IS THE AFRICAN UNION OF ANY VALUE IN AFRICA TODAY

By: Qeko

The one most shocking thing in African politics and conflicts today is the role of the African Union in bringing about peace. Many people keep on wondering as to whether it is necessary to have an institution in Africa that add no value in the lives of African people. People keep on asking as to why Africa has many political conflicts and the African Union seem not to do anything to come up with rightful solution to them. There are conflicts in Somalia where there is a failed state where few nations agreed to sent their troops as part of African peace Keeping force. There is also the conflicts in Ivory Coast where apparantly there seem to be no amicable solution to the conflict. Then now we have the uprising and revolution that is blowing across North African states especially Libya where Qaddafi's pro-government troops allegedly continues to bomb areas controlled by the anti government forces in the east and western part of the country.

In showing their support for the steps taken by the UN and the US and other EU states against Libya, it was expected of the AU to expel Libya from the organisation. The lattest is that the UN has voted to suspend Libya from the United Nation Human Rights Council which is a good move by the world body. Now while other bodies and institutions are concern and taking steps to isolate the Libyan leader, the African Union which was suppose to be examplary is not like doing anything not even to expel Libya from the organisation which is making so many people worried and surprised. However that Libya is not expelled from the AU is seen as a dangerous move because in the near future it will be difficult for the AU to deal with similar situations and cases. In as much as Qaddaffi is the brain behind the formation of the AU, he still has to be shown a RED CARD for killing his own people and turning the once peaciful country into a battle ground.

Having said this, we therefore want to call upon the AU that its about time that they realise that this is the 21st Century where the world is changing and they need to be in line with what is happening around them. They should avoid being a toothless institution which no meaning in the lives of African People. Why should the whole AU not take action while people are dying at the hand of the Brother leader? Should we wait for the US to lead the way? Why do we always wait for nations outside Africa to lead the way while we as Africans can handle and deal with such situations?

WILL MUHAMMAR AL QADDAFI SURVIVE THE UPRISING?

By: Qeko

That African strongest military leader, Muhammar Qaddafi is facing the greatest uprising is like a joke and a hard thing to believe. When Mubarak and Ben Ali vacated their hot seat, we never thought the Libya was to be the next african nation to be hit by the Revolution and protest. This time around it all clear and Qaddafi has lost control of almost the entire nation apart from Tripoli where he stays. This is because Benghazi and other major cities have fallen in the hands of the anti government protestors who are demanding that he resigns and leave the country.

However unlike Mubarak, the Brother leader is so difiant and it seems he will not give up power easily but that he will fight until the end. Qaddafi is difiant and assisted by his son who seem to be the second man in command in Libya as he can get on TV anytime he feels like to talk about the protest taking place in the country and how much his father is still in control.

In a way of making sure that Qaddafi surrenders, the UN, US and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Qaddafi and his family and a freezing of all Asset that the Qaddafi family have the US and other European nations. now the Question is will these sanctions help to remove the Brother leader? What actual need to be done by the UN, US and the European is they have to show some seriousness in support of the prostestors? We are of the veiw that sanctions doesnt work at all mainly when its about an African head of state. Freezing their assets is like a game because they can still survive with what they have inside their country. For instance, Qaddafi has alot in Tripoli and he doesnt need to travel to US to survive. He can still stay in Tripoli and still be in charge. So Sanctions as such have little impact in trying to solve the problem. What they call targeted sanction is a waste of time because African leaders and Qaddafi is able to survive. The travel ban is just a huge joke of a century because we need to be realistic here to see how many times does he travel outside the country?

So the UN, US and their key allies needed to do something that was to immediately help the people of Libya.

CHRR, CeDeP AND MANERELA MISGUIDED AND WRONG

By: Qeko

The news that the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Centre for the Development of people (CeDeP) and the Malawai network of Religious Leaders Living with or Affected by HIV and Aids (Manerela) have released a communique attacking the Malawi Council of Churches ove the criminalisation of lesbians is worrisome, unfortunate, bad and all geared to please the western donor nations.

