Will the Obama-Nation become an abomination if it fails to
stop the bombing of nations? From Gaza to Afghanistan, the
American people must take a stand and tell Obama to forge
a better plan to free the land of Zionist and the Taliban. To
stand up against corporate bailouts while prisons are left out
for change like a business with out clout as 2.3 million prisoners
remain in chains.

Change became a mantra defined on a political precipice
forged in steep words unprecedented by one who won the
right to be the 44th president. Supported by beliefs sold
in edifices of worship bonding the ideals shuttered in the
hearts of the dispossessed whose hope for tomorrow has
not regressed. Yet, time sours faith in hungry bellies as
the unsheltered endure the storms of lies, alibis, and corrupt
government undisguised as the media realized exposing the
truth could result in a covenant Pulitzer Prize.

A future is born with a change of power on this day and in
this hour with an oath of office the Obama-Nation must stand
in allegiance, against torture, Abu Graib, Guantanamo Bay,
rendition and detention just to mention how the U.S. derelictions
became the world’s affliction. Evolving from 8 years of
disconnection, disaffection, humiliation, dissatisfaction with
the Bush administration corporate affiliations that led to U.S.
financial ruination.

The Democrats believe they can, since Obama told them
“Yes We Can”, Americans hope this is not a sham – as
participatory democracy is more than a four-year election,
since each day the Americans should strive for perfection,
healing the planet as they heal themselves of racism, sexism
and capitalist exploitation, to improve America’s place in
the world of nations.

No drama in the Obama-Nation is the expectation, void of
hesitation folk’s anticipation the 44th will elevate the level of
peace dividends given in Clintonques deliberation face to face
with world’s representatives, like ebony and ivory side by side
championing U.S. hegemony in perfect harmony. As Gates
secures the gates of the Pentagon to sustain an imperialist
presence from Iraq to the China sea, who is to believe change
can be conceived with National Security Agency secrets up
their sleeves.

The continued embargo of Cuba and Haiti a scandalous exercise
of power, as Latin America excise North America in its revolutionary
shining hour. Iran seek nuclear advancement as the CIA creeps to
hinder its expansion, an inexplicable situation given the arms race
has moved as far as outer space, continuing to militarily arming
Israel and Taiwan, while North Korea produces nuclear energy the
U.S. attempts to prohibit proliferation not of its control, using
food as a weapon toward an obvious starving nation not keeping with
its humanitarian goals.

Afrika stumbles into the 21st century with corporate proxy wars,
none keeping score as economic devastation brings multiple horrors.
The killing of babies and raping of girls, arming of children leaving
the land trampled with scars. Afrikans hope the Obama-Nation will
plant seeds of democracy, negating the hypocrisy of years of neglect
without regret, and yet, AFRICOM is a serious misstep. While Asians
in Malaysia the largest concentration of Islamic moderation
confounds U.S. inclination to confront jihadist of Al-Qaeda’s
persuasion in its population.

On the home front, Martin L. King Jr., proclaimed we as a people
will get to the promised land, while Malcolm X said it will be
either the ballot or bullet, so could it be hard to understand the
44th like a Manchurian candidate manipulating the political
landscape, permitting the Patriot Act to prohibit progressive or
revolutionary tact believing true liberation after today has become
a point in fact. By virtue of the ballot, the revolution has been high
jacked, the black bourgeoisie has been notified America is now
sanctified and the promised land gentrified as the Obama-Nation is
satisfied. But Cointelpro victims remain classified in prisons, yet
to be rectified with truth and reconciliation, no way to start anew
in the Obama-Nation.

So with a historic inauguration by pomp and circumstances through
crying eyes, a new era to inspire a generation of possibilities
beyond rhetoric. Anxious for the audacity of hope to spring eternal
in humanities fratricidal brotherhood with service to the nation
negating race or class as societies underclass test pomp and
circumstances with stark cold reality of growing unemployment lines
with the economic situation continuing to decline. My warning to all
while the band plays “Hail to the Chief” with a military seven gun
salute, to not become hoodwinked or bamboozled, nor forgo the
political determination to end the embargo of Haiti and Cuba, to
free Puerto Rico and Palestine for this is not the time to recline in
building struggle.

To keep U.S. hands off of Assata, because we gotta free all U.S.
political prisoners in the spirit of knowing We Are Our Own Liberators!

