Friday, March 22, 2019

Christchurch Massacre And The Australian Labor Party

Political leaders and especially parliamentarians should refrain from hate speech, acrimonious criticisms and extreme postulations through perhaps codes of ethics and self-control. A new political culture is necessary even in Australia.

by Laksiri Fernando-21 Mar 2019

“He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety, and that is why you will never hear me mention his name… He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless…And to others I implore you: speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name.” – Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister, New Zealand)

I have just voted for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the New South Wales elections, casting my vote also to the local Labor candidate, Stephen Bali, in the Blacktown constituency. I have voted by post without waiting for the final election day of 23rd March. However, I was not so impressed by the ALP’s rather wishy-washy and lacklustre statements and stand on the horrific shooting and massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand, by an Australian ‘Barbarian’ when Muslim devotees were worshiping in two mosques in that city on Friday the last (15 March). I don’t give the actual name of the this ‘Barbarian,’ heeding the advice of the Labor leader and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.

ALP Statements

When Bill Shorten, the ALP leader, first said almost immediately after the incident, ‘Do not share the footage. Do not watch the footage. This is not part of normal life,’ he was right. Because a primary objective of the ‘Barbarian’ was to inflame the emotions of all extreme sides, portray himself as a hero to his side, and perhaps create a major calamity in the country and outside. The ‘Barbarian’ had a camera fixed to his head and broadcasted his cruelty, brutality and viciousness to the world through the social media. There were over 1.5 million people viewing the footage without any censorship. Only after strong protests from the New Zealand PM, and many others, that the social media circulations were curtailed by the owners of the Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.

It is also true that ‘this is not part of our normal life.’ How could it be? That is exactly why it should have been condemned at the outset, in the strongest possible terms, particularly by a labour or a social democratic party. It was done in New Zealand, but not so much in Australia. It should have been condemned not because it was ‘callously planned,’ but because it was a terrorist attack. Subsequent statements of Shorten also were somewhat subdued, in my observation. Whatever the contribution that the thinking of the Liberal/NationalParty and its present leader, Scott Morrison, has made in inflaming sentiments against migrants or refugees at times, on this incident, he came forward in condemning the massacre in strongest terms. This was lacking on the part of the ALP and its leader.

It has become a puzzle to me, personally, because under ‘normal circumstances’ and in day to day politics, Bill Shorten appeared to me ‘a principled, rational, and a sober leader,’ compared to Scott Morrison or others. Perhaps this ‘merit’ could have been the ‘debit’ during the crisis situation. Christchurch massacre on last fateful Friday undoubtedly was a crisis situation where all democratic political leaders should have shown their true mettle against terrorism and extremism. The New Zealand Labor leader, Jacinda Ardern, has shown that enough appearing almost continuously on media, updating the nation on the events, giving a true and a sober analysis, meeting with the grieving families, and also within seventy two hours taking measures to tighten the gun laws, one of the reasons for the scale of the massacre.

Australian Connection

If the reason for the ALP’s lacklustre response was anchored in the leadership, Bill Shorten and others might be able to correct that in the future collectively. However can there be other or more profound reasons? This is something that the ALP and others should contemplate on which might even have some relevance in understanding the Christchurch massacre, the motives of the ‘Barbarian’ and political roots of the whole incident. The ‘Barbarian’ originated in Australia. However, no Australian leader, as far as I know, visited Christchurch in sympathy with the aggrieved community or condemn the massacre jointly with the New Zealand leaders.

Obviously the ALP leaders, the present and past, are busy these days with the New South Wales (NSW) elections.Perhaps they don’t have much time to focus on the Christchurch massacre! I have so far not seen any official party statement on the matter. However, what transpired the day before is a statement made by the NSW Labor leader, Michael Daley, with overtones on Asian migration and migration in general. The statement has been made six months ago when he was the deputy leader. What he has said exactly is the following:

“Our young children will flee and who are they being replaced with? They are being replaced by young people from typically Asia with PhDs. So there’s a transformation happening in Sydney now where our kids are moving out and foreigners are moving in and taking their jobs.”

After uncovering this speech by the opponents (even he must have forgotten), he has apologised to the possible aggrieved parties as a gentleman politician. However, the Liberal Party leader, Scott Morrison, has utilized it to condemned the remarks as ‘appalling, upsetting and offensive,’ disregarding what he has been possibly saying in similar or more offensive manner in the past. This is part of power politics. What can be troubling moreover in all these undercurrents is that there is a clear unease, fear or anxiety among the ‘old settlers’ against the ‘new commers.’Daley has used the expressions like ‘our young people,’ and ‘our kids,’ in contrast to ‘people from Asia’ and ‘foreigners.’

