Can Mahama Take The NDC Along?

President John Dramani Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama is obviously sliding between two apparently contradictory positions and yet if he is to succeed he may have to attempt to ride two horses moving in opposite direction at the same time.

 

He has persistently promised that he will govern with an all inclusive team but at the same time he sees the need to carry the party on whose ticket he become President along.

The problem is that his first four key appointments suggest that he may be embarking on an independent path and may have very little consideration for party solidarity and support.

 None of the four person he has appointed to positions close to the heart of government is a frontline party activist.

There is Prosper Bani, whose CV full stints with the United Nations and is very low on direct party political activism.

The point has been made that if he is to succeed as chief of staff he needs to understand the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and win the respect of its activists.

Vice President Amissah Arthur

As chief of staff he will also have oversight responsibility for Ministers and it is imperative that Ministers see him as leader who shares their vision and the party’s aspirations.

The appointment of Dr Sulley Gariba as Senior Policy Co-ordinator is interesting.

He is a known friend of the President and an important feature of the non-governmental world and there are glowing testimonies about his grasp of policy issues.

However, he is a member of The People National Convention (PNC) and has not been in the hot trenches of the struggle of the NDC to win and retain power.

Dr Atuguba who has been announced as Executive Secretary to the cabinet is also reported to be a brilliant lawyer but it is claimed that his own origins are traceable to the PNC.

The question on the lips of many is has John Mahama decided to send a message with these appointments? And if yes, what is the message?

Can President Mahama carry the NDC with him on his path to all inclusiveness?

Only time will tell.

Editorial

DANGER

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is in grave danger of becoming completely irrelevant in Ghanaian politics.

More than one month after it lost the last election, it has not began a rebuilding process which will enable it win future elections.

The process should necessarily have involved finding out why it lost the election and dealing with structural and policy defects.

Unfortunately, the leaders of the NPP are busily giving their supporters the false hope that somehow the Supreme Court will declare Nana Akufo-Addo, the party’s presidential candidate as the President of Ghana.

It must be obvious to any political or legal observer that it will take a fairly long time to determine the weight of the petition the NPP has filed before the Supreme Court and for as long as the court continues to consider the petition, the rebuilding process in the NPP cannot start.

 The question is when will the rebuilding process in the NPP start?

 It is also important for the leaders of the NPP to consider the political and psychological impact of another defeat at the Supreme Court.

The signals are not good for the NPP’s future.

Report of Committee of Inquiry in Ghana Water Company

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Introduction

The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing set up four (4) Committees to investigate the causes of the ineffectiveness in the operations of the Urban Water Sub-Sector and suggest means of addressing, the challenges. The Committees submitted their various reports and the Ministry realizes the need to consolidate all these into a single document to enhance the implementation of the findings and recommendations.

The Hon. Minister received numerous complains about the shortcomings of the Urban Water Sub-Sector on daily basis. The complaints bordered basically on procurement, operational and managerial inefficiencies. The Committees' reports indicated that most of the complaints' had, merit and therefore needed to be further investigated.

There was also an allegation of misinformation against the Acting Managing Director of GWCL and Mr. Boste-Baidoo, Acting Head of Projects, GWCL, when the two (2) were requested to provide technical information to the Hon. Minister to enable him convince Parliament to approve a Memorandum on Kpong Water Supply System Capacity Expansion and Rehabilitation Project.

1.2 Scope of Work

The Committee was charged with the responsibility of amalgamating all the four (4) reports on the management and operations of the Urban Water Sub-Sector. The reports are:

1. Ministerial Fact Finding Committee on the Urban Water Sub-Sector

Report on the Amasaman Water Supply Project

Report on Allegation of Unprofessional Conduct by the Acting Managing \Director of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Acting Head of Projects (G\VCL)

Report on Alleged Misinformation to the Hon. Minister on the Kpong Water
Supply System Capacity Expansion and Rehabilitation Project.

Kweku Botwe, MD of Ghana Water Company

Relationship between the Acting Managing Director and Staff

In interviewing the staff (Senior and Junior) for their opinion on the performance of the company, over 99 percent of those interviewed indicated that the Company was on a downward trend. In their opinion, all aspects of the work such as commercial, operations and staff welfare had retrogressed. In response to what could be the reason for the retrogression, the same percentage of staff indicated that the problem was systemic and emanated from the head.

