Tough as a heart of stone

Muslim Sodomites always attract the noose

I am beginning to wonder whether toughness is a function of heartlessness or sound principles.

Our minister for Immigration and Integration who has the remit over one of the most inefficient government agencies (IND) in the Netherlands once again takes copy from my observations.

Why the topic of homosexuality excites so much commentary escapes me, but no one seems to tackle the issue objectively enough to allow facts to rule over prejudice and bigotry.

Casual observers of Islam know the perceived intolerance of the religion to homosexuality or sodomy; their laws are crafted to mete out the most severe punishments to the offenders.

Lesbianism seemingly enjoys the mercy of a being caught in the offence four times before the ultimate sanction kicks in; else it is just 100 lashes of the cane. [1]

Iran loves God

Iran probably has the most strident laws against homosexuality, only in July 2005, two teenagers, one 16 and other 19 were sentenced to death for Sodomy. [2]

A society that does not have recourse for some sort of rehabilitation for people that young regardless of their offence; albeit victimless at first and consensual at worst should give any civil observer cause for concern.

Then in November another two men in their Twenties were hanged for the self-same acts. [3][4]

It would appear there is a clear and ever present danger for any homosexual expressing any level of intimacy in Iran that is just of shade better than literally feeding men to lions in some open theatre.

Paedophilia helps the message

However, Mrs Verdonk seems to have some additional information we are not privy to. The hanged Iranians had robbed, kidnapped and tortured a minor, such that their homosexuality would have had no bearing on the sentence.

Now, Mrs Verdonk is a very clever lady by all accounts and what better revulsion can you inflict than to accuse someone of being a paedophile?

All kinds of punishment then pale in significance in the light of that; allowing the next logical argument of sending “Sodomites” back to Iran.

A big heart of stone

We do have a very strict immigration policy and a tough minister in charge of that function in the Netherlands, but to sacrifice human-beings on the principle of a policy to appear tough is contemptible as the traditionally tolerant Dutch career doing the slope of heartlessness and the people lose their soul.

Finally, she argues that Muslims converted to Christianity would only suffer strong societal disapproval. She is obviously not aware that the simple sanction for Islamic apostasy is death and nowhere would that be better exacted than in Iran.

Politicians with compassionate humanity

The Dutch have tacitly welcomed a lot of anti-immigrant legislation and ideas predicated on the premise of better integration and opportunity to immigrants, however, with the local elections, it is time to begin to sent a loud a clear message to the ruling coalition – we want to be represented by tough, principled, firm and just politicians who can exercise power with judgment and compassionate humanity.

Western ignorance of Islam prevails

Just like the cartoon controversy, this is another example of Western politicians not understanding in any depth the mechanisms of Islamic/Sharia societies and how our concepts of liberty, freedom and safety radically differ.

Reference

[1] Islam's Love-Hate Relationship with Homosexuality

[2] Iran hangs gay teenagers

[3] Iran Focus - Iran hangs two young homosexuals

[4] Iran Hangs Gays to Please God

Prison exults with gay abandon

Such shameful activities

Hardly two weeks ago, could one not deign to comment on the bushman savagery masquerading as press freedom and Puritanical license that pervaded the Cameroonian press as they “outed” 50 supposedly gay men in authority.

What they did was so last Century, even further, so Wildean that the importance of being earnest turned into a feeding frenzy of scavenging hyenas at their most terrible.

This comes in within the atmosphere of the seething homophobia that has lead to the Nigerian executive and legislature to devote scarce democratic goodwill to putting a radically homophobic law in the statute books.

As one commentator put it, it could be a political trap for the 2007 elections since we know that George W. Bush in 2004, carried all the swing states but one that had the gay marriage law juxtaposed with the presidential elections.

As unAfrican as being in Africa

Homosexuality is presumably unAfrican; beside the point that South Africa has laws that prevent discrimination on the basis of expressed sexuality and allows gay marriage. It calls to question which part of South Africa is not African as any other African in land, people and society.

As usual, being tarred with the brush of homosexuality is the ultimate stigma; it was used to harass the first president of Zimbabwe – Canaan Banana and the once deputy prime minister of Malaysia – Anwar Ibrahim.

For the unconscionable, it is the dirtiest tool in the bag; it would make the protagonists of the Salem witch hunts look like pansies.

Whilst our belief systems do not necessarily align, the Nigerian Humanist Movement is doing well to bring a sampling of logic into this mass hysteria.

