One piece of clear evidence telling you that it is time for a generational change in Kenyan leadership are the recent proposals by both the incumbent and the other presidential candidates. It is all very well to propose populist measures, but nobody wants to roll up their sleeves and find a creative way of financing them, which in my view is the height of irresponsibility.
You don't come home one day and announce that the family holiday will be in some expensive exotic destination when the family has never even had a holiday before in the first place. And you make this announcement when there has been no increase in the earnings of either yourself or your wife. While you will receive wild cheers from the kids, at the end of the day somebody will have to pay the bills. Either that or something will give somewhere.
Kalonzo Musyoka's tax proposals quite obviously aimed at countering president Kibaki's proposal to scrap secondary school education next year said nothing about how the loss it would cause to the exchequer would be made up for. The big danger here is that with the proposals now flying at voters, there is a real possibility of bankrupting the country (and we have not even factored in corruption because whether you like it or not somebody somewhere will have to put their dirty paws into the treasury cookie jar and steal public funds. It is like a cocaine addiction, they just "got a have" their fix.)
In my other post today I give an example of an idea that can have great impact on the country and yet be self-financing.
Even Raila Odinga's vow that to improve the standards of living of ordinary Kenyans, his three priorities will be infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure, leaves a lot to be desired. We all know that such an undertaking will be terribly expensive, so how is he going to finance it? By taxing the rich more? Fat chance of that being successful because this group will hire tax consultants who will always find a loop hole somewhere that will enable them pay less taxes or simply transfer their parent company to some tax haven. Or simply do what they have always done—bribe the right government officials so that the KRA looks the other way.
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Raila's best campaign for Kibaki
ReplyDeleteStory by PAUL MWANGI
Publication Date: 2007/05/09
President Kibaki’s team of campaigners must have been holding their collective breath with trepidation when Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga’s team assembled to launch his vision last Sunday. The greatest worry must have been that Mr Odinga would launch a vision that would make everyone look like they never went to school.
When the function started, it looked like he might do just that. The pomp was unrivalled. The speeches were equally impressive. The Rev Timothy Njoya set the mood of what was literally an enthronement.
Many of Mr Odinga’s competitors in ODM must have regretted their presence at the ceremony as they had to stand and chant after the Rev Njoya “So be it” as he prayed for Raila’s presidency.
But when the climax came, it aborted because Mr Odinga ended up putting the best case so far why President Kibaki should be voted for a second term.
Firstly, we watched something we have not seen in a long time sycophancy. It was unsettling to see a man drowned in so much praise before the entire nation, and incessantly told how good he has been for us.
For a man applying for a job to be our servant, the ceremony lacked the humility that should go with such a noble intention. I did not see a servant applying for a job, but an emperor in the making.
When Mr Odinga opened his speech, he begun by recounting where we are coming from. That was fine, but that is not the next step for Kenya.
Yes, we have suffered, lost opportunities, and been repressed, but we can’t undo the nation and start it anew. No regime will bring back Pio Gama Pinto, T J Mboya or JM from the dead. They are now good lessons of what we must avoid. They are not our starting point.
He then read a list of things-to-do that sounded like it had been authored by Dr Alfred Mutua.
In a majority of respects, his vision did sound like President Kibaki’s achievements.
IT WAS RIGHT OFF THAT SMALL book Dr Mutua has been distributing. It was roads, hospitals, health, education, expansion of airports, etc. There was nothing so radically different as would have justified him to say that he can deliver Vision 2030 some 10 years earlier.
I compared the suggestions to those of Mr Kalonzo Musyoka’s, and I thought the latter had been more daring.
It was when Mr Odinga departed from the well-written speech that his political character came out. In an off-the-cuff remark, he expressed his admiration for the revered German Chancellor, Otto von Bismark. In short, he told us that Bismark’s is the model he would use to usher us into the Second World.
Now, Bismark achieved an almost impossible feat. He created Germany from several independent empires and developed it into one of Europe’s most powerful countries. But the road was not that rosy, and it was done at a very high cost to Germans and other Europeans.
From the very beginning, Bismark made it very clear that he had no time for democracy. “The great question of the day will not be decided by speeches and resolutions of the majorities but by blood and iron,” he had declared. He waged three wars in eight years, oppressed Catholics, socialists and liberals, and eventually became so unpopular that Kaiser Wilhelm II fired him in 1890.
It is believed that Bismark’s dictatorial domestic policies laid the foundation for the Nazi regime five decades later. He was aptly nicknamed the “Iron Chancellor” for his autocratic method of ruling.
If that is the way Mr Odinga will usher us into the Second World 10 years earlier than when Mr Kibaki has promised, I elect to take my time getting there.
