18 Oct 2008

Wanafunzi 5,300 na wahadhiri wao zaidi ya 100 wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dodoma, wameanza mgomo usio na ukomo wakishinikiza uongozi wa chuo hicho kuwalipa stahili zao mbalimbali.Wanafunzi hao walikuwa wamebeba mabango mbalimbali yenye ujumbe wa kumtaka Kaimu Makamu Mkuu wa Chuo hicho, Profesa Shabani Mlacha, kujiuzulu kwa madai kuwa ndiye kikwazo. 

Pia walikuwa wakiimba nyimbo za kuhamasisha mshikamano huku wakimtaka Waziri Mkuu, Mizengo Pinda, kwenda chuoni hapo kuwasikiliza. 

Askari Polisi wakiwa kwenye magari walikuwa pembeni ya wanafunzi hao wakiwa tayari kupambana na wanafunzi hao kama wangefanya fujo hivyo kusababisha uvunjifu wa amani chuoni hapo. 

Hata hivyo, polisi hao walijikuta hawana kazi ya kufanya kwani hakukuwa na hali yoyote ya uvunjifu wa amani na wanafunzi hao walionekana kuwa watulivu wakati wote wa kuimba nyimbo zao. 

Katika mgomo huo ulioanza jana, wanafunzi hao wanalalamikia uhaba wa malazi kwa madai kuwa wanachangia Sh. 500 kila siku, lakini baadhi yao wanalala kwenye nyumba za kulala wageni na wengine wakilazimika kulala kwenye chumba kimoja watu wanne. 

Akizungumzia mgomo huo, Rais wa Serikali ya Wanafunzi wa Chuo hicho, Malimi Joramu, alisema sababu nyingine ni uongozi wa chuo hicho kuwatoza wanafunzi Sh. 100,000 kama gharama za matibabu kwa miaka mitatu. 

Alisema malalamiko yao yapo upande wa wanafunzi ambao ni watumishi wa umma ambao hulazimika kuchangia gharama hizo kupitia Mfuko wa Taifa wa Bima ya Afya, lakini uongozi wa chuo umewataka wote kulipia gharama hizo bila kujali ni mtumishi wa umma au la. 

``Tulishakubaliana na Uongozi wa Chuo mwaka jana kuwa wanafunzi hao wasichangie gharama hizo na wale waliokwisha changia warudishiwe gharama zao, lakini tumeshangaa kwa wanafunzi wa mwaka huu, gharama hizo zimerudishwa tena na wale waliorudishiwa fedha zao, wametakiwa kurudisha gharama hizo,`` alisema Rais huyo. 

Madai mengine alisema ni pamoja na Uongozi wa Chuo kuweka muda mfupi wa usajili wa wanafunzi, ambapo chuo hicho kimetangaza kwamba jana ndiyo mwisho na wale ambao watakuwa hawajajisajiliwa, Chuo hicho hakitawatambua. 

Rais huyo anadai kuwa, muda huo ni mfupi mno ukilinganisha kuwa wanafunzi wengi wanaosoma chuoni hapo wanatoka katika familia maskini na hata walipouomba uongozi wa chuo kuwaongezea muda, ulikataa kufanya hivyo na kushikilia msimamo wake wa kuwafukuza. 

``Tunajiuliza hivi iweje mafisadi wa EPA ambao ni wezi wameongezewa muda wa kulipa fedha walizoiba, sisi ambao ni wanafunzi na tunatoka kwenye familia maskini tunakataliwa kuongezewa muda hata wa mwezi mmoja tu, hii sio haki kabisa,`` alilalamika Joramu. 

Kwa upande wa wahadhiri wa chuo hicho, wao wanadai kutolipwa posho ya kujikimu ya wiki moja ya kuripoti chuoni hapo pamoja na fedha za uhamisho kwa baadhi ya wahadhiri. 

Wengine wamedai hawajalipwa mishahara yao ya mwezi uliopita hali inayowafanya waishi maisha ya kuombaomba, hasa kutokana makali ya maisha kupanda. 

Wahadhiri hao wanaokadiriwa kupita 100, wamegoma kuingia madarasani wakishinikiza kulipwa posho hizo, pamoja na mishahara yao na ikiwa ni vinginevyo, mgomo huo hautakuwa na ukomo. 