It is very sad development mainly to see that we have some Malawians who are advocating and help spread the kind of traditions and a way of life that is unmalawian. One wondeers as to why actually CHRR, CeDep and Manerela can go this far to attach and condemn the Malawi Council of Churches. Actually these rights organisation need to know that any attack and action against the Malawi Council of Churches become an attack on the entire Malawian Church and an attack on every Christian in Malawi and all God fearing people the nation has.

These rights agancies need to know that they are in Malawi and that they need to respect what is important and of value to the people of Malawi. They should know that they Malawi is not the US or a European nation where such Satanic and abominable way of life is accepted in the name of rights and freedom. They should respect what is good for Malawi and in this case criminalising lesbians because you dont need to have a degree to know that it is unmalawians for a woman to marry a fellow woman. Every Malawians you ask in the streets will tell you that this strange way of life is bad and not good for this nation. What is good in the US or Europe can not be good for Malawi and this is how life is. So these rights agencies should stop imposing on Malawians a strange way of life in the name of rights and people's freedom.

Having said this, let me call upon these rights agencies to know that whoever is forcing them to act in this unmalawian way is doing them no good at all because they end of the day, they still remain Malawians and thus they shall be. If its the western blasphemous donor money that is forcing them to act and talk in this manner then they should know that whatever thing they do will not help them becaue Malawians willnot give in to the demands coming from western donor nations through them. Malawians are wise people and we know who we are and what we stand for as a nation and the one thing that Malawians can not accept is to see that a woman marries a fellow woman. Also they should know that no any amount of money will managae to change the way we do things in Malawi because we are Malawians and shall do and act in a way that shall protect and preserve our identify and our way of life.

Now as regard the argument that Malawi is a secular state hence every blasphemous and evil way of life should be accepted, let me point out the following in a way of educating these rights agencies in Malawi:

Firstly is that as they operate in Malawi, it is important for them to know the kind of people who the nation has and also they should know the history of the nation. These rights agencies should go back to school and be taught the composition of this nation in terms of what we believe in as Malawians.

Secondly is that these rights agencies need to do a little statistics on the religious component of the nation. On this one they will find out that close to 95% of all Malawians (Muslims, Christians and African Tradition Religion) believe that there is God which translates that this nation is a God fearing nation. This is the UNWRITTEN LAW OF THE LAND and its very clear to every Malawian who is not bribes with western donor money. This is reflected in the everyday life of the nation. In as much as the constitution is not clear (black and white) on the matter, this does not mean that we are a secular state. How can a state be secular when 95% of the people are God fearing citizens? The state is composed of citizens and the religious belief of the citizen body determines whether the state is secular or not and in this case, MALAWI IS A GOD FEARING NATION AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE and no wonder the nation criminalised lesbianism and other blasphemous and strange way of life.

Thirdly is to inform and remind these rights agencies that our national anthem bears witness to who we are and every verse of it speaks of the truth of whom we Malawians are. The national anthem is a plea to God to bless our country and the whole message in that song is addressed to God. Now you tell me since 1964 we all have been singing this national anthem and we believed every bit of it and we know that there is God in Heaven. So how can someone call this nation a secular state when even our national anthem talks about God. How can we be a secular states when the citizens are God fearing as earlier said?

Having said this, i finally want to say that Malawians should refrain from acting in a way that will negatively affect the progressive development of the nation. We need to be patriotic Son of the land and love our country and make sure that we protect it from any wicked foreign influences in the nation of freedom and democracy.

THE POWER OF THE UPRISING: WILL THE REVOLUTION SUCCEED IN BAHRAIN?

By: Qeko

The wind of political revolution which continues toshake and blow across the Arab nations has instilled hope and new deternmination in th lieves of people in that they not have realised that they have the power to change their own political and economic destiny. This wind of political revolution is leavin no stone unturned and the Arab region will never be the same again. Through what happened in Tunisia and Egpyt many in the region feel that they can topple any oppressive and autocratic regime. The Tunisian and Egpytian model of uprising and politcal revolution shows tha there is the indescribable power in the electorates when they are united with one common purpose geared to achieving one common mission.

After the fall of Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, people asked, "who is next on line to pack up and go? After the historic Egpytian revolution, the wind of political change blew continued to blow across the Arab region and the nation affected so far include; Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, Libya. Confirmed Reports shows that in these Arabs states, demonstrators daily continue to gather in their various freedom squares to call for an end of their autocratic regimes. However we now want to briefly analyse the uprising in Bahrain.

