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About the SA Student Protests Against C. J. Rhodes’ Monument

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Early on this month, Chumani Maxwele began what would become an impassioned demonstration against all things present reminding all Africans of White Colonialism.

According to reports, Maxwele – a 30 year old University of Cape Town Politics student went and flung human waste on Cecil John Rhodes‘ statue that stands magnificently on campus grounds. We will never know what exactly motivated Maxwele to make such an outburst. Whether it was the general student frustration at exams, lecturers, living conditions or whatever – I doubt he ever thought his public outrage would spread like wildfire and be recorded in history.

Following this evidently enraged protest, there were countrywide debates and discussions about history’s place in the present. This resulted in the approval to remove the memorial of the British Colonizer and just yesterday we were reading about Matebeleland students who in solidarity with the South Africans had begun their own protest demanding that C. J. Rhodes’ grave be exhumed.

The discussion of course that would follow this is: what is Africa‘s attitude towards its colonial history and what does this imply? Rhodes’ monument on the UCT campus may be seen as an arrogant constant reminder of how Africa was brought to its knees by the Colonialists of yesteryear; the statue and every other thing that has its roots in that period – names of roads, buildings, institutions and the whole lot. Is it not an insult to those who died for the continent’s independence to have these things continue to exist?

It’s part of history? What about our history as a black people that actually celebrates our successes? Why do we not have impressive, spectacular and striking memorials of Tshaka, Mzilikazi, Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, Samori Ture, the Rozvi kings, the emperors of Ethiopia… and all that we know to be African? However, the fact that we did not think to put our history in stone shouldn’t be the colonialists’ fault should it? They decided they wanted to make sure they left their mark wherever they had existed and as it so happens, those marks have survived the passage of time.

Those monuments are also part of history are they not? Who’s history though we may ask? Ours, the colonialists or us both? Is there anything wrong with continuing to remember the people who for centuries made our lives miserable? However, if we think about it, Rome left its mark all over Europe and yet, the vanquished never felt the need to remove the vanquisher’s reminder of that glory. Shall we then follow suit or is this a totally different situation altogether?

What in your opinion is the place of Africa’s colonial past in today’s world? Shall we have constant reminders of it or should we remove all things reminding us of that horrible period. But erasing history today does not mean it never existed. Therefore, if we were to choose to continue to remember that history, from which perspective should we immortalize it? The Continent owners’ or the other team?

What are your views?

Conquering Fear: Kenny Badmus Shares His Inspiring Story Living HIV+

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Kenny Badmus

In an age where being diagnosed of testing positive to the HIV virus almost equals a death sentence, renowned brand evangelist and founder of the Orange Academy School of Brand Advertising, Kenny ‘Brandmuse’ today even as the world celebrates the World Aids day, shared via his facebook wall, the inspiring story of how he was diagnosed of the HIV virus some 15 years ago and his journey to true self discovery and living positively. Excerpts:

Today, Monday December 1st, is World AIDS day, and I’m celebrating my resolve to live with this damn virus all these many years without letting it define who I am. Every journey I take, every picture of me you see, and every new challenge I take on are all huge reminders that I must never stop living my best life. So, I decided to share my journey with you today. Honestly, I don’t know what exactly you are dealing with but I’m writing you this to hold tight to your dream. Here’s a quick sketch of my journey from the first day I tested positive, some 15 years ago. My upcoming book tells the full story.

  1. After three years of different pains and minor illnesses, I was encouraged by my best friend and Professor Soyinka, an HIV specialist, to go get tested so I could face my fear. I had just resumed work as a Copywriter at McCann. I’d rather not know. I was working on Coca Cola, and I would rather live in the joy of that dream. It was that point when you assured yourself this was only a lie from the pit of hell. I had not been a ‘bad boy,’ I would assure myself.
  2. I tested, and it came back positive. I blamed everyone but myself. I wanted to end my life immediately. Trust me, I did try a few things. Then I called on God. I told God to change the status because it didn’t look good on him. I sang. I fasted. I gave offerings. Prophet offerings. I died several times, but I didn’t die. I was always back to myself. I came up with a few pseudo coping skills, but I was always depressed. The picture of HIV back then was very gory, and I was wasting away.
  3. I realized I didn’t die yet. My flesh had not fallen off. My heart was still beating. I still liked rice and pepper stew. I still had early morning erections – and not just in the early mornings. Shouldn’t I be dead by now? I began to question everything I ever knew.
  4. I had a local operation for tonsillitis, and it brought my immune system to level zero. I was infected by everything you could name. But I was so happy that I was going to die finally. Wouldn’t it be nice to die just like that? Unfortunately, I did not die. I was bedridden for four months and was forced to live by myself. It was there that my Exodus happened. I realized for the 1st time that the real death is when we refuse to live out our full potential. Death is not a physical thing. It is an emotional thing. When we stop living. When we stop laughing. When we stop learning. When we stop crying. Or feeling. So I couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital. There, I started the anti-HIV medication. (Trust me, it doesn’t kill as I had feared)
  5. I started living and loving myself. As a creative person, I created Orange Academy to start teaching people how to find their creative self. Love themselves. Tell compelling stories. I put all my life into it. Then, I started to undo

Don’t end your dreams just because you are presented with bad news along the way. Remember, HIV doesn’t kill anymore; it’s ignorance that kills. Use that bad news to ride onto your next phase.

all my pseudo coping skills. Oh, I had tons of them. Like getting married, wanting people to accept me, being the ‘yes’ man to Ministers of God – something I did in times past to assure myself I was doing ‘God’s will.’ I stopped sending my money to Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and started investing it on people I could see around me. Little did I realize that God didn’t send me to do anything to gain his favor or search for him. God had never been lost. I was meant to find myself and live my authentic life. Lift people up. Fight the oppression around me. I started spending time with myself. I started working out at the gym. I started to travel to enjoy the universe.