There are undoubtedly problematic issues particularly in a country like Australia related to migration, refugees, jobs and property due to economic and other issues. Some of them are obviously labour issues. However it should not be that difficult to distinguish them from racism, possible racism or xenophobia. No person or party can be considered perfect. However a labour party should try its best to be beyond these tribal or archaic feelings. There are so many indications that the ALP is not completely free from these ailments. One of its former leaders, Mark Latham, is now with Paulin Hanson’s One Nation Party which is grossly a xenophobic party, not to call ‘racist.’

Broader Issues

When Bill Shorten attended the Islamic Council of Victoria, the following day of the massacre, he was perfectly correct in saying“Not all right-wing extremist hate speech ends in violence, but all right-wing extremist violence started in hate speech.” However, ‘hate speech’ or sentiments expressed closer to hate speech are not just on the margins of the politics of Australia, but sometimes almost at the centre. They are not just the ‘evil-jokers on the margins.’ Such simple dismissive language is also not sufficient. As Shorten himself has admitted, there can be a link between political rhetoric on immigration and the Christchurch terror attack. Where that could be rectified and addressed? This is the crucial question.

It was extremely disturbing that at the wake of the massacre, Senator Fraser Anning, former One Nation and now independent senator, went to the extent of blaming the victims. He has said, “Real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.” To correct him, there were no bloodshed in the streets of New Zealand, but brutal shooting of Muslim devotees at Friday prayer at two mosques in Christchurch.

When Anning was uttering those words in Melbourne, he was whacked with an egg by a 17-year-old teenager in protest. But that was also a violent act that cannot be condoned by any means. More disturbing was Anning’s reactions, violently attacking again and again the now dubbed ‘Egg Boy,’ showing his true colours. Anti-Muslim sentiments or Islamophobia is almost everywhere and disturbingly growing. On the other extreme, there are violent and terrorist acts committed by people who belong to the Islamic side or in that name even in Australia. This is apart from IS and similar movements. These are the extremes on both sides that should be abated and curtailed internationally. This cannot be done through other extremes like egg throwing or ‘blaming and naming’ without context or excessively. The Greens are also trying to exploit the situation for their cheap political gain and it was excessive for them to name Michael Daley a ‘racist’ just because of his single comment. There are no perfect ‘puritans’ in this world.

Necessary Measures

At least the ‘Egg Boy’ was on the right side, although excessive in his reactions. However it is not clear where the young generations in general stand on these issues. The ‘Barbarian’ himself was just 28 years. What appears clear is that almost all these violent people have largely been males. How are they brought up and/or educated? These are necessary questions to ask. There can be various measures that could be taken in abating such developments or preventing them.

Security measures and strict gun control should take immediate priority. If there were strict gun controls, at least the number of casualties could have been curtailed in the Christchurch massacre. Security measures to track the suspicious people or potential terrorists are equally important,respecting the rights and dignity of all.

Political leaders and especially parliamentarians should refrain from hate speech, acrimonious criticisms and extreme postulations through perhaps codes of ethics and self-control. A new political culture is necessary even in Australia. Even if the two major parties, the Liberals and the Labor, were fairly reasonable in handling the main crisis, they appeared to loose the balance when the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, fired his typical rhetorical barrage, exacerbating Islamic sentiments in his country. This is exactly what the ‘Barbarian’ intended to instigate.

There should be careful editing and restrictions on extremism, hate speech and pictures of them in the social media in particular (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube etc.) and the media in general, again respecting the general norms of freedom of speech and expression.

Most important might be the education. While students are prepared for NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Language and Numeracy) they should also be prepared for NAPTAC (National Assessment Program - Tolerance and Coexistence). The ALP has already launched an exemplary reform program for future education in Australia. But it should incorporate NAPTAC, multiculturalism and indigenous education as well. Having to know about Australia’s indigenous heritage, their grieving and grievances might sober the minds of the young generations of the ‘old settlers’ as well as the ‘new ones.’

