path and the Agrarian Question
Karl Kautsky, On the Agrarian Question, 2 vols. (London: Zwan Publications, 1988). Originally published 1899.
Samir Amin, “The Paris Commune and the Taiping Revolution,” International Critical Thought, forthcoming in 2013.
Samir Amin, “The 1911 Revolution in a World Historical Perspective: A Comparison with the Meiji Restoration and the Revolutions in Mexico, Turkey and Egypt,” published in Chinese in 1990.
Samir Amin, Ending the Crisis of Capitalism or Ending Capitalism? (Oxford: Pambazuka Press, 2011), chapter 5, “The Agrarian Question.”
Contemporary Globalization, the Imperialist Challenge
Samir Amin, A Life Looking Forward: Memoirs of An Independent Marxist(London: Zed Books, 2006), chapter 7, “Deployment and Erosion of the Bandung Project.”
Samir Amin, The Law of Worldwide Value (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2010), “Initiatives from the South,” 121ff, section 4.
Samir Amin, The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism (New York: Monthly Review Press, forthcoming in 2013), chapter 2, “The South: Emergence and Lumpendevelopment.”
Samir Amin, Beyond US Hegemony (London: Zed Books, 2006). “The Project of the American Ruling Class,” “China, Market Socialism?,” “Russia, Out of the Tunnel?,” “India, A Great Power?,” and “Multipolarity in the 20th Century.”
Samir Amin, Obsolescent Capitalism (London: Zed Books, 2003), chapter 5, “The Militarization of the New Collective Imperialism.”
André Gunder Frank, ReOrient: Global Economy in the Asian Age (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998).
Yash Tandon, Ending Aid Dependence (Oxford: Fahamu, 2008).
The Democratic Challenge
Samir Amin, “The Democratic Fraud and the Universalist Alternative,” Monthly Review 63, no. 5 (October 2011): 29–45.
Lin Chun, The Transformation of Chinese Socialism (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1996).
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“Kenya Decision 2013: The Kenyan Diaspora and the March Elections”
First, I want to register my heartfelt thanks to the US Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs Ms. Nicole Peacock in Partnership with The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa Ms. Bernadette; who put together logistics and invited us to attend an indulging, resourceful and open collaborative diplomacy exchange where we learned more about what the U.S. Government is doing to support peaceful, credible, free and fair elections in Kenya and also gave the Diaspora members opportunity to share their thoughts on the upcoming elections.
I was truly grateful for the introduction from Steve Walker, Director of the Office of East African Affairs who was kind enough to set stage for a more conducive, friendly and cordial atmosphere for the engagement. We appreciated recognition in attendance of Lucy with colleague Representatives from Embassy of Kenya, with the introduction of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Teitelbaum who gave us a broader perspective of what USA in Partnership with Kenya Government is doing on the ground to help Kenya gain a Peaceful, credible, free and fair elections.
Among those in attendance, there were notably USAID official Representatives, the Co-founder of Pan African Entrepreneurs (PAEC), Mr. Harry C. Alford with a good number of Kenyan Diasporas, the NGOs, activists and Media Representatives.
I had serious concerns that the elections are coming close with a few days to go while:
Ø the situation of electoral process and procedures for Integrity for candidates examination for background checks and balances flawed and was not in compliance resulting in the irregularity of awarding certificates to favor some contestants against the will of voters
Ø the buying of voter IDs to rig election is going on in very high scale all over the country and it is a way to take advantage of poverty stricken people with millions of helpless and desperate Internally displaced persons. These group of people have not been provided with any Civic Education to prepare them and make them aware of their value added voting rights potentials, sensitizing them about the Reform Accord Agreement for the New Constitution with prospects of development resources available for respective Community engagement to spur progressive projects in their respective County’s Development Programs
Ø the unresolved explosive of land grabbing with constant insecurities including continued unfair forced evictions of the local communities from their ancestral land are rendering people hopelessly homeless in area such like Nyanza, Turkana, Garissa, Isiolo, Rift Valley, Mombasa, Taita Tavetta, Kwale, Tana River, Lamu has created a very worrisome situation
Ø Voter Education is lacking and many people do not understand what they are about to get into. The Voter Education as was done during the Referendum was very successful and there is need of the same to be applied so people understand what County Devolution Governance entails, how it works with what is expected from Governors in order to commit responsibility with integrity to render collective and consultative public service in a balanced transparent manner to the County’s Communities efficiently and effective according to mandate.