Akijibu tuhuma za wanafunzi, Profesa Mlacha alisema gharama za malazi wanazolipia wanafunzi hao, zimepunguzwa kutoka shilingi 700 kwa siku mwaka jana, hadi kufikia Sh. 500 mwaka huu. 

Alisema sababu za kupunguza gharama hizo ni malalamiko ya wanafunzi hao wakidai kuwa ni kubwa na wazazi wao wanashindwa kumudu kulipa. 

``Kutoka na hali halisi ya maisha, tuliwaelewa na tukaamua kushusha hadi kufikia Sh. 500, lakini pamoja na kushusha huko, bado baadhi yao wanaendelea kulalamika kuwa gharama hizo ni kubwa,`` alisema. 

Hata hivyo, Profesa Mlacha alisema chuo hicho kina malazi ya kutosha na kila chumba wanalala wanafunzi wanne kutokana na ukubwa wa vyumba hivyo, kwa kuwa kila mwanafunzi ana kitanda chake. 

Alisema hivi sasa kuna vitanda na magodoro zaidi ya 1,000 ambayo hayajalaliwa na wanafunzi kutokana na wengi wao kuwa hawajaripoti chuoni hapo hadi sasa na kushangazwa na malalamiko ya wanafunzi ambayo aliyaita kuwa ni ya uzushi. 

Kwa upande wa malipo ya matibabu alisema, chuo hicho kilikutana na watendaji wa Mfuko wa Bima ya Afya na kuzungumza nao kuangalia utaratibu wa matibabu ambapo walibaini kuwa, kuna baadhi ya magonjwa ambayo mfuko huo hauyalipii. 

Kuhusu madai ya usajili alisema, hizo ni sheria za chuo kwamba mwanafunzi ambaye hajasajiliwa na chuo, hatambuliki kama ni mwanafunzi. 

``Tangu siku ya kwanza ya mwanafunzi kupata barua ya kuitwa chuoni, anaorodhoshwewa mahitaji yote anayotakiwa kuja nayo, sasa iweje mwanafunzi aje shuleni akiwa hana fedha hata nusu ya gharama hizo, chuo hakitakubali hata kidogo kumsajili mwanafunzi ambaye hajalipa hata nusu ya gharama zinazohitajika,`` alisisitiza. 

Akijibu malalamiko ya wahadhiri, Profesa Mlacha alisema sheria iliyokuwa ikitaka wahadhari hao kulipwa posho hiyo imefutwa, lakini hata hivyo, chuo hicho kimetumia busara ya kuwaombea fedha hizo serikalini na taratibu hizo zilikuwa zinaendelea. 

Hata hivyo, alisema pamoja na kwamba asilimia 80 ya walimu hao hawana sifa za kulipiwa gharama za malazi na chuo, chuo hicho kimejitahidi kuwapatia nyumba ambazo zina kila kitu na kwamba hakuna mhadhiri anayekaa kwenye nyumba za kulala wageni. 

``Wahadhiri hao nao wametufikisha mahali ambapo tunashangaa, mwaka jana tuliwalipa, lakini kutokana na sheria hiyo kufutwa bado tukatumia ubinadamu wa kuwaombea fedha hizo serikalini, lakini wakati suala hilo likishughulikiwa tunashangaa nao wanagoma, chuo hakielewi nia yao ni nini,`` alihoji Prof. Mlacha. 

Aidha, Profesa Mlacha alisema, uchunguzi wa chuo hicho umebaini kuwa, wapo wahadhiri wachache wanaojifanya wanazijua siasa au wanataka kutumia chuo hicho kujifunza siasa. 

``Tumebaini wahadhiri hao ndiyo walioshinikiza mgomo huu, inawezekana wanajifunza siasa ndani ya chuo hiki, lakini tunawaeleza kuwa, hiki sio chuo cha siasa na kama wanataka siasa waende kwenye vyama vya siasa kuonyesha uwezo wao wa kujua siasa,`` alisema Profesa Mlacha. 

Hadi mwandishi wa habari hizi anaondoka eneo la chuo hicho bado wanafunzi hao walikuwa wakiendelea na mgomo wao.

