Some writers and commentators on this blog have asserted that, imperialism as the key factor in the African mess is over rated. We read these prejudices with a lot of amusement. We do so because, many seem not aware, that, the first thing imperialists have done in all ages is to ensure the citizens in the imperial centres and the slaves in the conquered nations are kept stupid and ignorant of the forces at work. This is done through state imposed education, media, religion and state organised pomp. They do this because, they know, majority of humanity abhor slavery. As such, the goal is twofold. Firstly, they ensure no guilty feelings are aroused on the part of imperial citizens by ensuring they never fully realise they are being used to enslave others. Secondly, the enslaved must be kept stupid, distracted and ignorant that, the corruption, impunity and violence they see around them is just the effect and not the cause. As such, to fasten delusions and childish fantasies on the slaves, the imperialists fund projects to fight the effect of that which they engineer. As an example of childish delusions, you may study idlers and noise makers like PLO Lumumba and their parasitic organisation called KACC.
They succeed brilliantly because; they know from psychology and history this. Men appeal not so much to truth itself, but, to the prevalent opinion, and are therefore, disposed to treat whatever stands opposed to it, as necessarily erroneous. The authority, in which men acquiesce, is therefore, that which is present, and to which they have been accustomed to yield assent. Whatever is opposed to this, and separated from it by distance of time or space, has no influence on their judgments. So ignorantly kept, the citizens of the imperial centres who get some crumbs from the table of the imperialists, perpetuate the imperial system by sending well intentioned, but, ill thought aid to the poor slaves of the conquered nations. By doing so, they vainly deceive themselves very good people who care about the poor people.
For the slaves in the conquered nations, they see flags dangling in the air, dogs and soldiers marching on independence days and they vainly imagine they are free. Armed with such false interpretation of what they see, they form the wrong opinion that, to end the rampant corruption, impunity, famines, etc, the present leaders must be replaced by better ones with better morals and values. How the present leaders are bad, who should replace them and how, such nonsense then, as a matter of irrational logic, occupies the minds of slaves every day. To aid in the process of getting better leaders, lawyers like Koki Muli engage in civic education. Needless to say, well funded by the imperialists. To crown this modern circus, the UN and the associated bodies send election observers as we see in Ivory Coast and soon in Libya. This is the prevalent opinion/prejudice, but, is not the truth. In other words, these elections we see around are nothing, but, a modern circus like that of Middle Ages Italians who had annual practice of hurling from top to bottom wagonloads of live hogs for the diversion of the populace.
Now, on 5th May, 2011, two things were reported in our pressitute. The DN informed us that: “EPZ manufacturers to sell products domestically once Bill is passed”. We mentioned these Special EPZs on 13th May, 2010 in our article: EPZs and Modern Slavery: Who Shall Tell Wanjiku the Ugly Truth. The other piece of news was a legal circus on the CJ interviews as we see here.
As one would expect, Kenyans only noticed the useless legal circus led by Mr Abdulahi Ahmednasir. One can understand Kenyans. It is their desire to have a nation where justice flows like the mighty spring. However, Kenyans led by these learned fools, are like a florist, whose desire for the flower as the ultimate product, leads him to neglect the roots and leaves which are intrinsically of greater importance, because, on them, the evolution of the flower depends. In other words, these learned ignorant lawyers, have never bothered to reflect, is it rational to expect a good judicial system in a nation of serfs? Woe unto you lawyers!
From the EPZ report, we are told that, when this law is passed, those who operate in the EPZ’s will be allowed to sell their products locally. This, we are told by Mr Mathenge Wanderi, the EPZ Chairman “during a workshop in Kwale to sensitise local residents on EPZ opportunities in the region.” It is when you read such statements, you are forced to recall Jesus saying, forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. Reading further, we hear that, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers is against this idea for it will favour EPZ manufacturers at the expense of other normal manufacturers. Let us first note this. The EPZ idea is from the World Bank and associated bodies. We agree with KAM. However, we go further to demonstrate imperialist destructive genius at work.
Firstly, when we set EPZ’s, we exempt the manufacturers located there, from a lot of taxes/robbery. That is fine. However, these EPZ people require some common services such as security and good roads. More so, since most of the manufacturers in the EPZ’s are foreigners, they are paid abroad by those they manufacture for. This means therefore, may be only about 10% of the sums involved per each product is ever seen in Kenya. If this is the case, we ask, who funds the common services these manufacturers expect? The answer is simple. The local manufacturers and their employees. In other words, through these EPZ’s, imposed on us by our friends, the poor of the poor of this earth, subsidise the mega corporations which are the buyers of the EPZ’s products. As if this was not enough, now, the plan is to have tax free manufactures compete with those who subsidise them.
