Is marriage a private matter or a public issue? What is marital status? When is a person considered legally married? Would it hurt you, if your marital status was made public? Guys out there, you need to answer these questions.
I have searched for the answers in vain. In the last two weeks, we have been publishing a column of people without partners or those with partners and have not declared their positions in public.
The column has generated much public criticism. We have been called all sorts of names. Of course, I feel hurt when some one is hurt. Journalism however is one hell of a profession that you can not fail to hurt some one. We talk about truth, honesty and facts. And it hurts, real deep.
Many do not want to hear their dirt exposed. This is impossible! How shall we be honest, if we tell the truth selectively? You might think the truth is what you think it is. How wrong! Truth must be told even when it hurts. Right? O yes, you will say the truth will set you free.
I have come to realize that people will do anything to kill the truth. My close friend completely not married and has been eloping with a young girl for quite along time is an example. When we published that he was not married, he was furious. The other was a working class girl. She drove to office and engaged me in intellectual arguments. When we asked her marital status, she went ballistic.
“That is my private life that Iam talking about should not be interfered. Leave me alone!” she said and stormed out of the office.
As journalists, we are taught to be tough, resist intimidation and harassment. So was the story defamatory? Hell, no. In our definition, we had categorized all people with no partners and those staying with someone and had not declared their intentions to public as not married.
Were we near the truth? Over to you, my friend!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
How to survive in the third world economy
Guys,
Do not blame me for these wild ideas. They just came at random.
Enjoy!
Never buy a car. You increase your living costs for nothing with the increasing fuel prices.
Never buy food. Grow your own.
Never accept to take a loan. Borrow from a trusted friend. The interest rates for loans are so high and banks have learnt that it is easier to sell cash to poor people.
Never rely on your government for economic support. The support is for the most poor and the desperate. If you rely on it you will die trying to make ends meet.
Never, Never indulge in big ceremonies. They are the e-thing in many African cities. If you do, even the little you saved will fly way.
Never get into intellectual arguments on whether the third world will become rich one day. Such arguments are for academicians, politicians and Journalists.
Never work but work hard and just be smart.
If your father is a minister or a General in the third world country count yourself lucky. Never ask why are people talking of poverty. It is not an intelligent question.
Live each day as it comes and try to make tomorrow better. You are not alone.
Do not blame me for these wild ideas. They just came at random.
Enjoy!
Never buy a car. You increase your living costs for nothing with the increasing fuel prices.
Never buy food. Grow your own.
Never accept to take a loan. Borrow from a trusted friend. The interest rates for loans are so high and banks have learnt that it is easier to sell cash to poor people.
Never rely on your government for economic support. The support is for the most poor and the desperate. If you rely on it you will die trying to make ends meet.
Never, Never indulge in big ceremonies. They are the e-thing in many African cities. If you do, even the little you saved will fly way.
Never get into intellectual arguments on whether the third world will become rich one day. Such arguments are for academicians, politicians and Journalists.
Never work but work hard and just be smart.
If your father is a minister or a General in the third world country count yourself lucky. Never ask why are people talking of poverty. It is not an intelligent question.
Live each day as it comes and try to make tomorrow better. You are not alone.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Poor economic policies cause starvation
Now you do not have to agree with me on this one. But I am saying African countries are starving because of the bad economic policies.
The continent is blessed with the best natural resources in the world, has energetic and capable human resource. Despite these advantages the continent is poor, sick and backward.
Blame it on historical factors, imperialism, and globalization etc. The prevailing economic reforms these countries implement are still wanting.
Some of the economic factors hindering development and accelerating starvation in Africa include;
High interest rates
Absolute poverty
Economic policies of third world are determined by super powers which sometimes are not favorable.
communities have poor saving culture hence can not invest for the future
Poor farming methods
Bad cultural practices
Poor soils
Corruption
lack of capital
Blind borrowing hence increased debts
etc
I say, Africa will continue to starve if some of these factors are not genuinely addressed. I said genuine. Mark my word.
The continent is blessed with the best natural resources in the world, has energetic and capable human resource. Despite these advantages the continent is poor, sick and backward.
Blame it on historical factors, imperialism, and globalization etc. The prevailing economic reforms these countries implement are still wanting.
Some of the economic factors hindering development and accelerating starvation in Africa include;
High interest rates
Absolute poverty
Economic policies of third world are determined by super powers which sometimes are not favorable.
communities have poor saving culture hence can not invest for the future
Poor farming methods
Bad cultural practices
Poor soils
Corruption
lack of capital
Blind borrowing hence increased debts
etc
I say, Africa will continue to starve if some of these factors are not genuinely addressed. I said genuine. Mark my word.
