| Even
Exposed by Ng Lap Seng
Bribery, UN Reformed Nothing,
Used Security Against Press
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Series,
Video, Reply
UNITED NATIONS,
March 20 – Despite
the UN being exposed
for its
corruption
with Ng Lap
Seng, it
hadn't cleaned
anything up.
I'd seen an
invite to an
auction to be
held in the
UN's Delegates
Dining Room,
the sponsors
of which just
happened to be
the biggest
contractors at
the UN, from
construction
to catering. I
emailed an
RSVP and was
immediately
asked, Why do
you want to
come?
So I
tried to stake
it out. First
there was
another
disarmament
event with
Michael
Douglas. It
was on the
third floor
but when I
tried to go
through the
doors, one of
Ban Ki-moon's
guards blocked
me. “This is
open only for
the Secretary
General,” the
guard told me.
I pulled back
- then saw
another wire
service
journalists
come and and
be shepherded
right through
the door. I
went the long
way around and
started
filming,
starting with
the guard. He
looked
uncomfortable,
glared, called
another guard
over and
pointed at me.
It struck me:
in standing up
for my rights,
I was getting
into more and
more problems
with the
guards. Maybe
this was one
of their
plans, to get
me bound up in
this. These
guards could
write up
reports and
their would be
a full file
against me
when I
re-applied for
accreditation.
Back in 2012
I'd asked for
the right for
all
journalists to
see the files
against them,
but been
denied. The UN
was and is a
joke.
Ban
left directly
from the
disarmament
event for the
other event,
heading first
for a
reception in
what's called
the Qatari
Lounge on the
first floor
facing the
river. I stood
in the hall
outside taking
notes. An
officious
woman with a
clipboard kept
looking at me,
then put her
clipboard
down. It said,
“Qatari
event.” So
Qatar was
involved. I
took out my
phone - I
didn't
live-stream,
seeing where
that had
gotten me, but
saved the
video for
possible later
use. Who were
these
tuxedo-ed
people
traipsing
around the UN?
This was Ban's
UN. And I was
a fly on the
wall, now
pushed out
into the open,
about to be
swatted.
***
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