The Woman With The Golden Gown

By Louis Egbe Mbua

In Bona was she well born and lived.
In Tana had she worked hard to thrive;
In peace with no game of note beguiled,
To play but treasures and love provide,
The brilliant, lonely and only child;
And her only begotten joy and pride,
Who is sure: eager to take her side.

The first day of Easter was she born,
To a town of treasures was she gone,
For happiness and to make her mark:
And find where she can be a neat clerk
So may she have a living nice and good,
And to work hard into the golden goose;
To deliver the well-earned batch of goods.

In the beginning the work wasn't easy,
As was she surprised to be so busy.
The first day was she told to do her job,
But the scene so tense made her sob,
So decided her to try the next day
In paradox: did she toil everyday;
In boldness: she always had her say.

In work she was a first; and won,
In countless: many ways than one;
On the flowery and sunny day of May,
Whilst standing on the clear coastal quay
So receive her shining golden crown;
Putting on the precious golden gown
For all a woman to see and sing.

And all a man to heave a sly sigh,
By the endless beauty: sky blue sea;
Seen on the round and revolving earth;
From Space; no obstructing hill or heath:
All places in the world high and low
To cloud the priceless bright golden glow;
From the woman with the golden gown.

House of Commons Debates on Democracy in Africa: Cameroon and Zimbabwe

A youthful President Robert Mugabe in 1991

www.wikimedia.org

By Louis Egbe Mbua

Hon. Corbyn finished his speech at the House of Commons on the Debate on Democracy and Elections in Africa that held on 22 April 2008. As the focus was on Zimbabwe and Cameroon, it was time for the Zimbabweans to take to the floor. One of the Speakers on the main platform was a woman: she spoke first. I made discrete enquires, from a reliable Zimbabwe source also ensconced in Committee Room 15 as to her name; and was told that her name was Ms Mastara.


Ms Mastara began with a vivid and eloquent lamentation on the sufferings of her people. According to her narrative, one-eighth (1/8) or more practically one in every eight of Zimbabweans are extremely rich while seven out of 8 of the population are poor to the point of destitution; and are almost reduced to perpetual beggars to eke out an almost certainly inexistent marginal living.

She then turned to Gender issues: that there is persistent abuse of women in Zimbabwe although she did not actually say in clarity what these abuses entailed. However, one's intuition points to the lack of opportunities because Ms Mastara appeared to have laid down her solution to this "abuse" on the foundation that women should be provided a platform so that they may have a voice in public life. The conclusion one can draw from this inductive reasoning is that women may have been discriminated in public life in Zimbabwe; or that their labour rights had been ignored while their human rights to freedom of decent living had been trampled on.

Ms Mastara then returned to the important and debatable farm land question that has been politically explosive, racially charged and a tremendous socially vexation in the country; and possibly the cause of Zimbabwe's economic maelstrom; and the poltical nightmare of Mr. Mugabe: and the rise of national opposition to his rule that has been exacerbated by international economic and political sanction of the Mugabe regime. Mastara compounded the debate by embellishing Agricultural skills to the former White farmers while stating categorically that Black people had no Agricultural skills that could match those of the Whites: reason, according to her analysis, being that Black Zimbabweans were never taught advanced Agricultural skills leaving them as unskilled labourers. However, in another scenario and a succinct counterattack to her claims, the Pro-Mugabe or the ZANU-PF group that were also present at the debate challenged what they called a "gross distortion of history"; and that Ms Mastara had to reconsider her statements because before the Europeans arrived Zimbabwe and Southern Africa at about 1652, Black people practised well-organised governance and advanced traditional Agriculture. Consequently, they have traditional farming experience which they could develop before the lands were expropriated from the natives without compensation to be allocated to Europeans.

Mastara further added more volcanic fire to the debate by advocating that the Mugabe government-led brutal seizure of farmlands by Zimbabwe freedom fighter war veterans ought to be returned to the skilled White farmers. Additionally, she stated that in this case White farmers must be held as accountable for their actions as any corrupt African politician. She buttressed her proclamation and proposed solution by pointing out the unaccountability of White farmers in relation to abuse of the land and the people with impunity since the dawn of independence and the rise of President Mugabe in 1980.

