From bad to worse in Egypt

Abdel Fattah el Sisi: from the frying pan into the fire...

Why does President Abdel Fattah el Sisi always look so smug? The answer is simple: because he is screwing his nation well and good! You can see why the Sudanese are so careful not to blink, despite having deposed President Omar al Bashir. I can still hear the cries of the jubilation in Cairo when President Mubarak was ousted. Well, that revolution was hijacked by el Sisi and he makes Mubarak look like a saint by comparison.

Things started to look shaky when Morsi won the 2012 election. His years as a fundamentalist MP between 2000 and 2005 did not bode well for the future of Egypt. Morsi had won with 51.7% of the vote against Ahmed Shafiq’s 48.3. Shafiq was the last prime minister under Hosni Mubarak and the turnout of the run-off elections was a mere 51%: this was hardly a ringing endorsement of the Brotherhood. Morsi appointed el Sisi Minister of defence and it was downhill form then on.

Sisi's dismal human rights record

Sisi led a coup against Morsi in July 2013 and appointed Adly Mansour as interim president. A crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as liberal elements ensued. A couple of months later, police carried out the Rabaa Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. The murder does not stop with Egyptians. In 2016, Giulio Regeni, an Italian PhD student from Cambridge Universitywas abducted by security forces there and tortured to death. Since 2014, el Sisi has been winning dubious elections and the human rights abuses continue to this day.

From one power grab to another 

The culmination of el Sisi's oppression came last week with a so called referendum, which he claimed to have won. The referendum was a sham by any standard, but it gives him sweeping new powers. Despite this, the first thing he did was call a state of emergency. Egypt is well and truly stuffed, while the west turns a blind eye in the naive belief that he is keeping extremism at bay. They don't seem to notice his form of extremism. Is it any wonder that el Sisi keeps on smiling?

UN-aligned will call leaders to account

Despots need to be shown up for what they are. UN-aligned, an organisation that will be launched next month, will not stop naming and shaming these abusers of power. See what else UN-aligned is up to: UN-aligned.org We  need members so that our voice can get louder and louder. Help us make the world a better place...

A FLOWER IN YOU HAIR IS NO LONGER ENOUGH

November 21, 2012

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted by six to five to ban public nudity in the city. District Supervisor Scott Wiener said that he proposed the ban after mounting complaint by all demographic sectors including the gay community. Naturists had become a common sight, particularly in the predominantly gay Castro District. Exceptions will, however, be permitted on special occasions, such as street fairs and parades.

Whilst there is something quite liberating and even innocent about naturism, most people are not ready for it and they may not be for centuries to come. So it would seem best, then, to keep it where it belongs: out of the public eye. This is not pandering to narrow-mindedness, it just a matter of consideration and respect. We have after all been wearing clothes or covering up for millennia. Of course some may say that the same argument can be used for eating meat or persecuting homosexuality, but the difference here is that the inconvenience of wearing clothes is slight in comparison to the discomfort and embarrassment people may feel at the sight of naked people running around the streets.

In the meantime, perhaps art is the best way of gently prodding the taboo. I just wished I could live in a country where one could consider nudity without the prospect of freezing to death!

HEY WORLD!
The Globecatcher website is being developed and the aim is to have regular bite-sized impartial news from every nation in the world. We have started writing on all mainland South American countries, just to get Globecatcher moving, but we need correspondents form all over the world to breath life into the project and and make Globecatcher a record of world events as they unfold. If nothing noteworthy happens in a particular country, for period of four weeks or so, then a feature on its culture, history or geography, for instance, will keep it in the picture. We will also have fact files on every country, like the one that has just been completed on Australia.

If you would like to be a part of this exciting project, please follow this link and I will get back to you with all the information you would need.

I look forward to hearing from you.

SHAME ON INDIA'S GOVERNMENT

November 20, 2012

What on earth is going on with governments! India has now decided to join the not-so-exclusive club of ignorant oppressors by arresting a 21 year-old for mildly criticising the virtual shut-down of Mumbai for the funeral of the ultra-nationalist Bal Thackeray. Shaheen Dhanda's "crime" was to write on her Facebook page on Sunday that:
"People like Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe a 'bandh' [shutdown] for that."

And to add insult to injury, her 20 year-old friend, Renu Srinivasan, was also arrested for "liking" the comment.

