Para komisioner KPU mengumumkan nama-nama Caleg mantan terpidana korupsi, di Media Center KPU, Jakarta, Rabu (30/1) malam.
JAKARTA , MHI – Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU) mengumumkan nama-nama calon anggota legislatif (caleg) DPD (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah), DPRD (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) Provinsi dan DPRD Kabupaten/Kota berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsi, Rabu (30/1) malam.
Total ada 49 caleg berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsi yang disampaikan ke publik, terdiri dari 9 orang maju sebagai calon DPD, 16 orang maju sebagai calon DPRD Provinsi serta 24 orang maju sebagai calon DPRD Kabupaten/Kota.
Dengan rincian untuk 9 anggota DPD yang berlatar belakang mantan narapidana korupsi tersebar di 7 provinsi atau daerah pemilihan, antara lain Aceh (1 orang), Sumatra Utara (1 orang), Bangka Belitung (1 orang), Sumatera Selatan (1 orang), Kalimantan Tengah (1 orang), Sulawesi Tenggara (3 orang) dan Sulawesi Utara (1 orang).
Adapun rincian untuk 49 caleg dari partai politik tersebar di 12 partai antara lain, Partai Gerindra (6 orang), PDI Perjuangan (1 orang), Partai Golkar (8 orang), Partai Garuda (2 orang), Partai Berkarya (4 orang), PKS (1 orang), Partai Perindo (2 orang), PAN (4 orang), Partai Hanura (5 orang), Partai Demokrat (4 orang), PBB (1 orang) serta PKP Indonesia (2 orang).
“Jadi untuk DPR RI tidak ada (caleg mantan terpidana korupsi). Dan dari 16 partai politik nasional tercatat ada 12 partai politik yang ada mantan terpidana, sementara 4 partai lainnya tidak terdata ada mantan terpidana baik DPR RI, DPRD Provinsi dan DPRD Kab/Kota,” Ketua KPU RI, Arief Budiman, di Media Center KPU RI.
Sebelumnya Anggota KPU RI Ilham Saputra menjelaskan latar belakang diumumkannya status caleg mantan terpidana korupsi kepada masyarakat. Pasal 182 dan Pasal 240 Undang-undang (UU) Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 mensyaratkan caleg dengan status mantan terpidana untuk mengumumkan statusnya secara terbuka kepada publik.
Pada kesempatan itu Ilham juga menyebutkan satu per satu partai politik beserta jumlah caleg berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsinya serta caleg DPD berikut daerah pemilihan dan jumlahnya. “Jadi ada 16 caleg DPRD Provinsi, 24 caleg DPRD kab/kota dan 9 caleg DPD. Sehingga total ada 49 yang berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsi,” tutur Ilham.
Nama 49 Mantan Terpidana Korupsi Yang Jadi Caleg DPD, DPRD Prov, dan DPRD Kab/Kota
Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU) telah mengumumkan nama-nama calon legislatif (caleg) DPD (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah), DPRD (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) Provinsi dan DPRD Kabupaten/Kota yang berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsi, Rabu (30/1) malam.
Ke-49 caleg berlatar belakang mantan terpidana korupsi yang disampaikan ke publik itu, terdiri dari 9 orang maju sebagai calon DPD, 16 orang maju sebagai calon DPRD Provinsi serta 24 orang maju sebagai calon DPRD Kabupaten/Kota. Tidak ada caleg untuk DPR RI.
Berikut nama-nama ke-49 caleg mantan terpidana korupsi:
Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD) RI:
Ir. H. Abdullah Puteh, M.Si (Aceh);
H. Abdillah, Ak (Sumatra Utara);
Hamzah (Bangka Belitung);
H. Lucianty, S.E. (Sumatra Selatan);
Ririn Rosyana , S.H. (Kalimantan Tengah);
La Ode Bariun, S.H., M.H. (Sulawesi Tenggara);
H. Masyhur Masie Abunawas, M.Si (Sulawesi Tenggara);
A. Yani Muluk, M.Si (Sulawesi Tenggara);
Syachrial Kul Damapolli (Sulawesi Utara).Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah (DPRD) Provinsi:
Hamid Usman, Partai Golkar, Mauluku Utara;
Desy Yusandi, Partai Golkar, Banten;
Agus Mulyati, Partai Golkar, Banten;
Petrus Nauw, Partai Golkar, Papua Barat;
Taufik, Partai Gerindra, Jakarta;
Herry Jones Johny Kereh, Partai Gerindra, Sulawesi Utara;
Hasan Kausaha, Maluku Utara;
Mieke L. Nangka, Partai Berkarya, Sulawesi Utara;
Arif Armain, Partai Berkarya, Maluku Utara;
Wolhelmus Tahalele, Partai Hanura, Maluku Utara;
Mudasir, Partai Hanura, Jawa Tengah;
Akhmad Ibrahim, Partai Hanura, Mauluku Utara;
Abner Reinal Jitmau, PDIP, Papua Barat;
Smula Buntuang, Perindo, Gorontalo;
Abdul Fattah, Partai Amanat Nasional, Jambi;
Nasrullah Hamka, Partai Bulan Bintang, Jambi.
Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah (DPRD) Kabupaten/Kota:
Hari Belanu, Partai Golkar, Kab. Pandeglang;
Dodo Widarso, Partai Golkar, Kab. Pandeglang;
Saiful T. Lami, Partai Golkar, Kab. Tojo Una Una;
Edy Muklison, Partai Golkar, Kab. Blitar;
Ferizal, S.P., Partai Gerindra, Kab. Belitung Timur;
Mirhamuddin, Partai Gerindra, Kab. Belitung Timur;
Alhajar Syahyan, Partai Gerindra, Kab. Tenggamus;
Yohanes Marinus Kota, Partai Berkarya, Kab. Ende;
Andi Muttamar Mottotorang, Partai Berkarya, Kab. Bulukumba;
H.M. Warsit, Partai Hanura, Kab. Blora;
Nur Hasan, Partai Hanura, Kab. Rembang;
Jones Khan, Partai Demokrat, Kota Pagar Alam;
Jhony Husban, Partai Demokrat, Kota Cilegon;
Syamsuddin, Partai Demokrat, Kab. Lombok Tengah;
Darmawati Dareho, Partai Demokrat, Kota Manado;
Ariston Moho, Partai Garuda, Kab. Nias Selatan;
Yulis Dakhi, Partai Garuda, Kab. Nias Selatan;
Zulfikri, Partai Perindo, Kota Pagar Alam;
Joni Kornelis Tondok, Partai Keadilan dan Persatuan, Kab. Toraja Utara;
Mathius Tungka, Partai Keadilan dan Persatuan, Kab. Poso;
Masri, Partai Amanat Nasional, Kab. Belitung Timur;
Muhammad Afrisal, Partai Amanat Nasional, Kab. Lingga;
Bahri Syamsu Arif, Partai Amanat Nasional, Kota Cilegon;
Maksum DG Manaasa, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, Kab. Mamuju.
KABUPATEN BEKASI, MHI – Dikarenakan Pihak Pengembang yang melakukan Normalisasi Sungai Tanpa adanya komunikasi dan koordinasi dengan Rt,Rw,Dusun maupun Desa setempat Sehingga hal tersebut menimbulkan berbagai dugaan dengan yang muncul diTengah masyarakat Desa Satria Jaya, Kecamatan Tambun-Utara , Kabupaten Bekasi (28/1).
Pengerjaan Normalisasi Sungai Ilegal yang dilakukan Pihak pengembang berlokasi di RT 01-Rt 03, Rw 05, dengan menggunakan alat berat untuk menggali tanah diSungai tersebut untuk digunakan menimbun tanah ditempat pengembang tersebut membangun, entah untuk membangun perumahan atau gudang besar hal tersebut tidak diketahui dengan jelas berdasarkan keterangan Ketua Rt 01 Midjo, Ketua Rt 03, Naseh beserta Ketua Rw 05, Muslim mengatakan bahwa Pengambilan tanah dari sungai untuk menguruk kedalaman tanah pengembang, tidak Pernah ada laporan atau komunikasi pihak pengembang kekami selaku Rt maupun Rw setempat sehingga kami tidak mengetahui jelas tentang maksud dan tujuan dari kegiatan itu apalagi termasuk izin pengembang untuk membangun apa? sebab tidak adanya laporan sama sekali kekami..jadi kami tidak dapat memberikan keterangan apa-apa terkait hal itu…intinya kami tidak tahu sama sekali, Ungkap mereka.
Sekdes Satria Jaya , Jamaluddin mengatakan Hal yang sama saat dijumpai awak media diKantor Desa, Tentang kegiatan normalisasi disungai itu kami pihak Desa tidak mengetahui sama sekali ….sebab tidak ada laporan pihak pengembang itu keKami…termasuk jalan yang rusak akibat kendaraan berat yang dipergunakan pengembang itu untuk menguruk lokasi itu, Jelas Sekdes.