Paraconsistent Thought: Notes from a field diary

Featured photo courtesy Theertha Performance Platform

SHALINI SAMARANAYAKE- 03/21/2019

The beautiful Fenya of Greek decent asks me with a humble smile if I know the Sinhala word that gives meaning to ‘shame’. Having received ‘yes’ for an answer she sits on the floor, with a tiny bottle of green body paint in her hand and offers a meticulously carved glass pen to me. ‘Can you write that word on my leg in bold letters? This is for my performance’’

The next time I see her, in a street surrounded by people, she breathes heavily almost as if she is in a conversation with herself, in a silent trance, ripping off the traces of the green paint off her legs with steel wool till it bleeds. She removes traces of shame in shame in an apparent flux of emotions. This leaves the crowd with a spontaneous eruption of questions and skepticism. Such is the art of performance. And the aforementioned illustration is one of personal experiences during the three continuous days spent at the Theertha Performance Platform (TPP) 2019 from the 15th -18th of March at Theertha International Artists Collective, Borella hosting artists from over 12 countries across the globe.

If someone who has never seen the Theertha artist’s gallery before, comes to the place within the duration of the festival he/she will witness the walls of gallery turning in to an apparatus of expression, floor preparing itself to bear acceptance and its residents changing themselves in to facilitators of allowing art to take center stage.

But also unknowingly, the preparation happens perhaps unconsciously elsewhere. The Borella market, which is perhaps not more than five hundred meters away from the gallery, is crowded as expected of it. Rest assured, that is all the preparation it needs. A few unsuspecting mice appear from the underpass where a few performances are scheduled to happen, as requested by the forever mystique artists. The first day of the public performance in the first tunnel attracts hostility and amusement at the same time. The tunnel reeks of raw meat and has very little humidity. The annual performance routine does not seem unwelcome but reluctantly anticipated.

As was noted by Jagath Weerasinghe and Godwin Constantine during the inaugural conference for the TPP, there is a fundamental question regarding the degree of intervention a performance artist can make in to the public space as opposed to the private space. And this question arises with the direct confrontation of the artist and the public. Is it a space that is invaded by the artist, or in completely opposite terms space equaled by them?

This is not to say that the public is entirely unfamiliar with visual and performing art. Bandu Manamperi comments that they assume most of the performances to be part of cinema or theatre at first. The degree of acknowledgment depends on the concept, relevance, or the degree of comfort of association. Depending on these and more, the public responds with varied actions such as willful ignorance, humiliation or curiosity. Acceptance or the denial of it by the public cannot be predicted unless the work is fairly predictable. Sometimes there is no involvement of a concept at all. The involvement of the public goes even beyond that, as Jeetin Rangher says. The concept is irrelevant to the reaction of the public. But something is sustained in the mind of the people. There is participation the moment the onlooker is disturbed in his mind. ‘Something happens in the performance…in an abstract way’, adds he. It is then not wrong to say that performance art is an instantaneous inter subjective experience.

Whether the artist performs his/herself through a poem chanting words repeatedly in a vacuum of air to an audience, or if an artist simply shakes her head in frenzied movements with a bottle of water with turmeric in it the performance artist makes herself the work of art. The constant presence of the author and the manifestation of the performance happens simultaneously. Using the body as part of the performance, the artist tolerates the possible risks and accredits him/herself with the satisfaction of realisation of the projection of the expression. This inseparable connection with one’s subjectivity is given to the audience without severing the essential bond with the self. The performance contains certain knowledge. The knowledge that there is something certainly unknowable and that it will be knowable to the performer only.

Without so much as a word, Nopawan Sirivejkul standing on a block of concrete drops soft glass balls into a considerably large wine glass with red wine in to it and develops the movement in to an uninterrupted rhythm. Momentum increases. Wine spills. Wine splashes. Mess of wine. Wine everywhere. Till one tiny glass ball makes the crack. The glass shatters. The unexplainable activity leaves a feeling I have felt before but cannot locate. Loss? Separation? Or something wholly other? To those who are familiar to performance art, this does not seem entirely surprising.

The seemingly irrational activity deemed to be considered utterly absurd in the eyes of the society can only exist as part of cinema, theatre or any other visual creation but not as a synthesis of body, mind and the space where it occurs at the same time. What is considered absurd only comes closer to their imagination as that which is absurd. People are generally conditioned by their experiences or the lack thereof. It has to be noted that to be a performance artist, there is no prerequisite to unnecessarily stir traditional layers and norms of society. But there must be the ability to extract from a seemingly meaningless performance the different possibilities of existence and to create and produce something new which necessitates its presence alongside what is referred to as normal by the society.

Theertha as an institute has been a space that harbors different views and ideas of life, especially by being the home of arguably the most striking philosophy project in the country where questions of existence strike almost every day. In its wake, Theertha Performance Platform as an event provides space for the most challenging of art forms, ‘performance art’, to be theorised. Not only in terms of performance but in every other calling in life. It calls for resurgence in cinema, politics, poetry, art and corners of existence of human capacity where irrationality is accepted as part of being and within being.

