Wednesday 25 April 2018

Last Man Left Standing

Introduction to the Book

“Last Man Standing” refers to the winner in a contest or competition or the sole survivor of an event and it probably has its origin from the expression “Last Man Left Standing”. Recently I was reminded by a friend that I was the “last man left standing” during the last apartheid court case held in the 1980’s, namely the case of Namibia National Students’ Organisation & Others v Speaker of the National Assembly for South West Africa 1990 (1) SA 617 SWA.


Students from the Academy of Namibia (which was the predecessor to both the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the University of Namibia), had held demonstrations against the apartheid regime and were arrested under The Protection of Fundamental Rights Act (No. 16 of 88) that were being used to prevent gatherings of any kind. The students at the Academy had been demonstrating for two days against the establishment of South Africa army bases near to schools, especially in the North, which had led to several reported cases of rape by schoolgirls by army personnel.  A total of thirty-seven students were arrested during the police action against the demonstrators and held without bail for several days. This was challenged by the Legal Assistance Centre and the case was to be heard in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court.


During the urgent bail application, a number of students were called to the stand and were put under questioning by the then Prosecutor Richard Metcalfe. The last accused to be questioned before the magistrate recused herself, was Milton Martin Ronald LOUW.
It is also important to note that this specific law was contested by the Namibian National Students Organisation and was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Bloemfontein, South Africa. This legal battle is still used around the world when discussing human rights as it "creates criminal offences for activities which in democratic societies have been perfectly acceptable and legal."


From this court case and my subsequent activism in the areas of social justice and consumer rights, I thought it appropriate to take a look back at the essays I have written that I feel have the most important to say about Namibia after 23 years of Independence.

Milton LouwWindhoek, NAMIBIA 21 March 2013



Thursday 19 April 2018

The Scorpion Syndrome



A new discovery in psychoneuroimmunology in the field of mind-body medicine
by
Prof. A. Zielinski *

Dedication: I dedicate my work to my great Teacher and Master Who is more than a Father and Friend to me and Whose unworthy ambassador I am. I wish and hope that this discovery and development will help improve the conditions of humanity.

Acknowledgement: With gratitude I acknowledge the great help and support I have been receiving from many friends and such great institutes as the St. Petersburg V.M. Bekhterev Psychoneurological Research Institute, the State University of St. Petersburg, Russia, the International Academy at St. Petersburg and the Russian Academy of Science.

The Paradigm of the Syndrome


The scorpion is a brave an intelligent creature. It will fight when attacked, and when it realizes that it cannot win the fight, it will decide on a swift escape. Once in a demonstration of a scorpion that was in a fight, the scorpion decided to flee. A big circle of lighted gasoline was made around the scorpion. When the scorpion realized that he could not fight nor flee successfully because of the circle of fire, he did something very impressive. He put his stinger in his own body and began pumping venom into himself until he slowly died. No other animal does this. We human beings, however, act in a similar way when we find no way out of a situation.

A human being has a complex infrastructure in his body to cope with almost all situations that may be faced during life. When a decision to fight is made in the broadest sense of the word, the body will produce i.a. adrenalin. This makes the skin "senseless" against injuries and also helps the mind to focus on the fight. When, however, man decides on flight, the body will produce such substances that give the body great endurance and energy. One can run for hours, or jump over walls that normally without such flight conditions would be impossible. Now, if for any reason a human being feels that he is being attacked, and if there is no possibility to fight or flee, the body will suppress its immune system and the person will become sick and can eventually die of any disease including cancer, cardiac arrest or other psychosomatic illnesses.


The Treatment of the Scorpion Syndrome


The method for treating the Scorpion Syndrome has been developed, consisting of various stages. Stage one consists of stimulating the neurons of the brain to produce Delta brain waves. During this phase the patient can see for himself in a kind of inner vision, also called "remote vision", the cause of the Scorpion Syndrome. The "remote vision" will show him pictures or events during any period of his life, including his mother's pregnancy that is causing the syndrome. Once the cause of the Scorpion Syndrome is known, we can proceed to phase two of the treatment, in which Theta brain waves are being produced by the stimulated neurons of the brain.
During this phase, subliminal neurolinguistic information is being sent to the long- term memory of the brain through the right hemisphere. This information will now dissolve the cause of the Scorpion Syndrome instantaneously, releasing the suppression of the immune system. The immune system will now be activated and a healing process will start automatically, because the immune system is not being suppressed any more by the Scorpion Syndrome, which has been resolved through the neurolinguistic subliminal message to the brain.