2008 – 2010. I looked in the mirror, and I saw a better me. A younger me. A healthier me. No more lies. At Orange Academy, we started the ART OF POSITIVE THINKING and started to use our arts and money to assist people living with debilitating diseases or social conditions. I took those layers of lies off my soul. I started writing my memoir – my full story as a preacher boy trying to find God who art in heaven! [ THE EXODUS coming out next year ]

  1. November. I had an appointment with my doctor in Maryland, USA, and he asked me:
    ‘What’s your secret?’ All your medical tests are amazing. We tested for everything possible. No new infections or conditions. Blood work is excellent. Nothing at all to worry about. Perfect health. Just that you are still HIV+.’
    ‘Oh really?’ I said. ‘I thought that had disappeared.’
    ‘ Well, it’s still there, sadly. I hope Science gets the cure someday soon.’

We both laughed and then I fought back a little tear in my eyes. This dude doesn’t know how grateful I am for HIV. Thank God for HIV. I wish I never had it, but Lord I did! It made me run after myself. Maybe I would never have understood myself; that no one can save us but us. Maybe I would never know the refreshing power that loneliness can bring when we embrace our broken self.

Here’s what I want you to take away: don’t end your dreams just because you are presented with bad news along the way. Remember, HIV doesn’t kill anymore; it’s ignorance that kills. Use that bad news to ride onto your next phase. It will be tough. I won’t lie. Don’t be afraid to live vulnerably. It’s empowering. Empower yourself by loving yourself. Find yourself. Give yourself to people without expecting anything in return. If you are a Faith person, keep living your Faith in love for humankind. Empty yourself and accept to be filled with kindness from others. Believe me, there are still angels out there to lift you up.

*NOTE: Potentially I cannot infect anyone with HIV since my viral load went to undetectable since 2008. Nevertheless, I still advise that you take precaution with sexual partners as an HIV+ person, so they don’t infect you with STDs. If you have not tested, know your status. It’s liberating. Starting an HIV medication now doesn’t only protect your loved ones but can make you live even longer than people without HIV

Another “New Miss Zimbabwe” AGAIN?

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Miss Zimbabwe Kachote

As a Shona people we usually use the word “mahumbwe” to refer to things of no consequence, things that appear to be of a meaningful nature but are really just nonsensical. Having said so, the Miss Zimbabwe Trust has proved that the term “mahumbwe” is the best way to describe what they have done with the pageant this year.

Why do I say so? Well because crowning a 3rd queen in one year for reasons other than death or sickness is just something is it not? I found it particularly interesting that this time around the first runner-up automatically took over from the dethroned queen. Isn’t that what we all said they should have done when Thabiso stepped down and they gave us a whole list of 101 reasons why they did what they did?

So what’s the difference now? Why wasn’t there a rerun? Shouldn’t an organised institution follow precedence? I suppose the lesson here is that the Miss Zimbabwe Trust will do what it damn well pleases and nobody can do a thing about it. And even if you are left with a few days to go for the the Miss World – you are still replaceable – so much for job security.
I wonder what Tendai Hunda (the new “Miss Zimbabwe”) is going to say when she gets to London. “My reign’s been just a week old”? Incredible! This right here is an insult to all the past Miss Zimbabwes, all the past organisers, all the girls who have ever wanted to be in the pageant and all the business people who sponsored this. It has been treated with such disrespect its maddening!

The Trust says Catherine was rebellious and uncontrollable, while she also calls them other names. But Catherine is the one who is punished for her part in the squabble. Who then should we believe? The one who has been silenced perhaps? Why did they have to dethrone her? Couldn’t other measures have been taken? Clearly the Trust does not waste time on mediation – its 3 strikes and you are gone – poof! Just like that.

What exactly are the motives of the Trust where the pageant is concerned? Because if its to get one of our best girls going as far as is possible at the Miss World, that ship sailed a long time ago. A major lesson here I suppose is that anyone with any self-respect as either a model or sponsor will most definitely never again be associated with the Trust as long as the same organisers are involved again after this.

This is such a disgrace. But then again, we aren’t the only ones having this kind of drama days before the Miss World contestants start arriving in London. Apparently Honduras is in almost a similar crisis, only worse. Their beauty queen disappeared last week with her sister and efforts to find her have been fruitless. We can only hope she is found still alive. It seems foul play in these pageants can reach any magnitude, from a girl missing to outright crown snatching.

Listen More Closely to Africa’s Voice on Climate Change

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As more than 120 world leaders converge on New York this week for an unprecedented UN climate summit, one highly significant voice needs to be heard. That voice belongs to Africa.

In all the global discussions around rising sea levels, shrinking rain forests, imperiled species and biodiversity, green bonds and carbon prices, Africa’s unique stake and contribution to a global climate strategy needs to be more front and center. This is only right for a continent that has contributed the least to the profound changes underway in the Earth’s climate but whose people will suffer its withering impact the most.