Ms Mastara's arguments were too explosive for the pro-Mugabe or the Zimbabwean Nationalist camp to sit without making a stand to "correct" what they vehemently denounced as a "shamelessly-conceived colonial manifesto" to hand back Zimbabwe to the dark past of White racial tyranny against the majority black Zimbabweans by the White Zimbabwean minority and; the culture of unfounded supremacist doctrine whose main objectives was ethnic deprivation and exclusion. The Pro-Mugabe camp then pointed out that only 2% of the population of the country is White. But stressed that they believe all Zimbabweans regardless of racial or tribal origin have equal rights to live and prosper in the country but that it would be the saddest of days if the nation were to return to the dark days of racial privilege.

Ms Mastara went further by stating with uncanny confidence that Zimbabwe was efficiently run by White Zimbabweans even after independence until the land "seizure" fiasco that began in the late 1990s; and that when they left as a result or reaction or both of Mugabe's arbitrary and brutal land take over, without compensation to the White farmers, the country was left to the devices of incompetent and unskilled Black Zimbabweans. As a result, the economy collapsed. Her solution is that Africans should learn to run their own affairs rather than sit on their laurels while other people take control of their destiny.

To that; the debate on Zimbabwe closed. The audience then waited for the next Speaker.



Author's Comments:

It is unfortunate that Zimbabwe has endured and continues to endure such economic hardship and socio-political trauma. Zimbabweans, from the author's encounters and experience, are one of the best educated and well-behaved Africans. They are well trained in their African language; and also fluent in good English. Today, they are unwanted refugees even in South Africa: poignantly many South Africans were refugees in Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria etc. in the 1980s when Apartheid was at its height. The following is that the disgraceful xenophobia that is being exhibited by South Africans against Zimbabweans and other Africans is a perfect pointer to the great misfortune for Zimbabwe.

Not only have they lost their best minds to other countries, but are now subjected to torture in their own country and the country they helped to achieve freedom from a dreadful racial supremacist policy that threatened to wipe out South Africans. The South African hate campaign against other Africans in general and Zimbabweans in particular must be halted by South African leaders. South Africans must leave the ideology of hate that bedevilled their nation for almost 300 years and return to the world of civilised norms where human beings are not burned alive in broad day light.

While it is understandable that the wicked system of hatred in the apartheid era cannot be wiped out in less than a generation, we must all condemn this wanton act of barbarism, looting, and the incineration of innocent peoples for reasons based on racism, tribalism, xenophobia or economic jealousy: South Africans must learn to work hard to compete in the global economy. Further, South African ANC leaders appear to have been trapped in their new found wealth without noticing the degeneration in social order, soaring unemployment of their own youth and the abysmal record of crime prevention. South African leaders must wake up; fight social deprivation; crime; xenophobia; hate and finally create an economy where the youth will be employed; and can compete globally rather than sit back for the youths to drift into the maddening cycle of gangsterism followed by stints at marauding criminality.

Mr. Mugabe's problems are that he has outstayed his welcome. While the author agrees that he is a brave fighter of freedom, there is a time to fight; and a time for peace. Those who continue to fight while they should be negotiating a peaceful settlement for the sake of the well-being of the people may not be remembered with glowing memory in posterity. There are periods where rhetoric counts: other times when wisdom prevails. Mr. Mugabe should make way for the new generation of accountable democrats. They may have other brilliant democratic ideas that can stop the politically-motivated street beatings in Harare and the shameful terrorism directed towards unsuspecting political opponents; and negotiates with the British for the compensation promised in the Lancaster House Agreements but which were never fulfilled by the British. If, on the other hand, Mr. Mugabe insists on staying on, undemocratically, the little sympathy he may command from other Africans will evaporate within the shortest conceivable time; and this, clearly, will totally wipe out his previous heroic exploits as a freedom fighter and a nation builder from 1980 - 1996. He, together with his political and military henchmen, will then be called upon by Zimbabweans and the democratic world to account for their time as President and Generals respectively.