CHANZO: Nipashe









17 Oct 2008

2008-10-17 10:38:12 
Na Simon Mhina

Jaji Mkuu wa Tanzania, Augustino Ramadhani, ametoboa siri ya ufisadi unaokua kila kukicha nchini kwamba unatokana na uchaguzi. 

Ameonya kama rushwa kwenye uchaguzi haitadhibitiwa basi ufisadi ambao umekithiri kila eneo utaendelea kuitafuna nchi. 

Alisema rushwa na ufisadi katika nchi ni sawa na watoto mapacha, na mama yao ni uchaguzi. 

Jaji Mkuu alisema hayo jana wakati akitoa mada katika kongamano la siku mbili la kujadili rushwa katika siasa na ugharimiaji wa shughuli za kisiasa katika vyama. 

Katika hutuba yake iliyosomwa kwa niaba yake na Msajili wa Mahakama Kuu, Ferdinand Wambali, Jaji Mkuu alisisitiza kuwa bila kudhibiti rushwa kwenye uchaguzi, uovu huo utaendelea hata katika vyombo vya kutunga sheria na vile vya utoaji haki kama mahakama. 

``Ukimpitisha mgombea kwa misingi ya rushwa, ujue kiongozi huyo ndiye utakayekutana naye mbele ya safari katika kukuhudumia. Mtu aliyetokana na rushwa kwake ni vigumu kukemea rushwa hata kama imemzunguka,`` alisema. 

Naye Jaji Kiongozi Mstaafu, Amir Manento, ambaye pia ni Mwenyekiti wa Tume ya Haki za Binadamu na Utawala Bora, alisema umefika wakati sasa kumpa nafasi Rais kuteua mawaziri nje ya wabunge kwa kuwa wengi wao wamepata nafasi hizo kwa kutoa rushwa. 

Alisema wabunge ambao huingia bungeni kwa njia ya rushwa, wanapoteuliwa kuwa mawaziri hutumia fursa hiyo kurudisha fadhila kwa wale waliowakopesha takrima. 

Alionya kwamba hakuna mfadhili yeyote ambaye anaweza kutoa fedha zake bure bila kuwa na lengo ya kupata faida baadaye. 

Naye Waziri Mkuu Mstaafu, Jaji Joseph Warioba, alisema chanzo cha rushwa, ufisadi na aina zote za ubadhirifu wa mali ya umma, ambavyo vimeshamiri nchini vinatokana na viongozi kuingia madarakani kwa njia ya rushwa. 

Aidha, alisema bila kukomesha rushwa katika uchaguzi, itakuwa vigumu kukomesha ufisadi nchini, kwa vile viongozi wengi wameogolea katika rushwa hadi kufikia katika ngazi walizo nazo. 

Kutokana na sababu hizo, Warioba aliona kwamba ni vigumu kwa viongozi waliochaguliwa kwa rushwa kuweza kupambana na janga hilo. 

Kongamano hilo lililoandaliwa na Ofisi ya Msajili wa Vyama vya Siasa kwa kushirikiana na Tasisi ya Kupambana na Kuzuia Rushwa (Takukuru) lilianza jana jijini Dar es Salaam na linamalizika leo. 

Jaji Warioba alisema hivi sasa Tanzania inaelekea kubaya kwani rushwa inaonekana kukubalika kabisa kuwa moja ya kigezo cha kumpima mgombea. 

``Hivi sasa hata kama utahubiri sera nzuri kiasi gani, hata kama mgombea anayo sifa kubwa kiasi gani, hawezi kupita bila kutoa rushwa, hizi ni dalili mbaya,``alisema. 

Jaji Warioba alisema kutokana na rushwa kushamiri, hivi sasa kampeni za mgombea kuomba kuteuliwa na chama chake zimekuwa nzito kuliko kampeni za ujumla za kiserikali. 

Alisema hata baada ya sheria ya takrima kufutwa bado wagombea wamekwa wakibuni mbinu mbalimbali za kugawa rushwa. 

Warioba alipinga vikali madai kwamba umasikini wa wananchi ndio unasababisha rushwa kushamiri. 

Alisema kwa maoni yake, rushwa inashamirishwa nchini na matajiri pamoja na viongozi ambao tayari wanazo pesa. 
Alisema hata hapa nchini, miaka ya nyuma watu walikuwa masikini wa kutupwa, lakini hapakuwa na rushwa katika uchaguzi. 

