by Danaka Katovich, CODEPINK, Juni 9, i-2021
Esikhathini esithile ngaphambi kwehlobo lika-2018, isivumelwano sezikhali esivela e-US siya eSaudi Arabia savalwa futhi sahanjiswa. Ibhomu eliqondiswe nge-laser elingu-227kg elenziwe ngu-Lockheed Martin, omunye wezinkulungwane eziningi, laliyingxenye yalokho kuthengiswa. Ngo-Agasti 9, 2018 elinye lalawo mabhomu e-Lockheed Martin kwaba wehla ebhasini lesikole eligcwele izingane zaseYemeni. Babesendleleni eya ohambweni lapho ukuphila kwabo kwaphela ngokuzumayo. Phakathi nokushaqeka nosizi, abathandekayo babo babezofunda ukuthi u-Lockheed Martin wayenomthwalo wemfanelo wokudala ibhomu elabulala izingane zabo.
Okungase bangakwazi wukuthi uhulumeni wase-United States (uMengameli kanye noMnyango Wezwe) bagunyaze ukudayiswa kwebhomu elabulala izingane zabo, ohlelweni lokucebisa uLockheed Martin, okwenza izigidi zenzuzo ngokuthengiswa kwezikhali minyaka yonke.
Ngenkathi u-Lockheed Martin ezuza ngokufa kwezingane ezingamashumi amane zaseYemeni ngalolo suku, izinkampani zezikhali zase-United States eziphezulu ziyaqhubeka nokudayisa izikhali emibusweni yengcindezelo emhlabeni wonke, zibulala abantu abaningi abaningi ePalestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, nokuningi. Futhi ezimweni eziningi, umphakathi wase-United States awazi ukuthi lokhu kwenziwa egameni lethu ukuze kuzuze izinkampani ezizimele ezinkulu emhlabeni.
Manje, okusha $ 735 million ngezikhali eziqondiswa ngokunembayo ezidayiselwa u-Israyeli- zimiselwe ukuba nesiphetho esifanayo. Izindaba mayelana nalokhu kuthengiswa kwavela phakathi nokuhlasela kwakamuva kwe-Israel eGaza kwabulala abantu basePalestine abangaphezu kuka-200. Uma i-Israel ihlasela iGaza, yenza kanjalo ngamabhomu enziwe e-US kanye nezindiza zempi.
Uma silahla ukucekelwa phansi kwempilo okunyanyekayo okwenzeka lapho iSaudi Arabia noma i-Israel ibulala abantu ngezikhali ezenziwe yi-US, yini esingayenza ngakho?
Ukuthengiswa kwezikhali kuyadida. Njalo ngemva kwesikhashana kuzovela izindaba mayelana nokudayiswa kwezikhali okuthile okuvela e-United States kuya kwelinye izwe emhlabeni wonke okubiza izigidi, noma izigidigidi zamaRandi. Futhi njengabantu baseMelika, cishe asinalo izwi lokuthi amabhomu athi “KWENZIWA E-USA” ayaphi. Ngesikhathi sizwa ngendali, amalayisense okuthekelisa asevele egunyaziwe futhi izimboni ze-Boeing sezikhipha izikhali esingakaze sizwe ngazo.
Ngisho nakubantu abazibheka njengabanolwazi oluningi mayelana nesakhiwo sezempi-yezimboni bazithola belahleka kuwebhu yenqubo kanye nesikhathi sokuthengiswa kwezikhali. Kunokuntuleka okukhulu kokubeka izinto obala nolwazi olwenziwe lwatholakala kubantu baseMelika. Ngokuvamile, nansi indlela ukuthengiswa kwezikhali okusebenza ngayo:
Kunenkathi yokuxoxisana eyenzeka phakathi kwezwe elifuna ukuthenga izikhali kanye nohulumeni wase-US noma inkampani yangasese efana ne-Boeing noma i-Lockheed Martin. Ngemuva kokuthi kufinyelelwe esivumelwaneni, uMnyango Wezwe udingwa uMthetho Wokulawula Ukuthunyelwa Kwezikhali ukuze wazise iCongress. Ngemuva kokuthi isaziso sitholwe yiCongress, baye benza Izinsuku eziyi-15 noma ezingama-30 zokwethula nokudlula Isinqumo Sokungavunyelwa Okuhlanganyelwe ukuvimba ukukhishwa kwelayisensi yokuthekelisa. Inani lezinsuku lincike ekutheni i-United States iseduze kangakanani nezwe elithenga izikhali.