The Committee also realized that the style of administration of the acting Managing Director created a wedge among the staff. The division of the staff along Leadership lines led to a general feeling of despondency among them. This affected their performance of work.

2.5 Relationship between the Acting Managing Director and Deputy

The Acting Managing Director had no deputy until six (6) months ago. The Board therefore recommended the transfer of Mr. Godwin K. Dovlo who was then the Chief Manager, ATMA to assume the position of Acting Deputy Managing Director, Operations. Since his assumption of duty, his accountability statement which spells out his job functions is yet to be provided to him. The Board has made several requests for this and it was at the last meeting of the Board held in September that a draft was presented to it for consideration.       .         l.'

It was again realized that the relationship between the Acting Managing Director and his Deputy was not cordial. Information gathered by the Ministerial Fact Finding Committee was that the Acting Managing Director did not delegate his Deputy to represent him at major functions which he was unable to attend. For instance, on the several occasions that he was invited to brief the Minister, he either went alone or with another staff.

Another instance was when the Company was invited to the 23rd Annual Round Table Conference of CONIW AS which was held in Tamale this year. GWCL was duly invited but owing to other official engagements, the Acting Managing Director could not honor the invitation, yet he did not delegate his deputy to represent the Company. 

              

The Committee therefore recommends that the Acting Managing Director of the company should be asked to step aside to bring sanity in the work environment of the company.

CHAPTER TWO

2.1 Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL)

The Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC), was established in 1965 under an Act of Parliament, (Act 310) as a legal public utility entity responsible for:

Water supply and sanitation in rural as well as urban areas.

The conduct of research on water and sewerage as well as the making of engineering surveys and plans.

The construction and operation of water and sewerage works,

The setting of standards and prices and collection of revenues.

With the passage of Act 564 of 1998, Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) was established to be responsible for the management of rural water supply systems, hygiene education and provision of sanitary facilities. After the establishment of CWSA, 120 water supply systems serving small towns and rural communities were transferred to the District Assemblies and Communities to be managed under the community-ownership and management scheme.

Finally, pursuant to the Statutory Corporations (Conversion to Companies) Act 461 of 1993 as amended by LI 1648, on 1st July 1999, GWSC was converted into a 100% state owned limited liability company, Ghana Water Company Limited, with the responsibility for urban water supply.

In 2006, Aqua Vitens Rands Limited (AVRL) was contracted by the Government to provide operational services for the Urban Sub-Sector Water Delivery. In 2009 when the contract of the Company expired, Government did not find it prudent to extend it. In place of AVRL therefore, a wholly owned Ghanaian company, Ghana Urban Water Limited (GUWL) was formed to continue the services of AVRL.

2.2 Board of Directors

The Companies have a seven (7) member Board of Directors each which has the mandate to make policies. The GWCL Board has a standing arrangement to hold monthly meetings to review activities of the Company.

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Inappropriate Awards of Contracts

The Committee observed that the Acting Managing Director awarded several contracts without the knowledge and authorization of the Board. These projects, however, were executed with funding from the coffers of the Company. Some of such projects are:

3.1 Amasaman Water Supply Systems

The Acting Managing Director awarded a contract to Messrs K. Adu Construction and Plumbing Works Limited to develop the Amasaman Water Supply Systems.
The project involved laying of pipes within the Amasaman Community and carrying out service connection to, consumers.

K. Adu after completing the project took it over and charged consumers who applied for connection GH¢400.00 as project fees. This amount was paid into a special account at Ga West Rural Bank at Amasaman. Consumers were further charged service connection fees between GH¢5OO.OO and GH¢ l, 200.00 depending upon how far or near applicant's residence is from the mains. It was also found that K Adu charged consumers over 300% above the approved PURC rates.

E.T Mensah, Out going Minister of Water Resources Works And Housing

Meanwhile, the Committee learnt that the service meters used by the construction company "turned water dealer" were collected from the stores of GUWL for a project at Nsawam. K. Adu informed the Committee that he bought 600 service meters from GUWL staff at Nsawam at GH¢30.00 each amounting to a total of GH ¢18, 000.OO. He said he made a part payment of GH¢12, OOO.OO to them without any receipt issued for it. The Committee further found that K. Adu always paid only about one third of the bill issued him by GWCL. He is therefore indebted to the Company to the tune of GH¢102,564.25.

