April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

prices.
The link between the floods and climate change is something that has been
largely ignored in the mainstream press. Climate scientists have concluded
that the recent extreme weather seen throughout the world is the result
of man-made climate change. Climatologist Matthew England told Reuters
that “the waters off Australia are the warmest ever measured and those
waters provide moisture to the atmosphere for the Queensland monsoon”.
The natural La Nina and El Ninos are now “operating in a hotter world”,
believes David Jones, the Bureau of Meteorology chief.
The priorities of the government can also be seen when you look at the
pittance given in aid to flood victims. Miniscule payments of between
$1000 and $10,500 are available for people who have lost their homes and
all their belongings. Some of these payments are means tested and not
available to those with some form of insurance.
While natural disasters are often unavoidable they are definitely made
worse by the profit-driven system of capitalism. On the basis of a planned
socialist system that put people’s needs before profits, we could reduce
the impacts of natural disasters and act much more quickly to deliver aid.
We could also implement democratic community control of the rebuilding
effort so that priority is given to the most disadvantaged, rather than
those with the most political and financial power.
www.socialistworld.net
Nigeria: Heading for another round of rigged elections
New voters’ registration for election in April: Same old organisational
and political problems
Segun Sango, DSM (CWI Nigeria) General Secretary 21 February 2011
During the year 2011, about 16 odd African states are expected to conduct
and or organize general elections. On the surface, this fact might give the
misleading impression that governance and government in Africa are
embracing democracy and the democratic ethos. Unfortunately however,
in none of all these countries that are expected to have their general
elections can the working masses and poor expect a true democratic
exercise. The almost total failure of the local capitalist classes to develop
the national economy has in, all these countries, resulted in gaining and
looting government office and contracts being seen as the road to wealth.
Thus in virtually all these elections, incumbent governments and or
officers would spare nothing to manipulate and rig the elections in favour
of those currently in power. For years Nigeria, the most populous African
country and the sixth largest petroleum products producer in the world,
has offered the most graphic features of the farce usually called elections
in this part of the world.
Despite all the promises that President Goodluck Jonathan’s rule would
prevent a repeat of the charade and mockery of what were called
elections in 2007, the run up to the 2011 general elections has shown that
there have been no fundamental changes. Any idea that court decisions
overturning some of the most blatantly rigged 2007 results would mean
cleaner elections is not being realized.
But this situation was not inevitable. The situation would have been
transformed if the Labour movement had seriously taken up the challenge