Some Case Histories of the Scorpion Syndrome


A 37-year-old patient of the Bekhterev Psychoneurological Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, had an insomnia problem. He could not sleep during the night or day no matter what he did and therefore could not function at all. After the treatment, we had to shake him to wake him up because he was snoring so loud and instantaneously he was cured of his insomnia problem.

A 21-year-old girl had a kind of dermatitis that presented itself in the following manner:
Whenever she was lightly scratched on the skin, a blister would appear as if she had been burnt with hot oil. She said that the symptom began six years earlier and there was no cure to be found. During the "remote vision", it was discovered that six years earlier at the age of 15, she was in love with a young man whom her mother disapproved of. Her mother felt she was much too young to be in love. The girl ran away from home and had not spoken to her mother since then. Immediately after the subliminal neurolinguistic message was sent to her brain, the blisters disappeared from her skin and she felt an intense longing to go to her parent to reconcile. She was immediately relieved of her symptoms of what appeared as a kind of neurodermitis.

A 51-year-old woman was dying. She had a rare form of depression. A subliminal neurolinguistic message was sent to her brain reactivating her immune system. Two weeks later she accompanied her husband on a business trip to Italy. She was completely cured of her depression.

A young man of 23 had a serious cocaine problem. After a subliminal neurolinguistic message was sent to his brain, he never wanted to take cocaine again and there were even no withdrawal symptoms.

A woman, aged 53, wanted to quit smoking and had tried various methods that were unsuccessful. After the subliminal neurolinguistic message was sent to her brain, she was cured of her smoking addiction immediately and never smoked again.

A 43-year-old man was impotent. During the "remote vision", it was found that he was present during the birth of his son twelve years earlier. It was a very difficult birth and he had been impotent since that time. After an appropriate subliminal neurolinguistic message was sent to his brain he was cured instantaneously and could have normal relations with his wife.

A beautiful lady of 43 had lung cancer. Twenty-one years previously she had married, had a baby a year later and was then caught in Miami with ten kilograms of heroin in her suitcase that she knew nothing about. She was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. Her husband returned to his country with the baby, filed for divorce and married another woman. Later on, the husband confessed that he was the one who had hidden the heroin in her suitcase and that is wife had been innocent. Meanwhile, she did not have contact with her son for twenty years and felt her life was ruined. After the subliminal neurolinguistic information was sent to her brain, the suppression of the immune system was released so that the healing forces of the body could take care of her health. She has been completely cured of her lung cancer.

A 45-year-old woman was suffering from schizophrenia. She was constantly hearing different inner voices and also had frequent outbursts of anger. As a result of this she repeatedly experienced problems in her marriages and relationships. During the "remote vision" it was discovered that in her childhood she had repeatedly been sexually abused by a family member and had also been neglected by her mother who was an alcoholic. After the treatment the inner voices immediately vanished for good including the outbursts of anger and the woman became a friendly and attractive lady.

The entire treatment takes only one day (7 to 9 hours) and does not have to be repeated. The subliminal neurolinguistic information lasts 30 seconds to 15 minutes depending on the complexity of the case and is formulated for every person individually.

* Professor Zielinski conducts research i.a. in the activation and stimulation of the immune system with subliminal neurolinguistic information and with electromagnetic millimeter waves within the bandwidth of cell communication. He is connected with the International Academy at St Petersburg, Russia, and he is an active member of the Russian Academy of Science. Prof. Zielinski is ambassador of the International Scientists' Club with its headquarters at St. Petersburg, Russia.

Prof. Zielinski can be contacted in English language via the Internet at the E-mail address:

Recommended literature:

"A Clinicians' Guide to Psychoneuroimmunology" by Dr. Alan Watkins. "Handbook for Psychoneuroimmunology" by Dr. Robert Ader.

