Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/604914
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2015 12 News 12 News Meet the Queen's men about to grace Malta's shores Swaziland – A king among paupers King Mswati III has ruled over the south- ern African coun- try of Swaziland since he was 18 years old. Now 47, he has 15 wives – each of whom he impreg- nated before wed- ding, so as to prove their fertility. Despite ruling over a country in which 60% of the population live on less than $1 a day, the 'Playboy King' lives an opulent lifestyle, and allocated over $61 million in public funds on his own household budg- et last year. In an attempt to fight the spread of AIDS, Mswati imposed a five-year chas- tity rite on all Swazi unmarried women between 2001 and 2005. However, only two months into the ban, the king him- self violated the decree after marrying his 13th wife. As per Swazi custom, Mswati apologized for this violation by donating a cow to the girl's village. Sri Lanka – 'Welfare' camps of torture The CHOGM is only being held in Mal- ta in the first place because Mauritius had withdrawn as host in protest against the S r i Lankan government's human rights atrocities against the ethnic Tamil population. Six years after the end of a bit- ter civil war for Tamil independ- ence, many political prisoners remain de- tained in camps that the government de- scribes as 'welfare villages'. However, such 'welfare' includes beatings with cement- filled pipes and pistol butts, repeated anal rape and waterboarding, and suffocation with the fumes of burning petrol or chil- lies. President Maithripala Sirisena swept to power earlier this year on a pledge to lift government repression, but the torture has continued on his watch. While the government has released some prison- ers, reports have surfaced that these will be forced to undergo a "rehabilitation" brainwashing programme for ex-combat- ants. Nigeria – A 'converted' sadist A Nobel-winning Nigerian poet has de- scribed his country's re-elected president, Muhammadu Buhari as a "sadist who glo- rifies in the humiliation of people". Over- throwing a democratically-elected gov- ernment in a 1984 coup, Buhari waged a noto- rious "war against indiscipline", in which journalists were jailed for writing articles that criticised the government, and police used whips to control traffic and bus stop queues. Tardy civil servants were publicly humiliated by being forced to perform frog jumps, and students caught cheating in their exams were thrown into prison for 21 years. His reign only lasted 20 months, after which he himself was overthrown in an- other coup, but he was re-elected this year on a pledge to clamp down on the Boko Haram terror group. He now describes himself as a "converted democrat". Uganda – No gays allowed President of Uganda since 1986, Yoweri Musuveni has been harshly criti- cised for his clamp- down on LGBT+ people, whom he has described as "disgusting". Last year, he introduced a draconian law that punishes homosexual behaviour with life imprisonment and criminalises LGBT+ activism with a maximum seven years in jail. Businesses found guilty of "promoting" homosexuality also risk los- ing their operating licences. The US has since cut aid to Uganda, but Musuveni re- mains unmoved and has bizarrely accused the West of introducing homosexuality into his country. "If the West doesn't want to work with us because of homosexuals, then we have enough space here to live by ourselves and do business with other people," he told CNN in a recent interview. "There's an attempt at social imperialism – to im- pose values of one group on our society." Papua New Guinea – An ironic tale of corruption Upon his election as Papua New Guin- ea's Prime Minis- ter in 2011, Peter O'Neill set up an anti-corruption watchdog, 'Task Force Sweep', to investigate allega- tions that the previ- ous PM and his family h a d misappropriated public funds. However, in an ironic turn of events, the task force ended up accusing O'Neill himself of si- phoning $31 million of public funds to a law firm, and police issued a warrant for his arrest. The Prime Minister unasham- edly responded by dismantling the anti- corruption watchdog, and by firing the head of police operations for disobeying government orders. Cameroon – Ruling with an iron first… from far away In power since 1982, Paul Biya is the world's longest ruling non-royal leader, consistently win- ning landslide elections of du- bious legitimacy. He rules the west African country with an iron fist – using the police to suppress opposition parties, jailing journalists and writers who dare criticise his regime, and maintaining considerable control over the judiciary. Critics refer to him as the "absentee land- lord" for his lengthy vacations, sometimes for months at a stretch. In one of his more famous holidays, he splashed out $40,000 a day on 43 rooms in a French hotel. "Isn't he free to make good use of his money?" his communications minister said when faced with criticism. "Does he have to give the account of the way that he's using this money?" Brunei – Sharia law's newest fan Sultan Hassanai Bolkiah has ruled over the tiny oil-rich country of Brunei since 1967, succeeding h i s father. One of the world's wealthiest men, the Sultan made headlines last year when he announced that he would phase in sharia law, that calls for homosexu- als and adulterers to be stoned to death. Theft is now punishable by flogging and the severing of limbs, and failure to attend Friday prayers is punishable by fines or im- prisonment. "Theory states that Allah's law is cruel and unfair but Allah himself has said that his law is indeed fair," the Sultan said in response to criticism. TDIACONO@MEDIATODAY.COM.MT Commonwealth leaders will flock to Malta this week for their biennial heads of government meeting. While much has been made of the fact that Queen Elizabeth II will lead a royal entourage to the island, the CHOGM is also a summit attended by characters of dubious repute. TIM DIACONO takes a look at some of the more unsavoury leaders of the former British colonies who will soon grace Malta's shores. PM urges Commonwealth 'to fight fear' sparked by terrorism MIRIAM DALLI THE Commonwealth Summit should send a clear signal that "we will not fear those who want to put fear in our lives", the Maltese Prime Minister urged. "Terrorists will win if they manage to induce fear. We can win terror by fighting back with hope," Joseph Muscat said. Addressing the Commonwealth Youth Forum, which opened its first session yesterday, Muscat said the world should show extremists that it was united against acts of terrorism. "We can do so only by uniting even more than we are today. The Com- monwealth Summit should send a clear signal that we will not fear those who want to put fear in our lives. We will continue with our agenda. Be- cause we can make lives better for our people and we can chart a future which is bright – fighting inequali- ties, fighting poverty, fighting climate change, finding cures for illnesses that are still killing so many innocent people, attacking the root causes of forced migration, providing more funds for research and development and make lives better for our moth- ers and fathers, ourselves and our children." The Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) is taking place in Malta this week, as Europe is on alert following the Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead. The Maltese government has given an assurance that it would not hesitate to cancel the CHOGM if the need arises. Urging people to remain vigilant, Muscat warned against paranoia. Muscat went on to urge the par- ticipating youths to push forward a more inclusive society. "I do expect some outrageous ideas coming out of this forum. Do not be as boring as us lot. Do come up with your genuine thoughts. You should be inspired and should provoke de- bate. It doesn't mean we agree on every single thing that will be said. "Let us have a genuine debate on gender equality, on democracy, on the division between state and reli- gion, on sexual orientation and the way people with different sexual ori- entation are treated in our countries. Let us be honest about ourselves. We will not solve these issues in five days, but we can give out a signal that we are aware of all this." Joseph Muscat wants a clear signal from the Commonwealth Summit