Weekly Press Columns Digest
07 April, 2019
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) - The Black Market, metaphorically known as the Parallel Market, has defeated the government in the rate of exchange domain, despite policies put in place to control the soaring rate of the foreign currencies against the plummeting Sudanese pound.
Those policies included formation of the so-called Market Makers Mechanism which was designed to fix the rate of exchange on a daily basis as a way for beating the Black Market.
The mechanism, that was formed by the Central Bank of Sudan during the premiership of Mutaz Mussa, began operation with a blunder of raising the rate of the US dollar from 29 to 47.5 Sudanese pounds that has not been changed throughout the five months of its existence while the dollar hit the 90-pound mark, Sumayah Sayyed said in her regular column that was published in Alintibaha daily newspaper of Sunday.
The rise in the rate of the foreign exchange coupled with the acute shortage of the cash money in the banks has greatly harmed the sectors of imports, exports and domestic trade with the exporters threatening to cease exportation, Sumayah said.
The columnist went on to say that, in addition to the rising rate of exchange problem, the agricultural exports, which were estimated to fetch 3 billion dollars due to the successful agricultural season, suffered an unprecedented setback by intrusion of a communications company she did not name and other brokers who purchased the sesame for prices higher than could be competitive in the international markets.
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Commenting on a recent statement by the new chairman of the National Congress Party (NCP), Ahmed Haroun, that they (NCP) are not angels nor devils, columnist Haider Ahmed Khairallah, said he agreed with Haroun that they are not angels but he wonders who has made the country reach the current appalling situation.
In a regular column that was published by Aljareedah daily newspaper of Tuesday, the columnist further questioned the identity of the people who separated South Sudan, who robbed the country's resources and who made it at the top of world's failed nations.
Khairallah cited the annual report by the government's auditor-general that exposes embezzlements and other acts of corruption and abuses by government officials who pose as adherents to Islam, prompting the protestors into chanting the Arabic slogan of "Silmiyyah Dhid Al- Haramiyyah", meaning "peaceful demonstrations against the thieves).
They only tarnish the image of Islam, the columnist said, adding: what was perpetrated by the NCP cannot be done even by demons.
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In a column that was published on Al-Akhbar daily newspaper of Wednesday, Murtadha al-Ghali has suggested that the National Assembly and the legislative councils in the Sudan's 18 states should be disbanded for good, arguing they are doing nothing whereas they are posing a heavy financial burden on the country's miserable economy.
The numbers of the members of parliament in the capital and the states are too colossal to be borne by the present economic situation, let alone the heads and deputy heads of the parliamentary commissions whose remunerations are almost equal to those of the federal ministers, Ghali said.
In other countries the law-makers play important roles entrusted to them in the sphere of legislation besides monitoring the performance of the executive organs, whereas the Sudanese legislative bodies are subservient to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
The law-makers in the western and eastern nations live up to their duties of enacting legislations, supervising the performance of the executive bodies, track mismanagement and corruption in addition to protecting and defending citizens, Ghali said.
In contrast, the columnist went on, the Sudanese legislators are bound by the systems of empowerment and subjugation to the NCP which is the only caucus that proposes, passes or amends legislations.
The MPs from other parties or independents abide by the will of the NCP which does not tolerate wayward MPs, the columnist said.
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Columnist Mohamed Abdul Gadir in his daily column that appeared in Alyoum Altaly daily newspaper of Thursday described as normal the resistance and opposition by interested persons to measures taken by Prime Minister Mohamed Tahir Eila dissolving government institutions and sacking managers thereof and under-secretaries.
Those measures were prompted by the present economic and political situation that resulted from favoritism and political affiliation irrespective of the qualifications needed for running government funds, institutions and companies that extravagantly feed on the public money.
He added that the Prime Minister was clearly planning to get rid of unqualified persons to replace them with competent ones and that he was not intending employ his relatives or friends.
According to Abdul Gadir, out of 23 the Prime Minister sacked 11 under-secretaries whose specializations were not related to the ministries they held and were appointed for political or personal reasons, like a radio isotopic graduate serving as under-secretary of the ministry of agriculture and a chemistry graduate filling the position of finance under-secretary.
The columnist said the Prime Minister's measures were not driven by personal agenda as was rumored by the persons who lost their jobs.
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Columnist Ammar Mahjoub dwelt in a column published on Akhir Lahza daily newspaper of Saturday on the first ever disagreement between President Omar al-Beshir and his Prime Minister Mohamed Tahir Eila over the fund for development and reconstruction of east Sudan.
Among the resolutions recently taken for disbanding government institutions, companies and funds and sacking the managers thereof, the Prime Minister has dissolved the Fund for Development and Reconstruction of the East besides sacking its manager and his deputy.
The resolution on the Fund of east Sudan was opposed by Presidential Assistant Mussa Mohamed Ahmed, who is chairman of east Sudan's Beja Party that concluded an agreement with Khartoum government in 2011 for establishing the Fund.
Ahmed persuaded Beshir to abrogate the Prime Ministerial resolution and reinstate the Fund and its executives, the columnist said, adding that the Presidential order was made in spite of the fact that the Fund has done nothing since its foundation with regard to its duties of improving the situation in the East.
The three states of Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea are still suffering lack or poor medical, health and water services, Mahjoub said.
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