``Kwa hiyo si kweli kwamba umasikini ndio unasababisha rushwa katika uchaguzi, wanaosababisha rushwa na kuwafundisha watu waamini katika rushwa ni viongozi na matajiri,`` alisema. 

Jaji warioba alisema kunatokea matatizo makubwa wakati wa upigaji kura, kwani imebainika kwamba baadhi ya wasimamizi, wanapokea rushwa ili `kuvizima` vyama ambavyo hawavipendi. 

Alisema japokuwa wagombea huwaamini sana mawakala, lakini sio siri kwamba mawakala hao pia hutumiwa kuwahujumu baada ya kupewa rushwa. 

Alionya kuwa kutunga sheria nyingi za kuzuia rushwa hakusaidii kama jamii yenyewe haijaamua kupinga suala hilo. 

Vilevile, alisema daftari la kudumu la wapiga kura kimsingi sio mwarobaini wa matatizo ya uchaguzi nchini, kwani linaweza kuchezewa ili kuharibu kumbukumbu sahihi. 

Kuhusu mapato ya vyama, Warioba alisema kunahitajika uwazi kwa wale wanaofadhili vyama, ili kuviepusha vyama hivyo visigeuke kuwa vibaraka. 

Mathalan, alisema kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa viongozi kugeuka vibaraka wa mafisadi kama waliingia madarakani kwa kufadhiliwa kwa njia za rushwa. 

Alionya kuwa si sahihi kutoa ruzuku kwa vyama vyenye wabunge pekee, na kutaka utafutwe taratibu wa kuvipatia vyama vyote ruzuku ili kuweka uwiano. 

Vilevile, alisema si sahihi kuvifuta vyama vitakavyokosa kura kabisa, badala yake ameshauri viachwe kwani huenda kuna siku wananchi wakavihitaji. 

``Kanu kilikuwa chama kikubwa sana, lakini sasa ni kidogo na vile vidogo sasa vimekuwa vikubwa, hivyo tusifute chama eti kwa vile ni kidogo au hakikubaliki, kuna siku kitakubalika,`` alisema. 

Naye Mbunge wa Kigoma Kaskazini, Zitto Kabwe (Chadema) akichangia katika kongamano hilo alisema kwamba ufisadi nchini unashamiri kutokana na matajiri na wanasiasa kuendeleza tabia hiyo na wala si umaskini kama wengi wanavyopotosha. 

Dk. Emmanuel Makaidi, Mwenyekiti wa National Legue for Democracy (NLD) alisema kwamba serikali ilifuta sheria ya takrima ambayo ilikuwa uchochoro wa kutoa rushwa, lakini inataka kuirudisha kwa njia nyingine ambayo ni mfuko wa jimbo. 

Pia alisema daftari la wapigakura linapaswa kuhakikiwa mara kwa mara kuepusha chama kimoja kutumia watendaji kufuta au kuongeza majina kwa manufaa ya chama chao.

CHANZO: Nipashe



NEW YORK – John McCain hung his final presidential debate performance on an Ohio plumber who campaign aides never vetted. 

A day after making Joseph Wurzelbacher famous, referencing him in the debate almost two dozen times as someone who would pay higher taxes under Barack Obama, McCain learned the fine print Thursday on the plumber’s not-so-tidy personal story: He owes back taxes. He is not a licensed plumber. And it turns out that Wurzelbacher makes less than $250,000 a year, which means he would receive a tax cut if Obama were elected president. 

McCain likes to say that he isn’t George W. Bush – and in this case of bungled public relations, it is clear he is not. The famously-disciplined Bush campaign operation would likely have found the perfect anonymous citizen to illustrate a policy proposal, rather than spontaneously wrap itself around an unknown entity with so many asterisks. 

While the arc of Wurzelbacher’s breakneck trip through the news cycle – from private citizen to insta-celebrity to political target – offers a curious insight into the political media culture, it also appears to offer a glimpse into the McCain campaign’s on-the-fly decisionmaking style. 

A McCain source said Thursday that the campaign read about Wurzelbacher on the Drudge Report, while another campaign aide confirmed that he was not vetted. Senior McCain adviser Matt McDonald told Politico after the debate that Wurzelbacher was not aware that he would become central to the candidates’ third and final showdown, although Wurzelbacher told reporters Thursday that the McCain campaign contacted him earlier in the week to ask him to appear with the candidate at a Toledo rally scheduled for Sunday. (He may not make it, now that he's scheduled to be in New York for TV interviews.) 

