Monday, July 27, 2009

Tens of thousands of municipal workers protest latest wage offer.


By Tahir Sema

Tens of thousands of municipal workers protested throughout the country, rejecting the South African Governments wage offer of 11.5% this year and 1.5% next year.

Municipal workers are demanding a 15% increase, a minimum wage of R5000 a month, 70 percent housing loan assistance for a bond up to R300,000 and the filling of vacant posts at municipalities.

South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) spokesman Dumisani Langa told the assembled workers in Johannesburg, “we want a better life for all. Not just a better life for Masondo and others.”


The largest gathering had been in Johannesburg today, where an astonishing number of municipal workers chanted slogans such as "Essentialise my salary, I will essentialise your service."


According to SAMWU and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union, further protest activity will continue indefinitely, until protestors demands are met.


Demands were handed over to Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo today, as he promised to co-operate with the Unions demands, even though as he claimed in his speech to the workers, “the economic climate had made wage increases difficult and circumstances had changed."


Masondo promised the angry demonstrators that “Government will work to arrive at compromises and reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable."


In response to Masondo, Union leaders made it explicitly clear and reiterated that it would not settle for any less then the demands workers are currently calling for.


Meanwhile the ruling ANC party condemned the protests and the trashing of streets witnessed in numerous parts of the country. The effect of the strike is expected to hurt the economy and cost the country millions of Rands of irrevocable damage.

Friday, July 24, 2009

150 000 municipality workers to strike countrywide on Monday.

150 000 municipality workers to strike countrywide on Monday.

“While workers legitimate wage demands are being ignored and denied, local government managers are paying themselves exorbitant salaries.”

By Tahir Sema.

On Monday 27th July, workers employed by the municipality are expected to stop work and take to the streets across the country, calling for better pay and better benefits. The municipal workers and their respective Unions have rejected the latest wage offer of 11.5 percent by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

Essential services that would be suspended during the strike; refuse removal, metro bus services, train services, maintenance and any other services directly or indirectly associated to the municipality.

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (IMATU) are demanding the following for it’s members; Minimum wage of R5000 for the sector, a wage increase of 15%, 70% housing loan assistance or 70% housing rental, rejection of the multi-year agreement and filling of all vacant posts within municipalities.

In a joint press conference with SAMWU and IMATU, union affiliates made it clear that the country wide strike action was a last resort, saying that its members will continue striking indefinitely, until its demands are met. The unions are hoping that SALGA acknowledges the seriousness of these strikes.

SAMWU said, “the municipal workers received a below inflation level increase in the last financial year, effectively leading to a 4.5% cut in real wages, the union added that workers demands for a 15% increase is not unreasonable.

“While workers legitimate wage demands are being ignored and denied, local government managers are paying themselves exorbitant salaries, in most cases well over R1 million a year. Is this just and equitable?” SAMWU President Petrus Mashishi.

In a 2007-2008 local Government financial year report, it has been mentioned that 45% of all municipalities have engaged in unauthorized and wasteful expenditure. This has angered workers further, suggesting that with proper control of finances, the government could easily afford a decent wage for the men and woman who provide South Africa with vital services.

The unions strongly believe that their demands are both reasonable and affordable for municipalities. They have assured the country that adequate steps will be taken to ensure that no violence ensues from the countrywide strike.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A call by Iran’s youth to Westernize.

SPECIAL REPORT; IRAN

By Tahir Sema.

We are watching what could probably turn out to be the fall of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with every passing day the possibility tends to seem more likely. In 1970 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini laid the foundation of Theocracy for Iran, central to this Theocracy was a concept called Velayat-e Faqi (divine sanction). This concept stipulated that Islamic jurists were accepted to have divinely ordained powers to rule as the guardians of society, concerning both moral issues and political issues of Iran’s people. Little did Khomeni know, that this concept, 30 years later would become the single biggest threat to Iran and its future.

The rapidly growing youth population in Iran is at odds with the concept of Velayat-e Faqi, they do not buy this concept and would rather have a western set of rules to govern their country in a democratic way, replacing a Theocratic rule of guardians, who would rule the country with religious principles. This in quintessence is what the quarrel is about, more than the disputed election results; it is the call by a rapidly increasing number of youth, for Iran to Westernize.