The Committee requested for copies of the documentation and processes for the award of the project to K. Adu Construction and Plumbing Works Limited from both the Acting Managing Director (Mr. Kweku Botwe) and Mr. Kwaku Adu Boateng (Managing Director, Kwaku Adu Construction and Plumbing Works Limited).

They both promised to make available the documents by the following day.
However, up till now, they have reneged on their promise. The Committee therefore assumes that there are no documentation on the project.

The Committee therefore recommends the following:

1.     That Amasaman should be created as a District under GUWL and the water system transferred to it.

2.      Mr. Kwaku Adu-Boateng, Managing Director of the Company and the District Manager of GUWL, Nsawam' District, should be either made to refund the money the GH¢18,000.00 to GUWL or arrested and prosecuted over the trading of GUWL service meters.

3.      Mr. Kweku Botwe, the Acting Managing Director of GWCL should be sanctioned for not providing his Board, of Directors enough briefing on the contract.

Water is Life

3.2 Bulk Breaking of Contracts

Bulk Breaking of Contracts refers to a situation where contracts are split into smaller bits 'to reduce the contract sum in order to avoid reaching a particular threshold to circumvent the due procurement process.

The Ministerial Fact Finding Committee observed that in December 2008, GWCL carried out a pipe laying project in some communities in the Central Region in which 88 contracts were awarded. The contract sum ranged from GH¢9,848.00 to GH¢9,998.80.

In 'the opinion of the Committee the contracts were awarded by the Acting Managing Director with the intent to avoid the threshold of the Board which is GH¢ 10,000.00 and largely to circumvent the procurement process. When the Acting Managing Director's attention was drawn to this malpractice, he retorted, "Given the chance I will break the so called law again to achieve my intended result".

The Committee recommends the re-composition of the procurement structures and also calls for' stringent measures to be put in place to deter management from awarding piece-meal contract.

The Committee further recommends that the Ministry should institute a body to conduct thorough procurement audit to ascertain the extent to which value for money was attained by the Company through its procurement processes from 2008 to date.

3.3 Supply and Installation of Early Fire Warning System

The Acting Managing Director of GWCL wrote in a letter 'dated 3o" October 2012. to inform the Managing Director, GUWL, of their discussions on the need to install Early Fire Warning Systems in GWCL's installations against fire outbreaks. The Acting Managing Director said further, that Public Procurement Authority had given approval to the procuring of Messrs Socio Computers Limited for the job which was estimated at GH¢l,256,569.50. (Refer to Appendix 2a, Notification of Award)

On the same date, the Acting Managing Director of GWCL issued a letter of notification of award to the chief executive officer of Socio Computers Limited. (Refer to Appendix 2b, Re: Supply And Installation Of Early Fire Warning System). In the notification of award letter, he indicated the regions and the estimated cost of the project.

The Committee also observed that the Board of the Company was not made aware of the intention to award the project. Furthermore, the Committee observed that the cost of the project was beyond the threshold of the Entity Tender Committee and for that matter should have been referred to the Ministerial Tender Review Board for concurrent approval.

For this blatant breach of provisions of the Public Procurement Act of 2003, Act 663, the Committee recommends the application of section 92, sub-section (1) which states that "any person who contravenes any provision of this Act commits an offence and where no penalty has been provided for the offence, the person is liable on summary conviction to a fine not; exceeding 1000 penalty units or a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years or to both".

4.0 Remittances

Revenue generated by GUWL is used to support its operational activities. It keep a consolidated account into which all revenue collected is deposited. From this account, GUWL transfers funds to all its Regional and District offices as well as GWCL. The transfer of funds to GWCL is in 2 categories, namely Subsidy and Sweep.

4.1 Subsidy

Subsidy is' a monthly transfer of funds from GUWL to GWCL for this administrative expenses. The amount transferred depends on the revenue mobilized.

4.2 Sweep

Sweep is termed as surplus funds determined and declared by GUWL. The transfer of sweep to GWCL is done as and when GUWL determines surplus funds.

The Committee's observation from the transfer of funds from GUWL and receipts from GWCL under sweep showed the following discrepancies:

Whereas in November, 2011 GUWL made a transfer of GH¢300,OOO.OO GWCL, this was not recorded in their submission.

