Osezakuba nguMongameli weMelika omutsha uMnu Donald Trump ukhethe owake waba lisotsha njalo obengumsakazi kumabonakude weFox News uPete Hegseth ukuthi akhokhele ibutho lalelilizwe, lona elikhulu ukwedlu amabutho wonke emhlabeni jikelele.
Inyathelo leli belingakhangelelwanga ngabanengi. Intathelizindaba yeVOA News eloba ngezamabutho uCarla Babb ulobe udaba olulandelayo.
UPete Hegseth ulibutho elasebenza phansi kogatsha lweArmy National Guard waphiwa izicoco ngemva kokusebenzela emazweni abalisa eIraq, Afghanistan, laseGuantanamo Bay.
Kodwa lumlisa, obengumsakazi kuFox News ekhokhela uhlelo lweFox and Friends, oluphuma ngempelaviki, kakaze asebenze kuhulumende kumbe ahole inhlanganiso enkulu.
Owake wama libutho esesikhundleni sikaRear Admiral uMnu Mark Montgomery, osebenza lenhlanganiso yeFoundation for Defense of Democracies uthi, “Ngibona sengathi lesi yisinqumo esingajwayelekanga. Lo asomsebenzi womuntu oqala ngqo ukuwuphatha. Okukhangelelweyo lapha yikuthi umuntu ophatha lesisikhundla abe ngumuntu oseke wasebenza ngokujulileyo engumkhokheli.”
UHegseth wenyuse ukubonakala kwakhe ngokukhomba inguquko athi iyadingakala kugatsha lukahulumende olubona ngezomvikela, waphikisa njalo inhlelo eziqhutshwa yisigodlo sebutho, iPentagon, eziphansi kwesihloko sokuthi “diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” zona athi ngezabantu abazenza izihlakaniphi.
“Phakathi kwethu njengebutho akulamuntu omnyaka, omhlophe kumbe onsundu. Siluhlaza sonke futhi sopha igazi elibomvu,” kutsho eHegseth ekhuluma emsakazweni weFox News.
“Amandla ethu awekho ekwehlukaneni kwethu, kodwa asekubambaneni kwethu, ekuthandeni kwethu ilizwe lethu lezimuli zethu. Phezu kwakho konke, amandla ethu asekuthandaneni kwethu.”
UHegseth useke watsho njalo ukuthi amabutho esifazana akhutshwe ezikhundleni eziwafaka lapho okulempi khona.
Uthe, “Ngiyatsho njengamanje ukuthi abesifazana akumelanga bathunyelwe ukuyakulwa izimpi. Lokhu akukaze kusisize loba ngayiphi indlela. Okukhona yikuthi kuyagwenxa ibutho lethu ekulweni kwalo.”
Abaphenya ngokusebenza kwebutho baqathanise ukusebenza kwebutho labesilisa kuphela lalelo elixutshaniswe abesilisa labesifazane abasempini phakathi kuka2014 lo2015, bafumana ukuthi ibutho labesilisa liqinile njalo lihamba ngokutshetsha.
Kodwa elihlanganiswe ebesilisa labesifazane yilo elihamba phambili ngobuciko bokuxazulula ingxaki. Ukusebenza ngokuzimisela kutholakale kulingana phakathi kwamabutho womabili.
Umphathintambo webutho uMnu Lloyd Austin wethule amazwi kumabutho esifazana asephethe izikhundla ezitshiyeneyo ngemva kokuvivinywa kwawo ngendlela efana leyamabutho angobaba.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi abesifazana baza lohlonzi olukhulu kubutho leMelika. Siyalidinga, siyalithemba, siyalibonga ngomsebenzi wenu, futhi libambe iqhaza elibalulekileyo kubutho elibukhali ukwedlula wonke amabutho emhlabeni jikelele,” kutsho uAustin.
UTrump usenqome uHegseth, yena owafunda ekolitshini leHavard lelePrinceton, esithi “uqinile, ukhaliphile futhi ukholelwa kakhulu kuzwe leMelika.”
Ngemva kokukhethwa kukaHegseth, kuqhamuke imbiko ephathelane lecala lokuhlukumeza ngokocansi, ake waletheswa ngo2017.
UHegseth wahlawula lowo owayemethesa lelicala. Uthi wenza lokhu esenzela ukuthi engabi ludaba olusegudwini njalo uthi lokho akwenzayo wayevumelene lomamangala.
“Udaba lolu lwaphenywa ngatholakala ngimsulwa.,” kutsho uHegseth. “Yikho kuphela lokho engingakutsho.”
Ukukhethwa kukaHegseth kumele kupasiswe lidale leSenate. Lanxa ibandla lamaRepublicans kuyilo elilawula idale leli futhi likhokhela ngezihlalo ezintathu, ingcwethi zithi lokho akutsho ukuthi iSenate izamamukela uHegseth, ikakhulu nxa kukhangelwa imbono yakhe ngamabutho esifazana, okuyinto esolwa ngabanengi ePhalamende.
“Nxa ngikhangela amaSenators, uyazi, kuloSenator Joni Ernst, owayekubutho walwa impi. Ngiyakholwa ukuthi uzaba lemibuzo kuHegseth mayelana ngemibono yakhe le. Ngakho, ngokubona kwami, kuzaba lobunzima lapha,” kutsho uMontgomery.
Eze engine embusweni okwakuqala, ubudlelwano bukaTrump labaholi bebutho babuhlezi buzamazama bungahambi kuhle. Omunye wabo, owayengunobhala wezomvikela, uMark Esper, uthi uTrump kalungelanga ukuba nguMongameli.
UHegseth ubikwa ekholelwa kuTrump ngokuqinileyo.
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