Consider that Africa is responsible for only 3.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa to the south of the continent, African countries experience first-hand the devastating effects of increasingly severe droughts and floods and more extreme weather patterns that scorch or drown their crops. Africa’s political and business leaders are already committed to a climate-resilient growth path, yet the path promises to be bumpy.

Recent World Bank research outlines a disturbing scenario for Sub-Saharan Africa in a 2°C warmer world, forecasting dramatic effects on agriculture and food production in a region where 80 percent of Africans rely on agriculture to make ends meet for their families. Consequently, we cannot separate agriculture and food security from climate change. Agriculture in Africa accounts for 30-40 percent of GDP. A 1.5°C to 2°C increase in temperature by the 2030s and 2040s will lead to a 40- to 80-percent reduction in the area of land suitable for growing maize, millet and sorghum. These cereals are the mainstay of African diets. They provide the bulk of people’s daily food intake especially in the drylands of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

We must also amplify the links between climate change and conflict. In a groundbreaking 2013 paper published in Science magazine, economists Solomon Hsiang, Marshall Burke, and Edward Miguel argued that there is strong evidence linking climatic events to human conflict in Africa and across all other major regions of the world. The magnitude of climate change is substantial they wrote: for each one standard deviation change in climate toward warmer temperatures or more extreme rainfall, median estimates indicate that the frequency of interpersonal violence rises 4% and the frequency of intergroup conflict rises 14%.

Africa’s harsher climate of the future will also change traditional livelihoods. As temperatures rise, Africa’s iconic savanna grasslands will dry up and threaten the livelihoods of their pastoral communities. Given the sensitivity of livestock—their goats, cows, and other animals—to extreme heat, too little water and feed, and disease, pastoralism as a centuries-old way of life is likely to be in danger.

Rainfall patterns will dramatically change; droughts and floods will be more frequent and lead to a 3-percent expansion in total arid areas. Coastal populations in Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Mozambique would face the greatest risk of inundation and storm surges. Coastal erosion represents a major threat as a large part of Africa’s GDP derives from activities such as fishing, tourism and trade. Entire cities and villages along the coast – capital cities and crucial deep-sea ports — could be wiped out due to rising sea-levels. Countries such as Togo, Ghana and Mozambique could lose more than 50 percent of their coastal GDP, according to recent estimates.

Sustainable management of the region’s rich natural resources—forests, water, land—can contribute to the storage of carbon, while supporting livelihoods and generating economic benefits. Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, also harbors 5 percent of the world’s known biodiversity. Before the country’s political crisis, nature-based tourism was a $500-million industry, growing at 10 percent per year. But the island is also on the list of the most climate change-vulnerable countries which will have a significant impact on its biodiversity.

Africa is one of the world’s fastest-urbanizing continents. Parched rural hinterlands will steadily force people to move to already-crowded cities, creating overcrowding, stressing supplies of safe drinking water and drainage and sanitation.

At the African Union Summit in Malabo, last June, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete reminded his audience that the “effects of climate change are likely to strike to the detriment of the whole continent”. He added that Africa now requires in excess of US$15 billion per year to combat climate change, a figure that continues to rise.

The good news is that Africa is uniquely well positioned to build resilience, especially in energy and agriculture, and has already embraced sustainability. Being green is good for business. In Kenya, small farmers are now earning carbon credits from sustainable farming. In South Africa, the city of Johannesburg recently issued its first green city bond to finance low-carbon infrastructure. In Mauritania, solar energy now powers 30 percent of Nouakchott’s energy use. In Africa, wind and solar potential can be over 1,000 GW but needs to be fully exploited.

The continent has embarked on a clean power revolution that brings more electricity to people’s homes, businesses, clinics and schools. With only one in three Africans having access to energy, the task is urgent. Africa has tremendous untapped hydro, geothermal, and solar power and must be developed to provide the electricity needed to offer sustained – and green – growth for the benefit of all its citizens.

The World Bank is stepping up to the challenge. We are financing transformational projects that attack poverty from multiple angles. We are supporting governments to promote “climate-smart agriculture” so that African farmers can achieve higher yields and make their farming more resilient to the changing climate. In DRC, a $73.1-million technical assistance project will pave the way to bring hydroelectric power to 9 million people.

These interventions are just a starting point – not nearly enough to address the monumental energy needs of the continent. Though prices for renewables have declined significantly in the past decade, these energy sources are still costly. The green energy revolution in African cannot be achieved without financial support of the international community, to bring down the costs of adopting these clean technologies.

The warning signs are clear: climate change under even the 2°C scenario is a menacing threat to sustainable development in Africa. These impacts could potentially overwhelm existing development efforts. We ignore the early warning signs at our collective peril. But, through collective action, we can ensure a climate-resilient future that benefits all Africans and the entire planet.

WTS Energy Opens New Office in Mozambique

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WTS Energy

WTS Energy has now increased its presence in Africa, with a new office in Mozambique. The boom in natural gas production in this part of the continent has demanded further investment from WTS Energy in Africa. With existing offices in Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the new establishment in Mozambique will increase its presence in this part of the world. The presence of companies like Shell, Anadarko, PTTEP, ENI and others in Mozambique indicates a tremendous opportunity for development.