* was 19-years -old when he was arrested. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, and is one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. He has spent over 38 years in captivity. Jalil can be reached at: Jalil Muntaqim/A. Bottom, 2311826, 850 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

The Assembly of heads of state and government of the African Union (AU) ended their 12th ordinary summit on 4 February 2009 with a decision to transform the African Union Commission (AUC) into the African Union Authority (AUA), to be launched in June 2009. The Assembly’s deliberations were extended by a day as states struggled to agree on the modalities of setting up a Union Authority and moving it to a federal government, with a mandate to coordinate cross-border issues. ‘We rejected this agreement of creating a government or an Authority without power to govern. You cannot create a government that is weak in its mandate,’ a Kenyan government official told PANA press. African leaders sought an amendment to the Constitutive Act of the AU and time to consult with their parliaments. While some blamed the Commission’s lack of preparedness for the delay in reaching a deal: ‘the commission did not work out the details of transforming the Commission into an Authority and providing details on the legal reforms’. In a bid to save the process from collapsing, foreign ministers have been charged with finalizing the outstanding issues and report to the assembly before the June 2009 summit. Meanwhile, the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni openly disagreed with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the direction of the formation of a single African government, the former calling for the strengthening of regional blocs, and the latter an immediate formation of the United States of Africa.

Though the idea of forming a united government of Africa has been on the table since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and that all member States accept the idea in principle as a common and desirable goal, some African policy makers question the pace of integration. ‘Libya and some 20 countries seem very much eager to see the union Government as soon as possible, while the other block of countries like Ethiopia and South Africa want to take it slow. Members of the latter block argue that it is too early for Africa to politically integrate. According to this group, Africa must first integrate economically by investing in infrastructure and the like.’ An analyst expressed his optimism that Muammar Gadaffi’s clear mission and vision to obtain a Union government will enable Africa to move forward with regional integration and to compete on equal footing with other global powers.

The secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) hailed calls for the introduction of an African single currency which would help reduce the cost of business transactions and ensure that prices of commodities are easily compared. The president of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, said that his country would use its tenure as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community to fortify the institution and cement cohesion with COMESA and the East African Community.

In other news, the AUC chairperson Jean Ping has sent special envoy Amara Essy as to Madagascar to urgently seek an end to the political crisis and stand-off between President Marc Ravalomanana and opposition leader Andy Rajoelina.

Finally, a landmark workshop on legal strategies for promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Africa was held in Cape Town last week. The meeting was the ‘first-ever dialogue between lawyers who have worked on litigation related to LGBT rights and African LGBT leaders’ and allowed participants to review key pieces of litigation to document lessons learned. ‘Participants ended the meeting with a call to create a multi-faceted LGBT legal fund for Africa and a training and support network for African lawyers working on sexual rights cases.’

Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was elected African Union (AU) chairperson by the Assembly of heads of state and government at their twelfth ordinary session to replace Tanzanian president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. The outgoing AU chairman briefed the Assembly on the achievements of the union under his tenure which included the peace process in Kenya, interventions in the Comoros, Zimbabwe and Somalia, among others. In his acceptance speech, Muammar Gaddafi pledged to reform the position of the chairperson and added that the call for a united Africa was not his own, but that of the founders of the organisation and a popular demand from African citizens. He also used the occasion to note that his long advocacy for the unity of Africa had nothing to do with what people call his ambition to lead the AU. Prior to his election, Gaddafi arrived at the summit venue accompanied by seven members of Africa’s royalty who support a quicker move towards a single government for the continent.

African heads of State and Government also during this summit decided, ‘as a compromise step toward eventually forming a continent-wide government’, to transform the AU Commission into the African Union Authority, an institution that will have ‘a bigger mandate, with bigger capacities’ and headed by a president with a vice-president and secretaries charged with portfolios.

The chairperson of the AU Commission noted that the current global financial crisis has highlighted the need and urgency for NEPAD integration into the AU structures and processes to enable the continent to face its challenges with a strong united voice. The African Development Bank, entrusted with a leading role in Africa’s infrastructure development, maintained that the acceleration of infrastructure development on the continent will play a critical role for economic growth.

In other news, only two member countries - Ethiopia and Mauritania - have ratified the African Charter on democracy, elections and governance while 26 others have neither signed nor ratified the document. Nine countries have signed the first regional agreement between Arab and African countries on combating piracy at a special meeting organised by the International Maritime Organisation. In the agreement, the nine countries that are affected by piracy would cooperate in preventing ship hijackings and apprehending suspected pirates for arrest and prosecution. “The Djibouti Code of Conduct - as the agreement is referred to - allows one signatory country to send armed forces into another signatory country's territorial waters to pursue pirates and, in some cases, to jointly conduct anti-piracy operations. The nations have also agreed on the creation of piracy information centers to be set up in Kenya, Tanzania, and Yemen, and an anti-piracy military training center to be established in Djibouti.