Bahrain is a western backed monarchy ruled by the Al Khalifa's family from where many in Cabinet and high offices comes from. Bahrain is a nation ruled by a single family and this has been the case for more than 200 years. The main problem in Bahrain is that the minority sunnis are the one in control of the nation while the majority Shiites are the commoners and basically poor. The majority Shiites Muslims are sidelined in the administration of the state and the wind of political change blowing accross the Arab states has waken them up and they are calling for the abolition of the monarchy and a call for freedom and respect for human rights. The monarch and political elite who are mainly from the royal Khalifa family are extremely rich while the majority Shiites Muslims are middle class and poor.

The Bahrain's uprising just like the one in Yemen seem to be unique because the western government have not come so strong in condemning the ill treatment of the protestors by the regime. Particularily what surprises many is that the US is not coming so open in support of the protest. This silence is sending a very bad political signal to many in Bahrain and the world because this silence is taken as the US indirect support of the oppressive monarch. The US and western governments need to see the writing on their middle east political wall and should play this game with care otherwise history will judge them wrong. If the US is not in support of the protestors now then what will they do when the monarchy and the regime in deposed? Now is the time for the US and western nations to act and get involved in supporting the fighters of democracy in the region just as they did with Egpyt. However we are yet to see how this political revolution unfolds in this small gulf state of Bahrain.

MZIMBA AND THE NGUNI KINGDOM IN MALAWI

BY: Peter Qeko Jere

One of the key features that appear on the map of Malawi is the most famous Nguniland in the northern part of the country called Mzimba. The word Mzimba is a Zulu – Xhosa one and it means the body of a human being. The word is famous in Malawi not because of its meaning but because this is the largest district in the entire country. It’s the only district which is ruled by children of one man, Zwangendaba (Ka Jele, Ka Qeko, Ka Lonyanda, ka nyandeni, Ka Khali , Ka lovuno, ka nguwoyempisi) who in the 1800s fled the wars of Shaka. Zwangendabah was born in Zululand but died in Mapupo while his children settled in the northern region of Malawi in a district called Mzimba. These children of Zwangendaba are present JERE ruling class of the Mzimba kingdom who during colonialism, formed the JERE COUNCIL which was the highest decision making body of the kingdom.

Mzimba with its capital at Mzimba Boma has of today more than 610944 people and covers 10430 square kilometers. This territory is basically occupied by the JERE Nguni’s. Northern region of Malawi where this district is located has other four smaller districts where we find the Tongas, Nkhondes, Tumbukas and Lyambias.

History says that as the Zwangendaba Ngunis were on their way from the south Africa, they in 1835 crossed the Zambezi river and briefly stayed in the present day Zimbabwe where they fought some fearless wars before going further north-east into Malawi. In Malawi they briefly settled at Mabiri from where Mmbelwa was born. Zwangendaba moved northward and crossed into Mapupo-Tanzania where he later died. However his children moved backward into the south and crossed into Malawi while one called Mpezeni moved and settled in the eastern side of Zambia from where he rules as INKOSI YA MAKOSI MPEZENI IV.

In Malawi, there are seven Zwangendaba sons who are ruling the ruling class in Mzimba Ngoni kingdom and these are the Jeres under INKOSI YAMAKOSI M’MBELWA. Now Inkosi Yamakosi Mmbelwa IV (who was given the name Zwangendaba at birth) is the overall King of the Zwangendabah Jere Ngunis of Malawi and he reigns from Edingeni and Engalaweni some few kilometers from Mzimba BOMA. His other brother is INKOSI MTWALO who reigns from Ezondweni which is an offshoot of Ekwendeni (ekhaya lagogo). In the southern Part of Mzimba district is INKOSI MABILABO who rules from Ekhahleni, Emfeni and Elangeni. In the north western part of the district is INKOSI PHEREMBE who rules from Emcihleni. In the central western part of district is INKOSI MZUKUZUKU who reigns from Ephangweni and Embangweni. In the eastern part of the district is INKOSI MZIKUBOLA who reigns from Emcigohleni or emchakachakeni and finally we have INKOSI CHINDI who reigns from euthini.