Frederik Rengers, CEO of WTS Energy says, “Mozambique is rich in natural gas resource and this has spontaneously enticed the big players in the oil and gas market to develop projects here. Consequently, the higher demand for technical expertise. Our core strength is access to a global skill pool of petroleum, drilling and construction engineers and we also have a strong record of placing people in hard-ship regions.”

Corporate Office Address WTS Energy
Avenida da Namaacha 4 CMC, Sala 16,
Matola-Maputo Mozambique

Operational Office Address WTS Energy
Avenida do Aeroporto  Número 2713
Pemba Mozambique

Contact Person in Mozambique:
Rui Manuel Amorim (Based in Pemba) Country Representative
Tel: +258 82 46 86 580 rui.amorim@wtsenergy.com

Contact Person outside Mozambique:
Paolo Masi (Based in the Netherlands) Business Manager
Tel: +31 6 34976181 paolo.masi@wtsenergy.com

About WTS Energy Group
WTS Energy, headquartered in the Netherlands and Dubai, is one of the leading manpower supply company specialized in sourcing and supplying engineering professionals to the oil and gas companies across the world. With the main areas of business being upstream, midstream and downstream, they have a strong foothold in hardship regions like Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria and so on. The multinational workforce of WTS Energy is a strong asset which helps in tapping into the Western, Asian and regional skill-pool.

Visit http://www.wtsenergy.com to know more. For more info, contact Shoba Soman shoba.soman@wtsenergy.com

Gangsta Rapper Joins Islamic State

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As war in Syria and Iraq attracts a growing number of Muslim extremists from Europe, intelligence officials in Germany believe a former gangsta rapper has joined the inner circle of Islamists fighting there.

Denis Cuspert was once a modestly successful member of Germany’s hip-hop scene going by the stage name Deso Dogg. Now he calls himself Abu Talha the German and is a top propagandist for the so-called Islamic State (IS) caliphate, which is blamed for several wartime atrocities.

His ascent into the upper IS ranks is raising concerns that such “homegrown” Islamists could embolden Muslim extremists in Germany or that they might one day return themselves to target the country for terrorism.

“Cuspert won’t come back since there’s an arrest warrant waiting for him,” Elke Altmüller, a spokeswoman for Germany’s Verfassungsschutz domestic intelligence agency said. ”But there’s a danger he could incite others.”

And as the cross-border conflict in Syria and Iraq continues to rage, it is luring hundreds of would-be jihadis from Europe, including radicalized converts like the ex-rapper. Although the German authorities have said they see no indications an attack is imminent, they are attempting to track fighters returning from the war zone.

Currently, there are an estimated 400 Muslim extremists from Germany in Syria, either directly engaging in fighting or otherwise supporting the Islamists. Altmüller said roughly 10 percent of them were German converts to Islam. According to intelligence reports, some 40 have been killed in the conflict.

That was almost the fate of the 38-year-old Cuspert after he was seriously injured in an airstrike by Syrian forces in September 2013. But he survived, and being wounded apparently helped him win respect among the extremists. He eventually swore allegiance in an online video this spring to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has since declared himself caliph of the repressive Islamic State.

Born to a German mother and Ghanaian father, Cuspert grew up in a gritty Berlin neighborhood and got involved in petty crime and gangs while aspiring to become a rap star. He enjoyed some success, even touring in Germany with U.S. rapper DMX.

But he never managed to make it big rapping, and after a car accident he started to look to radical Islam for direction in life. Over the past four years, he abandoned his music career to become an Islamist poster boy in the German-speaking world, posting videos that encourage Muslims to join the caliphate’s holy war.

“I was a sinner. I lived in sin before I turned to Islam. Surrounded by music, drugs, alcohol and women,” he said in one recent propaganda video.

The Islamists clearly see the former rapper’s potential in recruiting others in Germany, which has a thriving Salafist scene promulgating an especially dogmatic form of Sunni Islam.

Growth of Regional Banks in Africa

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Equity Bank of Kenya

African banks are expanding into neighboring countries and further afield benefiting from their knowledge and expertise in familiar territory.

Over the last five years Africa has witnessed a growing trend for Africa’s home-grown banking groups to extend their franchises beyond their own borders, with about 15 of them already exploring new territories. Regionalisation has become a prominent part of African banks’ strategies as these historically local players continue their ongoing search for growth and a way to diversify their earnings as competition increases in their home markets.

Obviously Africa’s high-growth economies are an attraction, but one of the key drivers of bank regional expansion is linked to clients expanding across the continent as they too take advantage of the opportunities Africa offers. Banks therefore are following their clients to areas where activity in the purchase and sales of goods are prevalent, perfectly addressing their own growth strategies.

Building local knowledge and expertise is important and forms the foundation for any bank’s expansion plan. Consequently, proximity to a bank’s home country is a key competitive advantage, as banks are usually more familiar with their neighbours than with countries in distant destinations. A good example of successful regionalisation is the robust expansion of Kenyan banks like KCB, CBA, Equity Bank and Co-Op Bank into East Africa (South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda). In South Sudan, banks like KCB, for example have had first mover advantage and are now part of the biggest banking groups in the country.

Also helping bank regionalisation is the growth of regional trading hubs between port cities (Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) and between countries inland (like Uganda and Rwanda), opening opportunities for banking products and services.