“Joe, if you're watching, I'm sorry,” McCain said Thursday, referring to the press attention that the Ohio man had received, during a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman.

McCain said he has not spoken to Wurzelbacher yet. Aides have reached out, hoping to get him on the stump at some point. 

By Thursday evening, though, the McCain campaign had tied itself even closer to Wurzelbacher than the night before. 

His campaign released a web ad titled “Joe the Plumber.” McCain opened his rally in Downingtown, Pa., with a shout-out to Wurzelbacher.

“We had a good debate last night. I thought I did pretty well, but let's have a little straight talk: the real winner last night was Joe the Plumber,” McCain told 1,000 people. “He won and small businesses across America won, because the American people are not going to let Senator Obama raise their taxes in a tough economy.” 

For a few moments, the crowd chanted, “Joe! Joe! Joe!” 

“Joe’s the man!” McCain yelled back. 

Obama veered from his prepared remarks in Londonderry, N.H., to question McCain’s use of Wurzelbacher, saying the Republican senator’s tax plan would do more for corporations and wealthy individuals than, say, a plumber. 

“He is trying to suggest that a plumber is the guy he’s fighting for,” Obama said told a rally with 4,100 people. “How many plumbers do you know making a quarter of a million dollars a year?” 

Obama’s remarks echoed those of his vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who criticized McCain for “the notion of this guy Joe the Plumber.” 

“I don’t have any Joe the Plumbers in my neighborhood that make $250,000 a year that are worried,” Biden said on NBC’s Today show. “The Joe the Plumbers in my neighborhood, the Joe the Cops in my neighborhood, the Joe the Grocery Store Owners in my neighborhood – they make, like 98 percent of small businesses, less than $250,000 a year. And they’re going to do very well under us, and they’re going to be in real tough shape under John McCain.” 

Wurzelbacher, 34, a single father and self-described conservative, emerged as a symbol for a tax debate that has become a mainstay of the give-and-take on the campaign trail, and also of the white working-class voters who have been pursued so vigorously by both candidates. 

The exchange between Obama and Wurzelbacher that first brought him to the McCain campaign’s attention, occurred Sunday while the Democratic nominee was canvassing for votes in Toledo. 

“I'm being taxed more and more for fulfilling the American Dream,” Wurzelbacher told Obama, adding he was concerned about having to pay more taxes as he worked towards his goal of buying his own plumbing business, which could draw income of $250,000 a year. “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?” 

Obama said that, under his proposal, those making $250,000 or less would not pay more in taxes, but incomes above that level would be subject to a higher tax rate. 

“It’s not that I want to punish your success, I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you – that they’ve got the chance at success too,” Obama told Wurzelbacher. “I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” 

Since then, the encounter has also provided fodder for conservatives alleging his tax plan would amount to a massive redistribution of wealth. 

McCain said Obama's plan would stop entrepreneurs such as Wurzelbacher from investing in new small businesses and keep existing ones from growing. 

Even before the debate concluded Wednesday, local TV stations, network producers and journalists from around the country were trying to reach Wurzelbacher. By Thursday afternoon, he had been picked to pieces. 

Wurzelbacher acknowledged to reporters that he doesn't have a plumber's license, but said he didn't need one because he works for someone else at a company that does residential work. State and local records show Wurzelbacher has no license, although his employer does.David Golis, manager and residential building official for the Toledo Division of Building Inspection, said Wurzelbacher still would need to be a licensed apprentice or journeyman to work in Toledo. 

Wurzelbacher also owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax, according to Lucas County Court of Common Pleas records. The Ohio Department of Taxation filed a claim on his property until he pays the debt, according to the records. The lien remains active. 

The McCain campaign weighed in on Wurzelbacher’s behalf, using the opportunity to take digs at two frequent targets. 

“It's an outrage that the Obama campaign and the media are attacking Joe the Plumber for asking a legitimate question of a presidential candidate. This is why voters still have so many questions about Barack Obama. Instead of answering tough questions, his campaign attacks average Americans for daring to look at the reality behind his words, said Tucker Bounds, spokesman the McCain-Palin campaign. “John McCain will continue to fight on behalf of all hardworking Americans like Joe for policies geared toward increasing prosperity and reducing the burden on taxpayers -- not 'spreading the wealth around' for Senator Government to distribute as he sees fit.” 

