Africa Re-colonised….

Along the years of my traveling in Africa I was always observant to demographic variations among air travelers and passengers, from empty seats, to Franco-phone African talking about “L’Afrique”, to the Europeans who think they shall get the elephants to mount them, to Americans who just came out of World Bank pockets as the solution, to the missionaries talking about the despair, yet collect more donations from the needy, to the Chinese who do not speak anyone except the Chinese!!!!. The problem this time, they were almost 35% of the passengers on the flight.

I always judge people with their belief system, and none I awe more than those who adopt the following proverbs saying:

• If you are patient enough you shall see the corps of your enemy floating down the river.
• Don’t give me a fish, but teach me how to fish a fish.

I believe that the above two proverbs are the inherent rules in the Chinese belief system and the main strategies that they use to conquer the world. China has adopted same strategy against USA and now it is watching the American Corp struggling to survive down the financial turbulent and turbid river.

The Chinese danger is that they are looking at “the bottom of the pyramid”, and they are uprooting the grass-roots’ opportunities in Africa. Those who have some small trading jobs here and there…..I am not saying the Chinese are wrong in their strategy to invade and colonies Africa peacefully. It the solution to their problems, where a low productivity, corruption coupled with low population density. It seems African to be the solution to all Chinese current social and demographic problems; but it seems that the African countries their and governments have lost contact with and vision of their grass-roots and they cannot hear anymore their hunger roaring

The reader may agree that those governments need the blessing of the new up coming master, but the problem that this master is not coming with new technology or development techniques, the Chinese are coming with ethnic replacement… they are creating closed communities competing with small traders, and they are financially supported by the their government, through subsidiaries schemes and incentives,

How can the poor and the helpless grass-root Africans compete with that?….at least when they used to import from china and sell in their mother land and continent, they had a job then, but now with the demographic replacement of the Africans by Chinese is dangerous, especially when they are up-rooting the citizens from their jobs, then they will create a monopoly of production, supply and afterwards ….politics

Wake up Africa and “don’t inhale”…

The Vehicle Roles and the Dogs Bark

I have been trying to visualise the political landscape in South Africa without the presence of ANC, and I came up with a shocking discovery….The other parties (DA and COPE) would have nothing to provide that country, as there will be nothing to moan about, instead of working.

The South African Parties (COPE AND DA) are wasting huge amount of money and efforts on the war on ANC and Zuma rather than providing any tangible or trustworthy competition and alternatives….they are politically bankrupt to the extent they can only launch hatred campaigns.

I was observing the South African media for past 2 days with astoundment to the level of legal and constitutional ignorance of most of the presenters and most of their guests, where everyone says “but Zuma should answer to those charges”….since when the onus is on the accused to prove, it is the prosecutor that has to prove beyond reasonable doubt (in criminal cases) and by balance of possibilities in civil case…..I repeat; if it is criminal charges it has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt….where is this in the Zuma case?….more so the prosecutor is saying I cannot win because I cannot achieve conviction with ” beyond reasonable doubt”; yet everyone goes to Zuma to ask him to still defend himself…..

Also I support the fact that the local media is biased against Zuma, any blind person can see it where some channels are just pouring hatred…..Please note that it is an election year and Parties have to draw up better plans to convince the voters they are the best and can do for the masses better than Zuma…..

When a party or person is politically bankrupt, it or he can do nothing except barking at successful passers….

Wake up COPE and DA, I am sure you can do better than that;l otherwise appear busy….

NED

What are we having now!!!

I am watching with dismay all what is happening in the world now….since the questioned electio of Mr. Bush Jr. the world is no more the same….it is an old piece of news what I am arguing here, but I am not very optimistic about the election of Obama….it is unprecedented that 80% whites elects the black boy of Kenya to be the president of the strongest country in the world, I am yet to see that, as my wondering mind goes into rampage. The bush family, its supporters and benefactors have been always in control of the main stream media, which polished Obama to the extreme….it is like feeding and growing a lamb before slaughtering him….Honestly I am very pessimistic…I hope this election process will not end up with the republicans on top of the American institutions again; after cooking the lamb over the election plate…..anyway, there is always tomorrow to see.

Sometimes I asked myself what would have come upon the world if Algore has become the president of the USA, for sure more winds of peace would have blown all over the world, due to the healthy environment that he would have persuade…anyway …. it is a ll a bunch of weighed possibilities that is how the world is formed…

When you go in any street in Africa now they have a big dreams about Obama, some which nears the myth of Robin Hood….I fail to agree….the African Americans struggled for generations to bring a black person to the administration, and when they succeeded they ended with Ms Rice!!!! what a nightmare …..

Another issue that suddenly came on the international scene, it the issue of Zimbabwe… and uncle Bob fierce resistance to international interference in his internal issues and the challenge to country sovereignty….