Mengenai izin mendirikan bangunanyapun kami tidak tahu dengan jelas termasuk kompensasi jalan yang rusak akibat dilalui alat berat yang digunakan pengembang untuk menguruk lokasi, kami tidak tahu apakah sudah izin dengan pemerintah sebelumnya atau tidak sebab sampai saat inipun pemerintah yang lama belum menyerahkan berkas-berkas yang sangat kami butuhkan guna mengetahui proses kegiatan sebelumnya termasuk LPJnya untuk kita padukan dengan kegiatan yang dilakukan kepemerintahan Desa Satria Jaya saat ini, Imbuhnya.
Kantor Pengamat PJT II Tutup
Kepala Pengamat PJT Tambun Niman, sulit dihubungi baik melalui selluler maupun disambangi kantornya guna dimintai keterangannya terkait izin normalisasi Sungai kali jambe dan kantor tempatnya bekerja selalu tutup serta tidak ada sama sekali aktifitas dan bahkan para pegawainyapun tidak kelihatan satupun batang hidungnya sehingga menimbulkan berbagai dugaan dan tanda tanya besar terkait pengawasan kali yang dibawah pengamatannya, masyarakat sekitar saat dimintai keterangan terkait kantor Pengamat PJT II selalu tutup mengatakan, itu sudah lama pak tutupnya…kurang lebih dua bulanan ini tidak pernah lagi keliatan pegawai pengairan itu pada ngantor, Ungkap Udin dan Nesan yang mengaku sebagai Warga sekitar.
KABUPATEN BEKASI ,MHI – Berdasarkan UU No.16 Tahun 2017 Tentang penetapan Pemerintah pengganti UU No.2 tahun 2017 Tentang perubahan atas UU No.17 Tahun 2013 Tentang Organisasi Kemasyarakatan menjadi Undang – Undang, Kesbangpol Kabupaten Bekasi mengeluarkan SKPKO DPC Aliansi Wartawan Indonesia yang berlokasi diPerum.Sinar Kompas Utama Blok A 21 No.13 ,Pada (24/1).
Didalam Penyerahan SK dilakukan dalam bentuk kunjungan kerja Kesbangpol yang sekaligus melakukan survey lokasi guna memastikan keberadaan DPC Aliansi Wartawan Indonesia dan hal tersebutpun kerap kali dilakukan dalam satu minggu satu kali setiap hari kamis guna memonitoring kegiatan organisasi masyarakat yang ada diKabupaten Bekasi, Ungkap Santri selaku staff Kesbangpol yang mewakili pihak Kesbangpol yang hadir dalam acara serah terima SKPKO diKantor Sekretariat DPC AWI (Aliansi Wartawan Indonesia) .
Rangkaian acara berjalan lancar kendatipun dilakukan dalam bentuk Small Ceremonial namun suasana hangat dan penuh keharmonisan terasa menyelimuti perjalanan acara tersebut yang didalam muatannya diawali dengan penandatanganan berkas yang dilakukan Ketua DPC AWI Irwan A yang disaksikan oleh Santri (Mewakili Kesbangpol Kab. Bekasi) serta segenap Personil AWI, Sekertaris dan Bendahara.
Kemudian Acara dilanjutkan dalam Session Serah Terima SKPKO dan mengabadikan moment dengan foto bersama serta diakhiri dengan acara ramah-tamah.
Dalam kesempatan tersebut Santri selaku perwakilan Kesbangpol menyampaikan, “ Sangat Mengapresiasi atas hadirnya AWI (Aliansi Wartawan Indonesia) dikabupaten Bekasi dan Berharap didalam melaksanakan kegiatannya tidak bertentangan dengan Ketentuan PerUndang-Undangan yang berlaku serta dapat bekerja-sama yang baik dengan Pemerintah Daerah Kabupaten Bekasi, guna mendukung pengentasan segala program baik itu dari Pusat pada umumnya serta daerah pada khususnya agar dapat berjalan secara optimal dalam kerangka bentuk dukungan pengawasan dan kontrol sosial sehingga dapat terciptanya Good,Clean and Clear Governnance,’ Pungkasnya.
Berharap DPC AWI Dapat Bersinergi Dengan Lembaga Lainnya
Ditempat terpisah dalam moment yang sama Ketua DPP AWI Mustofa mengucapkan Selamat atas pengesahan Ketua DPC AWI yang baru.