It is the 24th day of protests; Protesters openly defy the calls for silence and calm made by the current Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Protestors are venting their anger and frustration through social media channels, organizing daily protests and coordinating marches that have brought Iran to its knees for the third week. Below are some of the updates that were channeled to the world, from Iran via social networking sites;

“Live from the Islamic Republic of Iran; Mousavi calls on people of the world to march on SUNDAY in support of Sea of Green”. 3:08 PM Jun 19th. Twitter

“Live from Iran; More than 100 000 people at Tehran protest. We students do not chant death to America, we want the American constitution”. 7:09 PM Jun 17th. Twitter

Chants of Allahu-Akbar (God is great) resonate from the streets and rooftops of Iran. Angry and aggravated, the protestor’s promise that they will not give up or give in their struggle to regain Iran. The street is against the state. To make matters worse the state is as divided as ever. An Iranian analyst says “it’s a clerical mutiny, for the first time ever you have all these big clerics openly challenging the leader’s decision.” The West has partially succeeded in destabilizing the Islamic Republic of Iran, the CIA destabilization plan, announced two years ago has manifested in its initial steps.

A massive sandstorm has swept into Tehran this week, bringing with it an uncanny atmosphere filled with discontent and uncertainty, the rooftops from which thousands chant Allhu-Akbar is no more visible. The atmosphere is perfect for a new round of fierce demonstrations, one in which it would be easy to disappear from the infamous Basij (pro-government militia), who rule with an iron first, acting on orders given directly by the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guards.

Picture; A man attaches an Iranian flag to a statue of John Cockerill, a prominent British-Belgian 19th century industrialist, during a protest in Brussels. (AP Photo/Jim Buell)

The state condemned reformist challenger, Mir-Hussein Mousavi and called him a ‘criminal’. The only time, relative calm was seen, was when the Supreme Leader passed a ruling that organizers and facilitators of these damaging protests will be ‘executed,’ but this only frightened demonstrators for a day and not more.

According to official records "1,100 people were detained during post-election unrests in Tehran" says Police Chief Brigadier General Ismail Ahmadi Moqaddam.

Unfortunately the voices of many were lost, in favor of the constant jabbering of pro Mousavi Supporters, creating a biased view of the post election crisis. The lost voices were of those who are in support of Iran, its denouncement of the West and its Islamic principles.

Among the un-reported voices is an Iranian youth, who requests to remain anonymous, she made the social networking media and the world stop and ponder with the following words, that addressed the West’s deep concern over the Islamic Republic;

"If morality is so important for western governments, why do they see Iran and they don't see Gaza?!" 10:39 PM Jun 26th. Twitter

"Western democracy is not suitable for Iran, for cultural, social, political, religious & geographical reasons," said a prominent Iranian blogger.

(Continued below)

Monday, July 13, 2009

The anatomy of the Iranian election crisis and the “color revolution”.


By Tahir Sema

"Something happened in Iran" - Barack H. Obama

The most definitive issue, of which many organizations and analysts stay clear of answering is whether the Iranian elections was a fraud or not, these organizations sheepishly shy away from this question, after they ran stories that were disguised as fact. Some right wing organizations have already accepted the election results as a fraud, based on opinion and unsubstantiated claims of voter statistics and voter patterns recorded from previous Iranian elections.

Stephen Zunes a professor of Politics and chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco says the following in terms of the Iranian election results;


Picture; Opposition demonstrators carry a large green flag through the crowd during a demonstration in support of defeated reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousav. (AFP/File/Behrouz Mehri).

“So overwhelming were the signs of imminent Ahmadinejad defeat and so massive was the margin of his alleged victory, the only reasonable assumption was that there has been fraud on a massive scale. The polls that were available showed Mousavi leading by a clear majority and Ahmadinejad well below 40%, a margin roughly similar to what most analysts had suggested based on anecdotal evidence. Instead, the official results show Ahmadinejad winning by an overwhelming 63% of the vote.

The unmistakable political trend in Iran in the past four years has been toward greater liberalism and moderation, particularly with the addition of millions of new younger voters who are overwhelmingly disenchanted with Ahmadinejad’s ultra-conservative social policies and failed economic policies. The very idea that he would do substantially better than he did in the election four years ago, therefore, is ludicrous at face value. Indeed, in municipal and other elections held over the past couple of years, Ahmadinejad’s preferred slates lost heavily to moderate conservatives and reformers.”