As Bandu Manamperi covers his head with a roughly built wooden box and is hauled and dragged like a corpse, the crowd does not need a language to know that he has given up control of his body. He already was entrapped in his mind and not inside the wooden box. The absurdity lied in what the people could not relate to. They could not reconcile with it. They couldn’t come to terms with what is different than what they have seen yesterday and what they hope to see tomorrow.

At the wake of dawn, a white clad Indian from Bihar, Ajay walks to the Borella junction to write the word ‘peace’ using grains of rice. He attempts to forget his past by continuing to remember it and linking our common history of war through loss and peace by merging differences in a common space. He has prepared for this. The preparation for which a whole group has worked months for. A performance after which his fellow artists shall perform similarly, standing for what they believe in, with genuine passion and interest in αἰσθητικός (aesthetics). A whole community, a collective work, gathering for a justified purpose.

Art.

Top 2020 Democrats skipping AIPAC as US 'discourse shifts' on Palestine

Leading Democratic presidential contenders will not be attending pro-Israel lobby group's annual conference

Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (L to R) confirmed they won't be at AIPAC conference (Reuters)

By Ali Harb- 22 March 2019

While thousands of pro-Israel lawmakers, lobbyists and delegates are expected to pour into the Washington Convention Centre over the weekend for the annual national AIPAC conference, the bigger story may be those who won't be in attendance.

Several top Democratic presidential candidates have announced they plan to skip the pro-Israel lobby group's conference, a decision that reflects a growing debate within the party on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US support for Israel.

By Friday, Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren - who are so far leading the race for the Democratic nomination, according to most public opinion polls - said they won't attend the three-day event, which begins on Sunday.

'There's clearly a shift happening in the progressive base, where the clearly partisan actions of AIPAC can no longer be pushed under the rug'

-Iram Ali, MoveOn

Moreover, AIPAC's list of confirmed speakers does not feature a single Democrat running for president, nor does it include those who are still expected to throw their names into the contest, including former US Vice President Joe Biden.

MoveOn, an influential progressive group, had called on presidential hopefuls to skip the event.

Citing a new internal survey, the organisation said on Wednesday that more than 74 percent of its members agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "Any progressive vying to be the Democratic nominee for president should skip the AIPAC conference".

'Partisan' AIPAC

Iram Ali, campaign director at MoveOn, said AIPAC has increasingly aligned with Republicans, noting the lobby's opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed by former Democratic President Barack Obama.

"There's clearly a shift happening in the progressive base, where the clearly partisan actions of AIPAC can no longer be pushed under the rug," Ali told MEE.

She said many left-wing Democrats are distancing themselves from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid his government's involvement in human rights abuses.

Major donor pulls out of AIPAC conference after 'Islamophobic' rant

Ali also noted a recent United Nations report accusing Israel of committing potential war crimes against Palestinian protesters in Gaza.

"AIPAC, in showing how partisan they have become, have clearly peddled anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric, while refusing to condemn anti-Semitism from Republicans," Ali said.

Earlier this week, Adam Milstein, a major donor for pro-Israel causes who was set to speak at the conference, falsely accused Muslim Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

He later cancelled his appearance at the AIPAC event, saying he does not want the controversy that followed his remarks to affect the conference.

'Shift in discourse'

Despite left-wing activists' apparent rejection of AIPAC, several top Democrats in Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, will be speaking at the conference.

Hatem Abudayyeh, a co-founder of the US Palestinian Community Network, an advocacy group, said it is difficult for some Democrats to abandon AIPAC, not only because of the pressure from the pro-Israel lobby itself, but also because of the nature of US foreign policy in the Middle East.

"It's still the United States that determines foreign policy, and it's still Israel that plays the role of watchdog for the United States, for US imperialism in the Arab world," Abudayyeh said.

He said the "shift in discourse" on Israel within the Democratic Party is coming from the bottom up, not from politicians.

"The change has come because of the mass movement, not because of these individual Democratic nominees," Abudayyeh told MEE.

Abudayyeh also credited lawmakers like Omar and Tlaib, "who actually come from the mass movement", for opening up the debate about AIPAC and Israel.

"Individual congresspeople can make a difference, especially when they're young and energised and have become very popular, like Ilhan and Rashida and to a lesser extent - at least around Palestine - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," Abudayyeh told MEE.

Calls for progressive foreign policy

Omar caused an uproar last month when she criticised AIPAC, suggesting that support for Israel is driven by the group's financial contributions to politicians. The congresswoman was accused of anti-Semitism and rebuked by her own Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives.