And, by the way, why do we need these slave enclaves called the EPZs in the first place? The priests tell us that, we need them, so as to raise foreign currency. Why do we need so much of these foreign papers? They tell us, to pay debts and pay for our imports. How do we incur these debts? Well, we incur them to enlarge our slums as we read here: “World Bank approves Sh8.4 billion for infrastructure upgrade”. In other words, to connect our own labour with our own soil, we need dollars. Translated. Americans get a chance to export their engineering and capital goods. As a consequence, when we get dollars from our coffee, instead of using it to buy industrial goods to modernise our economy and thereby, ensure the necessary social political reforms which must follow such modernisation, we hand over the same to the West and keep on importing that we can make ourselves. Why do they do this? The imperialist know that, by importing raw materials worthy $ 20 billion, they can turn the same into $ 200 billion. At the same time, our slums as planned by the WB would have expanded for more loans in the future.
Even worse, when we incur these foreign denominated debts, we are further pushed into more EPZs and cash crop farming at the expense of food crops. Therein, by utilising our best soils for export oriented agriculture, we find ourselves starving every year. Now, to solve these problems, Professor Calestous Juma has come with a new formula in his new book: The New Harvest. As one would expect, of a mis – educated African, in the service of the Empire, he presented his findings to the gullible African leaders. Well, we have news for Professor Juma. The imperialists have already decided to saddle Africans with more debts. Now, using Juma’s book as authority, expect more debts which are nothing, but, alienation of future African labour, i.e. capitalising the blood of the unborn. In other words, Juma is just another African Trojan horse. The problem is that, when these debts come due, Juma will be long gone and the Africans slaves who will bear the brunt of the same, will be distracted with usual nonsense like elections, new constitutions etc. You can see the interview of this African Trojan horse here.
Why this is going on, you may ask. Simple, because, in our childish ignorance, we have accepted it. You may ask, how? As an example, study Articles 36, 46, 46A and 47 of The Central Bank of Kenya Act and Article 231 of your wonderful new constitution. You may protest that, the matters discussed therein, are too technical. We ask, didn’t Koki Muli conduct civic education to you? Should you continue to inquire, we shall tell you that, universal suffrage assumes you have the relevant information to be a citizen. You may not know it, but, these few lines, there lies the summation of imperialist’s experience of the last 6000 years. If you do not understand that, then, remember this warning: “Voting - The Modern Opium of the People”.
In the same article, we read this: “Due to stiff competition from Asian countries for foreign markets and high production costs in the country especially on electricity, most manufacturers operating in the EPZ framework have closed down.” Why is this happening Mr World Bank? This is the deal. On 14th April, 2011, it was foolishly reported by our empty heads that: “Lots of hope in Makueni as techno city gets off the ground”. Among other things, you will notice these words: “The government signed a contract with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the transactional advisors for the $10 billion project in October 2009.” Also, so innocently, you will read these words: “... India is a world leader in technology today. Egypt’s similar project, known Smart Village, hosts 120 companies and 20,000 professionals. Cairo expects to increase the tally to 500 companies and 100,000 professionals by 2012. Kenya’s project in Makueni involves massive infrastructure upgrade including the development of a high speed railway system.”
Translated. The IFC, as an imperial economic strategy, is giving loans to numerous 3rd world countries to set SIMILAR projects. Do you think they can fund different BMW car manufacturing in 20 countries? Never. They will even bomb such factories were they to appear. Once these projects come online at the same time, they will be competing to sell the same standardised product to the same market. Therefore, the price offerings must be lowered so as to compete by all these nations. This will be the same with the agricultural loans the African Trojan is bringing. So many evil consequences, unseen now, will flow from this.
Firstly, we will be left with debts we are unable to pay. So as to pay these debts, we will be advised by the IMF, World Bank/IFC, to sell our Mombasa port as an example. The same bodies will buy the same on credit. That time, the operative word will be efficiency. Also, given the stiff competition, the operators will have no choice, but, to offer serfdom wages. Now, factor this “The government has started building a perimeter wall around the 5,000-acre land meant for the project, triggering a rush for plots in its environs.”
Translated. Rents shall be high enough, to absorb any surplus the serfs may get and thereby, reduce them to total slavery which ensures we never build internal market so that, we remain dependent on external markets. We mentioned this issue several times, so, we just cite one article: “Nyanza To Be Double Taxed Under The New Constitution”.