However, banks are also moving further afield to take advantage of high-growth markets. An example of this has been the rapid expansion of some Nigerian banks into Africa. UBA Nigeria and Ecobank have a presence in over 15 countries on the continent. While there may not be natural trade flows or client expansion into these new markets, Nigerian banks looked at avenues to diversify their funding base, taking advantage of earnings from high-growth sectors in growing countries. This strategy is a long-term play as earnings growth is usually much slower but intrinsic value is built in these franchises along with a brand and relationships.

But the risks of regional development cannot be ignored. Unexpected regulatory changes within a country can be swift and can significantly change the economic landscape, something for which banks need to be prepared. An example is the recent requirement in Zambia for foreign-owned banks to increase their capital from US$5-million to $100-million.

Credit risk and asset diversification are other key elements for banks to assess as they diversify into other regions. Often banks first initiatives in a new country are trade related but in order to compete with local players, they usually need to diversify to gain a deposit base and build traction in their earnings. This inevitably means a move into the retail segment at some point. However, growth in retail banking presents a two-pronged challenge. Firstly, a branch network is expensive. In Mozambique, for example, a single branch costs in the region of $1-million to set up from scratch. Secondly, a growing retail base often leads to higher bad debts and banks need to be prepared for the fact that the retail space will attract higher non-performing loans than the corporate space. Getting the correct balance between corporate, investment and retail banking is the key to success for African banks expanding across the continent.

But, so far, banks are benefitting from their expansion into Africa – earnings are steadily growing and franchises are being built across the continent. A core theme which is emerging as part of this recipe for success is the successful integration of local talent with home country expertise.

However, with time, regional expansion will become more difficult and expensive for new entrants which do not have an existing presence in African markets, unless they are prepared to pay a handsome premium to acquire a regional banking franchise. For those which have already taken the risk, It’s an exciting time and the development and expansion of African banks should mean they will soon be able to compete with any in the rest of the world, if they are not doing so already.

About the author

Suresh Chaytoo heads FirstRand Bank’s International Financial Institutions and Development Financial Institutions business.

Suresh joined FirstRand Bank in January 2011 as regional head of Financial Institutions for Africa and Latin America with the responsibility for supporting FirstRand Bank’s strategic business expansion in Africa. He was appointed as sector
director to head the business in May 2013.

Prior to 2011, his previous assignments during his 20+ year career in banking include tenures as vice president and regional head of Financial Institutions (Middle East and Africa) for ICICI Bank Limited in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and head of Channel Finance at Citigroup South Africa.

Suresh has also held positions within Structured Trade Finance and Corporate Banking during his career.

He holds an MBA, a degree in Commerce and a CAIB (SA) qualification from the Institute of Bankers in South Africa.

Tino Katsande’s Lawsuit Against ZiFM Gaining Ground in Court?

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Tino Katsande

The former Studio 263 actress and ZiFM Stereo DJ’s name was literally on everyone’s lips late last year when her leaked sex tape went viral. It was all over the news, people were making jokes about it and comedians had a field time at her expense.

Eventually, ZiFM fired Tinopona a.k.a Tin Tin. And to be fair, the radio’s breakfast show was never the same. She and TK made the morning show something to look forward to everyday.

However, can we really fault ZiFM for having fired Tino after her drama? No company wants to be associated with all that. Sadly Tin Tin did not see it that way and she took her former bosses to court.

Just last week, The Herald reported that her case seemed to be gaining ground in court. Although it looks like she is going to have to wait a little longer to have her labour dispute resolved, the courts seem to be leaning in her direction. And the ruling is likely to end with her either being reinstated or being given a remedy of damages for unlawful dismissal.

The question then is, do YOU want Tin Tin back on radio? Do you think that it matters that she had a sextape leaked or she can do whatever she wants, still be on the waves and it really doesn’t matter? And what of the dismissal? Do you agree with the courts that it was unlawful? Or did ZiFM act in the only way it could have at the time?

And speaking of, we might as well delve a little into the subject of sextapes. What is so wrong exactly about them? We all know people have sex. But if they happened to tape it, it suddenly becomes immoral? Wrong enough to get someone fired? And wrong enough to get someone stigmatised?

Talk about sweet gone sour.

Small Scale Enterprises are Sustainable Foreign Direct Investments

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Small Scale Business

In this article Mazdak outlines the aspects which characterize SMEs as sustainable FD Investors and the relevance of SMEs as sustainable FDIs.

There has always been a deep discrepancy in the economic science and literature on the evaluation of foreign direct investment (FDI) for the development of the host countries. Many case studies from the second part of 20th century point out the reckless behavior of foreign investors and the economical and ecological damages caused to the society of the host country.

Despite these negative aspects, the majority of the latest economic literature is in favor of FDI and is convinced of its positive effects on overall economic development. Apart from financial resources, foreign investors also provide new technologies and know-how, new jobs and other positive impulses for the economic growth of the country they emigrate to. Constantly assessing every economy by criteria such as market size, efficiency level or the existing natural resources, foreign investors are hunting for new destinations for their commercial activities.

Thus, there is extreme competition to attract FDI among developing and developed countries. Investment Promotion Agencies (IPA) and trade organizations are created to communicate the advantages of the host countries to the international FDI community. Trade and investment policies are liberalized and incentives are put in place in the battle to attract foreign investors. Surveys and economical reports from internationally renowned organizations such as the competiveness reports and rankings of World Economic Forum and IMD Institute of Lausanne or the Doing Business Report of The World Bank keep monitoring the economic framework of each country and their optimization efforts.