Outing for an inning

Well, this brings the topic to the fore; as one of the “outed” ministers sued for libel and defamation of character won the action which has lead to the editor of newspaper (L'Anecdote) being sentenced to four months in prison including a fine.

There is not to be so glad about in the judgment apart from the fact that someone so harassed with an outing has successfully defended himself against the stigma and the judiciary took a supposedly objective view of the matter.

However, if the judiciary was not necessarily objective but sided with authority to teach journalists a lesson; at least many would be a bit more circumspect on matters like this.

It is necessary to arraign a press that allows the truth to suffer on the altar of sensationalism.

Accused witch becomes hunter

I would hope that there are 10 more people wrongly accused by that editor and each pursue libel action individually till all such apologies to common decency are completely banged up.

It is the only consolation for others who live in terror and the induced schizophrenia of double-lives because the tyranny of the majority is not constrained by law or precept as is duty bound by any democracy.

The need for enlightenment

Homosexuality is not a race-specific trait, the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah from which homophobia draws its most potent tonic could have been anywhere in the world; just as it was not in Europe, Africa, Asia or America.

Basic religious exegesis also views Sodom and Gomorrah in terms of them being inhospitable which could very well read as intolerant and bigoted. The Scriptures are too much of a double-edged sword to trifle with.

Homosexuality is about people everywhere and their pre-dispositions – only real enlightenment would take us out of the darkness of Puritanical intolerance.

It might well constitute part of the great emancipation of Africa into what is well and truly the Twenty-first Century, beyond famine, beyond poverty, beyond hand-outs, beyond eternal incumbency, beyond tyranny, beyond wars; beyond refugees; beyond hypocrisy, beyond intolerance and beyond plunder.

Prison suits him

If I had one anecdote for the editor, it would be the age-old derisive prison joke – never drop the bar of soap – he had better get a face lift that would win Mr Ugliest Cameroonian.

I have no sympathy for those who terrorise harmless citizens with witch hunts, if I were the prison warden the key to his cell, once occupied and locked would never be found again.

Those who deny others the comfort of civilised society deserve no freedom, liberty or safety.

The Matron has spoken

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Shut them down

Sometimes headlines in Nigerian newspapers are so sensational that they excite the kind of curiosity that kills the cat.

So when I saw the headline from a blog indicating “We will shut down IT firms, says CPN President” I knew I was in for an interesting read – clear the decks!

The CPN which is an abridged acronym for Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria was established by decree in 1993 to manage computer professionalism in Nigeria.

It lists amongst a number of Information Technology organisations of in Nigeria which include the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) – much I want to resist – the link given by Jidaw Systems Limited for information regarding that site apparently uses htpp rather than the globally accepted http protocol. I would return to this point later in my write up.

However, Jidaw is one of the first training organisations to be accredited by CPN; their homepage speaks volumes like a page out of the almost comical Web Pages That Suck which teaches good webpage design by analysing rotten webpages. Then the title of the About page goes, “In the beginning of Web Nigeria was JIdaw”. We begin to get the context of what this is all about. In the beginning I was going to easy on this topic.

I decree that …

It appears the CPN does not have a website so it would have to be contacted by snail-mail.

In general, the objectives and purpose of the decree are laudable to prevent unprofessional conduct and practices in the despatch of IT services in Nigeria.

However, on closer scrutiny one begins to wonder if this was written for the first half of the Twentieth Century.

For instance, this is the preamble introducing the purpose of the decree.

The Computer Professional (Registration Council of Nigeria) was established by a decree of the same name, promulgated as Decree No 49, 1993, with the objective to advance the knowledge of Computer Science and the use of computational machinery and techniques related thereto.

Computational machinery? Halfway down the second page of a Google search for computational machinery, I struck gold, something to do with Nuclear Shielding – everywhere else, it is Computing Machinery – but then, this all might be home-grown sufficiency for Nigerian computing – forgive my histrionics.

The council does have the remit to accredit institutions, approve courses, supervise instruction, conduct examinations, award certificates, maintain a secretariat of sorts – for the library, I would suppose – encourage research, register associates and set behavioural standards – supposed ethical, professional and responsible conduct.

A world without dabblers

The decree then makes it illegal for anyone to practice any computing trade if not a member of CPN.

To that, I could probably say we would have no Microsoft, Apple, productivity or games software because most of these were developed by people outside formal professional settings. Edsger Dijkstra whose contributions to software engineering helps define many of the ideas from which many software methodologies have evolved studied physics.