Now, in a nation of slave wages, we are told by the charlatans calling themselves learned friends that, Kenyans are “committed to nurturing and protecting the well - being of the individual, the family, communities and the nation.” For these empty and foolish words, see the Preamble of the New Constitution. If you have time to waste seeing a flower without roots and leaves, you may read the empty Bill of Rights in Chapter Four of the new wonderful constitution. Just to make your life easier, we mention Article 30 where we find that: “A person shall not be held in slavery or servitude.” They forgot to write, “Except where such person is employed at slavish terms at the Special EPZs.” Also, in Article 41 (2) we read that, “Every worker has the right - (a) fair remuneration.” They forgot to write, coming from the sky like manna. These empty heads, paid millions for nothing, lie to themselves that, legislation can add to man new powers. They may as well make laws to affect movements of the planets. However, do not worry, these same lawyers, will form the NGO’s funded by the imperialists to agitate for better pay from the evil manufacturers and stir imaginary conflicts between labour and capital so as to throw dust into the eyes of mankind.
And, we are not yet done. Without entering into complexities of the EPZ’s, we just note this. The EPZ’s are borne out of functional analysis of the kinds of activities a factory performs. In other words, the rewards due to any factory/business activity are dependent on the functions, risks and intellectual property it controls. From this, there flow very evil consequences. For instance, the outsourced parts are mostly low – end activities which are subject to constant or negative returns to scale and have very limited scope for learning. Consequently then, the rewards for the kind of economic activities are very low. In other words, Kenya like all African countries is now locked into a Malthusian trap whereby, due to vaccines, good health etc, while our population is expanding without any significant increase in productivity. This lowers the living standards back to the subsistence level. This being the case, we find ourselves locked into a zero sum society whereby, the elite circulation is, and can only be based on static rent seeking rather than, dynamic rents which come from serious industrial activities.
This being the case, we have a system whereby, personal wealth must come as a matter of LOGIC and HISTORICAL evidence:
(a) from siphoning rents from raw material extraction,
(b) from international aid industry which clouds rent seeking in the industrial activities.
This then, leads to corruption as an inevitable, integral and NECESSARY part of the African economies. From this, just like the pre – industrial societies, we are now locked into cyclical sequence of tribal wars with each tribe trying to secure the static and non – productive rents that accrue to the capital or major towns. Now, with increased taxation and destitution that must follow the implementation of the new law, you can expect things to unravel even faster. The question is, why did Kenyans fail so miserably? We find the answer in the words of a famous historian that:
“... to comprehend this important truth, let us attempt, in an improved society, to calculate the immense distance between the man of learning and the illiterate peasant. The former, by reading and reflection, multiplies his own experience, and lives in distant ages and remote countries; whilst the latter, rooted to a single spot, and confined to a few years of existence, surpasses but very little his fellow – labourer the ox in the exercise of his mental faculties.”
In summary therefore, the catastrophic failure by Kenyans to understand their own minds and their own society is an indictment of the whole education system which emphasises mere knowledge and not understanding. For instance, if the designers of this new law were truly men and women of learning, they would have been instructed by these words:
“The decay of the great industrial and commercial towns also brought poverty upon the whole Greece: agricultural work proved unprofitable, and the artisans could find no employment in the secondary towns, yet at the same time, as in great and small republics, the peasants flocked to the towns from the most distant parts of the country and abandoned the country as the nation grew poorer. The vices attendant upon wealth, luxury, the thirst for pleasure, avarice, the gambling spirit, municipal pride and intrigue, far from disappearing, continued to develop with increasing force. By degrees, large estates worked slaves or lands entirely deserted had replaced districts formerly populous, while in towns art languished and morals deteriorated, in spite of the most desperate efforts. Want and corruption, walking, as usual, hand in hand, entered the palace of the noble, the house of the merchant and the humble dwelling of the peasant.”
In the end, when we analyse the new constitution, we can only observe that, it is impossible to design a more unjust and absurd constitution than that which condemns Kenyans/Africans to perpetual servitude under the arbitrary dominion of strangers. Yes, servitude, corruption, fraud and violence propped by Law and Order that our new CJ shall administer. This must be so because, without material abundance, which we have abandoned, the most valiant and heroic strivings shall be in vain. It is so because, wealth underlies all civilization and ultimately, therefore, to a large extent both knowledge and religion. It may be among the lowest, but, is also the first step towards social worth and national strength. We need not value material wealth for that which it is in itself, but, for that to which it can be made to minister. As such, from it, we derive all intellectual, social and religious advantages. Anyway, as a poet wrote:
Wherefore feed, and clothe, and save,
From the cradle to the grave,
Those ungrateful drones who would
Drain your sweat – nay, drink your blood!
The seed ye sow another reaps;
The wealth ye find another keeps;
The robes ye weave another wears;
The arms ye forge another bears.
Sow seed – but let no tyrant reap;
Find wealth – let no impostor heap;
Weave robes – let not the idle wear;
Forge arms, in your defence to bear.
Rise, like lions after slumber,
In unvanguishable number!
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep has fallen on you!
Ye are many – they are few.