Saya berharap DPC AWI Kabupaten Bekasi dibawah kepemimpinan saudara Irwan dapat membawa AWI menuju kemajuan dengan suasana baru menuju Era Globalisasi dan Era Digitalisasi yang tetap mengacu pada UU No.40 Tahun 1999, Tentang Pers serta berpegang teguh Independensi sesuai dengan amanat Conggress Pembentukan DPC AWI yang telah kita sampaikan beberapa kali dan kemudian dapat bersinergi dengan Pemerintah daerah setempat selaku sosial kontrol guna menunjang kelancaran berbagai program Pemerintah Daerah yang digulirkan , Ucap Mustofa.
Sekjen LSM LEMPARI, Jhon Hermanto mengucapkan, Selamat dan sukses untuk AWI Kabupaten Bekasi, Jhon berharap.AWI sebuah wadah organisasi wartawan tentunya lebih mengutamakan fungsinya sebagai sosial kontrol terhadap pemerintah diKabupaten Bekasi, Tentunya AWI sebagai lembaga keorganisasian kewartawana dapat merapatkan barisan,menyatukan pandangan dan bersinergi dengan Lembaga-lembaga lainnya sehingga dapat memperkuat Barisan Penggiat Anti Korupsi diKabupaten Bekasi, Pintanya.
Sekjen LSM LPKN, Kuswanto mengucapkan, Selamat atas Pengesahan DPC AWI yang baru diKabupaten Bekasi dan berharap dibawah kepemimpinan Bung Irwan AWI dapat berkembang lebih maju, Bekerja secara optimal selaku sosial Kontrol dan dapat merubah suasana dengan Style , Action dan Atmosfir Leadership baru, mengingat maraknya Tindak Pidana Korupsi yang dilakukan secara Massive dan berjamaah diberbagai institusi diKabupaten Bekasi yang diImani Bupati Bekasi Neneng Hassanah Yassin. Harapnya.
The focus on tackling the electricity supply deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa has been on renewable energy over the last decade. In particular, the potential of solar and wind energy has been most loudly heralded as the solutions for the hundreds of millions of Africans without access to any electricity. The ability to use innovative, off-grid delivery systems with better energy storage technology without the need for fossil fuels, has been an almost irresistible narrative for most of us.
And yet, it’s never been that simple. There are still limitations to renewable energy today if we’re hoping or expecting African countries to urbanize and industrialize at scale.
An article in the latest edition of Issues in Science and Technology argues nuclear energy should be given serious consideration by African governments and points out that at least 11 African countries already do. South Africa is the only one that already operates a commercial nuclear plant, but others including Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia are at different stages of preparation.
While most of these programs have some involvement of Russia’s nuclear power company Rosatom or China (Kenya is working with South Korea), the authors argue the United States’ private nuclear energy companies could play a vital role in bringing some of these programs to fruition. It would need the US government to allow this to happen though.
So why nuclear? The case is often made of its energy density which, even in small quantities, can supply power to millions of people and industry. Also, once a plant is built it can supply “cheap, reliable electricity for 40 to 60 years.”
But yes, of course security and safety are right at the top of everyone’s long list of concerns when it comes to nuclear power in developing countries especially since they have few resources and limited technical expertise.The recent story of the panic by US authorities to remove highly enriched uranium from a research reactor in Nigeria, shows how edgy the world would be without proper checks in place.
Still, like with renewable energy, there has been much innovation with nuclear over the last decade. There are smaller, safer, more efficient, and, in some cases, much more affordable nuclear reactors available today if the African governments were to explore this option. The traditional large-scale light-water reactors will often be too expensive for most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It’s worth noting even advocates of nuclear power rarely suggest it should be the primary source of electricity but a viable, stable option to consider alongside others.
— Yinka Adegoke, Q-MHI Africa editor
STORIES FROM THIS WEEK
Nollywood’s growing international reach signals the broadening definition of the Nigerian film.
Over the past decade, Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry has enjoyed rapid growth, with bigger wins at local cinemas, recognition at international films festivals and partnerships with Netflix. And with more movies being made abroad, funded by foreign investors or directed by Africans in the diaspora, Chidinma Irene Nwoye finds the definition of a Nollywood film is also evolving.
“Nollywood isn’t looking into getting into Hollywood. They’re more interested in their work getting beyond the shores of Nigeria…and to get some monies back for the industry,” explains Shaibu Husseini, a Nigerian Nollywood film critic and jury member of the African Movie Academy Awards.