Kwa-Israyeli, amazwe e-NATO, kanye nabanye abambalwa, iCongress inezinsuku ze-15 zokuvimba ukuthengiswa ukuthi kudlule. Noma ubani ojwayelene nendlela enzima yeCongress yokwenza izinto angase abone ukuthi izinsuku ezingu-15 akusona isikhathi esanele sokucabangela ngokucophelela ukuthi ukuthengisa izigidi/izigidigidi zamaRandi ngezikhali kuyisithakazelo sezombangazwe sase-United States.
Ingabe lesi sikhathi esinqunyiwe sisho ukuthini kubameli abamelene nokuthengiswa kwezikhali? Kusho ukuthi banefasitela elincane lethuba lokufinyelela kumalungu eCongress. Thatha ukuthengiswa kwe-Boeing kwakamuva kakhulu nokunempikiswano eyizigidi ezingama-$735 ku-Israel njengesibonelo. Yaphuma indaba ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngaphambi kokuba lezo zinsuku eziyi-15 ziphele. Nakhu ukuthi kwenzeke kanjani:
NgoMeyi 5, 2021 iCongress yaziswa mayelana nokudayiswa. Kodwa-ke, njengoba ukuthengiswa kwakungokokuhweba (kusuka eBoeing kuya kwa-Israel) esikhundleni sikahulumeni kuya kuhulumeni (kusuka e-United States kuya kwa-Israel), kukhona ukuntula okukhulu kokungafihli ngoba kunezinqubo ezehlukene zokuthengiswa kwezentengiselwano. Kwathi ngoMeyi 17, sekusele izinsuku ezimbalwa esikhathini esiyizinsuku eziyi-15, iCongress ivimbe ukuthengiswa, indaba yokudayiswa yaphuka. Kuphendulwa ukuthengiswa ngosuku lokugcina lwezinsuku eziyi-15, isinqumo esihlanganyelwe sokungagunyazwa kwethulwa eNdlu ngoMeyi 20. Ngosuku olulandelayo, USenator Sanders wethula umthetho wakhe ukuvimba ukuthengiswa eSenate, lapho izinsuku eziyi-15 seziphelile. Ilayisense yokuthekelisa yayisivele yamukelwe uMnyango Wezwe ngalo lolo suku.
Umthetho owethulwe nguSenator Sanders kanye noMmeleli u-Ocasio-Cortez wokuvimba ukuthengisa wawungenamsebenzi njengoba isikhathi sase siphelile.
Kodwa-ke, konke akulahlekanga, njengoba kunezindlela ezimbalwa ukuthengisa okungase kumiswe ngazo ngemva kokunikezwa kwelayisensi yokuthekelisa. UMnyango Wezwe ungahoxisa ilayisense, uMongameli angakwazi ukumisa ukuthengisa, futhi uKhongolose angethula umthetho othize wokuvimba ukuthengiswa nganoma yisiphi isikhathi kuze kube yilapho izikhali sezilethiwe ngempela. Inketho yokugcina ayikaze yenziwe ngaphambilini, kodwa kunesandulela sakamuva sokuphakamisa ukuthi kungase kungabi yize ukuzama.
ICongress yaphasisa isinqumo esihlanganyelwe se-bipartisan sokungavunyelwa 2019 ukuvimba ukuthengiswa kwezikhali e-United Arab Emirates. Ngemuva kwalokho uMongameli uDonald Trump wasiphikisa lesi sinqumo futhi iCongress ayizange ibe namavoti okusichitha. Nokho, lesi simo sabonisa ukuthi izinhlangothi zombili zephaseji zingasebenza ndawonye ukuvimba ukuthengiswa kwezikhali.
