Africa, Analysis

Fuel and Electricity Price Hike in Sudan: A Combination of Insolence and Subordination that Brings Miserable Living

In the framework of the so-called economic reform policy, in anticipation of the budget for the year 2017, the Minister of Finance announced at a news conference late Thursday, 03/11/2016 CE, an increase in the price of electricity for consumers of more than 400 kW. Al-Jareeda Newspaper in its 1924th issue had revealed that this increase starts from 300% per kilowatt. This is along with an increase in fuel prices, where accordingly, the price of gasoline for consumers will rise to 6.17 Sudanese pounds per liter and the liter of diesel will rise to 4.11 pounds, while a gallon of kerosene will rise to 18.8 pounds, that is an increase in fuel prices by more than 30% (Ashorooq Satellite). The Vice President of the Republic, at the mass meeting in Aldamir, on Saturday, 05/11/2016, has confirmed the State’s commitment of not to impact the recent economic decisions on the poor and low-income workers. However, on the same day, the state of Khartoum began to implement an increase in the tariff of transportation; used daily by 5 million and 600 thousand citizens, of the poor and low-income people. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure Report, this increase in the transportation tariffs ranged between 60-100%. (Al Mijhar Asiyassi Newspaper, 07/11/2016).

Undoubtedly, the term “Economic Reform”, under the functional capitalist state in our country, means to comply with the prescription of the International Monetary Fund. The Minister of Finance in his speech, in the police club on 11/06/2016 said: “We carried out with the International Monetary Fund more than 13 short-term programs”. (Al-Jareeda Newspaper, 11/07/2016). This prescription includes lifting subsidies on goods, liberalization of currency rate against the dollar, and reduced government spending, which means no spending by the state on care for its citizens in the affairs of education, medical care and others.

This government; the one rushing on satisfying the Kafir West and its financial institutions, followed and is still following, reckless policies; where it separated southern Sudan, which deprived Sudan vast fortunes. Oil Minister Mohammed Zayed said in his interview with Al Mijhar Asiyassi Newspaper No. 1585, “before the separation of the South, Sudan was producing 455 thousand barrels a day, and after the separation, 355 thousand barrels went to the South, which means we have lost 90% of foreign exchange resources”. It also disrupted agricultural projects, chased factories with levies and fees until it closed them, narrowed on the people in their trade and in their living, and monitored them on a gangsters’ approach, blackmailing them at each ugly service it provides to them! The consequence of this was that production was disrupted, unemployment rose, professionals emigrated, and youth were exiled!!

Moreover, this government was not sufficed by this, but has taken out of power; which is a trust and a responsibility, has taken it as a booty; satisfying with it each desirous person disputing with it, by paying him from the illicit Haram money; which it takes from the poor and the gullible. Rather, it applied the federal system, which depleted the country’s wealth, and its resources through a bloated mass of rulers and constitutionalists; the holders of the exorbitant allotments and privileges. It seeks through the alleged dialogue to double the number of parliamentarians and the parasitic constitutionalists; those who live on the money of the poor and the simple people. That money which is taken wrongfully, under the banners of lifting subsidies, levies, and economic reform, to be placed inappropriately. Thus, on the same day that the Ministry of Finance issued leaflets to reduce the government’s expenditure by 10%, it bought luxury office furniture for the Parliament, at a cost of 850 million pounds, while the Assistant Secretary-General of the Council declared selling part of the old furniture at an auction! How far these fools are from Sayyidina Omar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who served the needs of the citizens under the shade of a tree, in the greatest state, that was intimidated by the West and the East? But, it is the Khilafah Rashidah on the method of the Prophethood, not a stray Republic!

How can the people in a vast, sprawling country, such as Sudan, with visible and invisible riches be impoverished; a country with tens of millions of arable acres for farming and grazing, tens of millions of livestock, dozens of fresh waterways, the Nile River, hundreds of millions of cubic meters of rain water, and huge mineral wealth, from oil, gold, chrome, iron, and copper, and many more!!

This government is a failed government incapable of managing the country and people’s affairs. Its biggest concern is to implement the dictates of the Kafir West and its financial institutions, and to provide the country’s wealth and the interests of people as gifts and dowry to America and the International Monetary Fund!! Supplicant on this to continue in the crooked chair of power!! The reason for the failure of this government is its loss of compass, the application of the system of levies, the capitalist system, and repeating the same solutions that bring hardship and misery, and renouncing the system of care, the system of Islam. Allah Almighty has vowed the one who commits such action when He سبحانه وتعالى said:

وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى

“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed life”

(Ta-Ha: 124)

O People in Sudan: you are Muslims, strong because of your Lord, honored because of your Deen. Islam is the source of your strength and your pride, so make it the basis for your behavior and your actions, and based on it account those rulers who lost the camps. Make it the basis for the change that you want, let our work be for the Islamic way of life; the life of care, honor and dignity.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ

“O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”

(Al-Anfal: 24)

 

Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Sudan

10th Safar 1438 AH

10/11/2016 CE