Leaning against his black Dodge Durango SUV, Wurzelbacher at first was amused by it all, then overwhelmed and finally a little annoyed. 

“I don't have a lot of pull. It's not like I'm Matt Damon," he said "I just hope I'm not making too much of a fool of myself." 

SOURCE: Politico


Picha kwa Hisani ya MichuziJr
Pinda ataja sababu za kilimo kuwa duni
IMEELEZWA kuwa kilimo cha Tanzania bado kiko duni, kutokana na wakulima wengi kulima bila ya kutekeleza kanuni za kilimo bora na hivyo kuchangia kushuka kwa uzalishaji wa mazao mbalimbali nchini. 

Hayo yamesemwa jana na Waziri Mkuu, Bw. Mizengo Pinda katika ukumbi wa Bz mkoani Morogoro wakati wa ufunguzi wa mkutano wa kuhamasisha kilimo, uliohusisha mikoa ya Kigoma, Mbeya , Ruvuma , Rukwa , Iringa na Morogoro . 

Waziri Pinda alisema kuwa kilimo cha Tanzania bado duni kutokna na eneo linalolimwa ni kidogo na tija ni ndogo, ambapo alisema inakadiliwa kuwa eneo linalofaa kwa kilimo ni hekta milioni 44 na eneo linalotumika ni sawa na asilimia 24 ya eneo hilo. 

Alisema kuwa kwa upande wa kilimo cha umwagiliaji lina hekta milioni 29.4 hata hivyo eneo linalotumika ni sawa na hekta 290,000 sawa na asilimia moja . 

“Ni vyema tukaangalia kuongeza maeneo ya kulima kama kweli tumedhamiria kuongeza tija katika sekta ya kilimo," alisema Waziri Pinda . 

Aidha waziri Pinda aliongeza kuwa mbali na changamoto hiyo katika sekta ya kilimo bado huduma za ugani ni duni na kudai uzoefu unaonesha kuwa wakulima wengi wanalima bila ya kufuata kanuni za kilimo bora . 

Alisema kuwa hali hiyo imekuwa ikisababisha kilimo chao kushuka na kutokuwa na tija na mavuno yao kuwa kidogo, hali ambayo wizara inatakiwa kujiuliza ina maofisa ugani wangapi mikoani na vitendea kazi kiasi gani viko katika ofisi zao, ikiwa pamoja na kujiwekea mipango ya kazi. 

Waziri Pinda alisema kuwa sababu nyingine zinazochangia hali hiyo ni matumizi duni ya teknolojia za kilimo cha kisasa hasa matumizi ya jembe la mkono, badala ya matrekta. 

Alisema kuwa takwimu zinaonesha kuwa asilimia 70 ya wakulima nchini hutumia jembe la mkono na asilimia 20 hutumia plau wakati asilimia 10 hutumia matrekta takwimu ambayo ni ndogo katika kufikia malengo ya uzalishaji na kuboresha sekta ya kilimo nchini.


CHANZO: Majira

16 Oct 2008

Kuna uwezekano mkubwa kwamba Waziri Mkuu mstaafu,Jaji Joseph Warioba,akaingizwa matatani kutokana na uchunguzi unaofanyika ndani ya kampuni ya uchimbaji dhahabu ya Mwananchi Gold....kwa habari hii pamoja na nyingine,bila kusahau makala motomoto ndani ya gazeti lililobobea la Raia Mwema,BONYEZA HAPA.


Beware an October surprise from bin Laden
By Joseph Nye
Published: October 15 2008 19:31 | Last updated: October 15 2008 19:31

Americans are transfixed by the aftermath of the September surprise in financial markets. Could there be a very different surprise coming in October?

The public thinks Democrats do better on economic issues, and the financial crisis erased the bounce in the polls that John McCain received from the Republican convention. After the second presidential debate, Mr Obama widened his lead, but dangers remain. Polls show that Republicans do better on the issue of terrorism. Last June, McCain adviser Charlie Black was reprimanded for having the temerity to point out that the intrusion of a terrorist event into the campaign would “certainly be a big advantage” for Mr McCain. Mr Black may have been politically incorrect but an objective analysis suggests he might be right.