Izindlela ezididayo nezikhathazayo zokuthengiswa kwezikhali ziphakamisa imibuzo emibili ebalulekile. Kufanele ngabe sidayisela la mazwe izikhali kwasekuqaleni? Futhi ingabe kudingeka kube noshintsho olubalulekile enqubweni yokuthengisa izikhali ukuze abantu baseMelika bakwazi ukukhuluma okwengeziwe?
Ngokwokwethu umthetho, i-United States akufanele ithumele izikhali emazweni afana ne-Israel ne-Saudi Arabia (phakathi kwamanye). Ngobuchwepheshe, ukwenza kanjalo kuphambene noMthetho Wosizo Lwamazwe Ngamazwe, okungomunye wemithetho eyinhloko elawula ukuthengiswa kwezikhali.
Isigaba 502B soMthetho Wosizo Lwangaphandle sithi izikhali ezithengiswa yi-United States ngeke zisetshenziselwe ukwephulwa kwamalungelo abantu. Ngenkathi iSaudi Arabia iwisa lelo bhomu lika-Lockheed Martin kulezo zingane zase-Yemeni, akukho mpikiswano ebingenziwa "ngokuzivikela okusemthethweni." Lapho okuhlosiwe okuyinhloko kokuhlasela kwezindiza zase-Saudi e-Yemen kuyimishado, imingcwabo, izikole, nezindawo zokuhlala e-Sanaa, i-United States ayinazo izizathu ezizwakalayo zokusebenzisa kwazo izikhali ezikhiqizwe e-US. Lapho i-Israel isebenzisa izikhali ezihlangene zokuhlasela ezihlangene ze-Boeing ukukala izakhiwo zokuhlala nezindawo zabezindaba zamazwe ngamazwe, abakwenzi lokho “ngenxa yokuzivikela okusemthethweni”.
Kulolu suku nenkathi lapho amavidiyo abambisene base-US enza ubugebengu bempi etholakala kalula ku-Twitter noma ku-Instagram, akekho ongathi akazi ukuthi izikhali ezenziwe e-US zisetshenziselwa ukwenzani umhlaba wonke.
NjengamaMelika, kunezinyathelo ezibalulekile okufanele zithathwe. Ingabe sizimisele ukubeka imizamo yethu ekuguquleni inqubo yokuthengiswa kwezikhali ukuze ifake obala okwengeziwe nokuziphendulela? Ingabe sizimisele ukusebenzisa eyethu imithetho? Okubaluleke nakakhulu: ingabe sizimisele ukubeka imizamo yethu ekuguquleni kakhulu umnotho wethu ukuze abazali baseYemeni nasePalestine abafaka lonke uthando ekukhuliseni izingane zabo bangahlali ngokwesaba ukuthi umhlaba wabo wonke ungathathwa ngokuphazima kweso? Njengoba kunje, umnotho wethu uyazuza ngokuthengisela amanye amazwe amathuluzi okucekela phansi. Leyo yinto abantu baseMelika okufanele bayibone futhi babuze ukuthi ikhona yini indlela engcono yokuba yingxenye yomhlaba. Izinyathelo ezilandelayo zabantu abakhathazekile ngalokhu kuthengiswa kwezikhali okusha kwa-Israel kufanele banxuse uMnyango Wezwe futhi bacele amalungu abo eCongress ukuthi ethule umthetho wokuvimba ukuthengiswa.
U-Danaka Katovich ungumxhumanisi womkhankaso e-CODEPINK kanye nomxhumanisi weqembu lentsha lika-CODEPINK i-Peace Collective. UDanaka uthweswe iziqu eDePaul University ngeziqu ze-bachelor in Political Science ngoNovemba 2020 egxile kwezepolitiki yamazwe omhlaba. Kusukela ngo-2018 ubesebenzela ukuqeda ukubamba iqhaza kwe-US empini yaseYemen, egxile emandleni okwenza impi ye-Congressional. Kwa-CODEPINK usebenza ekufinyeleleni kwentsha njengomsizi we-Peace Collective egxile emfundweni emelene nama impiriyali kanye nokweqa.