A Quarter of Wheat for One Penny and Three-quarters of Barley for a Penny: The Sky-Rocketing Food and Oil Price Rises Part One

Barley Fields in Canada's Prairies: Alberta

http://www.world66.com/
http://www.creativecommons.org/

By Louis Egbe Mbua

Part of what we have today in food and oil problems appears to have been envisioned about 2000 years ago. Biblical narratives estimated that to pay one penny for a quarter litre of wheat was an almost impossibility for the people to afford at that ancient of times. Whether they experienced such a dramatic price rise is not known. However, there have been recorded through out human civilisation and existence, periods of unsurpassed famine; and the subsequent mass starvation and expiration of hungry souls that followed.

On the other hand, these tragedies were not caused by man in practice; but by natural intervention: if the rains fail, there is almost certainly nothing man can do to water the the entire earth. Now, in this day and age, man has reached a stage of civilisation whereby, it would seem human problems such as search for sufficient food and energy that suffices the entire world, has become an extremely challenging task: because this time around natural calamities alone are not at play; but a combination of man's actions or inaction and the raging voice of nature.

Many have put forth reasons as to the cause of the massive increases in food and crude oil prices -- to the tune of at least 40 percent in combined average within last two years; and the subsequent cause of fuel and food riots around the world. In the UK, for instance, this is leading to stagflation and the threat of economic recession with house prices collapsing as people are financially immobilised by the credit crunch: partly due to unaffordable mortgages. Added to this high fuel and food prices, the bell of danger begins to toll.

Some have blamed, high crude oil prices for, well, high food prices; while others are settling scores with the ethanol industry for using corn and other food crops to create fuel thus driving up the price of staple food, especially grain and oil seeds, the world over. There may as well be good reasons to advance theories to explain apparently inexplicable phenomena; another matter to make a well thought out exposition to extract information from our own world. The first three parts of this four part writing will examine the human side of events that are thought to have caused the shortage and scarcity of food and oil for energy; and their consequent sky-rocketing prices; while the the third and fourth parts will examine the interventionist entities of the roaring nature that act either independently or as a reaction to the hostile or peaceful activities of man onto nature and earth.

Human beings, by nature, are hardly satisfied with what Providence has ushered for the day. In many countries of the world today, especially, the developed countries, there are reports of the rise in obesity. One has thought about this condition carefully; and safely arrived at the unfortunate hypothesis that its origins may lie in either overfeeding the children when they are young or when adults themselves, they decide to indulge in too much food; not as a result of hunger but on the simple reason that they have been conditioned to eat as long as they see food. Therefore, food that could be released into the world market to obviate scarcity of grain and other food crops is wastefully consumed causing grain and food prices to rise.

Furthermore, food that cannot be consumed are thrown away in their tons: bread, sausage, potato, pizza and cheese etc. This irresponsible action, if practised for long periods, is enough to add at least a penny on the price of food as a result of scarcity. The solution is not rationing; as people have the choice to do what they wish with their money. On the other hand, children should be educated at a young age to eat responsibly not only for reasons relating to subsequent food prices; but for the health of the population.

The vicious cycle is that the bigger one becomes the more food one has to consume to maintain that size. In addition, the inexplicable notion of "shop till you drop" or shopaholic may deceptively sound as good fun or even fashionable in the areas of fashion -- clothes, shoes, perfumes --but one believes it disingenuous to do the same for food. Why buy so much that one throws about one third away? Or eat so much so that one jeopardises their health while others have nothing to buy?