I am surprised how the main stream media always fails to mention how the crisis started during the early nineties , when UK failed to honour its treaty and agreement with Zimbabwe to compensate the little country, and using the gay rights as a reason for evasions of its responsibilities….

However a person that looks deeper in the current Zim crisis, would also question the role of the South African main stream media (mainly controlled by European descents). As if this crisis and the torment that Zim is enduring to just to frighten the neighboring reluctant South Africa away from the land reform initiatives….

Zim has no Oil, no strategic location; it has no challenging military power, it has nothing rather limited fertile soil mainly controlled by white and some mining activities, yet it shares borders and history with America’s African Jewel; South Africa!!…..thus the more international “diplomatic” Terror is focused on ZIM it would horify fragile, yet ambitious, South Africa. it would for sure delay transformation of mining industry and land reforms which are the main sources of income to the country and mainly controlled by the white minority of 7% percent of the population….I just remembered that the main stream media also has also conveniently forget to mention that the whole wealth of Zim was concentrated in the hands of 1% of the population before the start of the Crisis…how can 1% of the population control more than 90% of the wealth of a nation and yet they feel safe….especially when it is also coupled with ethnic major differences?!!!!!.

Anyhow…days are yet to deliver…

the Wondering mind of

Ned

IN THE EYE OF BEHOLDER……….

South Africa due to its geo-politics is an unequal state…at least it is the land of the last respectable standing man Mr. Mandela.

The legendary Mandela presence has bestowed on South Africa an enigma, a legend of perseverance and resistance. I personally count him as one of the greatest men that has ever lived on earth…..his presence convince me that the human history can be turned around and be reinvented at any point of time with enough will and dedication.

In the recent years South Africa has embarked on capital marketing campaign, it also portrayed itself as the defender of the destitute Africa and the leader of its states. This campaign has started in the late nineties of last century and still continuing …..It increased the number of tourist and also impacted positively on the trade to African countries.

I recently visited that country for a holiday, it is my second visit since my last visit of 1999, I stayed about a month and I have noted great differences during my discussions with some friends that I cherish….

I also noted that the solid ANC has become human, and started admitting its internal illnesses and the media was able to capture vehemently what is happening in the secret alleys of the ANC. I have also noted a vigorous official media campaign against Mr. Zuma which shows that the state media was used in favor of one campaigner to the disadvantage of the other….what amazed me is that the results of the ANC election contradicted the state media propaganda…..it shows that there is another routes for campaigning in South Africa and I had to bow in respect for the abilities of such underground network that can coordinate such directions. I have not seen it anywhere, that a state media is smearing a person with all sorts of accusations yet the people still select him….it is obvious that the network that once supported Mandela to power is working efficiently in isolation of the official state media and press…..

Of course as a visitor I am not in a position to judge whether Mr. Zuma is at fault or not, that is something to be decided by courts, but my fear is, can the state judiciary system be influenced by the position of the current president of the country like that of the state media? If this happens then South Africa has became African and somehow got infected with the same African diseases that most of the African countries are enduring, especially, when the state recourses are used in favor of one campaigner against the other.

Mr. Zuma might not be popular in the west due to his communist back ground, also I recall when the current president went to a G8 meeting reporting on how democracy is secured after he has fired his deputy or his deputy asked to be fired on the tail of corruption allegations…As an internal matter what does the G8 has to do with such report, and why did Mr. Country President did not report that the lack of access to justice as a major issue and that the alarming level of crime across South Africa, in both urban and rural areas, is an example of lack of protection of their human and civil rights. More so he denied such claims when presented during a NEPAD meeting. Does he deny it like the fact he denies that HIV can be a cause of death.

Some of my friends said that he is a president in denial, and that his administration in the past few months has suffered a lot of blows from a Health Minister scandal to corruptions allegations against his favored police commissioner…..

Anyhow, if the corruption allegations are increasing, it shows South Africa has really blended to its mother Africa, resulting in increased electric power cuts and high cost of living.

If South Africa need to get back on track, it is necessary to admit to the current problems, abide by its constitution and start self-cleansing process like the one headed by Mr. Tito in the mid Nineties.

I believe South Africa soul and spirit can resurrect, as long it house people like Mandela. I believe that if a president has failed in one aspect or several aspects it does not diminish him to admit it and pave the way for other vigorous leadership that can assist in correction. Mandela, when he decided to step down for the current country president, he showed disdain to power and he has proved to be beyond power, he is a legend.