On the 7th of July, in a live television interview to the Iranian nation and in defense, Ahmadinejad said “in the last 30 years, we have had 30 elections, all with different results, which in some cases the results have been far from political analysts expectations," he added that the June 12th election was the healthiest, freest, and the most beautiful worldwide.

According to Michael Green a retired forensic psychologist living in Los Angeles, however compelling Mr. Zunes arguments/opinions maybe, there is no substantial facts to support any of his assumptions. In addition he does not cite a single source to validate his claims. Many right wing organizations and individuals have accepted Mr. Zunes theories as fact, demonizing Iran. Zunes has been e-mailed by Green, asking for proof and asking how was it possible for the Professor of Politics to attain so much of information in such a short time, of which he uses to convince the reader that the election was a blatant fraud. To date Zunes has not replied with proof of his claims. He made his claim just a day after the election result, duping the unsuspected world into believing that the election was a barefaced fraud.

Though we are not able to fully ascertain if the election result was a fraud or not, it is already clear that there exists a resounding amount of people who have sinister motives, some reside within the Islamic Republic while others exert their influence from abroad.

As for the grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s claim that the election was stolen, it is apparent that he has a score to settle with the current Supreme Leader, as Montazarei was the preliminary choice to replace Khomeini. Montazeri has motive to challenge the election results as he will undoubtedly gain, should leadership change hands.

There exists a power struggle between the Ayatollahs, which has only fuelled the protests. Many clerics are not in favor of Ahmadinejad as he accused them of corruption. In what numerous pit as a surprise move, Iran’s biggest group of clerics declared Ahmadinejad’s re-election to be illegitimate, condemning the subsequent crackdown by Government forces.

Commentators are also seen to be explaining the current crisis in terms of vested interests and based on partial information, signifying that the election has been stolen.

The most important and credible information (often overlooked) we do have at our disposal about the current predicament in Iran, is that the CIA has been working for two years to destabilize the Iranian government.

On May 23, 2007, Brian Ross and Richard Esposito reported on ABC News: “The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell ABC News.”

On May 27, 2007, the London Telegraph independently reported: “Mr. Bush has signed an official document endorsing CIA plans for a propaganda and disinformation campaign intended to destabilize, and eventually topple, the theocratic rule of the mullahs.”

A few days prior to the above date, the Telegraph reported on May 16, 2007, that Bush administration neo-con warmonger John Bolton told the Telegraph that a US military attack on Iran would “be a ‘last option’ after economic sanctions and attempts to foment a popular revolution had failed.”

On June 29, 2008, Seymour Hersh reported in the New Yorker: “Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership.”

These facts are often neatly hidden away and ignored in favor of assumptions and opinions fed to the media. The protests in Iran are riddled with sinister motives, by those who stand to gain from a fallen state.

Daniel McAdams has revealed the most compelling of research articles a few days ago, in terms of understanding the Iranian protests and its origins, in an article titled “Who Put the ‘green’ in the Green Revolution? America of course”. In what may have been sensitive information neoconservative Kenneth Timmerman wrote the day before the election that “there’s talk of a ‘green revolution’ in Tehran. No one knew what he was talking about, mainly because he was accurately predicting what was to redefine Iran.

“How would Timmerman know that unless it was an orchestrated plan? Why would there be a ‘green revolution’ prepared prior to the vote, especially if Mousavi and his supporters were as confident of victory as they claim? This looks like definite evidence that the US is involved in the election protests.

Timmerman truthfully went on to write that:

“The National Endowment for Democracy has spent millions of dollars during the past decade promoting ‘color’ revolutions in places such as Ukraine and Serbia, training political workers in modern communications and organizational techniques.

“Some of that money appears to have made it into the hands of pro-Mousavi groups, who have ties to non-governmental organizations outside Iran that the National Endowment for Democracy funds.”

Timmerman’s own neocon Foundation for Democracy is “a private, non-profit organization established in 1995 with grants from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to promote democracy and internationally-recognized standards of human rights in Iran.”

Coincidently shortly after the “Green revolution” had begun, experts and analysts alike had given up their impartiality and critical thinking in support of this revolution, “embracing their inner green” heavy weighted experts immediately gave their support to the green revolution and Mousavi. It had been the first time in recent history were liberal organizations had simultaneously come together in support of an opposition party and their cause.

On June the 16th at about 7:00 PM all powerful BBC websites had magically turned green. The BBC’s website changed from the traditional red, grey and light blue, to green, in support of the Iran protests. Many other institutions around the world followed suit. Twitter, a social networking website was used extensively by protestors to get their message out to the world and to organize protests not only in Iran, but in many other Western countries such as; the United States, Europe and even Germany.