Wednesday 14 March 2018

#BetterDigitalWorld for Namibia - Consumer Day 15 March 2018

Introduction

The number of Internet users by the end of 2017 had reached 4,1 billion users. This means that for the first time, the number of internet users have exceeded the 50% mark of all the people in the world which was estimated at 7,5 billion in August 2017.
The total number of users per region is shown in the following graph


The breakdown of the numbers further shows that though the total number of users in Africa is 10.9%, there is only a penetration rate of 35.2% for the continent.

The number of users in Namibia was 797,002 by 30 June 2017 which translates into 31.0% penetration of usage among the population. Though this number seems high, we are still lagging behind the average penetration of users in Africa (35.2%). It is also interesting to note that around 65.2% of Internet users are also users of social media, most notably Facebook.

Affordability is an issue for usage

In 2011, the United Nations (UN) in a report on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expressions, underlined the applicability of international human rights norms and standards on the right to freedom of opinion and expression to the Internet as a communication medium. In other words, the UN declared internet access to be a basic human right on par with clean water, shelter, food and electricity.

Getting online is expensive. For this reason, the Alliance for Affordable Internet is advocating for an affordability target of “1 for 2”— 1GB of data for no more than 2% of income. The cost of 1GB of mobile broadband in Namibia is more than 3.49% of the average monthly income Figures 2016). In Zimbabwe it is nearly 45% of the monthly average income.

Below is a comparative table for countries in SADC where data is available:



Following international studies on working to affordable Internet for all, the Namibia Consumer Protection Group (NCPG), proposes that we:
  • ·         Employ Public Access Solutions to Close the Digital Divide
  • ·         Foster Market Competition Through Smart Policy
  • ·         Implement Innovative Uses of Spectrum through Transparent Policy
  • ·         Take Urgent Action to Promote Infrastructure and Resource Sharing
  • ·         Make Effective Use of Universal Service and Access Funds
  • ·         Ensure Effective Broadband Planning Turns Into Effective Implementation

We dedicate our time and resources to working with the lawmakers, regulatory organisations and non-government organisations to make these a reality in this, the year of reckoning.

Organisations involved in Digital Matters in Namibia

Namibia Consumer Protection Group

The NCPG is a volunteer-based organisation that primarily uses media (print, radio, television and social) to dissemenate information on consumer issues. The primary tool for this community is the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/namibiaconsumer/. There are 1,492 members as at 15 March 2018.

Internet Society

The Internet Society (ISOC) is an American non-profit organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet-related standards, education, access, and policy. Its mission is "to promote the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world".
In Namibia, there are 153 ISOC members resident in the country of which 100 are registered to the local ISOC Namibia Chapter.

Internet Governance Forum

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. It brings together all stakeholders in the Internet governance debate, whether they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open and inclusive process. It has been hosted by the United Nations since 2006.

A number of regional, national, and youth initiatives hold separate meetings throughout the year and an inter-regional dialogue session at the annual IGF meeting. Namibia held its IGF launch in October 2017.
The main objectives of the Namibia IGF (NamIGF) are to:

  • Raise awareness, promote improved understanding and build capacity on internet governance issues amongst Namibian stakeholders and their respective communities.
  • Organise and host an annual multistakeholder and democratic platform for engagement and knowledge building on internet governance-related issues in Namibia, and beyond.
  • Influence the development and implementation of national policies related to the internet, and broadly, information and communication technology (ICT).
  • Facilitate multistakeholder participation by Namibian representatives at continental and global internet governance platforms.
  • Contribute to the strengthening of multistakeholder engagement on internet governance in the SADC and African Union (AU).

Why is the consumer protection law taking so long to implement in Namibia?

Six years ago, I wrote the following:

The Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) held a consumer awareness week in the capital from 24 to 27 September 2012. The week centred around two issues, namely the competitiveness of Namibia and the need for a consumer protection law. The participants included ministries, government institutions, non-government organisations, the media and members of the public. In the one-day workshop entitled consumer protection, an absolute necessity in Namibia, various aspects of a consumer protection law for Namibia were discussed. The conclusion of the workshop was that everyone agreed a law is necessary and everyone agrees with what should be included.