Chantier Naval: The Truth Behind the Downfall of Zacchaeus Forjindam

Mr. Zacchaeus Forjindam and the Chantier Naval company he built from scratch. (Courtesy of CNIC)

By Louis Egbe Mbua

Mr. Zacchaeus Forjindam, the man who single-handedly built the Chantier Naval et Industriel du Cameroun (CNIC) from a scrap yard for disused marine equipment and vessels into an internationally reputed and fledgling potential industrial multi-national giant was unceremoniously dismissed from his position as General Manager of the State-owned company amidst confusion, accusations, counter-accusations of embezzlement, mishandled and unprofessional auditing procedures by his enemies; and allegedly bitter rivalry within the company insiders and outsiders. To this day, it is not quite clear as to the present veracity of opinions as it appears views are divided between his supporters: who see him as a Cameroonian champion of nation building and a Southern Cameroonian who has again taught French-speaking Cameroonian elite the art of nation-building, astute management and advanced technical and visionary thought.

On the other side of the argument are his enemies: those who saw his unnecessary and unwarranted stab at politics to deliver the much hated CPDM ruling party a victory in his home town of Santa, Southern Cameroons; and his disappointing support for Monsieur Biya, Le President de La Republique, for unconstitutionally staging a constitutional take over by fraudulently voting himself into power for life in the rubber stamp parliament. Others have claimed that his downfall was plotted by tribal demagogues of the Beti strain who disliked and envied Forjindam's successes they had never matched or cannot rival; and that they wanted him removed so that they may take over the company for themselves, their tribesmen and their families.

Whoever is right or wrong is not the question at this instant: the fact of the matter being that Forjindam was arrested soon after his dismissal by the Board of Directors of the company, 7 May 2008. He is presently locked up in La Prison Centrale de Douala au quartier New-Bell. The downfall of Forjindam is not only a great national tragedy for a man with such a supreme talent in management and engineering; but also a tremendous blow to Anglophone Cameroon's participation in Cameroon's developmental plans. Consequently, one has to meticulously examine the truth behind his alleged embezzlement of company's funds.

According to Cameroon French language daily, Quotidienmutations, the fall of the GM began when he secured almost £200 million from an international consortium of financial houses, including the African Development Bank, to expand CNIC into Victoria, Southern Cameroons, by building a world class Shipyard and a deep seaport in that city, http://www.cnicyard.com/. That Forjindam and his closest associates within the company "weaved a vast "network"of extortion of funds from the CNIC"; and that this was confirmed by Forjindam's brief hearing in front of the chief prosecutor.

The total amount "stolen" by Forjindam has not been fully brought to light nor his actual crime. Again, if we refer to Quotidienmutations, 09 May 2008, it is alleged that cheque payments of almost £600,000 were noted to have been made without proper documents to back the funds. The paper did not say who banked these cheques; and on whose account were the cheques deposited; and also where exactly the money came from. Secondly, there were also cheques deposited to the bank to the tune of almost £180, 000, but which were not recorded in the bank's accounts. Again, whose account were these cheques deposited and who, exactly, deposited these cheques is not clear. Thirdly, another situation of withdrawal of almost £220, 000 from the bank "without sufficient verifiable or justifiable documents". In addition, it was discovered that there were fictitious names on the CNIC's payroll -- workers who didn't exist. If this is found to be true, then this, clearly, is corruption. The total amount in question, therefore, amounts to about £1,000, 000 (one million GBP). Which begs the question as to who owned this money; and from whose account was the theatrical financial drama acted. Was it from the CNIC account or was it from Forjindam's? And what, exactly, do they mean by "insufficient justifiable documents" as related to the deposit or withdrawal of money? These are the crucial questions that must be answered.

Forjindam's fall is a classic example of the kind of unaccountable and undemocratic politics that prevails in Africa. Born in 1949, Forjindam attended CPC Bali, from where he won an American scholarship to the famed Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology, Bambili. Having obtained his degree in Engineering from Fourah Bay University College in Sierra Leone, he worked in a maritime company in France before returning to Cameroon to work for the Cameroon Shipyard; at that time an unknown and penniless company. Installed in 1988 as GM of CNIC, he took the company to profitability and unprecedented expansion; delivering a profit of £8 million for a turnover of £40 million of business in 2007; took the workforce from 32 employees to 2500 people who earn their living at the Cameroon Shipyard and Engineering Company (CINC).

