Weekly Press Columns Digest
20 October, 2019
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - Two adjacent columns on the last page of Aljareedah daily newspaper of Sunday chose as a common topic of discussion sheikh Abdul Hay Yusuf, the controversial imam (prayers leaders) of a mosque in Khartoum's Jabrah neighborhood.
Haider al-Mikashfy, who wrote one of the columns, commented on a law-suit filed by non-governmental Zero Fasad (Anti-corruption) Organization, accusing the Sheikh of ill-gotten wealth hoarding through illegal tax and custom exemptions for a spare-parts company owned by the "pious" Muslim.
The Sheikh, who alleges asceticism and indifference in the evanescent worldly fortunes, owns a spare-parts company and presides over a commercial-preaching TV channel for which he obtained a hard-currency support by deposed president Omar al-Beshir, said Mikashfy.
All this contradicts the Sheikh's allegations of religious faithfulness and piety, the columnist added.
In the other column, Al-Fatih Jabrah directed a message to Sheikh Yusuf Abdul Hay mainly focusing on a statement by deposed president Beshir in court that Abdul Hay had received from him five million US dollars for Taybah TV channel.
The columnist wondered why this channel in particular was chosen to be supported by former President Omar al-Beshir in such a huge sum of money and in a secret way without any declaration.
He asked the Sheikh in the message whether the latter had ascertained the source of the money and whether it was acquired in a legal or ill-gotten way that is prohibited by the Islamic tenets and in this case the "pious" Sheikh should not have accepted it.
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Columnist Yassin Hassan Beshir has called for speeding up formation of the agreed upon legislative council which, according to the Constitutional Document, should be formed and commence operation during a period that must not exceed 90 days.
Writing in Altayyar daily newspaper of Monday, Beshir reminded that the Constitutional Document clearly stipulates that the Council must commence operation not after 90 days but during a maximum period of 90 days, beginning from 17 August 2019, the date of signing the Document.
Now that more than two-thirds of the 90-day period has elapsed, not a single step has been made for formation of the Council and nobody in the sovereignty Council, the Government or the Freedom and Change Forces (FCF) has mentioned this issue, said the columnist, adding that this was why he has earlier called for the need for setting up a commission for follow-up and assessment as all bodies of the transitional authority might be busy with their day-to-day tasks.
He also referred to an article in the Constitutional Document providing that the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers would exercise jointly the duties of the legislative council and pass pertinent resolutions in consensus or a majority vote pending formation of that parliament.
This article permitted the Sovereignty Council to pass several decisions, citing one providing this Council would be responsible for supervision the Communications organ, said Beshir, remarking that such a decision would not have been taken in the presence of the parliament.
It is in the interest of the revolution and for the success of the transitional period, the FCF should immediately commence formation of the legislative council and nominate its members at least to avert the confusion and delay that accompanied the nominations for the Council of Ministers, the columnist said, suggesting that if an agreement was reached in the current negotiations with the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), the FCF will be committed to surrendering a number of seats to be occupied by the SRF.
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"While we were subjected to arrest and maltreatment in secret security buildings and our newspapers to suspension and confiscation for writing about the corruption and crimes of the defunct regime, the journalists of that regime, whom we know and they know us, used to lead a life of bliss and comfort for writing articles praising and defending the symbols and leader of extinct regime and turning a blind eye to their corruption and crimes," said Al-Fatih Jabrah in a column that appeared on Aljareedah daily newspaper of Tuesday.
He noted that those pro-Ingaz journalists in the past refrained from writing about the injustice and oppression practiced by that regime but when it fell down, they began to speak about missed justice, with Jabrah citing a current fierce campaign against the government for siding with Youth and Sports Minister Wala'a al-Boushy against Islamist preacher Abdul Hay Yusuf.
"Yes, I believe that the government was mistaken in supporting a citizen against another citizen and I say this because I support the truth but those journalists sided with a vicious president against an entire people," Jabrah wrote, in Arabic, asking where those hired writers were when Sudanese were shot dead with the firearms of the defunct regime.
He suggested to the readers to go back to the newspapers of those pro-Ingaz journalists and compare between their past and present writings.
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There are common and mutual interests for the Sudan and the European Union nations with regard to the issue of fighting illegal migration, particularly from Africa to Europe, said Mubarak Ardol in a column published by Al-Akhbar daily newspaper of Tuesday.
Ardol indicated that the Sudan is a focal country in the migration issue as, according to him, it is a source, a passage and a venue of settlement for the migrants and therefore it is a focal country in combating the phenomenon.
He said the previous governments of the defunct regime played a limited role in the counter- migration efforts in preventing the flow of migrants into Europe but it cooperated in this field for the sole purpose of improving its image and putting an end to its international isolation.
The present government in Sudan is more qualified for achievement of peace, stability and development and is thus more qualified than the previous one for cooperation with the Europeans for radically addressing and curbing the illegal migration, Ardol said.
The money spent for hosting unwanted migrants in European countries can be brought into Sudan and used for investment in projects for the mutual interest of the two sides, the columnist said.
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Prominent columnist Lina Yagoub harshly criticized the transitional government authorities for failure in providing basic services and effectively addressing the crises the Sudanese people have long been suffering from.
Writing in Al-Sudani daily newspaper of Wednesday, Lina began her remarks with the stagnant pools of rain-water in the streets of the capital Khartoum and other cities with no concerned government official bothered to pump the water out, "apparently relying on the solar energy to dry the pools."
While the public transport crisis still endures, the electricity and water supplies are frequently cut, the bread and fuel queues contract and expand and the dollar rates fluctuate up and down, said the columnist.
The latest hard economic blow was dealt by Saudi Arabia which has suspended the importation of the Sudanese livestock for appearance of the rift valley fever in Sudan, remarked Lina, adding that this development has occurred in the absence of an animal resources minister, a portfolio that was filled on Tuesday following a month of delay.
She said the government is lacking harmony and unified vision between its members who throw fine statements with poor or no practical results, while some of the ministers are still busy commenting on the performance of the leaders of the defunct regime which, according to Lina, has fallen down morally, religiously, socially and economically and, therefore, no comparison should be held between an obsolete regime and a newborn.
The columnist has called for an urgent action for removing the garbage and addressing the problems of skyrocketing prices, drug shortages and bread and fuel crises.
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The achievement of peace in Sudan is paramount for a country which has not tasted stability since its independence, remarked analyst Mohamed Latif, greeting the peace negotiations currently being held in South Sudan capital Juba.
While indicating in an article published by Bajnews electronic journal on Saturday the sincerity of the negotiating parties for reaching peace, Latif said the good-will and the support and applause alone would not attain that goal, but offering advice and remarks are more effective than emotional support.
Juba is a historic symbol for both Sudan and South Sudan but there are prerequisites for putting a prospective peace agreement into effect, including the funds required for the process, bearing in mind that the process reportedly calls the provision of six billion dollars over the three-year transitional period, said Latif.
A meeting of the Sudan Friends set to be held in Washington this week will discuss, inter alia, the issue of funding the achieved peace in Sudan, said the analyst, adding that some participants in Juba meeting hint moving the negotiations venue to Qatar or Abu Dhabi.
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