On October 29 2004, four days before the last election, Al Jazeera aired an 18 minute video tape in which Osama bin Laden addressed the American people and threatened further retaliation and a desire to bankrupt the US. In the first poll after that tape was released, President George W. Bush opened up a six point lead over Senator John Kerry. The deputy director of the CIA commented that “Bin Laden certainly did a nice favour today for the president”.

Since the election turned on 120,000 votes in Ohio, it is plausible Mr bin Laden was able to affect the election. From the al-Qaeda leader’s point of view, Mr Bush’s policies were more useful for his efforts to recruit supporters than Mr Kerry’s might have been. Mr bin Laden is involved in a civil war within Islam. He wants the US to pursue policies that create the appearance of a clash of civilisations. Anything that polarises the mainstream of Muslim opinion helps his recruiting. As the deputy director for analysis at the CIA commented at the time: “Certainly, he would want Bush to keep doing what he’s doing for a few more years.”

From that point of view, Barack Obama must be unsettling for Mr bin Laden. An African-American with a father born in Kenya and a childhood spent partly in Indonesia presents a very different face to the world. A recent BBC poll of 22 countries found that if the world could vote, Mr Obama would win in a landslide. The pro-Obama margin varied from 82 percentage points in Kenya to 9 points in India.

Of course, Americans do not like outside interference in their elections. When Mr Obama attracted a crowd of 200,000 to a speech in Berlin last summer, Republican critics portrayed him as an elitist who appeals overseas but not to blue collar workers at home. On the other hand, in a recent poll that asked Americans to rate a series of foreign policy goals for the next president, 83 per cent ranked “improving America’s standing in the world” as most important. Certainly, the election of the first African-American as president would do wonders to restore the soft power that the Bush administration has squandered over the past eight years. That is why Mr Obama is such a threat to Mr bin Laden.

Some voters worry that even though Mr Obama might be good for US soft power, he might not understand hard power. Mr Obama’s statements in the two presidential debates suggest that he gets it. He has promised to give priority to finding and killing Mr bin Laden but there is more to the story. Niccolò Machiavelli said that it is more important for a prince to be feared than to be loved but we sometimes forget that the opposite of love is not fear, but hatred. Machiavelli made it clear hatred is something a prince should avoid at all costs. Smart power is the ability to combine hard and soft power into an effective strategy.

Both Mr McCain and Mr Obama have impressive hard power political and organisational skills, or they would not be where they are today. After all, Mr McCain has a military background and Mr Obama came up through the rough and tumble of Chicago politics. More over, Mr Obama’s campaign has set a new standard for political organisation. But on the crucial soft power skills of emotional intelligence, vision and communication, Mr Obama has the edge as reflected in the global polls and that must be giving Mr bin Laden a headache. In the next few weeks, as the remaining undecided voters have to make up their minds, Mr bin Laden may again be tempted to enter the fray. Given the scale of the financial crisis, it might take more than a video tape to refocus the attention of the American electorate this year but we should be alert to Mr bin Laden’s temptation and the danger it presents.

The writer is a professor at Harvard University and author most recently of The Powers to Lead

SOURCE: FT


CHANZO: Habarileo


"Hata ingekuwa Ronald Reagan katika nafasi ya John McCain dhidi ya Obama,ni dhahiri ingekuwa hadithi ileile...McCain ameshindwa."Hii ni tafsiri isiyo rasmi ya kauli ya Charles Krauthammer kwa Brit Hume,baada ya mdahalo wa mwisho kati ya McCain na Barack Obama.Bill Kristol nae ametoa more or less same conclusion.

Kwa mujibu wa kura za maoni za watazamaji wa mjadala huo kwa CNN na CBS (na Frank Luntz's focus group ya undecided voters,Obama ameshinda mjadala huo.Pia wachambuzi wa mdahalo huo wameonekana kukubaliana kuhusu mwonekano wa wagombea hao wakati wa mjadala,ambapo mara kadhaa Obama alikuwa akitabasamu na kucheka huku akiwa more relaxed wakati takriban muda wote McCain alikuwa serious na kama mtu anayekimbizana na muda.