Despite that backlash, Abudayyeh is cautiously optimistic about the changes that the 2020 race may bring.

"I believe that it would be wrong to not look at this moment in time and say that there may be an opportunity to inject the question of Palestine and Palestinian national rights into the 2020 election," he told MEE.

Democratic presidential candidates back Ilhan Omar in 'anti-Semitism' row

Democrats are no longer a "monolith" in their support for Israel because of the work of Palestinian rights organisers, he said.

Still, more than a dozen Democrats will be vying for their party's nomination in the 2020 primaries, before the winner will try to defeat Donald Trump in the general election later that same year.

In the early stages of the process, candidates traditionally adopt positions that appeal to their party's base; in other words, they are courting people who will vote for them in the critical Democratic primaries.

Still, progressive activists have been moving the Democratic Party broadly leftward on many domestic issues, as almost all of the current candidates now support a universal health-care system, strong environmental protections and a higher minimum wage.

In that vein, Ali of MoveOn said the 2020 candidates must also articulate a "strong and principled progressive foreign policy".

"We do believe that comes with upholding human rights and international law and working towards world cooperation," she said. "We're hoping that some of these principles will guide them in their decision-making around countries that have human rights abuses."

Sanitation to the fore: Ensure fait accompli!

The Budget speech of 5 March positioned sanitary facilities or rather the absence across the country to a new height, bringing attention to a subject much less talked about.

Thursday, 21 March 2019

To repeat what the Minister of Finance stated: “Mr. Speaker, in spite of the country reaching middle income status, and in spite of millions of rupees being invested in sophisticated expressway projects, city developments, etc., almost 260,000 houses in the country are without sanitary facilities. For example, the Hambantota District, which saw a splurge of mega projects in the form of California-style highways, Chinese-style conference halls and sports stadiums, has over 15,000 people without even the most basic of sanitary facilities. As such, we will provide all such houses in the country with sanitation facilities within two years, benefitting almost one million of our citizens. Many bus terminals and railway stations’ sanitary facilities are also in an atrocious condition. Therefore, funds will be allocated to improve them. Such facilities will be provided for men, women and those with special needs. Once built, the private sector will be invited to maintain these facilities.”

The Budget speech did not mention schools with their own sanitation problems. Hopefully that is included too as the presence of decent sanitation facilities in any environment seriously boost productivity.

Ken Blanchard wrote in ‘Raving Fans’ that the first thing to be checked in an organisation should be its toilet facilities. The Budget was quite generous with the allocation – Rs. 5 billion – when compared to some other allocations though if you identify per unit allocation with the numbers indicated – Rs. 19,000 on average per house – the allocation may find a bit more wanting!

It is important to indicate that the enterprise innovation program which when implemented has the potential to drive our enterprises to a different level has only been allocated Rs. 50 m! However, I am definitely for ensuring the sanitation facilities available as a first step for a society.

Ignoring meeting the basic functional support by the populace can have serious consequences especially in cities as the British found to their expense on their way to the First Industrial Revolution. You will be interested to read records from London, which read: “An ill-fated labourer by the name of Richard the Raker fell into a cesspool and literally drowned in human shit.”

Night soil men were common in London collecting from cess pits. Progress as we know is made by us being creative and executing creative thoughts and that is why Englishmen who came up with the flushed toilet system and with valve systems are today in the Hall of Fame of inventors – John Haringhton, Thomas Crapper, Albert Giblin. Such implementations prevented subsequent generations facing the problems Richard faced.

In our own land we know that sanitation systems prevailed from the very beginning as Anuradhapura era temples have better waste management systems and the structures exist to date. However, as the Budget speech reminded us, we appear to have gone backwards while other nations have moved up the ladder.

Success lies in delivery

Considering the emphasis made and the allocations, there is no question sanitation was the order of the day and one can dare say that this issue will touch almost all the voters and the future ones alike. The success however is upon delivery and then only will relief be expressed and appreciated with a cross on the ballot paper.

Definitely with the numbers expressed and the grim situation described the delivery upon completion would be very much visible and felt. However, the speech mentioned in meeting facilities in public places, the State would carry out the building process and subsequently the private sector would be called into manage. There was no clear indication of current concurrence over this by any potential private sector entity at least in principle.

The issue is that time is of the essence – you just cannot hold it any more – and the public procurement system implementing this proposal speedily across the country sparing no bus stand, across State, provincial and local administration mechanism and then entering into a public-private partnership is quite difficult to contemplate.

