Police officers and protesters confront each other during the demostration. Reuters
Algerians shout slogans as they march to mark the first anniversary of the popular protests in Algiers. EPA
Algerian riot police block the progress of an anti-government demonstration heading towards the presidential palace in the capital Algiers. AFP
Algerian riot police block the progress of an anti-government demonstration heading towards the presidential palace in the capital Algiers. AFP
Algerian protesters take part in an anti-government demonstration in Algiers marking the first anniversary of the protest movement. AFP
Algerian riot police block the progress of an anti-government demonstration heading towards the presidential palace in the capital Algiers. AFP
Members of the Algerian police use a water cannon to disperse an anti-government demonstration heading towards the presidential palace in the capital Algiers. AFP
Members of the Algerian police block the progress of an anti-government demonstration heading towards the presidential palace in the capital Algiers. AFP
Members of the Algerian police block the progress of an anti-government demonstration in the center of the capital Algiers. AFP
Algerians shout slogans as they march to mark the first anniversary of the popular protests in Algiers, Algeria. EPA
Algerians shout slogans as they march to mark the first anniversary of the popular protests in Algiers, Algeria. EPA
Algerians shout slogans as they march to mark the first anniversary of the popular protests in Algiers, Algeria. EPA
Last month, Algeria set November 1 as the date for a referendum on a new constitution. The announcement from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office came after months-long protests demanding political and economic reforms.
The draft for the new constitution, which includes proposals made by a committee of experts that would be ratified by Parliament before being presented to the public, is touted to give the legislature more powers and the country’s democratic aspirations a big boost. However, disappointed by previous referendums falling short of public expectations, and disillusioned by the government’s continued crackdown on protesters and journalists, ordinary Algerians are not holding their breath.
Indeed, this referendum is already a no-go in the eyes of many critics, for a simple reason. They view the process of drafting the new constitution, which began in December 2019 following the election of President Tebboune, as a smokescreen. They also believe that the new document, which will be ratified by Parliament on a yet-unspecified date, will only serve to keep the old, military-dominated regime in power and maintain the status quo.
Reactions to the announcement from the popular Hirak protest movement have been swift – and they are not buying it. Many activists have taken to social media to reject the referendum, demanding instead that the draft contain more radical reforms that would entail an overhaul of the country’s governance system and the removal of the old guard. They would also include the delivery of justice against those individuals allegedly involved in embezzlement and political corruption but seen to be close to the regime.
The Hirak movement began in February 2019, when the then president Abdelaziz Bouteflika – who had been in power for nearly two decades – decided to run for a fifth term. Despite his resignation two months later, protesters returned to the streets week after week for months, demanding the aforementioned reforms, which they do not believe the establishment is interested in enacting.
At the core of the Hirak’s cynicism is a lack of trust in the leadership and its agenda. The establishment’s repeated attempts to block the media have not helped either.
According to the National Committee for the Release of Detainees, an independent human rights group in the country, the government seems determined to squelch dissenting voices. A number of renowned journalists have been handed prison sentences for either voicing their opinion, or simply reporting about the Hirak protests without bias.
Said Boudour is a journalist, human rights advocate and member of the Algerian League for Human Rights. He is internationally known for covering the thorny issue of migrants from the Sahel now living in Algeria. It was his reporting of a corruption scandal that forced the previous government to dismiss General Abdelghani Hamel, its police chief and one of the pillars of the regime. Last year, a court in the western city of Oran ordered the detention of Boudour for “undermining the morale of the army”.
Last month, another journalist and political activist, Abdelkrim Zeghileche, criticised the judicial system on his Facebook page. Zeghileche was charged with “threatening national unity” by a court in the eastern city of Constantine and sentenced to two years in prison.
The government has also cracked down on television networks and social media platforms. Numerous news websites have been blocked. Authorities have admitted to blocking two online independent media outlets – Maghreb Emergent and Radio M Post – without prior notice. Algerie Telecom, the state-owned telecom operator, has cut access to news sites seen to be critical of the authorities, including the French-language Tout sur l’Algerie and Interlignes.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been pushing for a new constitutional referendum for some time. Reuters
The government’s seemingly contradicting voices have, meanwhile, confounded the public.
While campaigning for the new constitution in April, President Tebboune reiterated his pledge to set up a “second Algerian republic” based on “true democracy and rule of law". Just last week, Ammar Belhimer, the Minister of Communication, guaranteed that authorities would respect “everyone’s freedom of opinion and expression”. Yet, members of the Parliament’s lower house, after debating the Penal Code, passed a series of amendments to punish any actions that are deemed detrimental to “national unity and public order”. Shortly after, Minister of Justice Belkacem Zeghmati asserted that “any publication or website which does not comply with the new regulations would be liable for prosecution”.
It is important to remember that it was Mr Tebboune, who served as prime minister for three months under Mr Bouteflika, who had been pushing for a new constitution that would curtail the president’s authority and guarantee the separation and balance of powers. But clearly, the establishment is not speaking with one voice.
The referendum date has been intentionally set to coincide with the anniversary of the onset of Algeria's 1954-1962 war of independence from France. For the powers that be, it is symbolically meant to be the birth of the second republic. Yet, it is worth noting that the constitution has been amended numerous times since independence in 1962, including during Bouteflika’s presidency, when it had been rewritten and amended to suit his needs and those of the power-brokers around him.
An outdoor market set up by the Algerian government to prevent crowding inside supermarkets, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease in Algiers, Algeria, April 19, 2020. Reuters
A man sweeps an alley of a food market in Algiers, Tuesday April 21, 2020. Algerians are shopping to prepare the month of Ramadan which starts on Thursday in Algeria. AP Photo
A man walks by closed shops in Algiers, Wednesday April 29, 2020. Algeria eased confinement measures from the first day of the holy month of Ramadan last Friday by shortening a night curfew and lifting a full lockdown for a province near the capital Algiers. (AP Photo/Toufik Doudou)
A man waits outside a food market in Algiers, on Tuesday April 21, 2020. Algerians are shopping to prepare the holy month of Ramadan which starts on Thursday in Algeria. AP Photo
Workers unload medical supplies from China at Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algiers, Algeria, April 15, 2020. The equipment was donated to Algeria amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. EPA
Workers unload medical supplies from China at Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algiers, Algeria, April 15, 2020. The equipment was donated to Algeria amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. EPA
A volunteer dentist works on converting a snorkel mask into a respirator, using 3-D printing technology, to reinforce hospitals and help patients suffering from the coronavirus in Algiers, Algeria April 15, 2020. Reuters
Volunteer dentists assemble snorkel masks and convert them into respirators, using 3-D printing technology, to reinforce hospitals and help patients suffering from the coronavirus in Algiers, Algeria April 15, 2020. Reuters
In this file photo taken on June 13, 2019, Algerian policemen guard the El Harrach prison in the suburbs of the capital Algiers. AFP
Meanwhile, as the government prepares for the referendum, demonstrations have petered out. Authorities had banned all gatherings since March in their effort to limit the spread of Covid-19. But activists maintain that the Hirak is not over by any means. It is, in their words, simply adjourned because of the pandemic.
A coalition of anti-government associations and political parties that call themselves the Forces of the Democratic Alternative have urged ordinary Algerians to “stay mobilised but vigilant in order to engage forcefully in the resumption of peaceful protests” when the lockdown is lifted.
It is little wonder, with all these developments, that the noise around November’s referendum has fallen on deaf ears in the public square.
Dr Abdelkader Cheref is an Algerian independent scholar in the US
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700. The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers. The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood. Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues. Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69') Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