SMEs in the FDI World

A closer examination of the FDI theory and practice shows that they mainly reflect the behavior patterns and decision-making processes of Multinational Corporations (MNCs). The reason for this fact lays in the history of FDI, which has always been directly linked to cross-boarder activities of MNCs. European companies such as Virginia Company owned by King James I and East India Company were among the oldest corporations with international trade structures set up by FDI in the beginning of 17th century.

Seeking natural resources, better trade infrastructure, cheap labor and effective entry into new markets, the MNCs were involved in many regions and different economic sectors. MNC activities included projects in railways, mining, tramways, water, gas, electricity, banking, insurance, finance, land plantations and agriculture. Although very complex and cost intensive, most of the FDI projects (predominantly in mining and manufacture sector) were extremely profitable for the MNCs, not least because of their strong influence in the host country. For the same reasons FDI remained predominantly a playground for MNCs for more than 2 centuries.

The counterparts of the MNCs are the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). In most countries SMEs are the beating heart of the domestic economy. They have the biggest share of employment and fuel innovation through research and developments and practical experience. In many cases SMEs are called “the hidden champions” dominating their economic sector even beyond the borders of their home countries.

Historically SMEs focused their commercial activities on the domestic and regional markets. Traditionally their international business is based on two pillars: a) exporting goods (mainly regionally) and b) serving MNCs of their country as suppliers, trusted partners and subcontractors. However, continuing globalization of the last 3 decades changed the local, regional and international business framework for the SMEs, specifically in the developed countries. The increasing relocation of their MNC clients to regions with cheap labor put them under enormous pressure to internationalize. The liberalization of global markets led to lower prices which strengthened their foreign competitors. Weak domestic markets made it inevitable for SMEs to reach out directly for lucrative projects in emerging markets. Despite their limited experience and financial abilities it was inevitable for them to internationalize their business to a much higher level and also become members of the FDI community.

Sustainable development: MNCs versus SMEs

While the vast majority of FDI research concentrates on inflow and outflow, motivation, attraction and the impact of FDI, little has been said about the differences between MNCs and SMEs as foreign direct investors. The Brundtland Commission Report’s definition of sustainable development as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs” offers a suitable scale for assessment of both groups. Their behavior in the host country can be examined with respect to the three dimensions of sustainability: economical, ecological and social. Evidently, a thorough scientific research on this topic would go beyond the frame of this article. However, a few examples and experiences from the FDI daily business are enough to explain an existing difference in this field.

Having strong political influence, an active international network, vast financial and human resources, MNCs have the power to optimize their benefits in all three dimensions. Economically they secure their know-how, occupy key positions in their foreign ventures and partnerships with their own staff and optimize the financial outcome of their activities for their shareholders.

Case studies from production facilities of the US automotive industry in South America from end of the last centuries are suitable examples for this aspect. Up to today the MNCs negotiate existing commercial laws and regulation to create the best tax environment, subsidies and any other possible support or advantage from the government of the host country before making any investment decisions abroad. Ecologically MNCs use the natural recourses of the host country without paying attention to the ecosystem or wellbeing of the local environment.

Large oil and mining companies in African countries are still withstanding the international pressure to comply with global ecological standards. Numerous reports document the horrific damages of the local landscape, water supplies or forests in African, Asian or South American countries caused by reckless exploration of local resources.

The daily activities of the MNC employees and their families are mostly kept separated from the society of the host country, which makes social exchange, interaction or integration almost impossible. In some countries personal safety or cultural differences makes this kind of separation necessary. However, in other cases the employer even imports their food from their home country and their staff remains in separate camps in their free time with all their needs taken cared of by their companies.

The circumstances for SMEs as foreign direct investors are considerably different. Not being as influential and powerful as MNCs, economically SMEs have to comply with the local rules and regulations and face all existing challenges in the host country with their own limited abilities and recourses. Lack of financial resources makes SMEs much more careful with their activities and much more dependent on the market of the targeted country. The shortage of human resources forces them to hire and educate local staff. In many cases they even have to train the staff of their local suppliers, distributors or contracting partners to ensure the quality of their products and services for the end customers.

From the beginning SMEs have to learn the business and social framework of the host country. This also includes the environmental regulations. In fact, in many cases the SMEs implement the more advanced and environmental friendly behavior standards of their home country into their new venture. The use of water and energy and waste management rules are good examples in this context.

The entire process of internationalization of SMEs is based on close relationship and interaction with the local population, the companies and the authorities of the host country. This again leads to intensive personal connections and social and cultural understanding and a more sustainable development.

Attracting SMEs

As foreign direct investors, SMEs also benefit from the incentives offered by the authorities and marketing institutions of the host countries. However, most of the offered support programs concentrate on attracting MNCs rather than SMEs. These programs predominantly focus on company registration (one-stop-shop) and taxation. Although these aspects are also of importance for SMEs, it is more crucial for them to overcome other threads and obstacles in the process of internationalization.

These threads consist of lack of reliable and easily understandable information, cultural awareness, managerial know-how and the necessary network in the host country. Further, the most important question for SMEs in the new country is to understand how they can develop their business and remain successful over a long period of time?