Contrary to other film critics who see the emergence of high-quality cinema from Nigeria as a deviation from an old “stigmatized”Nollywood or the rise of a “new Nollywood,” Husseini asserts it is simply an inevitable evolution with the times as the idea of Nollywood grows into an umbrella term for films produced by Nigerians.
Husseini says an entirely Nollywood film is a movie by a Nigeria-based filmmaker, produced and shot on the continent with a relatable narrative, predominantly Nigerian cast and local/industry-driven funding.
Nonetheless, films like Nigerian Prince by diaspora-based Nigerians will still get due recognition back home. Africa-based awards like AMAA have special categories for diaspora films and storytellers. This addresses any concerns from domestic filmmakers regarding competing with non-local players in the industry on an uneven playing field.
Ride-hailing apps want to bring order to Nairobi’s chaotic bus system—and get more women driving.
As colorful and cool as matatus are, their unreliability and crude price surges have drawn ire over the years. Abdi Latif Dahir reports on the slew of app-based ride-hailing services, both local and global, that want to make the buses safer and with better standards.
Heeding previous government proposals to phase out 14-seater matatus, which has faced growing protest from matatu owners, Little and Swvl are using 23- and 26-seater buses in their public pilots respectively and hope to fully launch by late January or early February.
“There’s a lot of chaos in this space,” says Little’s head Kamal Budhabhatti. But in looking for ways to sign more riders “we thought there’s an opportunity for us to get into the bus space and gain some experience.”Last month, Uber launched its first bus service globally in Egypt. (The tech giant previously expressed interest in the Kenyan market but now says it isn’t “launching in Kenya, or across Sub-Saharan Africa at this time.”) Its Dubai-based competitor Careem also launched a bus service in Egypt, while Kenya’s Safiri Express is currently piloting a bus shuttle that mostly avoids the central business district. Both Tanzania and Rwanda have also experimented with smart transportation options to ensure convenience and end long passenger queues at bus stops.
Matatu owners are also all part of what’s known as savings and credit cooperative organizations or SACCOs who lobby hard against government directives and have opposed previous efforts at reforming public transportation. With time, shuttle services could also face the same problems that have dogged ride-hailing services including tussle over poor pay and rising fuel prices. But while the introduction of e-hailing options into their buses could threaten their business models, it could also mean more income for the owners in the long run.
Meanwhile, Osman Mohamed Osman met the female founder of a new ride-hailing app in Nairobi which has been built for only women drivers serving only female passengers.Mehnaz Sarwar, 33, to launch An-Nisa Taxi, an e-taxi app launched last September exclusively for women and children passengers in Nairobi. Sarwar, a Muslim woman who wears a full length niqab when in public, had previously run a family restaurant business.
Her concerns about riding with a male driver pushed her to look into developing a female-focused app. With $10,000 from her previous business and other funds from family she started work on what became An-Nisa, which means “women” in Arabic.“My experiences motivated me to start this app. I always feared, as a Muslim woman, and I wanted to be driven by a fellow woman which was rare to find,” says Sarwar, founder of An-Nisa, which launched in September 2018. Many women, Sarwar says, feel much safer and comfortable when driven by a fellow lady.
Startups are yet to unlock the funding pool closest to home in Africa’s biggest economy.
The steady growth of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem over the past decade has not proven enough to loosen the purse strings of some of Africa’s richest people who still rarely invest in or champion startups.
In fact, the steady growth of the local tech ecosystem—drawing millions of investment dollars and winning validation from global tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg—has not proven enough to loosen the purse strings of local HNIs on a scale similar to their contemporaries in more developed ecosystems.
As Yomi Kazeem finds, that reticence is rooted in a lack of understanding of startup investment as an asset class,says Tayo Oviosu, founder of Paga. That attitude, Oviosu says, “contrasts heavily” with wealthy persons in more advanced economies who are active in startup investment.
As Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is home to some of the continent’s richest people including industrialist Aliko Dangote and oil tycoons like Folorunsho Alakija and Femi Otedola. There are also hundreds of low-profile millionaires who are largely used to investing and dealing in traditional asset classes like the oil industry, real estate and commodities. While some might be privately backing startups or Africa-focused venture funds, Nigeria’s super-wealthy are rarely public or vocal with their support for local startups. Victor Asemota, Africa partner at Alta Global Ventures, a US-based VC firm, also suggests these HNIs are more comfortable investing in foreign private equity funds “because the risks of devaluation and loss of investment due to unfavorable policy are lower.”Tomi Davies, co-founder of Lagos Angel Network (LAN), a group of active local angel investors and a tech industry veteran, says changing that reality is his life’s work. Part of Davies’ focus includes leading masterclasses sharing his knowledge with prospective angel investors and also working with founders to fine-tune their pitches through initiatives and resources.