So what has been the delay in tabling a bill to Parliament?

The Ministry of Trade Industry's Consumer Protection Division had to decide where Consumer Protection should be housed. In other words, should it stay in the Ministry, be a new Commission or be a division of the NaCC. THAT's Right! The only decision that needs to be made is by whom the law should be regulated. The Namibia Consumer Protection Group (NCPG) made it clear that this is not sufficient reason to delay the law and fully supports the proposal that the competition law should be a division of the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC).

Monday 12 March 2018

CRAN Protects Consumers from Being Charged High Collection Fees for Outstanding Debts (by MTC)


The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia must be applauded for the decision on a consumer complaint about the 18% collection commission that Mobile Telecommunications Limited (“MTC”) charges on outstanding debts. (The complaint was received in 2013.)

The following is taken directly from the Media Statement published on 16 February 2018:
MTC’s Subscriber Agreement states that if the subscriber breaches the contract, MTC shall be entitled to recover all legal and other costs which shall include 18% collection commission that may be legally recovered from the subscriber by MTC.
The Authority concluded and resolved as follows:

  1. MTC may not charge consumers a collection commission of 18% on any debts emanating from service level agreements for the provision of telecommunication services;
  2. All debts arising from subscriber agreements between consumers and MTC are to be charged a collection commission of 10% only in line with the Magistrate’s Court Rule; and
  3. The Magistrate Court Rules are aimed at ensuring that tariffs that have a bearing on collection of debts are reasonable, fair and equitable. The charges by the debt collectors are not exempt from the Magistrate Court Rules.


Aggrieved and affected consumers are encouraged to manage their cases directly with MTC. If such consumers feel their cases have not been addressed within 14 days from the date in which it was formally reported to MTC, then they should follow CRAN’s consumer complaint procedures.

This means that all consumers who have been charged the amount of 18% on outstanding debts can now insist on being refunded these fees.

We applaud the decision by CRAN and hope that MTC will put in place a method that will return these unfairly charged fees – and the interest they (MTC) might have received on these monies.

Friday 9 March 2018

Milton's Newsletter - 9 March 2018

Hi Readers,

Quote of the week

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt." - Herbert Hoover

Topics this week:


  1. World Consumer Rights Day - 15 March 2018
  2. Appointment of Consumer Representative to NSI
  3. Consumer Protection Act
  4. Housing & Estate Agents
  5. Number Portability - change your provider not your number
  6. CRAN Protects Consumers from Being Charged High Collection Fees for Outstanding Debts (by MTC)
  7. Message from NCPG Director


The global consumer movement will once again unite for a day of action on 15 March 2018. The international theme for World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is ‘Making digital marketplaces fairer’. Building on the success of the 2017 #BetterDigitalWorld campaign, the 2018 campaign will aim to promote digital marketplaces that are more accessible, safer and fairer for consumers across the globe.

E-commerce, or buying products and services online, has transformed the way we consume. Consumers with a connected device and a payment method can buy anything from music to take-away; book transport and accommodation; or buy tickets to events. This new way to trade has opened up a vast array of choice for consumers and enhanced convenience on a scale never seen before.
However, along with benefits, e-commerce raises key issues for consumers such as: access to fair and secure markets, being sure there is redress when things go wrong, and being exposed to scams and fraud. Because of this, the consumer movement must work to ensure that digital marketplaces are fairer for everyone.

Consumer Activism in Namibia

The Namibia Consumer Protection Group was founded in 2009 to unify and mobilize consumers through the identification of visible and clear targets in the community, and propose specific changes for the benefit of the consumers.
This year, in addition to supporting the theme of “Making digital marketplaces fairer”, the NCPG also provides feedback on the success and disappointments in the Namibian consumer environment.

Appointment of Consumer Representative to NSI

The Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development has appointed the Director of NCPG, Mr Milton Louw to the Namibia Standards Council, the governing council of the Namibia Standards Institute. Through this representation, consumers participate in improving quality, industrial efficiency, productivity and promotion of trade to derive optimum benefits for Namibia and its consumers.