Think about it strongly
The increasing world food crisis, according some people is a blessing to the third world countries.
This argument is supported by the fact that many of the people in the third world countries depend on agriculture for their livelihood, therefore can capitalize on it to boost their economies. That, third world countries have a better hand in producing food than the developed world. And that the developed world is concentrating on industrialization and ignoring agriculture.
The proponents of these arguments believe that the world is a free market economy. The forces of demand and supply determine the prizes for goods and services. If the third world has a better advantage on food production, it can benefit more. This argument is weak and fallacious.
In this article, am attempting to examine the current food crisis in the third world countries and analyzing whether it will really benefit them.
Firstly, this is the only opportune time for the third world countries to penetrate the international market by producing massively to meet the demand for food. Unfortunately, they can not! Third world countries’ economies are based on substance agriculture and do not have the capacity to meet the demand. Secondly, the international market still considers third world goods sub-standard.
The hope that, the peasant farmers in the third world could gain access to the international market creates a false feeling. Let us look critically at the peasant farmer in the third world country! This guy can not meet the basics of life. He has low income. He can not save. He can not invest. He does not know his basic rights. His political leaders and government exploit him. He is still using rudimentary tools for production. He does not have basic skills of management because of low education. This is the guy to take advantage of the international market? Surely not!
We might be attempted to believe that third world countries are assisting communities take advantage of the escalating food crisis, but alas. The governments have looked the other side. No clear policies on fighting poverty, no incentives to facilitate massive production etc. Governments have become effective in defending themselves from political opposition. It is no longer strange to hear that a farmer in the third world country can not meet the basic needs because their governments are not supporting them.
These challenges completely, leaves no hope for the farmer in the third world, not even if he tries, to take advantage of making a fortune out of the escalating food crisis. He remains in the predicament, unfortunately out of no choice.
Now, am going to say something and expect a thorough beating. Third world countries are facing some of these challenges not because of their weaknesses but a combination of several external factors.
The third world countries can not gain fair access to the international markets with all the international trade restrictions still in balance. Yes! Remove all the international trade barriers and then talk of multilateral and bilateral relations. This is not a conditionality but a reality.
The third world countries will never benefit from international trade with a heavy back log of debts, experts siphoning the little resources in the disguise of technical support, corrupt third world leaders being given a green light to bank stolen money in foreign accounts.
These and many other factors are the most disgusting and disturbing affecting food crisis and development in the third world.
Relationship between the third and developed world can be made genuine if talk of common interests and not our own interests is the agenda.
In respect
until then, guys!
This argument is supported by the fact that many of the people in the third world countries depend on agriculture for their livelihood, therefore can capitalize on it to boost their economies. That, third world countries have a better hand in producing food than the developed world. And that the developed world is concentrating on industrialization and ignoring agriculture.
The proponents of these arguments believe that the world is a free market economy. The forces of demand and supply determine the prizes for goods and services. If the third world has a better advantage on food production, it can benefit more. This argument is weak and fallacious.
In this article, am attempting to examine the current food crisis in the third world countries and analyzing whether it will really benefit them.
Firstly, this is the only opportune time for the third world countries to penetrate the international market by producing massively to meet the demand for food. Unfortunately, they can not! Third world countries’ economies are based on substance agriculture and do not have the capacity to meet the demand. Secondly, the international market still considers third world goods sub-standard.
The hope that, the peasant farmers in the third world could gain access to the international market creates a false feeling. Let us look critically at the peasant farmer in the third world country! This guy can not meet the basics of life. He has low income. He can not save. He can not invest. He does not know his basic rights. His political leaders and government exploit him. He is still using rudimentary tools for production. He does not have basic skills of management because of low education. This is the guy to take advantage of the international market? Surely not!
We might be attempted to believe that third world countries are assisting communities take advantage of the escalating food crisis, but alas. The governments have looked the other side. No clear policies on fighting poverty, no incentives to facilitate massive production etc. Governments have become effective in defending themselves from political opposition. It is no longer strange to hear that a farmer in the third world country can not meet the basic needs because their governments are not supporting them.
These challenges completely, leaves no hope for the farmer in the third world, not even if he tries, to take advantage of making a fortune out of the escalating food crisis. He remains in the predicament, unfortunately out of no choice.