I do not want to be so pessimistic over an important proposal of this nature. I really say this needs to happen and one must deliver too and then can say a particular universal need has finally been answered and an issue had been finally put to rest. I know there are staunch supporters of the public procurement system who always rushed to its defence saying that it is not the mechanism that is faulty but the implementation. However, I am not at all a supporter of the whole system after witnessing and experiencing decades of inefficiency and nonfulfillment.

Day after day one witnesses science and technology shunned and archaic concepts propagated as procurement methodology. How this can be defended is something I cannot answer or comprehend. Even if the process is effective, the stench of corruption, which always is proportional to the amounts involved, is something that remits a relook at the process as well as the implementation.

Sanitation service provision proposal should not suffer a similar fate. The combined stench of a process malfunction would be too much to bear across the breadth and the width of the country. There are many types and mechanisms for providing the service intended. How the money allocation had been made is not clear but the usual bugbear of public sector – the audit question – may not arise why the least cost option of pit latrines everywhere was not provided!

Sanitation is a global issue

If someone thinks that it was wrong to focus on toilets in the Budget, that is wrong. Sanitation is captured in SDG 6 and we know that it is a global issue. Toilets also utilise resources and when we use toilets we use copious amounts of water in old designs – six litres to flush away perhaps few millilitres of stuff. Imagine the electricity and water consumed unnecessarily and all the costs.

When everyone starts flushing and quite a few times over a day that amounts to a significant expenditure and an environmental burden. If not properly carried out, a life-threatening risk to a person such as Richard the Raker has now been transformed into a resource sucking operation.
That is why the toilet has received the attention of one of the world’s richest men – Bill Gates. He believes that we have to reinvent the toilet to keep society going and he has placed big money as prize money for waterless toilets with no sewer connection either. Toilet 2.0 is his challenge and he wants energy, fertiliser and clean water from human waste.

Thanks to such incentives, different toilet innovations have emerged. Composting toilets to toilets where what you produce is microwave incinerated! If someone is keen to know about toilets, it is a real treat if one can visit the Museum of Toilets in Delhi, India. You can always feast your eyes and nose with how toilets were stacked one on top of the other to maintain hierarchy and the top management were to use the one on top after climbing up. Not something for the CEO in a hurry though! Challenges still remain.

An interesting problem faced by Cranfield University’s award winning toilet was that as it is waterless and nanomembrane driven, toilet paper cannot be accommodated within. Hence the advice to the user to throw the toilet paper after use into the nearby waste bin! However, it can generate electricity to charge a cell phone from your waste. Well, we know then that is not still a solution.

With all these issues of resource consumption, waste management and of course cost and acceptability, procurement will be challenging if one is to provide one with a standardised design across without considering all the associated other ramifications. Well we do have situations where we should not have a roof on the toilet, as the user is not used to having satisfactory performance unless the person can observe the sky above! Such personality traits being summarised into a one tender document can be quite a challenge.

This is an important proposal highlighted in a national budget stated in the 21st century in a country, which actually had high sanitation standards when history began. Yet it appears that time has not carried on good practices and we have allowed a lot of slips in the way of civilised living.

The issue of sanitation is considered in Sustainable Development Goals under SDG 6 and there are indicators and targets to be reached so that no one is left behind in this sector of need as well. Having articulated and apportioned a sizeable sum of money, it is quite important that this is driven with some zeal for completion. That would indeed be a highlight of a job well done.

Considering the nature of the service, public sector service innovation is called for in ensuring delivery and the effort should not just be limited to giving something with all the money used.

Secret Cabinet Office document reveals chaotic planning for no-deal Brexit

Exclusive: paper says ‘critical phase’ could last months as fears rise over disruption to transport and food supplies

Nick Hopkins-Fri 22 Mar 2019

The Cabinet Office’s Operation Yellowhammer manual in preparation for a no-deal Brexit. Photograph: Cabinet Office

The extent and range of the impact of a no-deal Brexit is revealed in a confidential Cabinet Office document that warns of a “critical three-month phase” after leaving the EU during which the whole planning operation could be overwhelmed.

The classified document, seen by the Guardian, sets out the command and control structures in Whitehall for coping with a no-deal departure and says government departments will have to firefight most problems for themselves – or risk a collapse of “Operation Yellowhammer”.

“The … structure will quickly fall if too many decisions are unnecessarily escalated to the top levels that could have reasonably been dealt with internally …” the document says. It also concedes there are “likely to be unforeseen issues and impacts” of a no-deal Brexit that Operation Yellowhammer has been unable to predict.

The Cabinet Office has taken the lead in preparations for no deal and is desperately war-gaming scenarios in the event the UK leaves without a coherent plan.

