THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (C.A.R) - UNITE THE NATION

 

To:     The Right Hon. Central African Republic President Hon. Faustin-Archange Touadera

From: Athinarayanan Sanjeevraja

Date: January 25, 2021

RE:     UNITE THE NATION

Suggestion:

Hon. President, let me start paying my respects to you and through you to. I have watched many documentaries about the Central African Republic (C.A.R), I realised that given its independence too early before the indigenous population had the abilities to run the nation. The case of C.A.R is more complicated than one can imagine. It is unfortunate that the C.A.R remain fragile in spite of UN engagement in the peace process. The presence of the United Nations (UN) only worsens this complication due to the fact that UN has no grasp of a possible resolve other to cause more violence. The UN failed to provide a framework for defining tasks, mediating conflicts and identifying remedies. The UN strategy fails every time as it adopts liberal progressive strategy of conflict resolution. If the UN can’t manage it, it is definitely time for a new type of multinational council. Most of the foreign nations left unstable C.A.R long ago. Most of the foreign nations only want to use C.A.R as a commodity for resources. C.A.R never going to get a fair trade deal for its natural resources that is being smuggled out of the nation year after year until it don’t put its differences aside and see real threat to its stability.

Hon. President, C.A.R is so rich with natural resources but people are still living in poverty. It is a million dollar question how richest resources on earth have the most poverty? How the nation so rich with natural resources can never come out of poverty? Who benefits from letting your nation remain in poverty? I’m sure that there are invisible hands keeping your people hungry, desperate and without hope. C.A.R can be a rich and prosperous country, if you used your natural resources to develop your country. C.A.R can be a rich and prosperous country, if you ever unify and get it together. How do we help the nation so divided? The people of C.A.R must standup together to fight against the forces that create divisions because divisions ultimately jeopardise the society as a whole. It is wrong for the nation to be exploited for the benefit of a handful of parasitic persons. Exploitation occurs when the administrative system is weak. Basic security and stability is must for any natural resources exploitation. IMHO, confederation could be the solution not only in C.A.R but also in Nigeria.      

Hon. President, I literally watched the video that was talking about conflict between the Anti-Balaka and the Seleka in the Central African Republic. I strongly feel that Anti-Balaka and the Seleka conflict is not about religion because they keep saying they existed as brothers before the conflict. I think this conflict is for diamonds but they are using religion as a way of hating and getting rid of their competition. It is true that places where rich resources are prone to violence, intimidation and inciting people against each other superpower problems to sell dangerous weapons to them. I observed that there are many countries in the African continent which have the biggest mines in the world but the problem is with the so called free-market capitalistic approach as due to the mobbing and leaching techniques. As you know, the free-market capitalistic principles that benefit the fewest at the expense of the most, it drives the people of C.A.R into extreme poverty in exchange for unimaginable wealth at the top as it is applied to inhuman activities like power grabbing and warfare.  I would suggest the C.A.R government should figure out a cash voucher system for the miners to start regulating mining prices and get the economy rolling.    

Hon. President, According to the World Bank Data, “poverty remains high and projections suggest that roughly 71% of the population was living below the international poverty line ($ 1.90 per day in terms of PPP) in 2018”. It indicates that the problems in earning and unemployment issues are grasping the people of C.A.R. Most of the problems occur due to the intolerable malfunction government not only in C.A.R but the world. Any small issues can be many gang fights and leads to genocide and homicide. Both genocide and homicide are dangerous terms which mean mass killings by human involvement and the later means gang wars. This genocide and homicide must come to an end. I would suggest your good government must find domestic leaders to unite them. It is possible in C.A.R of a low population. Your good government need to condition your young men and women to understand that holding a gun and killing another human being is not only normal but heroic and patriotic and much more important than the safety of our children in school. If the young men and women have no vision and perhaps feeling disenfranchised, there needs to be a social movement from within young men and women, demonstrates new culture of values to the young men and women that is more progressive, a new method of resistance within acting in accordance to proper conduct that results in success. We need to instill a new ideal for young men and women to strive for. The word conflict resonates with large part of the world. Peace is the quintessential ingredient that cures all issues in C.A.R. The conflict in the C.A.R requires the bravery of the various stakeholders such as intergovernmental agencies/African Union (AU), NGOs, international government agencies, charities etc. to talk to each other and formulate a detailed and logical master-plan for stabilising C.A.R. IMHO, the concept of making peace is always more profitable than wars but we need to place more value on human life than greed.     

Hon. President, Africa is by far most diverse continent on the planet but many countries in Africa is broken up to and still does not even get close to the amount of different tribes and peoples on the continent. That is why it is impossible for Africa to stabilise and form a working government where millions of people can live inside a border and not have too much disagreement on how to build a constitution. IMHO, Africa needs unity from a government standpoint. AfCFTA certainly bring unity. According to the World Bank “the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will create the largest free trade area in the world”. AfCFTA is proposing about eliminating tariffs and barriers to trade and investment on intra-African trade. Creating AfCFTA is a wishful thinking. The AfCFTA may not reach its full potential immediately due to the infrastructure for intra-African trade may not be in place for trade, governance structures, custom regulations, national trade policies and open borders are not aligned with the spirit of the AfCFTA but the AfCFTA still could be a great opportunity for African continent. The AfCFTA process is going to take many years to liberalise intra-African trade. I seem to recall the EU single market here. It took several years to implement its single market. Thus, I am confident that once the free trade policy induced, trade obstacles will come down, free trade will pick up slowly and steadily, then investment in infrastructure that support AfCFTA will become viable. AfCFTA will be succeeded with few regulations and no checkpoints across borders, allows equal rights for all peoples and cultures, low taxes, a national language for all Africa, bureaucracy that does not ask or accept bribery, removing trade barriers, enabling social integration and enmeshing businesses within Africa. I still remember that when I wrote to European Commission President on free trade deal with the US in the month of April 2014, I recommended the European Commission President VATs need to be modernised, internal tariffs need to be eliminated and external tariffs need to be streamlined in order for a free trade with the US to be successful. In case of the AfCFTA tariffs are not the principal obstacle but lack of infrastructure matters far more than tariffs. I would recommend that African Union (AU) must create single currency like the Euro for all African countries but in the absence of proper infrastructures such as common fiscal policy, mutualisation of debt obligations and full banking union single currency will become a mechanism for generating endemic imbalances. The best of luck with AfCFTA is important endeavour for African continent.  

I could expect for African continent is a confederation in the future.

I could expect the AfCFTA helps to avoid future conflicts between intra-African nations.

I could expect the AfCFTA about cooperation and ensuring conflict resolution. 

I could expect the AfCFTA about economic interdependence and reduce debt of Africa.

I could expect AfCFTA only road to true prosperity of African continent.

I could expect the AfCFTA unite the Africa.  

I could expect African Union (AU) a next economic power house in two decades.

Thank you very much for your kind attention Mr. President.  

With most amicable regards,

Athinarayanan Sanjeevraja.