By Mwarang'ethe
On 15 January, 1759, Voltaire started distributing his book, Candide or Optimism. It was a chronicle of journey of young Candide who had left home involuntarily (like the African Diaspora) to experience the world he had been taught by the wise professor Pangloss, he the teacher of 'meta-physico-theologico-cosmo-codology, believed to be "best of all possible worlds." Instead of finding wondrous world that professor Pangloss had taught him, he encountered a murderous world of poverty, marauding armies, religious wars in a world where his fiancé, the lovely Cunegonde was cut open by soldiers after they had raped her before selling her into slavery. All while, Pangloss continued to preach that, this was the 'best of all possible worlds.' This led Candide to inquire, 'if this is the best of all possible worlds, then what the others must be like?' Through this book, he sought to emancipate Europe from the mental slavery imposed by wise professor Pangloss.
Likewise, today, the managers of the "global political economy" are in the grip of a similar and very disastrous optimism of the "globalisation" of the economy. This calls for an urgent need to emancipate the masses from today's Panglossian economic theory which is based on arbitrary assumptions and metaphors from physics and astronomy. No doubt, we have all heard the benefits of the so called globalization. In this article, we shall lay bare the real meaning of so called globalization in a way that many will be shocked. The reader will be left with no doubt that, slavery that we are taught was abolished is thriving in the 21st Century and more so, in our own nation.
Let us begin with what is familiar. The first is the NTV's video on Kenya, entitled "Taxation Burden". In this video, a number of things are to be noted. There is Mr Atwoli crying for more pay, the Kenyan women who we are told will be emancipated by the Affirmative Action provided in the new constitution toiling at our Export Promotion Zones (EPZ’s) where they make clothes for the children of a higher god on slavery wages and then wait for these the same clothes to come back as mitumba. They do this hoping for better pay one day as Kara Wainana ignorantly tells a vanquished nation whose elite and the masses are unable to pierce through this Matrix. We also have the FKE (includes owners of textile factories at the EPZ) saying these wages are sufficient given the "low inflation" brought by the “wise governance” of Kibaki and Raila these days.
Then we have the government of Kibaki, Raila, Kalonzo, Uhuru, Musalia the present and the future "leaders" who are all committed to this ECONOMIC GENOCIDE. In this kind of economy, with a stone face, they tell us that, since a master of universe in the Wall Street who is doing God's work spends 35% of his unearned huge income on food; Wanjiku in Kibera does the same. In truth, Wanjiku spends over 60% of her meagre income on food. Where do we get these statistics from? Well, it is here: "About 40 to 70 per cent of household expenditure in the Comesa region accounts for purchases of domestic food," said Dr. Kalibata. Who is Dr. Kalibata? She is the Rwandese Agriculture Minister. Where was she saying this? At an expert’s two-day workshop on food prices in the Comesa bloc, in Kigali, Rwanda. When was this? In early May, 2010. See the full story here: "Kenya cited as case study at food price talks".
So by Kibaki, Raila, Kalonzo, Uhuru, Musalia making inflation seem low when it is not in reality, the Wanjiku's wages can be suppressed further down "scientifically." With suppression of Wanjiku's income a mission accomplished, it is time to invite the foreign infestors into this paradise where Hakuna Matata, with their free dollars from the FED into our EPZ's. If you ask these "leaders" why we must sell our souls to get these dollars, they will tell you with a stone face that, "we need the mighty dollars so to pay for foreign mortgage loans denominated in dollars which are incurring to buy stones and sand produced in Mbeere to build houses in Korogocho and the dollars we must borrow from the WB so as to create temporary jobs for our young people." (Forget Class Wars, Its Economic Coup d'e'tat , also see "World Bank’s Sh12bn boost for jobs").
If you doubt these "leaders" commitments to this ECONOMIC GENOCIDE you need to read this: "Kenya to roll out special trade zones in six months". The word special here means two things. No tax for foreign infestors and even lower wages for Wanjiku. In other words, more exploitative trade zones in a casino state. Nothing surprising here though. During the Vietnam war, spokespersons for the National Liberation Front coined the phrase "country-selling governments", to describe the series of governments headed by former French mercenary officers like Marshal Ky and General Thieu, put in place by the United States, who were willing to participate in the destruction of their country on behalf of the United States in order to "save it" from communist control. We also heard Clinton call Suharto who was a ruthless dictator, a grand larcenist and a mass killer with as many victims as Cambodia's Pol Pot, "our kind of guy." Even Pol Pot was their kind of a guy who only continued from where Kissinger had left.