It must be noted that this achievement appears to be one of the first in Cameroon; and possibly Africa; and that many of Cameroon's state owned companies have either been looted of funds by corrupt party apparatchik managers or are on the verge of being bankrupted by the same incompetent party men. It is also interesting to note that the French-Speaking elite have always cast an envious eye on prosperous Southern Cameroons built institutions. One only hopes that his is not a repeat of a vicious cycle of Anglophone Cameroon hard work that may also end up in smoke as a result of the appointment of incompetent people to manage an organisation on the basis of "regional balance". When the Francophone elite took over the Anglophone-built Produce Marketing Board (PMO), one of the richest companies in the country at the time, it was not long before they looted and destroyed the company. The same goes to Cameroon Bank that was allegedly bankrupted by thieves pretending to be managers.

Forjidam's fall may also be of his own making. There was absolutely no reason for him to jump into politics in full with people who are corrupt, mad and bad. If at all, it turned out he committed a crime, it would be due to his own folly. There are reports that CPDM bosses of state companies raid state company accounts to sponsor elections which are heavily rigged on the promise of positions after the win of Paul Biya's party; CPDM. Forjindam, with such a huge talent, did not have to join the ranks of the mediocre and talentless technocrats to do the same. For his folly, his enemies found a web to weave around his mien; and then swallow him alive. On the other hand, if it is found that the auditing procedure was flawed and that Forjindam did no wrong, then he will be entitled to an unheard of financial compensation and a possible re-reinstatement to his old position or to that of another company of similar class. It is interesting to note that Forjindam returned profits and clean financial and managerial records for almost twenty years. For almost 2 decades, there is no evidence of embezzlement. Why then would he steal £1 million in the last 2 years? Mystery upon mystery.

The House of Commons Debate on Cameroon and Zimbabwe:Part 2

Clock Tower and Big Ben at Westminster

http://www.wikitravel.org/

http://www.creativecommons.org/licences/by-sa/3.0

By Louis Egbe Mbua

Ms Tanje had just finished her eloquently crafted speech when a familiar ding dong sound broke the controlled applause that went after the well intentioned delivery. As I studied the harmonics of the sound with keen interest, it dawned on me that we had reached the top of the hour; and so Big Ben was striking. It struck seven times immediately after which Hon. Corbyn MP began his speech on Elections and Democracy in Africa.

The Hon. Legislator began with his experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) formerly known as Zaire: that during the election campaign, there was not the slightest of hints or mentioning of future policies by any of the leading politicians in the campaign trail. This was strange to him as the long civil strife in that country had devastated Goma; where he made his observations. At least, he had expected a politician to come up with reasonably sound ideas of rehabilitation as a policy; and platform for his elections. Unfortunately for the African people, no policy was forth coming for the forgotten African poor. To add to this great political and social misfortune, the war in Zaire had killed at least 3- 5 million people since it began in the 1990s when Mobutu was driven out from power. The amount of people killed was far greater than those killed in the Iran-Iraq war in the late 1970s and early 1980s; and the present day Iraqi insurgency war against America in Iraq; all put together.

He also lamented the lack of sustained reports on important and devastating news that are emanate from the African continent. He furnished these regrets with illustrations about the plane crash that occurred in Goma, DCR. The doomed aircraft had arrived Goma; at an airport whose runway was merely partly tarred, and partly bare earth or the tar had worn off leaving huge holes on the runway; thus making landing and taking off uneven and consequently dangerous. As the aircraft approached, one of its wheels came off the on landing leading to the disaster. Eighty people died from this unfortunate accident. This, according the Hon Corbyn, was an important event that needed international news attention so that the world might be aware of the dangerous and appalling conditions the people of DCR are subjected to; and that there should might have been an internationally-led investigation as to the cause of this crash and recommended solutions availed. However, the plane accident was reported by the CNN for just a single day; and the news was dropped the next day.