Whilst the decree might seem to encourage research, it could also in event be stifling creativity, especially, that which requires ‘thinking outside the box’.

This provides the background for the interview that was conducted with the president of CPN where an excerpt is gathered into the headline “We will shut down IT firms”.

A body of egg-spurts

So the interview commences with a question that asks about the statutory responsibilities of CPN.

Part of the answer goes thus

we are also supposed to at the same time protect the IT professionals by not bringing anybody from aboard to come and take up the IT job when we have professionals in the country who can do the same thing or even better

Exactly, create an insular body of professionals – however, the positive side to this would mean that Nigerian professionals working for global organisations would have to be shipped out to participate in design or be trained up to be in sync with global IT strategy. The “even better” part – I have not yet been convinced, but I am encouraged by many other things I have seen going on in Nigeria.

Funding – the first law of initiation

The second question builds on the first in terms of the remit of the council.

The response includes a lament about funding – I cannot believe that a professional organisation that has a register to practice code cannot price its registration regime to allow capable autonomy.

One would think just the registration fees of corporate organisations according to size, activity and clout would have cleared up that matter. It is a shame that the decree provides for the setting up of the council but fails to address the essential part of sustainable funding.

Practitioners of IT would generally be professionals, however, the analogy linking IT professionalism to that conferred on engineers or doctors misses the point. Many of these professions have been established for centuries; the crux ofSoftware Engineering leading to Computer Science and all other related fields only began life in the late 1950s.

There are arguments that contest labelling software development engineering; however, software development is adopting traditional engineering methods in terms of structure, planning, design, implementation and maintenance.

The law is an ass

It is then logical to have an organisation that registers professionals, but how do you cater for the draughtsman or nurse in the engineer or doctor analogy. Basically, where do interns, trainees and under-qualified computer literate but un-lettered stand?

We follow on to another answer

If they are going to run/offer computer services, they must register with CPN

Fair cop that is the law in Nigeria, as she saws ignorance of the law is no excuse; CPN is out to enlighten everyone of that requirement.

We want to know your level of proficiency so that you will not deceive the public because we are also here to protect the Nigeria public.

This is bordering on the naïve; this indicates implicitly that CPN registration confers the assurance of professionalism that any job undertaken by a registrant would meet CPN standards. Surely, there is a waiver somewhere.

You only have to search of software failures to list the big software projects that have cost the world and failed to deliver; implemented by the biggest names in global software. There are not guarantees or assurances that registration confers ability and credibility to deliver required solutions.

Market forces, reputation and independent comparative reviews with the framework the Internet goes a long way in helping customers choose reliable professional services. Registration might help you get noticed, but it would not necessarily create business.

Only in Nigeria

Is this CPN registration mode in line with international standards?

I will cite an example with the internet. You know the internet is owned by nobody, can go there and use it in whatever way you want but people are now beginning to come up and say there must be some form of regulation. Anything that is not regulated is not good for the society.

First of all, there are many international professional organisations catering for all sorts of fields of Information Technology, but I know of no Western country where you have to be registered with some registration QUANGO to declare yourself a computer professional. However, any professional in Switzerland has to have a first degree as a minimum.

Your services organisation might be certified by particular vendors to provide a service; they might be accredited to a particular standard in terms of methodologies used, just as individuals can both be certified and accredited, however, none are legally binding pre-requisites.

Losing our liberties carelessly

The president of the computer professionals association in the most populous Africa state believes that an unregulated Internet is not good for society.

I cannot begin to think of what she would want to regulate before it all becomes as closed up at the Internet in China.

Civil liberties encroached upon with reckless abandon as ISPs are asked to submit for audit all activity of their customers and probably their private and confidential information, enforced under the code of national security.

All my career life, in every security implementation in the light of confidentiality and protection of privacy, I have always erred on the side of civil liberties and the freedom of expression.

There is a mentality that feeds into the mindset of the elite that allows for many to succumb to a pseudo-police state and still believe their liberty is intact.

Benjamin Franklin has this to say to all concerned, “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”.

In the light of the abuses we see in government and society, this is not the time to allow those abuses to pervade access to the Internet as the seemingly last bastion of liberty, safety and freedom. Never should such advocacy be heard, even not so from a computer professional.

However, it probably is the typical headmaster/mistress complex which is demonstrated in the urge and propensity to control.

As stated in the next answer.

If as a professional you do a shoddy job for a company, the consumer has a right to come and report to us and then we will discipline the professional. So, we are there to protect the public.

Well what exactly is a shoddy job?