In December, 2011 GUWL transferred an amount of GH¢1,219,918.00 to GWC However, only GH¢l,200,000.00 was captured in their submission to Committee. The variance of GH¢19,918.00 must be explained by the Act Managing Director of GWCL.

Again, in July, 2012 GUWL transferred an amount of GH¢30,000.00 as land valuation charge to GWCL which was not captured in their submission.

Interacting with the Chief Finance Managers of GUWL and GWCL, the Committee was informed that the discrepancies could result due to delays in bank transfer transactions.

It was also observed from a study of the cash flow statement of GWCL for February and March, 2012 that an amount of GH¢424,419.00 was received from GUWL for each month as subsidy instead of GH¢524,419.00 which was captured by both GUWL and GWCL as subsidy transferred by GUWL in their submission to the Committee.

The Committee is of the view that this discrepancy cannot be a human error and recommends that, the Acting Chief Manager, Finance of GWCL and Acting Managing Director should be made to explain and justify the differences. Had financial reports been made available to the Board (GWCL) on regular basis, perhaps the discrepancy would have caught its attention.

The two officials should be made to refund the total short fall of GH¢549,918.00 from transfers and subsidies from GUWL to GWCL as indicated in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Subsidy/Sweep Transfers from GUWL to GWCL

		,
No.	Amount Transferred	Amount Recorded	Variance (GH¢)
	By GUWL (GH¢)	By GWCL (GH¢)
1	300,000.00	0.00	300,000.00
2	1,219,918.00	1,200,000.00	19,918.00
3	30,000.00	0.00	30,000.00
4	524,419.00	424,419.00	100,000.00
5	524,419.00	424,419.00	100,000.00
Total	2,598,756.00	2,048,838.00	549,918.00

You may refer to Appendices 3a and 3b attached and captioned as transfer of funds
to, Ghana Water Company Limited and cash remittances from A VRL/GUWL to GWCL Head Office respectively. ".' ",

".' ", "".".

4.3 Indebtedness of GWCL and GUWL

A request was made by the Committee to GWCL and GUWL to provide details their indebtedness from 2007 to date. At the time of writing the report, GWCL had not responded.

The indebtedness of GUWL relates solely to their operations. The amount Owed companies as submitted as at June 2012 totals GH¢l1,588.677.79. (Refer to Appendix 4, Record of Indebtednes)

However, Mr. Eric Johnson of INTERMEC, a Water Engineering and Service Company, informed the Committee that GWCL and GUWL owed his company t the tune of GH¢8,455,413.36.

The Committee recommends that the Acting Managing Director, GWCL should be
compelled to submit records of the company's indebtedness to its Board of Directors for onward submission to the Ministry.

This will also help the Company and Government secure themselves from paying possible Judgment debts in future.

1. 

.            . .~;;;....,;::::.:~;:: .• ·,-~,,,,w:o-""'··" .,.....

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Alleged Unprofessional Conduct By The Acting Managing Director And
The Acting Head Of Projects, GWCL

This unprofessional conduct was alleged to have been exhibited during the Parliamentary processes for the approval of the Mixed Credit Agreement between the Republic of Ghana and the ABN AMRO Bank BV of the Netherlands for an amount of €86,503,082.00 to finance the expansion and rehabilitation of the "new" Kpong Water Supply System. The project includes the replacement of the existing' 54km steel transmission pipeline from the "new" Kpong Treatment Plant to the Tema Terminal Reservoir.

The Committee investigated the alleged conflicting technical advice offered by Messrs Kweku Botwe, and Michael Botse-Baidoo, of GWCL to the Hon. Minister on the pipe material for the project.

As. a result, the House in approving the loan agreement for the project recommended the use of HDPE pipes instead of the GRP pipes recommended in both the approved cabinet memo and the report of the Joint Select Committee of Finance and Works and Housing.

The Committee in its investigation interviewed the two officers mentioned and other staff of GWCL who were involved in the processes leading to the approval of the project. The Committee also sought technical opinion of some senior managers on the suitability or otherwise of HDPE and GRP pipes and further reviewed the project and other related documents. As well, the Committee interacted with the Minister to find out the exact advice given by the two officials. 

5.1 Observations

The Committee made the following observation

v  The technical advice sought by the Acting Managing Director on the GRP
pipes was given but he did not communicate same to the Minister.

v  Some group of people at GWCL have vested interest in the use of HDPE pipes

·        The Acting Managing Director and Michael Botse-Baidoo were the prime actors in the attempt to sabotage the project.