This was not appreciated giving that the Congo is one of the richest countries, in terms of natural resources, in the world-- Diamonds, Cobalt and Gold. In the hinterlands and the forests of Congo, away from the coast, are rare unexploited hardwoods found nowhere in the world. All kinds of peoples of this world have been made rich by the DCR from inside and outside the country -- foreigners, the Congolese elite, Europeans, Asians have all been made very rich by the DCR. Yet in this rich country, the politicians have neglected their responsibility as to why they have been elected to power due to unaccountability and heartless neglect of the masses who are in danger of extinction due to grinding poverty, illiteracy, death and disease. Half the children of DCR have no school to attend or are not attending due to desperate circumstances. As many children as one may conceive, in such harsh and politically uncaring environment, are orphaned. As the politicians do not take any responsibilities, Police officers are not paid; leading to bribery and consequently abuse of powers by the Police and Civil servants.

Further, in Africa, democratic powers have been usurped by China and Big Companies as a result of unaccountable African politicians who have refused to take their responsibility to perform their duties as democratically elected officials at the highest levels.

He concluded with a powerful speech which he gave later; after the first speech. On accountability, therefore, he arrived the irrefutable conclusion that most African politicians are a law onto themselves in Africa; and that this is against democratic principles. Corruption, kick backs and neglect of duties have allowed them to get away with lawless actions with impunity. Unless we build democratic institutions that can hold leaders into account for their actions Africans will be doomed. Thus democracy does not mean fair elections alone; but that those elected are punished according to the law if they are found to have committed a serious crime as no one can be above the law. This necessitates, also, that there should be an independence of judiciary and freedom of speech for all African citizens. In these settings, therefore, we can hold corrupt and incompetent politicians accountable but allowing and encouraging only the competent and the near flawless characters to prevail in leadership and politics. We also need powerful democratic institutions who will prevent or stand before these powerful organisations, corrupt politicians and other exploitative nations from stealing the wealth of Africa while the people suffer from abject poverty in riches. Furthermore, these democratic institutions would be able to negotiate with these powerful organisations and companies to obtain a fair deal for the people.

Author's Comments:

Hon Corbny's speech is a powerful voice against foreign exploitation, corruption, violence and graft in Africa that are inflicting untold suffering, indignation and indignity among Africans, their friends and the world. Post-Independence African leaders have woefully failed their people; and are further leading their own people to abysmal ruin and possibly inevitable extinction.

Hon. Corbyn's citation of China is very intriguing. It must be noted here that China has a history of brutal and forceful expansionism so as to accommodate her people as a result of her huge population; and also as a result of her cunningly disguised ambitions to attain international Superpowerdom. In October 1950, China invaded and annexed Tibet that had been independent since the 13th century; for prestigious purposes bent on adding on to Mao's communist vision of a powerful and expanded China. They continue to occupy Tibet despite international outcry for the prevalence of international justice; and Tibetan protests which are brutally put down by crack Chinese troops from Beijing.

China and India are also locked in a hot border dispute after China illegally occupied Arunachal Pradesh, an entire state in India, the size of Cameroon. A border war with India found India defeated and humiliated and later gave up the fight. China still occupies the Indian State. Again in the 1950s, China attacked Aksai Chin near the Everest Mountain range in India, a region that borders Tibet and India. They have not given it up.

The romance between Africa and China is a dangerous game that may end up in tears; with Africa being recolonised by China, a second time, after the regrettably unconsultative Berlin Conference. There have been recent reports in the Cameroons fishing waters in Victoria and Bakassi;whereby Chinese fishermen are brutally overfishing with trawlers, consequently forcing local African fishermen out of business; at the same time depleting fish stocks. While one should support bilateral agreements and fair trade between Africa and China, only the most tellingly uninformed and hopelessly desperate would want to surrender their Independence as a result of small fish and biscuits offered by China in return for the huge natural resources; and a potential emergence of a powerful, politically resourceful and economically viable Africa.

According John Swain, in an article, "China's New Frontier" in Sunday Times Magazine, February 10, 2008, an interview with a Chinese scientist revealed this answer: "We sic[in China] have 600 rivers, 400 of which have been killed by pollution. We will have to send 300 million people to Africa before we begin the end of our problems". One should be in support of people emigrating and contributing to the world. However, planning to send or export 300 million people to another man's land looks like a colonial Coup D'Etat. Africa's population is about 500 million; meaning that the Chinese will then make up almost half of the resultant 800 million overnight.