The daunting odds of becoming Nigeria’s president as a “third party” candidate.
As many as 73 aspirants will be contesting for Nigeria’s presidency on Feb. 16. But the dominance of the two major political parties means anti-establishment candidates hoping to pull off an upset at the polls will face an uphill battle.
Across the field, candidates are hoping to take advantage of citizens’ growing frustration with underwhelming leadership from the two major parties. After ruling for 16 years, PDP was voted out in a historic election four years ago, a testament to a more expressive and determined electorate. And given APC’s unconvincing tenure, the growing sentiment is there’s a chance for another major shift in Nigerian politics.
Despite attempts to play up the supposed lack of a defining ideology between PDP and APC—evidenced by the regular decamping by their members, no independent candidate is considered strong enough to pull off an upset next month. One statistic highlights just how difficult the task is: during Nigeria’s presidential election in 2015, there were more cancelled votes than the total votes cast for all the alternative parties.
Cameroon’s plan for a Francophone-led tech hub isn’t being welcomed in its Anglophone region.
Modern Cameroon was formed from part of a former British colony and a much larger French colony, which makes up about 80% of the country’s population. But over the last year, those initially peaceful protests by Anglophone professionals, including lawyers and teachers, have turned into violent clashes with government security forces.
There has also been an information battle conducted mainly online. The government has taken to shutting down the internet for monthsin the English-speaking regions, ostensibly to prevent anti-government activists organizing.
Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations is a vital step for a people reclaiming their history.
The past couple of years have seen a growing chorus of calls for the great museums of Europe to return art taken from Africa before and during colonial times. Typically those calls have been met with concerns African countries do not have the facilities needed to maintain the valuable artifacts. Ciku Kimeria visited Senegal’s newly opened Museum of Black Civilizations, which hopes to allay any such worries.
CHART OF THE WEEK
Chad Republic has blocked social media for over 300 days and counting.
Across Africa, social media cut-offs have become increasingly frequent with countries including Sudan government is looking to the internet as one way to quell swelling protests all over the country.
For over a week now, protesters in major cities have demonstrated against rising bread prices besides soaring inflation and shortages in fuel. To remedy the dire economic and political situation, marchers have called on president Omar al-Bashir, who has ruled over the nation for almost three decades, to resign.
At least 19 people have so far been killed and 200 others injured in the clashes, according to officials, while Amnesty International put the number of dead demonstrators at 37
and Zimbabwe blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter in January alone. But none has done so as long as the landlocked nation of Chad, which already has high internet prices and low penetration.
More than 600 people were arrested this week as police armed with AK-47 rifles rounded up protestors, according to the Associated Press. At least six people were killed when the military was deployed to quell protests against high fuel prices on Monday. Amnesty International reported eight deaths, while the Association of Doctors for Human Rights reported treated 68 cases of gunshot wounds and more than 100 other cases of assaults. A tense calm returned on Thursday.
Zimbabweans were protesting a fuel hike that would see the price of petrol and diesel rise by 150%in a country that already had fuel shortages. Amid the violent crackdown on protestors, Zimbabweans were also cut off from the internet and social media in a blackout meant to stop demonstrators from organizing. It also means that the true extent of the crisis is difficult to ascertain as Zimbabwe remains cut off from the world. In 2017, WhatsApp alone accounted for nearly half of all internet traffic in Zimbabwe, and is instrumental in evading state control.
Shutting down Econet’s internet has more significant impact than the other two combined. Of Zimbabwe’s more than 14 million active subscribers, Econet controls 53.1% of the market, while NetOne and Telecel have 35.2% and 11.7% respectively, according to a 2017 report by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights took all three telcos to court on January 16, in an urgent application over access to the internet. The matter has yet to be heard, says lawyer Danford Halimani. “I would not want to pass judgment on what would be a tricky situation,” said Halimani about the companies’ compliance with the blackout. “It’s a very difficult situation dealing with a government like ours that is not really democratic.”
Without irony, Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa, currently on a state visit to Moscow, used Facebook and Twitter to call for calm over the protests.