Some may wonder as to why we the custodian of Ngoni culture and tradition seem not to recognize Kampingo Sibande and Jalavikuba Munthali as part of the Amakhosis in the kingdom. To clarify this, those of you who do seem not to know Ngoni history and tradition, Kampingo Sibande and Jalavikuba Munthali has special cultural role to play and that is to lender their cultural obligation to Inkosi Mthwalo and other Amakhosis in the kingdom. They are under Inkosi Mthwalo and they can not just begin to rule at the same level as Inkosi Mthwalo. As far as the Ngoni Culture and tradition is concern, Kampingo Sibande and Jalavikuwa Munthali still remains Senior Ndunas of Inkosi Mthwalo.

The elevation of the two to the status of Amakhosi is and remain unwelcome by many in the kingdom because this whole exercise undermines and violated the Ngoni Cultural and tradition. I emphasise on this because those day when I was growing up at Ezondweni in Mthwalo, I used to seeing these two being part of the many meetings that the late Inkosi Mthwalo IV was hosting at Ezondweni. They fulfilled their duties as senior Indunas of Inkosi Mtwalo and elevating them to the same status of Inkosi goes against culture. I will undertake a project where a full research shall be done on this matter responding to the question as to why the Mzimba Ngoni Kingdom in Malawi lost its glory and its dignity.

HOSIN MUBARAK AND THE TURNING POINT IN EGYPTIAN POLITICS

By: Qeko
29/1/11

The sacrificial death of Mohammed Bouazizi which gave birth to the Tunisian Revolution continues to spread in the entire Arab world. In Tunisia it led to the unceremoniously departure of President Ben Ali fled to Saud Arabia for refuge while in Egypt this is causing serious political change where throughout the streets of major Egyptians town, people are demonstrating and calling for an end to the Mubarak long decade rule. In the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, protestors burns key government buildings and fought with the police. Television pictures shows that Egyptians were prepared for this Revolution and they are ready and determined to fight the Mubarak regime until he is leaves office.

And speaking on the Egyptian Television in response to the demonstration, Egpytian President Mubarak showed no sign of giving up power and he is far from leaving the country into exile. President Mubarak is not intending to leave Egypt as Ben Ali did but that he will stay in the country and face the protestors head-on. In responding to the protest and meeting what he feels are their demands, Mubarak is planning has asked his government to resign and he is forming a new cabinet. Now the question is does Mubarak read the signs of his times on his political wall? Will he say in power in the midst of such a huge and massive demonstration and allow innocent blood to be shed in Egypt? What kind of solution do we need to solve the Egyptians problem?
To begin with, we need to say that this wind of regime change blowing across the Arab world seem not to spare any nation. When the very wind of revolution was hitting Tunisia, Egyptians authorities seemed to have undermined it and never thought that it was to invade their country in a big way as it has done.

Now it seems to some of us that Mubarak is missing the point in the direction he has taken. The Egyptian population are calling for him to resign and leave office and he is busy asking cabinet ministers to resign their office so that he can appoint new ones into office. Mubakarak need to see and read in a very clear language that the electorate who voted him into office this time around are using a shortcut and asking him to resign because they are not satisfied with the way he has so far governed the country. These only message one can read from these huge mass demonstration is that Mubarak’s regime has become unpopular and that the people are calling for him to leave office something which Mubarak fails to see at the moment. From Mubaraks action of failing to read the writing on his political wall, we get our first lesson that in politics politicians need to be able to read carefully the writings on their political wall and properly translate them. The failure to read and interpret what is written on their political wall will like Mubarak, make them clings to power against the wishes of the people something which if not properly handled, could lead to more bloodshed and created political madness.

President Mubarak said on the Egyptian Television that he is forming a new cabinet to respond and satisfy the demands of the protestors. Again Mubarak has missed the point. Egyptians are not demonstration because they want him to change cabinet or form a new one. Egyptians are demonstrating because they are sick and tired of his autocratic and undemocratic rule where some key opposition leaders are not given fair platform for them to properly play this political game. The people want him to leave office peacefully and give way to a new leadership that will properly respond to their demands. They are particularly asking that Mubarak should go meaning that there has to be a new administration excluding himself. So our second lesson is that political leaders need to be able to properly hear the voice of the people who voted them into office. The regime change revolution that is sweeping across the Arabs states is showing us that power belongs to the people. Now politicians need to make sure that they satisfy the demands of those who voted them into office.