The document includes a flow-chart of a routine no-deal day in Whitehall – which starts at 7am with “situation reports” from across the UK being sent to ministers and senior officials, and continues with non-stop assessments and meetings until 5.30am the following day.

Operation Yellowhammer ‘daily rhythm’ flow-chart of a likely no-deal day in Whitehall.
Photograph: Cabinet Office

This high tempo is likely to be necessary for months, the document says.

One source with knowledge of Operation Yellowhammer made clear that while planning had stepped up, the overall picture remained chaotic and “rudderless”.

Preparations for no deal have become time-critical because of the political deadlock at Westminster.
Kent county council has run “live” tests to see how schools, hospitals and morgues would cope with 10,000 lorries being parked on roads near to busy ports.

On Thursday it emerged that the Ministry of Defence has set up a bunker underneath its main building in Whitehall to coordinate any military response to Brexit.

The moves highlight growing concern about the disruption that could be caused by a no deal – with potential shortages of everything from medicines to fresh food and toilet paper.

A screengrab from the confidential Cabinet Office document. Photograph: Cabinet Office
In an attempt to mitigate these risks, the Cabinet Office has devised a “high-level concept of operations” manual for command, control and coordination by Whitehall for any problems that are likely to arise.

The Guardian understands this manual has been circulated to senior officials across government, but also to the 38 local resilience forums that will be charged with identifying and dealing with problems on the ground. Many of these LRFs may have to be led by senior police officers.

The document warns that agencies and government departments must assume they will be working non-stop for an extended period. The 12 high-risk areas that have been identified as being of particular concern include transport, healthcare services, and food and water supplies.

“Under the planning assumptions it is assumed that the command, control and coordination arrangements might last, during the critical phase, for a minimum of 12 weeks and might require 24/7 working for all involved departments and agencies,” the document says. “Some impacts may be felt for up to 24 weeks.”

Risk areas identified by the Cabinet Office. Photograph: Cabinet Office
The most important decisions in response to any potential crisis will be taken by the little-known European Union exit and trade (preparedness) subcommittee, which was set up in January, and is chaired by the prime minister.

That will have sweeping powers to intervene and order emergency measures, including mobilising the military, and getting rid of regulations if necessary, the document suggests.

“The committee will be available to take an overview of the situation and make any relevant decisions including on the following areas but not limited to legislation, identifying funding opportunities, allocation of national level resources (such as military, law enforcement or civil service resources, direction of government bodies and relaxation of regulations required at the ministerial level.”

But the document emphasises that departments cannot just palm off problems to the Cabinet Office, and will have to staff their own ”department operations centres”, and fund any initiatives from existing budgets.

Emergency powers available to the exit and trade (preparedness) sub-committee. Photograph: Cabinet Office

“Departments retain the risks and the accountability for managing issues within departmental resources and structures,” the document states.

In separate guidance also seen by the Guardian, the Cabinet Office has told the local resilience forums that it wants them to immediately report certain types of information up the chain of command. This includes any signs of an increase in community tensions and hate crime, panic buying, protests and demonstrations.

“The information is requested to assist departments and ministers understand the nature and scale of impacts which may be occurring,” the guidance says.

The Department of Health has also issued every clinic and hospital in England and Wales with a form that poses 60 questions. This has to be filled out on a daily basis and sent to senior officials.

‘Unforeseen issues and impacts’ of a no-deal Brexit are highlighted by the document. Photograph: Cabinet Office

The questions include:

“Please confirm that you can maintain business critical services until the next daily ‘sitrep’ submission is due?”

“Are you assured you can maintain urgent cancer treatments until the next daily ‘sitrep’ submission is due?” and

“Is your organisation planning to suspend any patient services until the next daily ‘sitrep’ submission is due?”

Sources said this planning was likely to be too little, too late.

With time potentially running out, a key concern is that central government is not telling local authorities what to prioritise.

“Central government is not providing leadership,” said the source. “At the moment we are trying to plan for everything. There is no direction of accountability. The response to a no-deal Brexit needs to be built from the bottom up.”

Operation Yellowhammer risk ratings. Photograph: Cabinet Office

A government spokesperson said: “As a responsible government we have been planning and continue to prepare for all eventualities, and that includes managing the impacts of a no-deal Brexit if they arise.

“We have taken action to ensure that local leaders have access to additional resources and support, should they require it. This includes pledging over £58m to assist their Brexit preparations.”

The Cabinet Office said the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was holding weekly calls with LRFs to share information, including the latest from across Whitehall on Brexit preparedness, and LRFs were able to raise any local concerns.