• A failed project in terms of cost, time, or resource overruns?
• Requirements and functional specification not aligned with deliverables?
• Scope creep?
• Customer expectations deviating from finished product after the fact?

I would like to see how objective arbitration would be brought to bear in deciding liability, fault and compensation.

When it comes to issues of professional competence be it a court marshal or some hearing to medical negligence and legal incompetence managing burden of proof with respect to apportioning blame is both a delicate and complicated activity.

I would suppose the CPN would first have an arbitration committee before it goes to a disciplinary committee.

Is that operational now?

Well, I am afraid not yet.

It is all hypothetical for now

Thankfully and gladly, it is more or less all hypothetical. For now, this only affects those who intend to contract with the government and it appears they have not brought into the requirements for the decree.

I am only halfway through the interview, there are a lot more issues to address and comment on in another instalment.

I have taken time to write on this because an organisation which essentially should promote the recognition of Nigerian IT expertise is set up like a bureaucratic non-governmental organisation with the remit to act as headmaster rather that enthusing mentor.

It is scary that the ideas of the head of the organisation are far from liberal in terms of IT development but represent a foreboding that would allow the possible abuse and misuse of power to take “progressive or dissident” organisations out of business.

Whilst there is a desire to develop home-grown talent and utilise the same in major software development in Nigeria, we cannot veer off on some exploratory self-sufficiency that would make us incompatible with other global advancements.

The most unfortunate state of affairs

I will for now leap to the last question.

Many people do not know what CPN is really about; they keep asking us. What are you doing about this?

Actually today I have made up my mind that after you leave I will answer all of the enquiries that I have too. I have the electronic copy of CTN decree and I will mail it to all of them so that they can go and read.

That must be a joke, if I ever heard one. The organisation that is to register IP professionals in Nigeria does not have a website. Besides that, the president is finally decided to handle her Inbox – she is going to be a very busy lady.

Fossils long before their time

Mining mishaps climbing the graph

Beyond air, rail, ferry disasters, mining mishaps seem to figure quite prominently in the records of despair and sorrow pertaining to major accidents.

Generally, victims of disaster are unfortunate in that they are in the wrong place at the wrong time; however, for mining; the people who meet their demise in circumstances in which they happen to earn their living – their working environment.

Nowhere, is the anxiety of expectancy and the dashing of hopes more dramatically played out than in the work that goes into trying to rescue miners from a coal mine mishap.

With all other disasters, help can almost immediately be given at the point that emergency services arrive, but in coal mines; determining the cause of a disaster leading on to ensuring safety for the rescuers in an unstable atmospheric environment puts back the opportunities for any salvation.

We all watched in January just after the New Year as 12 miners lost in a disaster in the United States were sought as the news wires vacillated between hope and despair till we all ended up both despondent and disgusted.

No greater lament could have arisen from the events that occurred, than to ensure that this never happens again. Asrecriminations began flying; damage-limitation and politics took precedent over the people affected; one man lies in hospital regaining speech but unsure of his future.

Coal is the future

Apparently, coal is supposed to ensure future global energy security in comparison to the finite supplies of oil. In the 10 years till 2004, coal consumption increased by 75% of which the greatest amount is accounted for in China.

Coal consumption - BP Global Reports and Publications

In an interesting reversal of roles, the largest coal deposits are to be found in the United States and none in the Middle East. One can almost wager that when the Middle East oil reserves run out and gas does not gain ascendancy, the begging bowl for energy fulfilment would be moving in the opposite direction.

Coal reserves - Australian Coal Association - Global Role of Coal

A case for Iran

Now, if Iran is seeing that far ahead, their quest for alternative energy sources through nuclear power research and development would begin to make seriously astute sense.

Not many nations would want the world superpower be become the main source of raw materials for global energy needs.

So, if coal so underpins the engine of manufacturing in the generation of electricity, production of iron, steel and cement along with other fiery processes for the production of paper, aluminium and metals of economic value; why is the process of extraction so fraught with safety and disaster issues? See How Coal is used.

Too many disasters

In China alone, which comes third in coal reserves, in the same year to December 2004 there were 3,413 mining accidents which killed 5,286 people and that was the safest year in history.

It makes me breathless, but no where near the agonising death of the many that might have been caught up in explosions or mine collapses, or the slow happy death of those who in gasping for air breathe in volumes of Carbon Monoxide which leads to death eventually as blood and organs are starved of life-giving oxygen.