As the Egyptian revolution continues to unfold, we have noted something unique in the way the protestors are being treated by both the army and the police. The police tear gassed and bit the people while the army are seen on Television being warmly welcomed by the people in the streets of Cairo. It seems there is a good relationship between the army and the people unlike the police. It also seems that the people basically don’t like the police and may be because of the way the police have behaved against the people throughout the many decades of the Mubarak reign. People don’t just resent the police without a reason but that there are enough factors that have led the population of Egypt to resent the police and the Mubarak reign. At the same time, the army are warmly welcome because they are looked upon as peaceful and their instrument of hope in times of trouble. We are yet to see if the Egyptian police will join the protestors like what the Tunisians police later did. The challenge the police are facing in this revolution is that they are forced to tear gas and bit their own brothers who are protesting in the streets and no wonder the Tunisian police made a U-turn and joined their brothers and sisters in the demonstration. Now from this scenario, we have our third lesson that there is always time in life that people will resent us because of the way we treat them in one way or the other. If we treat people badly our actions we then should know that the same measure we used on others will one day be used on us. What we mean is that if we are the instrument of pain in people’s lives today then some day some how before we die, we shall see the results of the seed we planted. The Egyptian police in as much as they are ordinary citizens of the land, they should be having difficulties to properly live with the people they have mistreated during the entire reign of Mubarak.

A critical look at the mass demonstration in Egypt shows that the US’s interest is the main reason why Mubarak is defiant and not ready to leave office. The US to a large extent depends on Mubarak for them to achieve their Middle East agenda and as the way the political events are unfolding, this whole episode is giving the US a troubled moment. Against all odds, many expected the US to support the mass demonstration but instead there is no clear message from White House in support of the will of the people. The US is very careful on how to handle this because they know that Mubarak is at the centre of their Middle East agenda. Many expected the US to ask Mubarak to go but surprisingly, the US is asking Mubarak to come up with reforms. The US is missing the link here because the will of the Egyptians’ is not for Mubarak to come up with reforms but that he should go and leave office. The US should know that the will of the people as of now is for Mubarak to resign. The US should give more support to the demonstrators because if they fail to do this, history will judge them as being a nation that supported a autocratic regime. Of course it is allegedly argued by many that the US is the main reason why Mubarak stayed in power this long. The US used Mubarak to have their Middle East policy properly executed.

THE REVOLUTION: THE DEMISE OF THE MUBARAK AND BEN ALI DYNASTY.

By: Qeko
31/1/11

The Revolution is here and here to stay. The political wind of regime change blowing across North Africa seems to spread like the hurricane wind that will not be easily stopped. For many decades, North Africa has been rule by dictators many of whom have survived because of the American support. It is the US who continued to support both Tunisia and Mubarak’s Egypt. The US maintained their support for the North African dictators because they were crucial and important in the US Middle East foreign policy. For instance, the US needs Egypt if their Middle East policy has to be a success. So this wind of political change blowing across North Africa has created a crisis in the US Middle East foreign policy because any political change that takes place in Egypt has serious repercussion on their Middle East policy. No wonder that for many decades, the US has given 1.5 billion Dollars to the Egyptian military as a way of showing their solidarity and support to the Mubaraks’ autocratic rule.

A critical look into the Revolution blowing across North Africa shows some unique elements as follows; Firstly in terms of their similarity, the one common problem for both the Tunisians and the Egyptians’ has been that they all were under oppression and that their regimes were autocratic and cared less about them but did everything under the sun to enrich themselves. Both Ben Ali and Mubarak amassed huge wealth and have expensive properties that were acquired corruptly at the expense of the majority poor people in their countries. Since the Tunisians and the Egyptians had one common problem, the Revolution took the same direction and the message was the same and this was a call for both Mubarak and Ben Ali to go. The protestors in both countries called for an end to oppression and dictatorship. They called for an end to dictatorship because both of these ruled their countries undemocratically and instead made life a living hell for their people. Ben Ali for 23 years turned Tunisia his personal estate while Mubarak for 30 years turned Egypt into his kingdom where he was about to make his son the next President of the country. The problem in Egypt was not that Gamal Mubarak was being prepared to rule the country but that the President himself Hosni Mubarak did little to lift the living standards of the people and concentrated on corruptly amassing wealth at the expense of the poor Egyptians.