Lastly, the AU celebrated Miriam Makeba and Aimé Césaire as acknowledgement for their contributions to the emancipation of Africa.

The Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) of the African Union (AU) touched on a number of issues including the administration of the AU Commission, its alternative sources of funds and the political crisis facing African States. The PRC expressed great disappointment during its opening session at the resurgence of military coups in Africa. The AU Commissioner for peace and security reminded the diplomats that the organisation would not accept any unconstitutional changes of government in the continent. Meanwhile, following a consultative meeting of foreign Affairs ministers of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States that took place in Libya prior to the PRC ordinary session, the Senegalese Minister of State for foreign Affairs declared that his country would like to see clarity among African leaders on the formation of an African federal government at the AU summit. The government of Uganda brought to a halt a Col. Muammar Gadaffi sponsored meeting in Kampala under the umbrella ‘Forum of African Traditional Leaders’, claiming that the Colonel was using the forum to pursue his agenda of creating a United States of Africa by engaging traditional leaders in politics, which is unconstitutional.

In peace and security related news, the AU will endorse the recommendation of the Southern African Development Community aimed at resolving the current political crisis in Zimbabwe. In the proposal, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change is supposed to be sworn in as prime minister on 11 February and a coalition government to be formed shortly thereafter. Human Rights Watch, calling for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the continental organisation, urged the AU to put intensive pressure on President Robert Mugabe to end the longstanding political crisis, to formally take over the mediation process and ‘set basic principles, specific human rights benchmarks and timelines for resolving the crisis’. Meanwhile, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur said that hundreds more troops from Egypt, South Africa, Senegal and Bangladesh, among others, would arrive in the Sudanese region of Darfur in an effort to boost the Mission’s civilian protection. In other news, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia resolved to form a regional disarmament committee to disarm pastoral and nomadic communities in a move aimed at reducing arms used in cattle rustling in the region.

In other news, the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) Coalition launched its book ‘Advocating for Women’s Rights: Experiences from the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition (SOAWR)’ in which the coalition shares its experiences in developing advocacy strategies for the ratification, popularisation and domestication of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Finally, an analyst studies the impact of genetically modified (MG) crops on African agriculture and explores whether GM is the solution for the continent against hunger.

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika picked Foreign Minister Joyce Banda on Friday as his running mate for the May presidential and parliamentary election. Wa Mutharika chose Banda, 67, who held several cabinet posts under former president Bakili Muluzi, over Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe, who is respected by the opposition and donors.

Many African countries are threatened with collapse or becoming failed states, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has warned. He told Heads of States at the just ended 12th AU summit that if their governments do not address the effects of climate change and the global financial crisis, some half of Africa's countries could be failing within 10 years.

The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are sending staff and vital relief supplies to assist some 10,000 new asylum-seekers who have arrived in the Somali Region of south-east Ethiopia since the beginning of the year after fleeing insecurity in neighbouring Somalia. “About 150 people are now crossing the border each day and it is likely that [the] number of new arrivals will increase further over the next few weeks,” Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told reporters in Geneva.

The introduction of solar power systems to rural communities in East Africa is providing new business opportunities, as well as affordable and safe electricity supplies. Johari lives in the Iringa region of Tanzania. She used to work as a manual labourer, breaking rocks and selling the stones for building material. But now, after a short training course, Johari is assembling and selling small solar panels that can be used to power radios and recharge batteries for lamps and mobile phones.

A Zimbabwean judge has dropped charges of treason against the secretary general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti. He had faced a possible death sentence after being accused of plotting a coup against President Robert Mugabe. But Magistrate Olivia Mariga said prosecutors appeared unprepared to proceed against Mr Biti. It could be a sign that the ruling Zanu-PF wants a proposed coalition government to work, say correspondents.

The new African Union (AU) chairman, Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi, has said that multi-party democracy in Africa leads to bloodshed. Speaking at the AU summit in Ethiopia, Col Gaddafi said Africa was essentially tribal and political parties became tribalised, which led to bloodshed. He concluded the best model for Africa was his own country, where opposition parties are not allowed. Analysts say the AU is in for an interesting year under Col Gaddafi.

Kenya's top legal officer has denied that the government has been blocking a probe by the United Kingdom into the Anglo Leasing affair. On Thursday, the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) halted a probe into the corruption case, saying Kenya was not cooperating with the investigation.