OTHER THINGS WE LIKED
The two faces of Kenyan citizenship.
Ever since independence, Somalis in Kenya have been treated as outsiders, denied documents, with successive regimes committing massacres against them. Reflecting on the hardships of acquiring a Kenyan identity card, Mariam Bisharwrites in Popula about what it means to be a Kenyan of Somali origin.
After the oil boom: Luanda faces stark inequality.
Despite a shrinking economy and a currency shortage, Angola’s capital, Luanda, continues to expand, widening the gap between the rich and poor. As part of the Guardian’s Next 15 Megacities series, photographer Sean Smith captures the extremes of life in Luanda.
Investigating the “toxic” Swiss cigarettes sold in Africa.
Every year, Switzerland exports more tobacco than chocolate, with countries including Morocco and South Africa among the top export destinations. Marie Maurisse probes the content of those cigarettes and how those sold in Africa have much stronger, more addictive and more toxic substances than those sold in Switzerland or France.
ICYMI
Training African health workers.
Through partnerships with organizations in the UK and Ireland, the Africa Grants Program helps institutions strengthen their healthcare workforce. (Feb. 28)
Supporting computer professional development.
The Google-endorsed program provides schools, research institutions, and universities up to $20,000 to improve educators’ effectiveness in teaching computer science. (Mar. 9)
Thanks to President Trump, China’s Economy Is Rapidly Decelerating
“President Trump is exposing China’s economic vulnerability, showing that the communist nation cannot maintain its rapid growth without it patently unfair mercantilist trade policies,” former executive Andy Puzder writes in Fox News.
“For the first time in decades, the U.S. has openly challenged Beijing’s aggressive trade manipulations, slapping targeted counter-tariffs on Chinese goods and pressuring the Communist regime to change its protectionist policies. So far, the strategy has been remarkably successful, forcing Beijing to lower its tariffs on U.S. automobile manufacturers by 25 percent while continuing to negotiate with the White House on a potential trade deal.”
While President Trump’s trade policies are great news for American workers, they also have a hidden geopolitical component that mainstream media too often ignores. There is very little doubt that China seeks to become a regional hegemon and pursue geopolitical objectives in conflict with American interests. For example, by backing the North Korean regime and pursuing territorial ambitions in the South China Sea in recent years, Beijing has clearly demonstrated its desire to weaken Washington’s influence in Asia. There is very little doubt that China’s growing bellicosity is directly fueled by its powerful economy – as China’s GDP began growing at a staggering pace 20 years ago, so too did its military.
When President Trump first announced his intent to place counter-tariffs on China, it was hard to predict how the strategy would play out. At the time, many analysts speculated that China’s economy would turn out to be bulletproof and that U.S. tariffs would do more harm to our own economic growth than theirs.
Today, we know that such pessimism was misplaced.
By adopting a tough stance on trade with Beijing, President Trump was able to expose the weakness of China’s economy and demonstrate that its growth is far more fragile than it appears. In fact, the tariffs began worrying China’s elite last summer – a clear sign that Beijing was unprepared to cope with Washington’s pressure.
This week, President Xi Jinping even assembled the country’s top leaders, warning them of “serious dangers” and “tests” that will face the ruling Communist party. “The party is facing long-term and complex tests in terms of maintaining long-term rule, reform and opening-up, a market-driven economy, and within the external environment,” Xi said, striking a tone of urgency and concern about the regime’s future.
Meanwhile, Chinese lawmakers have been rushing through a new law designed to alleviate American concerns about intellectual property rights and forced technology transfers, something that President Trump has made a top priority.
All of this bodes well for the ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries, which could produce the largest trade deal in history once both sides agree to the terms.
56% of Registered Voters Say Government Is Doing ‘Too Little’ To Keep Illegal Immigrants From Coming To US
Lost amid the mainstream media’s coverage of the border security debate is this factoid from a recent ABC/Washington Post poll: “Most American voters believe the United States is doing ‘too little’ to keep illegal aliens from coming to the United States,” Timothy Meads reports for Townhall. That figure includes four in five Republicans, more than a third of Democrats, and a majority of independents, Meads adds.
The ABC/WaPo poll was taken prior to President Trump’s shutdown announcement yesterday but contains some surprising results in the face of the Democratic Party and legacy media narrative which encourages illegal immigration. According to the poll taken on “Jan. 21-24, 2019, among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, with 65 percent reached on cell phones and 35 percent on landlines,” 56% of registered voters believe that the government is doing “too little” to curb unlawful entry into the country.