One is in support of Chinese enterprise and her determination to share technology and knowledge with Africans. On the other hand, one should be reminded of Sun-Tzu (Master Sun) who wrote the monumental philosophy on "The Art of War". On Strategy, Master Sun wrote:

In War,

Better take

A state

Intact

Than destroy it

Ultimate excellence lies

Not in winning

Every battle

But in defeating the enemy

Without ever fighting..

When far appear near

When near appear far....

Lure with bait;

Strike with chaos

Attack

Where he is

Unprepared

Appear where

You are unexpected

This is victory in warfare

It cannot be divulged in advance.

The Ethanol Question

Louis Egbe Mbua

This writing is in response to Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior fellow at Hudson Institute and former chief economist at the US Department of Labour. Writing on http://www.american.com/, 22 April 2008, the new American magazine, she advocated the immediate ban on ethanol subsidies in the United States; and by implication attacking the wisdom of growing crops for Biofuels at this time of soaring food prices; that the present production of ethanol is not viable; and that production of ethanol produces "more harmful emissions of greenhouse gases than it prevents".

While one believes the Senior Fellow touched salient points on this matter, she however, it appears, failed to converge the economics of production of ethanol and the crucial need for technological advancement in relation to safeguarding renewable and sustainable fuel for the future. There has never been recorded, any new technology that starts with a "viability". It took more than 40 years from 1903 for Air travel to become economical ; more than 20 years before Henry Ford discovered mass production of the T-Model for profitability. If this were the case for early technologies, it would not be different for Biofuels. Biofuels production would become more and more cheaper as the technology advances to fit mass scale production and at the same time obey market forces for it to survive. Furthermore the transportation of ethanol petrol blends for distribution purposes would be possible with advanced funded research in relation to pipelines and fluids -- possibly near ambient gasification followed by cooling.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth went further to attribubte, in advance, the imminence of more harmful world pollution on ethanol production based on publications by the eminent Professor Timothy Searchinger at Princeton University. While one has hardly read the paper, it is safe to assert that there is no known method of producing fossil and biologically based fuels without some kind of pollution. If we go by their argument then we must stop exploiting crude oil as well since crude oil drilling is also energy intensive and therefore produces harmful GHG. Further, we must stop running machines with fossil fuels since they pollute the environment. We know these assertions to be obvious impossibilities in this day and age.

While the Professor and his researchers may be right in their research goals, their work ,as far as I can see, appears to have failed to take technological advancement to reduce GHG while producing ethanol into consideration. Consequently, it would seem to me that their 167 year extrapolation of harmful emissions from ethanol production is not valid unless they would have to prove that the technology for Biofuels production will remain unchanged for more than a century and a half; and that ethanol would be produced only from land conversion to grow corn and other Biofuels food crops.

The Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute also insinuated the cause to ethanol production from crops: the sky high rocketing global food prices that have, unfortunately, sparked riots in developing countries like Haiti. While, it is right that food sufficiency must balance availability of fuel for any kind of human survival to materialise, there is little evidence that Biofuels production is responsible for this debacle. The most likely cause is the relentless upward rise in crude oil prices that today stand at about $119 per barrel. Fossil fuel is the main fuel for farm and plant machinery for the food industry. It follows that the high fuel cost will be passed onto the consumer. For oil prices to stabilise, supply for fuel has to outstrip demand which means we must produce alternative fuel.

Today we have Biofuels as both renewable and alternative and possibly sustainable in the future. And unless we can find an alternative that can be considered of superior qualities than Biofuels, all we have to do is develop the technology so as to eliminate or drastically curtail their disadvantages to humans in terms of emissions, enhanced viability and competition for food. This calls for funded research and development. Ethanol subsidies are important for the advancement of this technology to produce Biofuels to eliminate or drastically cut these drawbacks.