The African Union (AU) has imposed sanctions, including a travel ban and a check on bank accounts, on Mauritania's military junta, it has announced. The AU says it will urge the United Nations to extend the measures so they are applied by every country. The move comes amid speculation that General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz could contest elections, set for 6 June.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is due to sign into law a constitutional amendment allowing his rival Morgan Tsvangirai to become prime minister. It paves the way for the men to share power, as agreed last September. Meanwhile, a judge has dismissed treason charges against a key opposition MDC figure, removing another obstacle to forming a unity government.

Mukoma wa Ngugi, who served as co-editor of Pambazuka News and later as Assistant Editor, ended his term with Pambazuka News. He has just signed a deal with Penguin South Africa to publish his first novel, The African Connection. It's a detective novel set half in Madison, Wisconsin and half in Kenya about the murder of a young white woman (Macy), which is being investigated by an African American detective (Ishmael). He has poetry appearing in New York Quarterly and short fiction forthcoming from Kenyon Review and is writing regularly for Foreign Policy in Focus. And, he tells us, he's going to devote more time to completing his dissertation. His humour, creativity and contributions to Pambazuka News growth will be missed. Go well, Mukoma! We are sure that we will continue to hear from him in Pambazuka News.

cc. After the June 27 putsch by Robert Mugabe signs were always there that the MDC were headed for surrender.

It officially happened on January 30, 2009 when the party hoisted a white flag on top of its Harvest House headquarters. What followed was a pathetic attempt by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to portray this decision to join the unity government without any of their conditions being met as some sort of victory.

Equally pathetic was a plea to Mugabe to be treated as an equal partner. There is a fat chance of that happening. The old tyrant must have chuckled when he heard this.

What the MDC has done goes beyond naiveté and lack of strategic nous. It is an ineptitude breathless in its magnitude. Besides guaranteeing an inevitable demise of the party as a political force, it has more importantly set back for many years the struggle for the democratic transformation of Zimbabwe. It threw a lifeline to a vile regime that was on the verge of death.

Mugabe and SADC leaders were desperate for the MDC to join the unity government to save the Zimbabwe leader from an ignominious downfall.

Tsvangirai had a big bargaining chip in his hand. He did not use it. He could not even get Mugabe to concede on modest and reasonable demands. On the basis of mere promises from a man who honours them more in their breach than observance, he joined the unity government.

The damage, however, was not done on January 30, 2009. It was done on 11 September 2008 when the MDC signed an agreement that legitimized Mugabe's coup d'etat. Before that the MDC had maintained that a unity government had to reflect the wish of the people as expressed in the March 29 election. The MDC won that election at all levels of government. This meant the party and its leader had to be top dogs in a unity government.

The reality is that they have been co-opted as junior partners on its margins. Tsvangirai is not even second to Mugabe. He comes fourth after Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru the two vice-presidents. Even more critical, all executive power is vested in Mugabe as head of government and state. Tsvangirai is a prime minister without any executive power. He is a glorified cabinet minister. The only power he will exercise is to give Mugabe names of MDC ministers.

Once the MDC conceded the presidency to Mugabe, ignoring the expressed wishes of the electorate it was on a slippery slope to capitulation. Now the party is at the mercy of Mugabe. All talk by Tsvangirai of outstanding matters being resolved before he is sworn in on February 11 is deceitful. There will be no more concessions from Mugabe. All that awaits him is further marginalization and humiliation. He has made his bed and Mugabe will ensure that he lies in it.

All five conditions for joining government that the MDC spelt out in official resolutions have not been met. As stated above Mugabe refused to yield an inch when Tsvangirai was in a strong bargaining position. What chance is there for him to make any concession when Tsvangirai has no single card to play? A statement announcing the MDC's decision claimed that this represented a transition to democracy.

"This inclusive government will serve as a transitional authority leading to free and fair elections," it said.

A transition to free and fair elections in a government dominated by Mugabe is a classic oxymoron. Who will guarantee that whenever elections are held Mugabe will break with tradition and allow people to choose their leaders freely? Where in the agreement does it say elections will be held after a stipulated transitional period? It only refers to a review of the agreement after the adoption of a new constitution without committing to an election. It is up to Mugabe to decide how long this government lasts. He will tolerate the MDC for as long as he needs to. When they are surplus to requirements he will, through an election that he controls, get rid of them.