I hope that the current president of South Africa has enough wisdom and vision for that young promising country, and disinfect it from the prevailing disease in Africa called “Power-neurosis”

The wondering mind of,

Ned

Democracy and The Poor

Prahalad in his masterpiece “The Fortune At The Bottom of The Pyramid” enumerated the poor of the world to be about 4.0 billion people out of the 6.5 Billion occupying our planet (excluding UFOs of course). He said that the poor represent a “latent Market” for goods and services. He saw the numbers in that market, the same way the politicians see the poor during election times. Prahalad mentions that the basic economics in the markets at the BOP is based on small packaging of units, low margin, high volume and high return on the capital employed. I may have misunderstood him but what he mainly says to the multi-nationals is package your products in small packages, yet with the same profit margin or higher and use the poor. The previous statement is reflected during a discussion group in the elegant study of Naryan and al “The Voice of The Poor -Crying Out For Change” The study stated that the people in poor areas sometimes have to pay more for what they do get or have to provide services for themselves.

The position of a politicians during a political campaign may not differ in context but may differ in content. The needs of the Poor are simple, as emphasized by Naryan’s study; a simple job, an effective public health service and usable infrastructure. Yet they are not getting it. So now a politician role is to package those demands in little packages and make promises.

In developing countries of Africa, usually the poor finds it quite entertaining and profitable to attend the election campaigns. In some places in Africa it was recently announced that the bidding cost for vote’s can go up $3000 each. While in the North Africa the situation did not differ much but the cost is far less. Usually the women are the prime customers or targets of those campaigns, where campaigners or their sponsors promise them a basket of food and some cash that varies between U.S.$2.0 to $20 per vote. The same voters are also warned not to renegade as they are watched closely even in the privacy of the cubicles of the election station. In other sub-Saharan Africa the election process is less costly; rigging of elections is the main theme of the day. Some people were talking about ghostly election and that the dead are so loyal to the system and keen on voting, to the extent that their papers voting papers fill the ballots before those of the living.

Of course it is quite cheaper to pay such immediate tributes – especially if it is coming from the state coffers – than trying to achieve the long term investments in the dreams of the poor and realizing it. The later process requires a lot of work, determination and energy. While politicians in the election aftermath are usually either busy recovering investment or expanding their investments portfolios.

The question is “can people under dire needs elect”, can a group that is suffering the eco-harshness and illiteracy elect or can people suffering from epidemics and contaminated water, plants and soil elect. Do they have really the freedom of thought? Can they compare and question a politician or those sponsoring him, asking them for change? What are their tools for enforcing their will in case he or she failed to deliver on the campaign promises?, rather to remain waiting for the next campaign that may be rigged or never come? Are they educated enough to know their rights?. Are they allowed the freedom of speech to negotiate and discuss their future without being harassed by military or police brutality? Does anyone listen to them? Of course the purpose of these questions is not recommending exclusion but devising a real mechanism for performance monitoring for politicians, especially in Africa, without the interference of any influence group, super-power or interest group. If any one claims that parliaments in Africa and alike can monitor, I fail to agree, as they need to be monitored. It is a mind probing question.

While International Organizations talk about reinforcing NGOs to monitor, they only finance those who can dance to their tunes. One of the most entertainment sessions is when you see an employee of an International Organizations or official talks about their work for the poor and how they care for them. The funny aspect is that the offices of such officials in the African countries are always located in the richest business areas (miles from poor) and after work they drive to the rich neighborhoods, to enjoy a full belly, good pints of Blue Label or parading from one nonsense reception to another.

How can they feel the needs of the poor and how can they really assist the poor when they failed to stop all the criminal military activities and the wars in Africa. Recently when I was listening to one of those officials talking about Darfoor, I wanted to ask him “what did you really do to assist?, send bags of food and bunch of armed soldiers that systematically abuse and rape girls in those declared peacefully kept areas!!!…that is all…

Getting the people in these devastated areas busy working, doing something useful, is better than the allocations to military arsenal and peace claimed operations. Proposing or building industrial areas and giving it to the people to manage or create some management team from your posh employees to generate income in the communities can be more worthy. Building roads and providing water, away from the antics of the World Bank, can be more effective than the state of indecisiveness which only the technocrats enjoy as excuse to extend their employment contracts.

The ora-politics (from oral) of International Organization or their lip services are impressive, when it comes to covering up the ill deeds. I think it is time for this world to seek better and honest endeavors than financing arms and members of secret societies. It is time to listen to demonstrations of human rights groups rather than using them only when need arises to destabilize impudent states.

I hope above can start a meaningful discussion in that regard.

Criticned

Opening Statement

Welcome to World’s Future vision….the purpose is to share views on current affairs and retrospect into the future imagining how the world shall look like then. My focus is always on the current affairs , its impact on our daily lives, and how we can change or minimize negative impacts for future generations.

These pages should address future of developing countries, the poor, Africa, the Middle East, human wellbeing, vis-a-vis current impositions of current affairs and politics.

Once again welcome to this space and I look forward to fruitful contributions.

Yours

NED