In other words, how to become economically sustainable in the new environment they operate in. Especially in the first two years SMEs need a lot of support when it comes to finding new projects and coping with the all the new social, cultural and business challenges. Often it is the sum of small issues that makes survival for SMEs very difficult in the new environment. Attracting SMEs as foreign direct investors means finding innovative and direct solutions for these issues, which usually occur after the establishment of the company in the host country.

IPAs and other FDI attracting organizations can use modern information and communication technologies, which offer diversified and effective options to supply transparent and updated information about the business framework and the economical potentials in their countries. Most of them have sophisticated websites and run expensive online and offline marketing campaigns. However, there is a huge discrepancy in the use and efficiency of new media between the developed and the developing world.

In many cases the language barrier is not being considered. In other cases the information on the websites are not updated which leads to misunderstandings, delays and frustrations. Many questions are much easier answered through a phone call or easy accessible representative offices. Mostly family owned, SMEs have a traditional value structure which is based on personal relationships. Thus, they always prefer a direct and personal contact to clarify business related matters.

The role of the government in the host countries should not only be limited to definition and creation of a FDI friendly legal framework. Being de facto the largest participant in the local economy, governments can actively attract SMEs directly through economic promotion programs. A specific part of public projects can be assigned to SMEs. Some tenders for these projects can be pre-defined as joint venture projects between foreign and local SMEs, which will in turn promote international collaboration. Even projects for MNCs can be connected to participation of local or international SMEs as suppliers or subcontractors.

In many countries it is a matter of legal and even personal safety to comply with social rules and cultural habits of the host country. Many SMEs underestimate this aspect and often find themselves in a learn-by-doing process resulting in numerous issues in daily life. Therefore, generally any social program promoting cultural awareness is necessary and usually appreciated by the expatriate community. However, it is of great importance that these programs are communicated through effective channels so they can reach the different groups of expatriates in the host countries.

Conclusion

Multinational Corporations are still the most targeted foreign direct investors as their investments are large, they can raise the export activities of the host country, their names can be used to attract other investors and for many other reasons. Therefore, they should remain a crucial part of any FDI attraction strategy.

However, they are no longer the only group active in the field of FDI. Driven by the forces of globalized economy Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises are increasingly participating in international transactions. They might not have the advantages of economy of scale but a sustainability assessment clearly proves their middle- and long-term benefits for the host countries.

Hence, a holistic FDI strategy no longer can afford to avoid this group and their special needs in the process of internationalization. In order to attract SMEs as sustainable foreign direct investors, the host countries need also a sustainable incentive program with innovative measures and ideas matching with the special needs of SMEs. As in any other field, sustainability in FDI is also about giving and taking to achieve a win-win situation for all participants.

Liberians are unsure What to do With Madam President

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Sirleaf Elen Johnson

Liberians are scrambling to deal with the EBOLA virus but all like the article in the Foreign Policy Magazine recognized that the massive spread of the virus because of the current administration’s inability to contain it is a symptom of a much bigger problem of poor governance. Liberians and international partners agreed that the spread of the virus represents a failure in governance and presidential leadership, underpinned by uncontrolled corruption, escalating patronage that rewards sycophancy and incompetence and nepotism galore. On August 14, 2014, Foreign Policy Magazine captures the position of Liberians and international partners:

“The Ebola crisis is quickly exposing how rapidly progress can be undermined, however, when it is not grounded in a fair, inclusive social compact between governments and their citizens. It is no coincidence that, in the countries at the heart of the outbreak, large groups of people have been systematically excluded from power and decision-making at all levels for decades. This means many citizens are unwilling to believe that the government can serve their interests. The health system in Liberia is a case in point. Despite millions of dollars of investment in the decade before the Ebola outbreak, there were only 150 trained doctors in the entire country of 3.5 million people. As a result, access to services is inevitably exclusionary, lending itself to networks of corruption as patients do anything they can to receive care.

“In recent years, kleptocratic and nepotistic behavior by the ruling elites have led to long civil wars in Liberia.”

Liberians are holding discussions at multiple layers on the way forward for Liberia. They want the international community to step in and save the day. Newspapers like FrontpageAfrica has sent out an SOS calling on the international community to take over and lead the Ebola Task Force, pushing out President Sirleaf. Liberty Party’s senior Policy Advisor and self-proclaimed “friend of the President” posted on face book that the President should leave office because she is “tired” and has lost control of the Government. Key senators in the Liberian Senate led by Senator Mabutu Nyepan has called on the international community to step in and take over the Ebola Task Force headed by the President of Liberia, basically indicating that the President has, yet again, failed to perform as Chair of the Task Force.

Liberians are giving variety solutions, all loosely connected but pointing to two basic things: (1) Removal of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and (2) formation of some type of a new Government. Some are bent on forming another Interim Government of National Unity. Others do not want an interim Government, so they are willing to painfully settle for VP Boakai to continue and finish Sirleaf’s tenure. Still others don’t want VP Boakai but instead they want Speaker Tyler to rule for 90 days so that Liberians can go to elections and elect a new President, forgetting to know that U.S. and WHO medical authorities and professionals predict that the Ebola virus will last in Liberia at least 6 months, or 180 days from August 2014.

Many of the young people do not want to hear about an interim government, because of their aversion of another rule by the “same old people.” These young people are proposing a Five Year (5) TRUSTEESHIP. But those calling for a Trusteeship are divided between (1) those who want to put Liberia under U.N. like Timor Leste and (2) those who want to make Liberia like one of the U.S. territories like American Samoa, Puerto Rico and Guam. These people want America to send in a Governor like General Wesley Clarke or Colin Powell to run Liberia for five years to reorient the country and build up truly functioning institutions.