Consumer Protection Act

The delay in the submission of the Consumer Protection Bill to Parliament is very disappointing. The various stages and drafts that have been part of the process have been coming along since before 2010, when H.E. Dr. Hage Geingob (then Minister of Trade & Industry) promised in a speech read on his behalf that the Consumer Protection Act will be submitted to Parliament within one year. The NCPG hopes that in this “year of reckoning”, the newly appointed Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, Hon. Tjekero Tweya, will ensure that his staff brings this promise to reality.

Housing and Estate Agents

Within this Ministry, it must be noted with disappointment also at the state of the Namibian Estate Agents Board (NEAB) which is without a Board for a lengthy period of time. They are the official regulating authority and every estate agent must be registered with it. The primary function of the Board is to protect the public interest (consumers) in their dealings with agents while maintaining and promoting the integrity of estate agents. Obviously, without a Board in place, consumers are not getting the protection they deserve under the law.

Number Portability - change your provider not your number

The Communications Regulation Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has once again brought hope that the issue of Number Portability will be addressed within the next 12 months. According to the Communications Act (Act No. 8 of 2009) “number portability” means the ability of users of telecommunications services to retain, at the same location, existing telecommunications numbers without impairment of quality, reliability or convenience when switching from one carrier to another. Further according to Section 81 (3) “The numbering plan must require mobile number portability by all technology and service neutral licensees within two years from the date of commencement of this Act.”

The Media Statement on National Numbering Plan and Number Portability released on 22 February 2018 states: “The implementation of number portability will commence within 12 months from the final publication of the proposed regulations.”

The NCPG hopes that the process, which is 7 years overdue, is eventually implemented and “provides for an array of benefits such as to allow consumers with the right to retain their telephone numbers (fixed and mobile) when changing service providers, support economic growth, encourage participation in the communications sector and most importantly, ensure fair competition” as stated by the CEO, Mr. Festus K. Mbandeka in the statement.

CRAN Protects Consumers from Being Charged High Collection Fees for Outstanding Debts (by MTC)

CRAN must be applauded for the decision on a consumer complaint about the 18% collection commission that Mobile Telecommunications Limited (“MTC”) charges on outstanding debts. (The complaint was received in 2013.)
The following is taken directly from the Media Statement published on 16 February 2018:
MTC’s Subscriber Agreement states that if the subscriber breaches the contract, MTC shall be entitled to recover all legal and other costs which shall include 18% collection commission that may be legally recovered from the subscriber by MTC.
The Authority concluded and resolved as follows:

  1. MTC may not charge consumers a collection commission of 18% on any debts emanating from service level agreements for the provision of telecommunication services;
  2. All debts arising from subscriber agreements between consumers and MTC are to be charged a collection commission of 10% only in line with the Magistrate’s Court Rule; and
  3. The Magistrate Court Rules are aimed at ensuring that tariffs that have a bearing on collection of debts are reasonable, fair and equitable. The charges by the debt collectors are not exempt from the Magistrate Court Rules.

Aggrieved and affected consumers are encouraged to manage their cases directly with MTC. If such consumers feel their cases have not been addressed within 14 days from the date in which it was formally reported to MTC, then they should follow CRAN’s consumer complaint procedures.
This means that all consumers who have been charged the amount of 18% on outstanding debts can now insist on being refunded these fees.

We applaud the decision by CRAN and hope that MTC will put in place a method that will return these unfairly charged fees – and the interest they (MTC) might have received on these monies.

Conclusion
The Namibia Consumer Protection Group (NCPG) has grown to 1,481 members as of 08 March 2018. The group started in 2009 and we have been able to ensure consumers issues are raised and shared amongst the people of Namibia. We will continue to be a Namibian organisation that campaigns for customer rights and focuses on illegal and unethical behaviour by Namibian companies.

To join the Namibia Consumer Protection Group please visit our community page on Facebook.
https:/www.facebook.com/groups/namibiaconsumer/

Yours in consumer rights

Milton LOUW
Volunteer Executive Director