The post March 29 and June 27 period was a crucial one. Sadly the MDC leadership at this defining moment lacked focus and strategic coherence. It was all over the place. It clearly had not anticipated a victory in March and planned for Mugabe's predictable response to it. Conflicting and contradictory statements emanated from an assortment of spokespersons. The left hand did not know what the right one was doing. It was not clear in which direction the party was headed.

Tsvangirai spent too long a time outside the country when his followers were under violent siege from Mugabe's coercive apparatus. There was a leadership vacuum in opposition ranks. It was bad politics on Tsvangirai's part. A strong impression was created that he was more concerned about his security and welfare than that of his supporters.

Meanwhile Mugabe, who had been thrown off balance by an unexpected electoral defeat, regained his nerve and composure. He focused on the job at hand – remaining in power. His focus was not distracted by any concern for the welfare of the country and its inhabitants. He long ago ceased to pretend that the welfare of Zimbabweans was a matter that exercised his mind. That is the hallmark of the man soon to be Tsvangirai's boss.

A conclusion to draw from all of this is that the MDC decided to join the unity government for two reasons. First, they no longer have the stomach to fight Mugabe. Fear and fatigue have taken their toll. There is no more fuel in the tank. Refusal to join the unity government would certainly have been followed by a massive crackdown against the party.

SURRENDER WAS THE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE

Secondly, the MDC leadership was seduced by the material comforts of office. Better a large air-conditioned office than a communal cell in Chikurubi. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Let us just take what is on offer.

It will be a busy time for Tsvangirai while Mugabe still needs him. Armed with a diplomatic passport his first and most important task will be to travel to Western capitals to get sanctions against Mugabe and his cronies lifted. This is his most important duty so that visits to London and other desirable destinations can resume. Much needed economic relief has to be secured from the same Western countries.

Tsvangirai has to convince those who control international purse strings that his association with Mugabe's regime has sufficiently cleansed it to deserve a financial rescue package. Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, who is going nowhere, and Zanu-PF will be grateful beneficiaries of such largesse. Once this is achieved Tsvangirai will become expendable, to be gotten rid off at a time that suits Mugabe.

In the months to come Tsvangirai must get used to life as Mugabe's useful underling. He must learn quickly how to win his favour from the craven pipsqueaks who have surrounded Mugabe for years. There will be frequent visits to State House to pay homage to the boss. An occasional gift to the First Lady will endear him to His Excellency. At least he will have the satisfaction of seeing the inside of State House, something the Mugabes vowed he would never do.

EVEN IN DEFEAT LIE SMALL COMFORTS

Tsvangirai had a good chance to ascend to the presidency of the country and change Zimbabwe for the better. He threw that chance out of the window on January 30. The seeds of that surrender were planted after March 29 when a catalogue of appalling decisions was taken by the party. They culminated in a decision that rescued a dying regime.

Even more tragic is the fact that a golden opportunity to transform Zimbabwe, for the first time, into a free society was missed. Nine years of struggle by the MDC came to nought. The buck stops with Tsvangirai.

In a most perverse way he became Mugabe's saviour at a moment of near death for the despot.

* Tendai Dumbutshena is a Zimbabwean journalist
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

* This article was first published in The Zimbabwe Times (http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?tag=tendai-dumbutshena) on February 2, 2009.

Two years into its work, the Zambia's National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is finding it difficult to get wide public acceptance. Evans Kaputo is involved in corruption advocacy with the Civic Education Network, a grouping of civic organisations in Lusaka. He is not impressed that $80 million has been set aside for the constitutional conference. "All this NCC is a waste of money. What we need to change is the way our money is spent and stiffen laws regarding theft by public servants, corruption, abuse of office and so forth.

A high court in South Africa has postponed the corruption trial hearing for ruling African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma until 25 August. Outside the Pietermaritzburg court, Mr Zuma told thousands of supporters if he quit it would be like admitting guilt. The ANC leader is favourite to become president after general elections expected between March and July.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has agreed to join a unity government with Robert Mugabe under the conditions called for in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) January 27 Communiqué. The success or failure of such a government will depend on credible and inclusive power sharing by Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.

Zimbabwe's cholera crisis has reached unprecedented levels with nearly 63,000 people being infected by the epidemic, according to a report by a United Nations agency. The epidemic, which began in August, has already killed more than 3,000 people - the deadliest outbreak in Africa in 15 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

The Kenya Government failed to cooperate with the British in investigations of the Anglo Leasing scandal leading to the termination of the probe. The Serious Fraud Office on Wednesday suspended the probe due to a lack of evidence. British High Commissioner to Kenya Rob Macaire described the termination of the investigations as a sad day and called on the government to act on all senior officials named in graft.