There are two main reasons given by those advocating for Trusteeship: (1) Liberian leaders have proven for 168 years that they cannot govern Liberia justly, and the next batch of politicians lining up to take after Sirleaf are as just as uncompassionate and corrupt or worse. (2) America did it for Japan and Germany and the U.N. has done it for Timor Leste, so they should do same for “poor” and “ungovernable” Liberia, a country that is by all measure a classic business school case study of “repeated wasted” opportunity. In order to pay for the Trusteeship, they proposed that America or U.N should take control of all the natural resources and use it to “build our country.”

Regardless of their differences in terms of the course of action to pursue, the majority of Liberians have agreed that:
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is too old (at 75 years) to govern a post war country, as Presidential Candidate Brumskine said in 2011 that Sirleaf was “too old” to run Liberia in the second term.
• Uncontrolled corruption, nepotism, and patronage are the norm under Sirleaf leadership;
• Sirleaf’s lack creativity and vision to make any more tangible changes in the next three years; and
• The majority of Liberians have lost confidence in Sirleaf’s leadership to govern justly and equitably; and
• Sirleaf has shown gross incompetence and neglect of effectively and efficiently leading public institutions.
• Sirleaf has blatantly disregarded the Rule of Law, only disparately executing the laws instances when it suits her personal wealth creation interests or to protect “sacred” ones in her administration.

While all of the issues raised against Sirleaf are valid and can be supported, Liberians need to coordinate and present a coherent position to the “international community” in which intervention is being sought. International community can only assist when a clear and convincing case is presented. It could take on the following:
•Build a CASE AGAINST SIRLEAF that is based on facts, laws (international and domestic) and sound logical reasoning. There is plenty of information in the public domain against Sirleaf. It just need to be compiled and coordinated. Emotional outbursts and conjectures will not cut it.

• Craft a PURPOSEFUL AGENDA clearly indicating what is to be achieved (Interim Govt, Trusteeship, constitutional process with Boakai, constitutional process with Speaker Tyler or Senator Findley, and entire govt dismissal including all three branches of Government). Liberians have to select one and defend it, considering all the associated risks. There is no conjecture, second guessing, equivocating, and ambiguity.
• The Agenda must be LIMITED in scope. It cannot be an open ended solution. For instance, Trusteeship for 5 years. Or statement that all Liberians want is Ellen Sirleaf must leave. The agenda cannot be both relative and absolute. It is one or the other. A present a reasonable solution and not a pie in the sky.

• There must be an EXIT STRATEGY. How will this all end when it succeeds or not succeed. All organizers willing to go the step like in Ukraine or Argentina or the multitude of countries that have used popular means redress a Presidency that ignores the “happiness” of the people.
• Organizers must demonstrate MORAL CLARITY on the positions they advanced against Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the international community. This means the leaders must be people who are trusted and people believe will not mortgage them when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf brings a “brown envelope” or offer them jobs. The international community will be looking in the past and present character of the people advancing the case against Ellen Sirleaf. The leader must ENGENDERED CONFIDENCE from Liberians and international partners.

A good starting point for building a case in Liberia against Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is to seek guidance from others who have done this kind of a thing, when a leader has neglected his or her responsibility and refused to listen to public outcry. Organizers can do for Liberia what Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson did for America, both men had to present to the world as a justification to remove the Brits from power in America. Read the entire cases below:
“Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death! ”

MR. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?

No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament.

Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free² if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable²and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace²but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America ,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
•He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
•He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
•He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
•He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
•He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
•He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
•He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
•He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
•He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
•He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
•He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
•He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
•For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
•For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
•For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
•For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
•For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
•For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
•For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
•For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
•He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
•He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

1986 Liberian Constitution Article 1
“All power is inherent in the people. All free governments are instituted by their authority and for their benefit and they have the right to alter and reform the same when their safety and happiness so require. In order to ensure democratic government which responds to the wishes of the governed, the people shall have the right at such period, and in such manner as provided for under this Constitution, to cause their public servants to leave office and to fill vacancies by regular elections and appointments.”

Article 17
“All persons, at all times, in an orderly and peaceable manner, shall have the right to assemble and consult upon the common good, to instruct their representatives, to petition the Government or other functionaries for the redress of grievances and to associate fully with others or refuse to associate in political parties, trade unions and other organizations.”

Liberia is formed on the basis of American Republican form of Government. Americans have dealt with unaccountable, unresponsive and incompetent elected officials in variety of ways including referendum (aka California Gravy Davis), and laid down constitutional provision (Richard Nixon’s America). In other countries like Argentina and Ukraine it was “people power” through mass interrupted demonstrations.
Whatever course Liberians choose to deal with the Crisis of Confidence-Crisis of Leadership it must be democratic and constitutional. Seeking national and international legal interpretation of Article 1 and 17 of the Liberian Constitution and building a Factual Case are useful starting point.
Paul Collier, a man who is admired by the Liberian Government, wrote in his book “Bottom Billion” that developing countries have mastered one aspect of democracy, which is popular elections. But governance after election is a huge challenge. President Obama has echoed similarly when he argued democracy is more than just an election. Reading Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson shows the basic conclusion that at some point one has to: “Cut your losses short, and keep your profit rolling.”

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