Before we embark on full analysis, please watch these videos interviews by an Haitian trade unionist entitled: "US military enforces attacks on Haitian unions", also here and here . Once you watch the Haitian video, please watch this about USA and especially the first part.
So, what do we make of all disjointed information? The best way to understand what is going on is to draw a triangle like that of the Atlantic Slave Trade only this time, they see no need for putting us into slave ships. In one corner of the triangle, put the USA. The other corner put Switzerland. On the third corner, put Haiti, that African nation which the ministers of propaganda of this Babylonian system label the "poorest nation on the Western hemisphere." Translated, Africans are poor wherever they find themselves. We shall not dwell on the tragic and heart wrenching history of this nation. We only note in passing that, Haiti never had a chance. It has been treated as a standing threat since its revolution in 1804. How could these Africans challenge the powers that be? First, they had to compensate France for loss of their "property," i.e. slaves. In other words, France owes Haiti around $ 20 billion today.
Having been milked dry to "compensate" the vampire, so as to be “recognised” by France with USA flatly refusing to recognise the first nation to end slavery, it had to be crushed and therefore, real democracy was never to be permitted to it. For instance, since the 1980s, its leading democratic leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was twice removed from his democratic office by the United States. When he came back to power in 1994, it was under the most benighted conditions, these set by the Clinton White House and Wall Street. They wanted Haiti to become a maquiladora, not a country. Today, the Haiti’s debt has spiralled out of control. One Trinidadian intellectual summarised this tragedy in simple words: "The transformation of slaves, trembling in hundreds before a single white man, into a people able to organize themselves and defeat the most powerful European nations of their day is one of the great epics of revolutionary struggle and achievement," Thus, the transformation of that achievement into a nation riven by political violence, ravaged by Aids and devastated by poverty is a tragedy of epic proportions. You may remove word Haiti and put Kenya or any other African nation and the story would be the same.
Before we go further, let us mention something economists call division of labour. When Adam Smith talked about division of labour, he not only talked about it in terms of job specialization, but, also crucially, in terms of productive labour and unproductive labour. However, today, as part of obfuscation of the reality, economists are not taught to see some jobs as productive while others as unproductive. Consequently, as long as labour is employed and there is a buyer for its products or services, such a labour, to a modern brainwashed idiot calling himself an economist one is employed productively. However, in this small intellectual deceit, lies the tragedy of the 21st Century.
Let us now proceed to show the division of labour in our wonderful globalised world of professor Pangloss who tells us that, the world is flat. To do so, we take the case of American baseball which are made in Haiti. In the "study" of economics and MBA's to manage EPZ's, we are taught (read brainwashed) that nations should rely on the comparative advantage in the "free trade" we have in international trade today. Let us follow this theory and see where we end up. The most efficient producers of American baseballs are the Haitians, Honduras and Costa Rica people. The baseballs are still hand sewn as they were when they were invented since engineers have been unable to mechanise the work. The Haitians who work on these balls earn around 30 cents an hour and in mid - 1990's was around 14 cents an hour. Every baseball is stitched by hand 108 stitches. Each worker is able to make 4 baseballs per hour and they do it with the precision requirements of a machine - made product. When President Jean Aristide tried to raise these wages to $ 50 cents per hour, he was removed from power. Then, much of this production was moved to Honduras and Costa Rica where the pay is about $ 1 per hour. Here is something to note.
For Haiti to attract these jobs back, i.e. be competitive, it must lower its wages and expand the freedom to poison its Lake Naivasha so as to grow flowers for Western "lovers". For how to do this, Kibaki, Raila, Uhuru, Kalonzo's government can offer consultancy services on setting special EPZ's and the AGOA which Mrs Clinton came to celebrate with us the other day in Nairobi. However, note the definition of OECD's competitiveness is this. To the OECD, a nation's competitiveness is TO RAISE REAL WAGES while still remaining competitive on the world market. So, on the Haitian corner, put $ 30 cents per hour. When these balls reach the USA, they retail at around $ 15 each. So, on the USA corner, put $ 15.
However, there is more. As opposed to baseballs, golf balls are high - tech products and which America dominates. Please note this. In the golf balls production, research and development plays a major role in production and in spite of high labour costs of about $ 14 - 16 an hour, these costs only represent 15% of the production costs. Given such low labour costs and thereby, low impact on total production costs, and the need for qualified labour, engineers and specialised suppliers, it becomes difficult to move production to low wages nations like Haiti. The differing wage levels in these two industrial sectors, i.e. baseball and golf ball manufacturers are a result of uneven technological development.