With all the rubbish and vulgarity that some youngsters post on Facebook, India should be proud that members of its youth can post intelligent and mature comments. India knows better and such hypocrisy does not become it. Apparently the arrest was prompted by a leading politician of the right wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena, that had been founded by Mr Thackeray. The irony is that such nationalists are closer to like-minded bigots in other countries than anything that is of true value and uniqueness in the nation they purport to love. So it is not surprising that people in India are beginning to express outrage at these ridiculous charges.

ARTICLE 19 SLAMS ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS POSTURING

November 19, 2012

The 21st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Cambodia has just drafted its very own declaration of human rights. Cause for celebration? Apparently not!

The principles provide enough loopholes to make it a worthless mesh. Its provisos cover national security, public order and morality; in other words anything a government may choose to take objection to. ASEAN was conceived in 1967 and its original membership consisted of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. It was later expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The ten countries are pledged to support each other in matters of national security as well as economic and social well-being.

Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, had this to say about the hypocritical declaration:

"The ASEAN Declaration is a slap to the face, there is no other way to interpret it. With the Cambodian government cracking down on protestors and activists while it sells off the country’s resources; with Vietnam patrolling the Internet and locking up bloggers; with Thailand’s draconian lèse-majesté law and its devastating penalties; It is clear that the priority of the ASEAN governments is self-preservation above all else." Ouch: the truth hurts!

MALAWI'S BANDA DESERVES THE SUPPORT OF HER PEOPLE

November 18, 2012

President Joyce Banda of Malawi has revealed that confidential documents that she has gained access to as head of state, contain details of a plot by her predecessor, President Bingu wa Mutharika, to have her assassinated. Speaking to the Sunday Times, President Banda spoke of her tribulations as vice-president and how Mr Mutharika had made it immediately clear that he wanted her replaced by his brother. The alleged plot was planned on 2010 and involved having a loaded lorry smash into her car. The "accident" occured, but Ms Banda had been sitting in a different car in the motorcade on the advice of one of her security officers. She explained that the motivation was to stop her form inheriting the presidency in the event of President Mutharika dying in office.

As president, Ms Banda has struggled to tackle the corruption that was endemic in the corridors of power and in her pursuit for reform she found many of her initiatives blocked. Some proposed changes were stalled by public opinion, such as her intention of legalising homosexuality. Despite the hurdles, however, she has managed to make a positive impact, reviving foreign aid, tackling the economy and trimming government excesses. Her problem is that the benefits of her programmes may not be felt until after the next elections due in another 15 months.

It is remarkable that she has managed to achieve so much already. Given the full trust and backing of her people, she would no doubt steer her nation to prosperity and full human rights for all Malawians, irrespective of their gender, religion or sexuality.

CUBA GETS A TRANSGENDER COUNCILLOR

November 17, 2012

Anyone who watched the outstanding film Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) would know that Cuba was no picnic for homosexuals.

Adela Hernandez, 48, is a real life example of the persecution Cuba's communist regime meted out to anyone in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) bracket. Born "male", she chose to live as a female since a child. Her family eventually reported her to the authorities when a teenager and she was brutally imprisoned for "dangerousness" for two years. Well, things in Cuba are certainly changing...

Adela Hernandez has now become Cuba's first transgender official, winning a seat in the municipal election in the central province of Villa Clara. The change has been gradual and started with Fidel Castro himself expressing regret over Cuba's anti-LBTG policies.Nowadays even the daughter of President Raul, Mariela Castro, can openly advocating for civil unions and people like Ms Hernandez can be councillors.

Perhaps Cuba can now be an example to other homophobic nations and show that openness and the exercise of human rights brings enlightenment and dignity to a nation.

NOBLESSE OBLIGE

November 16, 2012

Whatever happened to good old diplomacy? Of course there have always been heads of state without savoir faire, but it seems as thought this is becoming the norm. So many leaders think it cool to just bulldoze ahead like a spoilt executive running daddy's company. Civilities are what keep us civilised.

Today for instance the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, defied protocol by welcoming the nation's newly elected parliament with a written message. she may as well have sent a text message. The former president, Valdas Adamkus, has suggested that it is because of her differences with the leading parties following the October elections. The 141-seat parliament was split between the three major parties: the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (38 seats) the Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats (33 seats) and the Labour Party (29 seats). Two seats were left vacant following allegations of allegations of foul play in two single-mandate electoral constituencies. A president has to be gracious and respect due process. Ms Grybauskaite will now be expected to chose the premier from the Social Democratic Party as it is the one with the most seats. She'll be wise not to ignore tradition too much or her stance may backfire.