It said the EU exit local government delivery board, chaired by the communities secretary, James Brokenshire, was meeting regularly and allows council leaders to directly speak to ministers about domestic Brexit preparations.

Hundreds of thousands homeless after cyclone in southern Africa

Alex Thomson-22 Mar 2019Chief Correspondent

In southern Africa, the first reports are emerging of an outbreak of cholera as conditions worsen for those affected by Cyclone Idai.

Thousands are missing and hundreds of thousands have been left homeless as the waters have risen following last week’s disaster.

We report from Beira, the port city in the centre of Mozambique which has been isolated by the flood.

Venezuelans head to sewage drains in desperate search of water amid blackout

By Brian Ellsworth and Vivian -March 12, 2019

Unlike the fetid liquid flowing through the Guaire river, the water emerging from the pipe was at least clear. Those who gathered to collect it said the water had been released by local authorities from reservoirs.

They added, however, that it was being carried through unsanitary pipes and should only be used to flush toilets or scrub floors.

“I’ve never even seen this before. It’s horrible, horrible,” said Tejedor, preparing to carry the container on a small hand cart back to her home in the neighbourhood of San Agustin.

WATCH: Venezuela still without power as the country continues to face an unprecedented blackout

Tejedor, who works at a computer technology store, has a two-year-old daughter and takes care of two nieces.

“The ones that are most affected are the children, because how do you tell a child that there’s no water?” she said.

The lack of water has become one of the most excruciating side effects of the nationwide blackout that the government of President Nicolas Maduro has blamed on U.S.-backed sabotage but his critics call the product of corruption and incompetence.

The blackout has worsened the situation of a country already facing a hyperinflationary economic collapse that has spurred a mass migration and turned once-basic items like corn flour and toilet paper into unaffordable luxuries for most people.

After five days without electricity to pump water, Venezuelans from working-class neighbourhoods to upscale apartment towers are complaining of increasingly infrequent showers, unwashed dishes, and stinking toilets.

Caracas needs 20,000 litres of water per second from nearby watersheds to maintain service, said Jose de Viana, an engineer who ran Caracas’ municipal water authority in the 1990s.

Last week that had fallen to around 13,000 and since Thursday’s blackout it has halted completely, he said.

People collect water from a sewage canal at the river Guaire in Caracas on March 11, 2019, as a massive power outage continues affecting some areas of the country.

‘Killing us’

Many worry about the spread of disease. The lack of water compounds the inability to buy soap due to soaring prices or chronic shortages.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who in January invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency after declaring Maduro’s re-election a fraud, led the country’s legislature on Monday in declaring a “state of alarm” overpower problems.

Maduro is facing an unprecedented political crisis and the United States, which backs Guaido, has levied crippling oil industry sanctions meant to starve the government of its sources of foreign revenue.

Up the road from where Tejedor stood, hundreds of angry residents blocked the highway on Monday to demand that local authorities deliver a 20,000-liter cistern to supply water to the neighbourhood of La Charneca.

“They’re killing us with hunger and thirst,” said Gladys Martinez, 52, a homemaker, who joined the demonstration that blocked two lanes of the highway, snarling traffic and drawing dozens of police and National Guard troops to the scene.

People collect water from a sewage canal at the river Guaire in Caracas on March 11, 2019, as a massive power outage continues affecting some areas of the country.

People collect water from a sewage canal at the river Guaire in Caracas on March 11, 2019, as a massive power outage continues affecting some areas of the country. - Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido will ask lawmakers on Monday to declare a "state of alarm" over the country's devastating blackout in order to facilitate the delivery of international aid -- a chance to score points in his power struggle with President Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by Cristian HERNANDEZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Along the riverbed, teenagers and children accompanied their parents to help carry water. As two children began stomping in the sewage, a woman warned them: “That water’s dirty! Don’t start playing around because remember there’s no medicine.”

Water trucks, a common sight in Caracas, are increasingly struggling to fill up because state-run reservoirs are running low.

On the northern edge of Caracas, where the city meets the El Avila national park, hundreds of people lined up to collect water from mountain streams.

Lack of water, along with the power outage, has become a major concern for hospitals – which have for years suffered from lack of equipment and supplies.

WATCH: Nicolas Maduro blames Venezuela blackouts on U.S. weapons

Jose Velez, 58, a security guard who also arrived at the Guaire to collect water, said the blackout had made life unbearable and wished the country’s politicians would agree on how to resolve the situation.

“I’m not interested in these politicians, they never agree on anything,” said Velez. “I want my life to go back to normal.”