The dictators’ response
Looking into the dictators response to the protest, we have noted the following; in Tunisia Ben Ali could not withstand the pressure and he fled the country to Saudi Arabia while in Egpyt, the military man Mubarak vowed to stay on and if anything die on Egyptian soil. The defiant Mubarak, a military General himself who is highly decorated because of the many wars he fought for his country, showed no sign of surrender unlike the fearful Ben Ali who escaped the burning hell in Tunis.

The Vacuum that Ben Ali left in Tunisian was filled by the Speaker of Parliament who was letter elevated to the Presidency so that he together with the Prime Minister take care of the transitional government. To properly handle the political pressure from the protestors, both the President and the Prime Minister resigned from Ben Ali’s ruling party. This unity government has never been welcomed by the majority Tunisians because they still see that through the President and the Prime Minister, Ben Ali even though he is in exile, will still rule Tunisia. The issue is that these two were part and parcel of Ben Ali’s political dictatorship and they cannot just change colours now just because of the pressure. Tunisians want a neutral interim administration which will prepare the country for elections. Their worry is that the Ben Ali’s Prime Minister and caretaker President cannot be trusted because they will end up using the power of the incumbency to win the election.

In Egypt however, Hosni Mubarak responded to the protest by appointing the Vice President after 30 years of ruling the country alone. Mubarak never wanted to have a Vice President but manage Egypt alone like his personal estate. In addition he also appointed a new Prime Minister himself. Many commentators have said that Mubarak appointed the Vice President this time around because he is in trouble and want him to play a front line role in the discussion with the opposition. In other words, Mubarak could not have appointed this Vice President if there were no political mayhem in Egypt. Why should he appoint someone now to be the Vice President after ruling the country alone for 30 years? However the one unique element about the three top Egyptian administrators is that they are all former senior military men and Mubarak has appointed them because of the huge respect the Egyptians people have on the army.

Now just like their Tunisian counterparts, the Egyptians’ anti government demonstrators have one common problem that Mubarak should resign and there be an interim administration which should oversee both the Presidential and parliamentary election coming in September. However the unseen US power seem to suggest that the US want Mubarak himself to be at the helm of power and oversee the election which is a problem to many of us. Mubarak need to give space to a neutral administration otherwise the coming election will lead to more bloodshed because the Egyptian people are sick and tired of Mubarak. What the US should do if they have to redeem their political integrity to make sure that they properly side themselves with the oppressed people of Egypt and tell Mubarak to leave office otherwise history will judge them wrong.

Western nations missing the point
The Tunisian and Egyptian revolution has shown how easily western nations seem to miss the point when dealing with African people. The Western nations are so much blind and deaf that they don’t see and hear the specific cries of African people as has been the case with Tunisian and Egypt. In both Tunisia and Egypt the people are calling for a total regime change and nothing else while unfortunately the US and some western governments are talking the language of allowing dictators to still stay in power and initiate reform. What reform can dictators who have ruled for decades introduce in the 21st Century. These dictators are old fashioned and have no idea what the youth in this century actually need. Thus is why in trying to appease these dictators, in Egypt the US is asking the Mubarak to hang on there and initiate reforms and thereafter call for elections in September. The one amazing thing is that Mubarak has rule Egypt for 30 years and had all the time on earth to initiate anything as a way of helping empower his people. So the US and their western counterparts are greatly missing the point and the best thing they can do is to hear the cries of the people who are calling for Mubarak to resign and leave office. If the US is a champion of democracy then they need to ask their friend Mubarak to resign which is in line with what the people are demanding. The people don’t want the reforms or any form of transition government but want one thing, that Mubarak should resign and leave office.