·        Many of the Senior Engineers were not aware of this project therefore director not provide any technical inputs.

·         Generally, qualified Senior Managers were deliberately kept out 0f
important management decision-making processes by the Acting Managing,
Director.

·         The Acting Managing Director though claimed he was all for the project, his
actions/inactions actually showed that he was not in favour of the use (GRP pipes for the project.

5.2 Findings

The findings include the following:

              "                                                 •               I

·         It was abundantly clear that there was no proper T AC constituted to appraise this project.

·         Various Senior Managers gave different opinions on the suitability of either HDPE or GRP pipes.

·         It was unprofessional for the management of GWCL to have recommend: GRP pipes in the Joint Cabinet Parliamentary Memo but in their response the questions raised at the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee meeting to the appropriate pipes for the project, they indicated their preference for combination of Ductile Iron, HDPE and Steel pipes.

·         Mr. Botse-Baidoo purposely misled the Hon. Minister at the Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting' when the question was raised about the pipes by asking the Minister to "Step-it down" because he and the Acting Managing Director had not seen the Memo.

·         As a sequel, the two officers indirectly tried to frustrate the acceptance of the project by Parliament but for the dexterity of the Hon. Minister.

·         Inferring from the contributions of Hon. Seth K. Acheampong, MP Kwahu South Hon. Dr. A.A.Osei, MP for Tafo, and Hon. Edem Asimah, ·MP for South Dayi, during the debate on the floor as reported in the Hansard of 31 st October 2012, it was clear that the erroneous information that GRP pipes are not in any GWCL installation, are inferior to HDPE pipes, and also not conducive to climatic conditions of Ghana, was given to them by experts
from GWCL.

·          The Acting Managing Director was not truthful to the Committee in his
submission.

.

5.3 Recommendations

·        Constitute a Technical Appraisal Committee (T AC) to critically appraise the
suitability of either GRP or HDPE pipes for the project as soon as possible.

·         Strengthen the Project Planning and Development Department with more
competent professionals to manage water projects in: the best interest of the
country.

·        The Committee further recommends the urgent revamping of the top
Management of GWCL.

·         A severe: disciplinary action should be taken against the Acting Managing
Director and Mr. Michael Botse-Baidoo, Manager, Project Construction and
Contract Management for enabling some Members of Parliament to ridicule
the Minister on the floor of Parliament and putting his integrity in disrepute.

·         From all indications, the conflict adversely affected the performance of the
Company. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Acting Managing
Director should be asked to step aside for the appointment of a substantive
Managing Director who can. Co-operate with the Board for effective
leadership' of the Company.

 

 

Ahmadinejad’s Letter to George Bush

Former US President George W. Bush

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote President Bush an 18-page letter in April 2006 discussing history, international relations and religious values. Following is an unofficial translation from the original written in Farsi:

"Mr. George Bush, president of the United States of America

For some time now, I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena -- which are being constantly debated, especially in political forums and amongst university students. Many questions remain unanswered. Those have prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hopes that it might bring about an opportunity to redress them.

Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), the great Messenger of God,

Feel obliged to respect human rights,

Present liberalism as a civilization model,

Announce one's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs,

Make "War on Terror" his slogan,

And finally,

work towards the establishment of an unified international community -- a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern,

But at the same time,

Have countries attacked. The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight chance of the presence of a few criminals in a village, city, or convoy for example, the entire village, city or convoy set ablaze.

Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around 100,000 people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps 50 years. At what price? 

Victims of War In Iraq

Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and certain other countries and tens of thousands of young men and women -- as occupation troops -- put in harms way, taken away from family and loved ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that everyday some commit suicide and those returning home suffer depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of ailments; while some are killed and their bodies handed to their families.

On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with. 

Of course, Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to topple him, the announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was toppled along the way towards another goal; nevertheless the people of the region are happy about it. I point out that throughout the many years of the imposed war on Iran Saddam was supported by the West.

Mr. President,

You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can these actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness?

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system. 

For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), human rights and liberal values.

Young people, university students, and ordinary people have many questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them.

Throughout history, many countries have been occupied, but I think the establishment of a new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times.

Students are saying that 60 years ago such a country did not exist. They show old documents and globes and say try as we have, we have not been able to find a country named Israel.