Ø Presently as is on the ground, there are serious loopholes of insecurities and from irregularities which are providing fodder for corruption and rigging that have not been rectified and is providing worrisome fears.
Ø failing to provide an Independent Transitional team headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court according to the Reform Accord Agreement of the New Constitution the present Team under Mr. Kimemia is not in compliance where Kimemia is seen to have awarded himself powers of appointing and managing the Transitional caretaker with members of his Kikuyu tribe from top police and intelligence avoiding inclusion of other 43 Tribal group. This shall not factor fairness of representation as is required in the Devolution Reform Accord Agreement
Ø Failing to Reform the Police which was top requirement for Reform and was the reason for 2007/8 Extrajudicial killings the matter was shelved until after election, so to be fixed by the next government and this is completely wrong as it is unacceptable. There are fears that this behavior has cultivated for mixed reactions as presently, there are looming insecurities and threats that are building up with the recent death threat and travelling denial by the Permanent Secretary Mr. Kimemia put on Chief Justice Willy Mutunga forcing him to make public statement fearing for his life and to stop him from travelling on official duty. Coupled with all the mushrooming insecurities in the Country, the environment in the country is fluid and has developed ripples of fears that a repeat of 2007/8 is very evident in the minds of many.
Additionally, in a new development, IEBC to simply object a suit filed by Aluochier questioning integrity of qualifications of candidates at the Supreme Courts is stepping overboard and is considered frustrating Chief Justice from executing fair justice to the public. It is unethically wrong and unconstitutional.
It is Aluochier’s constitutional right to be heard before elections can proceed. IEBC does not have autonomy according to Reform Accord Agreement for the New Constitution to assume powers and control over matters filed at the Supreme Courts. As a matter of concern, IEBC is shrouded with lots of constitutional flaws and irregularities that to allow March 4th 2013 election to go on will be suicidal except to consider suspending it for a few more moths to correct the anomalies.
The above concerns informed my justified opinion to request for an appeal that we do the right thing the first time; that we correct the anomalies and fix flaws with other irregularities staged for rigging the election so we make history and be a show-case to other African Nations.
As I understand and know the people of Kenya over the years,, they are peaceful and very loving, it is therefore considered fair to give all Kenyans irrespectively a reliable Democratic space free from rigging, intimidation and fear-factor so they have an opportunity to excercise their true democratic rights like they did during the Referendum to participate in the first Reform Change election in an environment which is free from terrorism but which is peaceful, credible, free and fair. As things stand, this is not the case. The elections of March 4th 2013 under the above worrisome conditions is seen to fashion a stage-managed election to favor a certain tribal group against the 43 tribes of Kenya, for which case, it shall remain flawed, Null and Void as the process is flawed and is not in compliance with Reform Accord Agreement of the New Constitution.
The coming election is very crucial for Kenya people, partners, friends and sympathizers that it should be done the right way the first time and therefore, the election of March 4th be deferred but if we provide a little more time for fixing the irregularities, we are able to provide the Civic Education which is lacking, include the Diasporas to participate in the electioneering to vote and correct the flaws and irregularities before the date of next election can be seen to be peaceful, credible, free and fair.
It is critical that my request be urgently considered so at the end of it all, we shall be happy under peace caring and sharing for common good of all, and who ever wins, we shall join in the celebration to congratulate the winner and joining to repair past differences amicably without any animosity.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
and Special Coordinator Representative for Pan Africa
World African Diaspora Union (WADU)
in Maryland, Virginia and DC
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IEBC opposes suit against candidates
Updated Wednesday, February 27 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By WAHOME THUKU
Kenya: The national electoral agency has lodged an objection to a suit seeking to block top presidential contenders and their running mates from being on the ballot in next week’s polls.
The Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) wants the case filed by a voter at the Supreme Court dismissed, arguing it cannot be determined by that court.
The petition, set to be heard today, has been filed by Mr Isaac Aluochier and is challenging the qualification of Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi, Peter Kenneth and two running mates, Kalonzo Musyoka and William Ruto, to gun for the top seats.
Mr Aluochier contends the top presidential candidates should not have been nominated to vie for the seats as they were constitutionally unqualified. The voter in Migori argues that Raila, Uhuru, Mudavadi and Kenneth were already State officers when nominated by their respective parties and should not have been cleared by IEBC.
“While the Constitution allows a sitting President and his/her deputy to run for the two seats, it does not allow the PM, DPM and ministers,” he said. He said the four cannot argue they were MPs because on their nominations, Parliament’s term had already expired.
IEBC says 31,000 missing from voters’ list
Updated Wednesday, February 27 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By ROSELYNE OBALA
Nairobi; Kenya: About 31,000 voters are missing from the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has disclosed.
Part of this number is that of those who registered more than once. However, the electoral body has assured the public that there is no cause for alarm. IEBC Voter Registration Director Immaculate Kassait said those affected would be allowed to vote if their details are in the manual register. “It does not mean these voters will not participate in the elections. We are going to use the manual register to check their details,” she explained.
Ms Kassait continued: “If their names are in the register and they did not registere twice, they will vote.”
She said some of the affected voters registered multiple times.
She spoke at Nairobi’s Bomas of Kenya, where the commission has set up the National Elections Centre, after a meeting with political parties liaison committee and Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u in last-minute preparations for the Monday polls.
Party representatives had an opportunity to be taken through the final arrangements. The area is cordoned off and only accredited persons are allowed access.
Kimemia faces contempt charges over tender row
Updated Friday, February 22 2013 at 00:00 GMT+3
By Lucianne Limo
KENYA: A Chinese company that won a multi-billion shilling security tender that was later cancelled by Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia wants to institute contempt of court and defamation charges against him.
ZTE Corporation through their lawyer Donald Kipkorir said it is aggrieved by Kimemia’s letter asking Ministry of Internal Security to cancel the tender.
“We have firm instructions to demand, which we hereby do, your immediate withdrawal of your said letter and in any event before the end of today, in default, whereof our instructions are to institute criminal and civil contempt proceedings against you,” reads part of the letter to Kimemia.
The company wants the Head of Civil Service held in contempt on grounds that he has interfered with the matter yet the court had issued stay orders on the tender pending the hearing and determination of a case filed by a firm that lost the contract.
On Monday, Kimemia cancelled the tender and ordered the contract be re-advertised, saying costs ballooned and serious allegations of irregularity were made with regard to the tender
High Court Judge George Odunga ordered the Minister for Internal Security not to award the contract to any party pending the determination of the case filed by Huawei Technologies Company. The court issued the interim orders after Huawei, which bid for the tender alongside five other companies, challenged a decision by Public Procurement Administrative Review Board dismissing its appeal for review of the tendering process.
Repeat process
The board dismissed Huawei’s appeal and directed the Ministry of Internal Security to go ahead and award the contract to the successful bidder, ZTE Corporation.
Huawei filed an appeal before the procurement board complaining that the Ministry of Internal Security had a flawed tender process, but its case to have a repeat of the process was dismissed prompting it to move to the High Court.
ZTE Corporation says Kimemia has defamed them by alleging that they exaggerated the cost of project in excess of Sh1.8 billion up from initial estimated costs of Sh7 billion.
ZTE also says Kimemia’s assertion that they influenced the evaluation process and offered kickbacks to some officials to influence preferred outcome amounts to libel.
