By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 2 -- In what must be seen as a failure for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and those who support him, Ban's plan to beginning implementing "change management" without General Assembly approval was resoundingly voted down on Monday night.
After deadlines passed votes were called. The United States proposed a pro-Ban amendment to a resolution introduced by Algeria for the Group of 77. The US amendment lost, with only 47 for, five abstaining and 88 against.
Then US Ambassador Joe Torsella provided to divide Algeria's resolution in two. After much confusion, this too was voted down, with 48 in favor, four abstaining and now 91 against.
Finally, Algeria's resolution which requires Ban to come to the GA was adopted with 93 for, 47 against and give abstaining. Afterward, Torsella said that Ban should not have to come to the General Assembly about his dictat that others fly economy class.
But Ban for example flies in Qatar's fancy jet, disclosed only after Inner City Press repeatedly had to ask. It remains unclear if Ban will disclose when he accepts such gifts, which may present a conflict of interest, from particular member states.
This is the problem with Ban's reforms -- Ban is not reforming, witness the $433 million Capital Master Plan cost overrun under this watch, and he is not transparent. He proposed mobility for others, but kept his friends like Kim Won-soo close at hand by moving them laterally while staying in New York.
Another long time Executive Office of the S-G staffer previously covered, Inner City Press is reliably informed, didn't even want to leave his office on the North Lawn's third floor on April 2, for the short "mobility" move to the so-called Luggage Building. Some reformer. We will have more on this -- watch this site.
The session ended, as before, with Eritrea's Fifth Committee representatives praising the chairman but not the working methods, which he this time called "camping in Occupy Wall Street style in Conference Room 5."
Analysis: Some wonder, how can Ban and UN preach democracy while trying to bypass member states on their often hypocritical or only partially implemented "reform" proposals? The debate demonstrated once again the extent to which Ban is a man, or puppet, of the West.