The day the demonstrations started the Twitter website was due for scheduled, downtime maintenance. Twitter was immediately approached by the United States Government and asked not to interrupt the Twitter service with downtime, because the protestors were sending out millions of tweets, planning crippling marches and gathering the sympathy of the world, convincing millions that Iran is a rogue state, oppressing its people.

The protests and the “revolution” Mousavi and his supporters so much desire, are far from over. The demonstrators are planning a three day strike this week, to be carried out under the pretext of a religious holiday in Iran called Itikaf (seclusion/retreat). Mousavi’s Web site has called on Iranians to use the state-sanctioned holiday to launch a three-day, nationwide strike and boycott all businesses and banks, to openly challenge the regime.

The post election crisis has manifested into a full scale ploy to westernize and destabilize the Iranian Government. Outside support and interference continues to hype the morale of those who are bent on destroying the founding principles of Iran’s Islamic Theocracy.

The greatest threat to the 30 year old regime has materialized, based on the above; the fall of the Islamic Theocracy has dawned upon the world. Whether Ahmadinejad’s victory is fraudulent or not, the wheels for a confrontational approach by Iran’s enemies have undoubtedly been set in motion.

(Continued below; Social Media timeline).

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Social media timeline of post-election crisis in Iran

By Tahir Sema

The entire Iranian post election crisis had been recorded extensively via social networking sites, the progression of the events following the election results can fully be understood by using only social networking sites, due to the vast amount of information available, from hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iranians. This timeline utilizes information from Twitter, Flicker and Wikipedia.

June 12: The Election

From Wikipedia: Iranian Presidential Election, 2009

The election had seen huge candidate rallies in Iranian cities, and turnout was very high with over 80 percent of the electorate reportedly voting. If no candidate had received a majority of support, a run-off election would have been held on 19 June 2009. At the closing of election polls, both leading candidates, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mir-Hossein Mousavi, claimed victory, with both candidates telling the press that their sources have them at 58–60% of the total vote. Early reports had claimed a turnout of 32 million votes cast. Mousavi warned the Iranian people of possible vote fraud.

Picture Credit; kaka. 0098

June 13-14: The protests begin

From Wikipedia: 2009 Iranian election protests, June 13

In what was dubbed the worst civil unrest in Iran in over a decade, clashes broke out between police and groups protesting the election results from early Saturday morning onward. Protests were initially mostly peaceful but became increasingly violent. Demonstrators chanted phrases such as “Down with the dictator”, “Death to the dictator”, and “Give us our votes back”. Mousavi urged for calm and asked that his supporters refrain from acts of violence

From Twitter, June 13-14.


From Flickr: Iran Protests, June 13-14

Picture Credit; kaka. 0098

From Wikipedia: June 15 to June 18

Candle-bearing protesters massed in central Tehran on Thursday near Toopkhaneh square, following a call by Mousavi to commemorate those who were killed on Monday’s protests. Varying reports placed the crowd size between “tens of thousands” and “more than 100,000.” A second, simultaneous protest with several hundred participants took place near the UN headquarters, while a counter rally was held by hard line students protesting former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s role in the pro-Mousavi protests.

From Flickr: Iran Election, June 15-18

Picture Credit; alanoftulsa

From Wikipedia: June 20 and Neda Soltani

State-run television reported that at least 10 were killed and 100 injured on Saturday, as thousands of protesters swept into the streets of Tehran, in open defiance of warnings issued Friday by Iran’s Supreme Leader and Security Council. A young Iranian woman, identified as Neda Soltani, was shot by the Basij and died in front of recording cameras on Kargar Avenue in Tehran. Highly graphic amateur videos of the killing rapidly spread virally across the internet to many websites, including Facebook and YouTube.

From Twitter: June 19, June 20, June 21


From Flickr: Iran Election, June 19-21

Picture Credit; Armin Ghasemi

The social networking media provided instant information to people around the world, created sympathy for the demonstrators and unofficially created funding lines for the Mousavi demonstrators. Even though the Iranian Government attempted to clamp down on communications such as; the internet and cell phone services, the content emanating from the streets of Iran still kept on coming in droves and spreading virally to the furthest corners of the globe. Social media will ultimately decide the fate of the Iran post election crisis.

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