Bismark was possibly good for Germany in the 19th century. But his example cannot be the guiding light of a president wanting to lead us as a democratic nation in the 21st century.
And to crown it all, the ceremony was closed by Raila’s supporters singing that despicable anthem of Kenya’s years of tyranny, “Tawala Kenya Tawala”.
Mr Mwangi is a Nairobi lawyer
Thanks for the opportunity Chris. I hope those bloggers who have been hurling insults will have something worthwhile to say about their preferred candidates and their visions.
ReplyDeleteAfter listeing to Raila's vision and reading your above post, Chris I think you still have not got the gist of what Raila's vision is all about. You seem to imagine Raila's vision is only about rehabilitation and construction of communication infrastructure. On the contrary, Raila's assertion that his three main priorities will be infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure is to be interpreted to mean putting in order basic systems and structures that Kenya needs in order to function properly and generate internal economic growth, eg roads, railways, ICT, banks, legal system, energy, social services, etc. In a nutshell Chris, Raila's priority for infrastructure is broadbased and need not leave a lot to be desired. This will also require, in my opinion, elimination of official corruption and implementation of a new constitution to name but just a few. However, one of the major attractions of Raila's vision is affirmative action, ie. empowerment of women through education and access to finance, and including more importantly sharing out public appointments between men and women on a 50/50 basis, starting with the cabinet. This will be a milestone in Africa and the world. It also tells you that Raila's Vice President, will most certainly be a woman (before implementation of the comprehensive constitutional reforms). What a vision and what a breath fresh air! In addition Chris, the endorsements Raila received from all corners of this country, by all classes of kenyans, not to mention one from Lord Daniel Steel and President Olesugun Obassanjo, speaks volumes about the trust people have placed on this man who has fought for enlargement of democratic space in Kenya for nearly all his adult life!
On the other hand, Kalonzo's / Kibaki's proposals for free / subsidised secondary education are ill advised, populist seeking visions. I say this because, as you rightly point out, we do not have the capacity to finance / implement / sustain it nor have we put the necessary post secondary school infrastructure to absorb all the students, ie jobs, colleges, etc. Kalonzo's tax relief proposals for anyone earning less than 30,000/- is yet another disaster in the making. It is a proposal that is intended to seek votes from the poor and make them pay dearly through high cost of living occassioned by a steep raise in the prices of basic commodities as a result of higher taxation of the rich and manufacturing companies. It also most certainly will promote a class society and increase the gap between the rich and poor. Kalonzo's taxation policy is also directly tied to those of Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi ostensibly to promote the East African Federation. Kalonzo seem to be putting his personal friendship with President Jakaya Kikwete ahead of national sovereignty. What will happen then, if the federation does not materialise as planned or even worse, if the East African community collapses? I may also ask, which endorsements or democracy awards have the likes of Kalonzo or Kibaki received so far?
Lastly Chris, the fact is that ECONOMIC RECOVERY, courtesy of Prof. Peter Anyang Nyongo, is very distinct from self-proclaimations of ECONOMIC GROWTH by the likes of Amos Kimunya and Henry Obwocha. We know other regional countries are doing much much better than us and they are not shouting themselves hoarse from the roof tops.
Chris, these are just my views, and I certainly welcome and I look forward to reading their views on their preferred candidates.
Phil and Chris (Railamaniacs) Objectivity would dictate to you that of the three, Kibaki, Raila and Kalonzo, only Raila's proposals/vision (so far) is populist.
ReplyDeleteI mean Kibaki made it clear that the government will just be offloading the tuition fee payment at a cost of 4.3billion shs. He goes further and calls for a stakeholders conference to discuss modalities of the implementation.
Kalonzo on the other hand gives us a breakdown of his tax measures albeit ridiculous. Now to my brother Tinga/Hummer/Nyundo he says nothing about how these programs will be implemented, maybe he will be taxing the rich and middle classes more. We have no idea of Rile's overall budget, but as usual we have known him to be a populist politician. So guys until I get numbers, and I mean real numbers from Raila, then I'm afraid he will be shouting his voice hoarse.
Well said Phil and if Raila's handlers don't contact for some consultancy then they deserve a huge painful kick. The floodgates for all sort of visions is open and we are alredy consitpated by the wishful list flying in our faces.
ReplyDeleteHow more gullible do we need to be? While some are busy soiling their hands, otherwise are waiting for godot intoning divine intervention to propel them to canaan. Well, in my eyes all these players are the same only their shirts differ in colour. And we all in it ready to shed blood to protect their egos as they ride on our backs with cheap populist slogans. We are stuck in a time warp rulled by dinosaurs whom we shameless tag as geniuses of yore.