When poll participants are broken down into political parties, 36% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans, and 52% of Independents say the government is doing “too little.”Furthermore, 50% or higher of both women and men believe the government can be doing more to discourage undocumented immigration to the United States. As Girdusky pointed out, there are numerous options for curtailing illegal immigrations including building a wall along the southern border.
Trump right to recognize Juan Guaidó, not Maduro, as Venezuela’s president
“The Trump administration’s announcement Wednesday to recognize Venezuelan National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela amid the current popular uprising against the anti-democratic socialist Maduro regime was an act of brilliant statecraft”,The move has been followed by an international coalition of other countries including Canada and almost all South American countries. Meanwhile, Maduro has threatened to expel U.S. diplomats (a power which he no longer has in the eyes of the U.S. and its allies). Between sham elections and ruining Venezuela’s once prosperous economy, Maduro embodies the worst qualities of a socialist dictator. Taking over from socialist revolutionary Hugo Chavez after his death in 2013, Maduro continued the same legacy of intense Bolivarian socialism., Jon Hartley writes in Fox News.
“Thanks to the U.S.-led coalition endorsing Juan Guaidó as interim president, Venezuelans now have hope for a new leader who has promised to host free and fair elections,”, embodying a return to democracy for the country. Venezuela’s path back to a market-based economy will be critical to restoring its prosperity. President Trump, with the support of many in Congress (like senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott), has played a critical role in helping to move the country in that direction by creating hope for the restoration of economic and political freedom.
Days Before The Holocaust Remembrance Day, Trump Signs The Elie Wiesel Act
Yesterday marked the observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Forbes, Ewelina U. Ochab discusses the Elie Wiesel Act that President Trump signed earlier this month—“an act aimed at improving the US response to mass atrocities.” Among other measures, the act prioritizes the prevention of genocide as a matter of America’s national security interest.
The Act, as introduced in 2017, called upon the President to instruct the State Department to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force, a new mechanism engaged with strengthening US efforts at atrocity prevention and response. Furthermore,
The Director of National Intelligence is encouraged to include in his or her annual testimony to Congress on threats to U.S. national security: (1) a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes; and (2) specific countries and regions at immediate risk of atrocity crimes, including most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators, and at-risk target groups.”
However, this provision did not make it to final document.
Similarly, the provision establishing the Complex Crises Fund did not become the law. The provision was meant to:
enable the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes. Fund amounts may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.”
Despite being a lighter version of the document as introduced in 2017, the potential of the Act is great. As the Act will be implemented over the next months or years, one should bear in mind the words of Robert H. Jackson, Chief of Counsel for the United States at Nuremberg Trials, who, speaking on the Nazi atrocities, said that: “The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated…Civilization can afford no compromise with the social forces which would gain renewed strength if we deal ambiguously or indecisively with the men in whom those forces now precariously survive.”
The 21st century cannot afford more mass atrocities. The ongoing genocidal atrocities in Syria, Iraq and Burma are examples of the ambitious and indecisive response that Jackson warned against. Atrocities like genocide do not just happen overnight. Genocide can develop from mass atrocities, for example, war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, this progression takes time and often happens with an attendant ignorance by the international community which gives the perpetrators license to continue.
Any failure on the part of states or the international community to act, and to act promptly, will often lead to the atrocities escalating until they reach the threshold of genocide. This may be why the international community hesitates to use the word “genocide”— as using the word means that the international community must accept its failure to prevent the escalation of mass atrocities into genocide.
On the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims, we should not only remember the victims of the Holocaust but also consider how to prevent similar atrocities from occurring. This includes scrutinizing the how the Nazi atrocities escalated to the Holocaust and how the legacy of the response to the Nazi atrocities could be used to assist in stopping or bringing to justice the perpetrators of the ongoing incidents of genocide. Civilization cannot tolerate these crimes either.
Para komisioner KPU mengumumkan nama-nama Caleg mantan terpidana korupsi, di Media Center KPU, Jakarta, Rabu (30/1) malam.
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Despite attempts to play up the supposed lack of a defining ideology between PDP and APC—evidenced by the regular decamping by their members, no independent candidate is considered strong enough to pull off an upset next month. One statistic highlights just how difficult the task is: during Nigeria’s presidential election in 2015, there were more cancelled votes than the total votes cast for all the alternative parties.