I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told me that during WWII, which more than tens of millions of people perished in, news about the war, was quickly disseminated by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most recent battlefront defeat of the other party. 

After the war they claimed that six million Jews had been killed. Six million people that were surely related to at least two million families. Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that logically translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East or support for such a state? How can this phenomenon be rationalized or explained?

Mr. President,

I am sure you know how -- and at what cost -- Israel was established:

-- Many thousands were killed in the process.

-- Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.

-- Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns and villages were destroyed.

This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing for 60 years now.

A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids, destroys houses while the occupants are still in them, announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian figures, and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is unique -- or at the very least extremely rare -- in recent memory.

Another big question asked by the people is "why is this regime being supported?"

Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) or Moses (Peace Be Upon Him) or liberal values?

Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands -- inside and outside Palestine -- whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why is there so much opposition to a referendum?

The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office. All independent observers have confirmed that this government represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected government under pressure and have advised it to recognize the Israeli regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous government.

If the current Palestinian government had run on the above platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are, also asking "why are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?"

 Mr. President,

As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant contact with them -- many people from around the Middle East manage to contact me as well. They do not have faith in there dubious policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are becoming increasingly angry with such policies.

It is not my intention to pose too many questions, but I need to refer to other points as well.

Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East region is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D one of the basic rights of nations?

You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what other point in history has scientific and technical progress been a crime? Can the possibility of scientific achievements being utilized for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and technology altogether? If such a supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc, must be opposed.

Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to be lied to.

Mr. President,

President Hugo Chavez

Don't Latin Americans have the right to ask why their elected government are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, Why must they constantly be threatened and live in fear?

The people of Africa are hard-working, creative and talented. They can play an important and valuable role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from happening. Don't they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth -- including minerals -- is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?

The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including: the coup d'etat of 1953 and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the day, opposition to the Islamic revolution, transformation of an Embassy into a headquarters supporting the activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of pages of documents corroborate this claim), support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran, the shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane, freezing the assets of the Iranian nation, increasing threats, anger and displeasure vis-a-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and celebrating their country's progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer to in this letter.

Mr. President,

September Eleven was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.

All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems -- and even hunts its opponents abroad. 

September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services -- or their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? 

Why are we not told who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren't those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial?

All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country and neighbors of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind. 

9/11 attacks

After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people -- who had been immensely traumatized by the attacks -- some Western media only intensified the climate of fear and insecurity -- some constantly talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?

American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the street, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity? 

Some believe that the hype paved the way -- and was the justification -- for an attack on Afghanistan. Again I need to refer to the role of media. In media charters, correct dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are established tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain Western media for these principles. The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly -- for the public to finally believe -- and the ground set for an attack on Iraq.

Will the truth not be lost in a contrived and deceptive climate? Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned values?

Is the truth known to the Almighty lost as well?

Mr. President,

In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that their governments in turn are able to serve them.

The question here is "what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every year to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?"

As Your Excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people are living in poverty. Many thousands are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem. Of course these problems exist -- to a larger or lesser extent -- in other countries as well. With these conditions in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign -- paid from the public treasury -- be explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles?

What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in our region and in your country. But my main contention -- which I am hoping you will agree to some of it -- is:

Those in power have a specific time in office and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be consistently judged in the immediate and distant futures.

The people will scrutinize our presidencies. Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment?

Did we intend to establish justice or just supported special interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship made a few people rich and powerful -- thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs?

Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them?

Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?

Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats?

Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it?

Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors?

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad

Did our administrations set out to promote rational behavior, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns, Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people's rights?

nd finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office -- to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets -- or not?

Mr. President,

How much longer can the world tolerate this situation?

Where will this trend lead the world to?

How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers?

How much longer will the specter of insecurity -- raised from the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction -- hunt the people of the world?

How much longer will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on the streets, and people's houses destroyed over their heads?

Are you pleased with the current condition of the world?

Do you think present policies can continue?

If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion of health, combating different diseases, education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance to the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment opportunities and production, development projects and poverty alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between disputing states, and extinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other conflicts, were would the world be today? Would not your government and people be justifiably proud?

Would not your administration's political and economic standing have been stronger?

And I am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred of the American government?

Mr. President, it is not my intention to distress anyone.

If Prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph, or Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) were with us today, how would they have judged such behavior? Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice will become universal and Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) will be present? Will they even accept us?

My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of Christians, hundreds of millions of Muslims and millions of people who follow the teachings of Moses (Peace Be Upon Him). All divine religions share and respect one word and that is "monotheism" or belief in a single God and no other in the world.

The Holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on all followers of divine religions and says: (3.64) Say: O followers of the Book! come to an equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught with Him, and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah; but if they turn back, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran)

Mr. President,

According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one God and follow the teachings of divine Prophets.

"To worship a God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases." "the Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows what goes on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds."

"The Lord who is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court" "planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins" 

"He is the companion of the oppressed and the enemy of oppressors" "He is the Compassionate, the Merciful" "He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards the light from darkness" 

"He is witness to the actions of His servants" "He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of righteousness and remain steadfast" "Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a witness to their deeds" 

"A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants" and "A good land and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves."

We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the only road leading to salvation and have been told that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) and believes in the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.

We also believe that Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) has been quoted in Koran as well: (19.36) And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.

Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine messengers.

The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has given greatness to Humans.

We again read in the Holy Book: "The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purify them from sins and pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and avoid the rebellious."

All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.

Divine prophets have promised:

The day will come when all humans will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are examined, The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate the actions of rulers, because we must be answerable to our nation and all others whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by our actions.

All prophets, speak of peace and tranquillity for man -- based on monotheism, justice and respect for human dignity.

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world -- that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets -- and improve our performance?

Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice?

Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally represented?

Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?

Mr. President,

History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted the fate of men to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. 

These tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

Is the situation of the world today comparable to that of 10 years ago? Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the Liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point -- that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: "Do you not want to join them?"

Mr. President,

Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.

I Was Wounded; My Honor Wasn’t

By Sohaila Abdulali

THIRTY-THREE years ago, when I was 17 and living in Bombay, I was gang raped and nearly killed. Three years later, outraged at the silence and misconceptions around rape, I wrote a fiery essay under my own name describing my experience for an Indian women’s magazine. It created a stir in the women’s movement — and in my family — and then it quietly disappeared. Then, last week, I looked at my e-mail and there it was. As part of the outpouring of public rage after a young woman’s rape and death in Delhi, somebody posted the article online and it went viral. Since then, I have received a deluge of messages from people expressing their support.

Sohaila Abdulai

It’s not exactly pleasant to be a symbol of rape. I’m not an expert, nor do I represent all victims of rape. All I can offer is that — unlike the young woman who died in December two weeks after being brutally gang raped, and so many others — my story didn’t end, and I can continue to tell it.

When I fought to live that night, I hardly knew what I was fighting for. A male friend and I had gone for a walk up a mountain near my home. Four armed men caught us and made us climb to a secluded spot, where they raped me for several hours, and beat both of us. They argued among themselves about whether or not to kill us, and finally let us go.

At 17, I was just a child. Life rewarded me richly for surviving. I stumbled home, wounded and traumatized, to a fabulous family. With them on my side, so much came my way. I found true love. I wrote books. I saw a kangaroo in the wild. I caught buses and missed trains. I had a shining child. The century changed. My first gray hair appeared.

Too many others will never experience that. They will not see that it gets better, that the day comes when one incident is no longer the central focus of your life. One day you find you are no longer looking behind you, expecting every group of men to attack. One day you wind a scarf around your throat without having a flashback to being choked. One day you are not frightened anymore.

Rape is horrible. But it is not horrible for all the reasons that have been drilled into the heads of Indian women. It is horrible because you are violated, you are scared, someone else takes control of your body and hurts you in the most intimate way. It is not horrible because you lose your “virtue.” It is not horrible because your father and your brother are dishonored. I reject the notion that my virtue is located in my vagina, just as I reject the notion that men’s brains are in their genitals.

If we take honor out of the equation, rape will still be horrible, but it will be a personal, and not a societal, horror. We will be able to give women who have been assaulted what they truly need: not a load of rubbish about how they should feel guilty or ashamed, but empathy for going through a terrible trauma.

The week after I was attacked, I heard the story of a woman who was raped in a nearby suburb. She came home, went into the kitchen, set herself on fire and died. The person who told me the story was full of admiration for her selflessness in preserving her husband’s honor. Thanks to my parents, I never did understand this.