Ni vigumu kufanya utabiri kwenye siasa,ni vigumu zaidi kufanya utabiri kwenye uchaguzi,na ni vigumu mno kufanya utabiri wa uhakika takriban siku 19 kabla ya uchaguzi mkuu wa Marekani.Hata hivyo,kama hakuna Bradley effect katika opinion polls zinazoonyesha Obama akiongoza katika karibu kila poll,na kama hakutatokea tukio kubwa (kwa mfano,God forbid,shambulizi la kigaidi kama la September 11,au kukamatwa kwa Osama bin Laden) Obama anasimama katika nafasi nzuri ya kuwa rais wa kwanza mweusi wa Marekani hapo November 4.

Government unveils 'Big Brother' plan: Now they want to snoop on every phone call, email and text message

Combating terrorist threat: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has unveiled plans for a massive expansion of 'Big Brother' state surveillance, covering every phonecall, e-mail, text message and internet visit in Britain


Plans for a massive expansion of ‘Big Brother’ state surveillance to cover every phone call, email, text message and internet visit in Britain were unveiled yesterday.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith claimed
that storing details of individuals’ communications was vital to prevent further terrorist atrocities.

Activities which will be subject to snooping for the first time include visits
to social networking sites such as Facebook, auction sites such as eBay, gaming websites and chatrooms.

Police and security services will not be
able to access the precise content but will know each site visited, and to whom and when a phone call, text message or email was sent.

If this sets alarm bells ringing, they could seek a Ministerial warrant to intercept exactly what is being sent, including the content.

The billions of pieces of data are likely
to be stored for a year or more. The cost
is estimated to be at least £1billion, and
could be far higher.

Last night MPs and privacy groups attacked the proposals as 'Stalinist', 'Orwellian' and a reversal of the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

One opponent said: ‘They are making us all suspects.’

A leaked memo written by sources close to the project revealed it was fraught with technical difficulties.

Officials are split between placing the vast amount of data to be collected on a huge central Government database or forcing service providers to store the information,
to be accessed on demand.

Currently, the option being worked on is to request data from the service providers, the memo reveals. They are likely to pass on extra costs to customers.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: ‘These proposals would mark a substantial shift in the powers of the state to obtain personal information on individuals.

'Given the Government’s poor record on protecting data and running databases there
needs to be a full and proper debate.

‘The public will also be acutely aware of how, under this Government, surveillance powers designed to combat terrorism and serious organised crime have been used by local authorities to investigate things like fly-tipping. This would be absolutely unacceptable.’

Liberal Democrat spokesman Chris Huhne said: ‘The Government’s Orwellian plans for a vast database of our private communications are deeply worrying.

‘Ministers claim the database will only be used in terrorist cases, but there is now a long list of cases from the arrest of Walter Wolfgang for heckling at a Labour conference to the freezing of Icelandic assets where anti-terrorism law has been
used for purposes for which it was not intended.

'These proposals are incompatible with a free country and a free people.’

the lives of others

We're watching you: An East German Stasi officer listens in on a couple in a scene from the Oscar-winning film The Lives Of Others. Jacqui Smith has unveiled plans for a massive expansion of state surveillance

Phil Booth, of the NO2ID privacy campaign, said: ‘This is the Stalinist vision which we always knew was on the agenda. Monitoring the entire population is a complete abhorrence, reversing the presumption of innocent until proven guilty and making us all suspects.’

But senior security and police services were adamant that, without the new powers, lives would be put at risk.

They said some investigations have already been affected by criminals who use technology to avoid detection, by plotting online through social networking sites or
interactive games.

‘Criminals are getting more sophisticated in using this technology and they are going to exploit it unless we do something,’ one source said.

Miss Smith yesterday admitted the public had reason to be concerned.

In a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank, she said: ‘Of course, even if there had not been events [data losses], the British public would have every right to be sceptical about a state activity that involves the collection of data.’

But she said that, without increasing their capacity to store data, the police and security services would have to consider a ‘massive expansion of surveillance’.

And she insisted: ‘There are no plans for an enormous database which will contain the content of your emails, the texts that you send or the chats you have on the
phone or online.

‘Nor are we going to give local authorities the power to trawl through the database in the interests of investigating lower level criminality under the spurious cover
of counter-terrorist legislation.’

SOURCE: Daily Mail


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