There is no doubt, seeing the importance of coal to the global economy that safety should become a paramount objective or else that industry would be completely decimated for the lack of expertise and human resources – people would just not knowingly walk into death-traps once they see better career opportunities open up for them.

Another 65 lost in Mexico

Back to the issues at hand, we read that 65 men would have perished in a mining disaster in Mexico. Going from other rescue effort records that it normally takes days to mount an effective rescue; one would suppose miners would be given better survival kits as they wait out the disaster before the rescuers arrive.

The Sago miners only had one hour’s supply of oxygen, those in Mexico apparently had up to 6 hours supply, but if it takes days to mount a rescue, we should not delude ourselves into thinking the attempted rescue is would lead to a successful rescue but a recovery of bodies.

I am not chemistry major, however, one would think we could have some sort of catalytic or meta-morphing converter (shows I am a chemistry idiot, but Hey! Someone should be thinking about this) attached to helmets that allow would poisonous gases like methane or carbon monoxide to be converted to usable oxygen as the miners draw breath.

In such dire situations, the miners trapped, need to be able to participate and contribute to their own rescue efforts; with sealed communication equipment and adequate personal life-support that should run for up to a week.

Never again!

In some countries, the miners’ survivors get some sort of compensation even full scholarships for their dependants, but nothing can pay for the daily fear and anxiety that the families endure as each passing day starts and ends on a wing and a prayer.

If they draw any strength from their loss, and I hope they do, it should include ensuring no further generation would see any career development in going back to the mine but in other endeavours that allow people like me to write about these incidents from a different comfort zone.

Postscript

I have written about the significance of coal to the global economy and though I am also conscious of the implications to global warming – my premise here, was to balance the importance of coal against safety concerns especially when disasters happen.

Formerly - Coal fuels despair slowly

Hello Hamid, it's George - see you in 5 minutes

Welcoming surprises

Easy communications serve a purpose of informing and arranging for visits and events.

Many a time when I was in Nigeria, we had guests arrive out of the blue; we joyously exchanged greetings and feted them with food and drinks as they stayed on for hours on end – that however, is the community spirit of friendship and camaraderie.

As for the more professional Nigerian, arrangements were made a foretime usually through the office communications network because mass telecommunications never thrived until mobile telephony pervaded the market in the last few years.

All different in London

However, moving from Nigeria to the UK, one’s time is pre-occupied with goals, purpose and the arduous rigour of survival, that unplanned and unannounced visits are just not on.

This comes as a surprise to people who have just arrived from Nigeria who retain the convivial and miscellany; but the re-education is brutal and swift – we all learn how to live in the West. What a life!

Hamid, it’s George

Then, just imagine the shock Hamid Karzai had yesterday when a very important guest dropped in on him out of the blue.

At least, we all knew that he told the world that he was off to India and then to Pakistan; I suppose Afghani soothsayers might have prognosticated that Hamid should expect a surprise on the First of March.

Afghanistan is now Bush Democracy – the people voted and elected who the American expected to be elected – as opposed to a real democracy – the Palestinians electing who they want, albeit Hamas who the American considers terrorists.

Afghanis pulled it off

Seeing the elaborate preparations that go into planning state visits, the Afghanis must have had to cobble together a good few of their scarce resources to welcome the liberator.

I could not help but notice the quality of the red carpet that lead up to the news conference lecterns. That might sound frivolous, with all protocol thrown away; low-flying helicopters and security so tight that the visit had to be unannounced – this democracy has a long road to travel.

One can wager that Afghanistan is only second to Iraq in everyday violence and carnage, even though they are both occupied with superpower troops.

Alas! Guns and overwhelming firepower can only do so much. The Nemesis - Osama bin Laden is probably hiding in the West wing, because they cannot seem to find him anywhere else and nobody is looking back home.

Unannounced inspection

I can remember when I was in boarding school; every once in a while there was a surprise inspection which included a complete search of all the premises as we were gathered in some other location answering the roll call.

Fear, terror, anxiety written on our faces as hearts pounded like a new Tora-bora event; just in case the house master discovered something seriously out-of-order or rule-breaking.

Then, I think of the protectors of the President as he arrives secretly in Afghanistan, then the Afghani president is told; multiply that with the embarrassment of having guests arrive in Nigeria when you have completely run out of drinks – I think the Afghanis handled it well.

The one question that remains is when any important political figure would be able to announce well ahead of time that they are visiting Afghanistan of even Iraq; that concern is however, moot; the people who live there suffer a lot more.

Afghanistan is what it has become, but Iraq is what we made it.