The law has to provide real penalties for rapists and protection for victims, but only families and communities can provide this empathy and support. How will a teenager participate in the prosecution of her rapist if her family isn’t behind her? How will a wife charge her assailant if her husband thinks the attack was more of an affront to him than a violation of her?

At 17, I thought the scariest thing that could happen in my life was being hurt and humiliated in such a painful way. At 49, I know I was wrong: the scariest thing is imagining my 11-year-old child being hurt and humiliated. Not because of my family’s honor, but because she trusts the world and it is infinitely painful to think of her losing that trust. When I look back, it is not the 17-year-old me I want to comfort, but my parents. They had the job of picking up the pieces.

This is where our work lies, with those of us who are raising the next generation. It lies in teaching our sons and daughters to become liberated, respectful adults who know that men who hurt women are making a choice, and will be punished.

When I was 17, I could not have imagined thousands of people marching against rape in India, as we have seen these past few weeks. And yet there is still work to be done. We have spent generations constructing elaborate systems of patriarchy, caste and social and sexual inequality that allow abuse to flourish. But rape is not inevitable, like the weather. We need to shelve all the gibberish about honor and virtue and did-she-lead-him-on and could-he-help-himself. We need to put responsibility where it lies: on men who violate women, and on all of us who let them get away with it while we point accusing fingers at their victims.

Sohaila Abdulali is the author of the novel “Year of the Tiger.”

The stupidity of US Foreign Policy

By Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

There can be no doubt that in 2012, the foreign policy of the United States of America is no longer based upon diplomacy, but rather, skulduggery, bullying, blackmail, belligerence, interference, supporting terrorists and breaching every norm in the book of international law.... a demonic list which forms the political epitaph of Hillary Clinton.

The United States of America has joined its FUKUS Axis partners France and the UK (together with wannabe Ottoman imperialist Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council) in recognising the Syrian opposition as the only "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people.

For a start, how about asking the Syrian people? Secondly, the representative of the Syrian people under international law is the Syrian Government led by His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad. Thirdly who is the President of the United States of America to announce what is, or is not, the legitimate representative of a sovereign nation? Fourthly, why is the United States of America joining its FUKUS Axis allies in recognising terrorists?

Terrorists? Yes, you know, like the LIFG, supported by the UK government in Libya while still on the proscribed list of the Foreign and Commonwealth office as pointed out in this column at the time, and as sent as documentary evidence to the FCO itself with the question why, if the Foreign Secretary William Jefferson Hague was aware that the LIFG was on the FCO's own proscribed list, and supporting this group knowingly, was he not summarily arrested for breaking his own, and British, law?

The answer, predictably, was an extremely weak, red-faced rhetorical question for an answer, starting, "How about....?" and a stupid question attached.

And why, in Syria, is the United States of America recognising terrorists? Does President Obama not know that the "legitimate representative" he supports has been responsible for the murder of thousands of people? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" has committed unspeakable and demonic acts of torture, kidnapping, summary executions and sodomy? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" attacked a school recently with military hardware?

Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" today launched a terrorist attack in the centre of Damascus? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" is conducting abductions and kidnappings and asking for ransom to finance its evil deeds?

The list can go on and on and on as indeed it did in Libya, a country destroyed and thrown back into a quagmire of sectarian violence which is due to last for decades, and destabilise North Africa. The bottom line is, in a word, interference, not diplomacy and the philosophy is not one of claiming the moral high ground - that bullshit was exposed when NATO started lying to the Warsaw Pact - but rather, implementing the policies of the lobbies which control the NATO member states.

The conclusion is that the United States of America is not a respectable member of the international community. The USA and its poodle states are cowardly pariahs acting in a pack for security and attacking sovereign nations imposing democracy from 30,000 feet and implementing it using terrorists.

Like all playground bullies, they think they can dish it out but when it comes back and smashes them square in the face, they run sobbing like the snivelling cowards they are. The moral high ground in this way totally taken away from them, no longer can they complain about terrorists or terrorism when they themselves are part of the problem and not the solution.

It becomes ever clearer that a New World Order is being formed around the cornerstone of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and like-minded nations which favour debate, discussion and dialogue as their modus operandi.

What a disgusting comment on the likes of Obama, Hague, Cameron, Clinton, their revolting Napoleonic friends and the sickening cowards which implement their policies.