The House of Commons Debate on Cameroon and Zimbabwe: Part One

By Louis Egbe Mbua

On the 22 of April 2008, the British House of Commons hosted a historic debate on the theme of Elections and Democracy in Africa with particular focus on Cameroon and Zimbabwe at Committee Room 15. The host was Hon. Jeremy Corbyn the Labour Member of Parliament at Westminster in conjunction with Africa Awake, the London Activist group.

After obtaining the news of this debate from well wishers, I was determined to attend and see for myself how democratic debates are conducted in the Mother of all Parliament. On that day, I had finished by professional duties at 4.45 pm and rushed to catch the fast train from Twickenham to Waterloo for the Jubilee line to Westminster. Having missed the 5.23 train I jumped on the 5.28 one arriving at the House of Commons at about time. After the procedural security check and the maze of hallways and corridors I found myself in Committee room 15 with the hall jam-packed. I managed, with the help of Sam the Zimbabwean at the door, to find a back seat next to a young Cameroonian woman who came with her young child of about 9 months old.

Every shade of Cameroonian, Zimbabwean, Ethiopian, British, women, men, a child were there. In all their numbers they came. Francophones, Anglophones, Union des Populations Camerounais (UPC), Liberal Democratic Alliance (LDA), Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation (SCAPO), Southern Cameroons Youth League (SCYL), Social Democratic Front (SDF), The Cameroon Network, The Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), The Bakwerilands Claims Committee (BLCC), the Anti-Mugabe camp, well-wishers, Doctorate students from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Cameroonian refugees, elderly British ladies and concerned Africans were all there to watch and debate the evils of Africa and what solutions that may be offered from this historic meeting.

Having missed the opening speech I watched as Ms Tanje, The Cameroon Network Publicity Secretary took the floor. Her speech was to the point and clear. She outlined the sufferings of the peoples of Cameroon on both sides of the Mungo -- Francophones and Anglophones--and that the international community should be conscious of this evil against the people by the authoritarian regime. She then moved on to the problem of wrongful deportation of Cameroonians by the British immigration authorities. This was much more grave for Southern Cameroonians who are immediately arrested on arrival at the Douala airport, locked up in prison, tortured and beaten by barbarous and cruel gendarmes and Policemen in Cameroon; and that the deportees family who cannot stand their kins being inhumanly maltreated in prison for no obvious reasons have to bribe them out of the torture chambers; causing added and unwanted financial hardship for Cameroonians in general and Southern Cameroonians in particular.

For those who cannot afford the means to bribe so as to secure a release of the deportee, they are left with their own devices in prison where the beatings and torture continues unabated. Her solution, she contends, is for the Home Office to alter their profile of Cameroon because the totalitarian and undemocratic regime of Mr. Paul Biya continues to deceive the world with his fake fight for corruption and that all is socially, economically and politically well. Therefore, the Home Office should not be deporting young Cameroonians to their death.

Author's Comments:

The evil that has visited Africa by her own sons and daughters who have pretentious leadership agendas has now overflowed to a flood. One can cannot actually imagine the feeling of this meeting unless one was actually there. Young and intelligent people, being driven out of their own countries by greedy and wicked leaders, are being given a voice in one of the most advanced countries in the world at the heart of their own institution; and the most prestigious of their own democratic governance and symbol to debate on solutions of the problems of the very nations that drove them out. One does not have to emphasise that these same Africans can never dream of venturing into their own countries' House of Parliament -- if we may call such corrupt institutions parliament- to voice their disapproval of these wicked systems yet they can do so in the UK without fear of being harassed, killed, beaten and tortured. As I turned my thoughts east, west, north and south of the world and pondering on the vicissitudes of what was happening and unfolding before my own eyes; and the unfathomable contrasts and contradictions of the evil in Africa by her leaders against their own people, the small child I sat next to began to cry. My thoughts went into lightning reverse as though struck by a great anger at the same time hope and gladness:

Children of Africa thrown
Out but given a throne:
Westminster broad and wide;
In knowledge good and wise
An experience broad and deep
And makes them glad and weep_

I stopped the song and prepared for the next speaker of the debate on democracy and elections in Africa.