Now, am going to say something and expect a thorough beating. Third world countries are facing some of these challenges not because of their weaknesses but a combination of several external factors.
The third world countries can not gain fair access to the international markets with all the international trade restrictions still in balance. Yes! Remove all the international trade barriers and then talk of multilateral and bilateral relations. This is not a conditionality but a reality.
The third world countries will never benefit from international trade with a heavy back log of debts, experts siphoning the little resources in the disguise of technical support, corrupt third world leaders being given a green light to bank stolen money in foreign accounts.
These and many other factors are the most disgusting and disturbing affecting food crisis and development in the third world.
Relationship between the third and developed world can be made genuine if talk of common interests and not our own interests is the agenda.
In respect
until then, guys!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Now this is strange!
Sometimes we take support for granted. Three days back a young boy come to me saying he had been robed of his house by some white guys. This looked very strange. It disturbed me so much.
We asked what could have been the problem. He told us how the white guys had adapted him as their son and how he traveled to Europe. He spoke with much eloquence just like the way the whites do. The story was too strong to be ignored. To prove his case, he showed us documents as evidence of ownership of the house. We believed him.
I discussed it with a friend about this issue. What disturbed was why did these guys support this boy and eventually withdraw? It made us sick.
One week down the road, a young girl called Sarah came to office saying her European friends had read the publication we had made about this boy's allegations and the guys wanted a clarification. She said that, the boy had allegedly stolen the white guy’s property worth Uganda shilling two million. She also alleged that, the boy had abused the trust given to him by lying about his past that, he was an orphan, when he was not.
Why did this boy pretend all that long to get Europeans adapt him as their son? Why did he rob his parents and pretend about his past? Why did he do this? Was it proper for this boy to behave the way he did?
The answers seemed not to be coming from anywhere.
Yesterday again, one guy from Holland called Leo, who has lived in Uganda for eleven years, told us that the boy had been caught red-handed faking a robbery of his parents’ house. He was arrested, handed to police and forced to leave the house. Leo wrote:
"Mr.Abdul betrayed them, stole Ush.2.000.000, enscened afake robbery at the house and the compound and had informed them completely wrong about his past.He was brought to police and there he was forced to resign from any right on property regarding this house."
Mr. Leo said he felt sad to be forced to retract, as nobody, for sure not even him, is in need to make the current situation for Mr. Abdul more complicated as he has caused himself already. He said his colleagues in Holland were very furious but he had asked them to calm down.
This is a disturbing situation. Although there are people out there sympathetic with the lives of people in Africa living in abject poverty, ignorance and disease, some guys, including children can lie with a straight face and further sue their sponsors! This is a strange.
Until then guys!
We asked what could have been the problem. He told us how the white guys had adapted him as their son and how he traveled to Europe. He spoke with much eloquence just like the way the whites do. The story was too strong to be ignored. To prove his case, he showed us documents as evidence of ownership of the house. We believed him.
I discussed it with a friend about this issue. What disturbed was why did these guys support this boy and eventually withdraw? It made us sick.
One week down the road, a young girl called Sarah came to office saying her European friends had read the publication we had made about this boy's allegations and the guys wanted a clarification. She said that, the boy had allegedly stolen the white guy’s property worth Uganda shilling two million. She also alleged that, the boy had abused the trust given to him by lying about his past that, he was an orphan, when he was not.
Why did this boy pretend all that long to get Europeans adapt him as their son? Why did he rob his parents and pretend about his past? Why did he do this? Was it proper for this boy to behave the way he did?
The answers seemed not to be coming from anywhere.
Yesterday again, one guy from Holland called Leo, who has lived in Uganda for eleven years, told us that the boy had been caught red-handed faking a robbery of his parents’ house. He was arrested, handed to police and forced to leave the house. Leo wrote:
"Mr.Abdul betrayed them, stole Ush.2.000.000, enscened afake robbery at the house and the compound and had informed them completely wrong about his past.He was brought to police and there he was forced to resign from any right on property regarding this house."
Mr. Leo said he felt sad to be forced to retract, as nobody, for sure not even him, is in need to make the current situation for Mr. Abdul more complicated as he has caused himself already. He said his colleagues in Holland were very furious but he had asked them to calm down.
This is a disturbing situation. Although there are people out there sympathetic with the lives of people in Africa living in abject poverty, ignorance and disease, some guys, including children can lie with a straight face and further sue their sponsors! This is a strange.
Until then guys!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