This brings us to the comparative advantage theory. The poverty in Haiti and the wealth in the USA are, for both countries, simultaneously a cause of and a result of the choice of what they produce. In other words, Haiti has specialised in useless productive sector and thereby, "made the choice" of being poor and ignorant. Mr market in a ruthless way, has chosen to reward the most efficient producer of golf balls with an income of $ 16 while rewarding the most efficient producer of baseballs with mere $ 30 cents an hour. This means that, an Haitian must work more than 25 hours to buy what an American makes in 1 hr while an American need only work 1 hr. to buy what an Haitian must toil for over 25 hrs. What do you call this? Wealth appropriation by means of unequal trade. Does the USA viceroy in Kenya tell you this? No, no. He talks about African corruption and why we must end it to develop. Since they control what we think, we say, yes. In other words, they say jump, and we jump and then while in the sky we ask, how high Sir? They even bring the Transparency International to brainwash us. They LIE my brothers and sisters to hide the truth.
So, what about that corner for Switzerland? This is where it gets really interesting. What happens is this. The owner of the baseball manufacturing company sets an offshore company here. This offshore company owns all intellectual property for his business. This is crucial because, IPRs is the major component in capitalistic system. With his IPRs here, this offshore corporation contracts with a manufacturer in Haiti to do the bare minimum in Haiti whereby, the Haitian guys takes no risks, owns no IP etc. Now, under contract law (they never teach these stuff in law schools), payment is determined by how much risk, task one undertakes or how much IPRs one owns. Since the Haitian manufacturer does the bare minimum, he gets paid very little. This explains why the EPZ guys cannot afford to pay the Kenyan women even if Atwoli cries blood.
Also, the Haitian state can collect very little tax in such an arrangement. Having been unable to collect enough tax on work that is done on its soil through low pay and tax breaks for foreign infestors, the Haiti/Kenya government must turn to the gods of money at the IMF and WB. And, for these gods at the IMF and WB to hear our prayers for mighty dollar, they demand as a sacrifice, more special trade zones like the ones Kibaki and Raila are introducing. In other words, we lower wages, remove taxes on the foreign infestors while increasing tax on our nurses and doctors who must then move to the USA etc (did some foolish guy ask why Africans in the Diaspora attack their hosts? We hope he is now better informed). In other words, money from "rich world" and the poor from the South pass each other in the night. When money arrives, it is greeted on our shores with kisses, flowers and fanfare as the messiahs of progress. However, in contrast, many Africans sink with their boats as they try to enter Italy. What a contrast?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Karanja Gatiba’s sudden death: Could there be foul play?
Kumekucha Exclusive
Even as we await the results of the post mortem carried out by the government pathologist on the late CID chief, Gatiba Karanja investigations by Kumekucha have unearthed some interesting information.
Gatiba was the first CID chief in Kenya to die while still in office and this has raised a lot of speculation and suspicion amongst many. Some Kumekucha writers have even suggested that the man was a threat to the powers that be. This suggestion is laughable when you consider the facts.
Gatiba Karanja was such a stooge and he was a mere figure-head in CID that he “virtually disappeared” while in office and very few people were even aware of who the CID chief was. This is in sharp contrast to some of his very high profile predecessors.
Part of the reason for this is President Kibaki’s management style where he deals directly with the police commissioner and has no time for his underlings like the CID chief. President Moi in sharp contrast always had a very close working relationship with his CID chief so much so that many times when he fired the police commissioner, the CID chief would always remain in office. It is highly unlikely that Gatiba met Kibaki in person more than once. His predecessor Joseph Kamau met Kibaki only twice and they never had a single telephone conversation during his entire time in office.
If there was anybody to be eliminated in connection to the post election violence troubles then it can only be people like Maj Gen Ali who still hold many of Kibaki’s dark secrets.
So what may have caused Gatiba’s sudden death? Investigations by this blogger reveal that the former CID chief has been dogged by poor health for a number of years now. One of his main ailments has been high blood pressure. Despite this problem, those close to him have revealed some very disturbing news. That Gatiba was using some sexual performance enhacing drugs like Viagra and others to help with erectile dysfunction problems that are usually common with men who reach his age. He was 56 years old. Using these kind of drugs when one has high blood pressure is usually extremely dangerous and can easily lead to a heart attack. To make matters worse the late Gatiba had two wives.
Interestingly the first reports on his death indicated that when he was woken up in the morning he failed to wake up. A heart attack in the night before could have been the cause of death in such a scenario. Strangely this initial report was later changed to state that he developed breathing problems in the morning and was then rushed to hospital.
It is important to remember that nothing conclusive can be stated at this point about his cause of death until we have the results of the post mortem which are expected to be released today. My sources on the ground have assured me that I will have the report as soon as it is released to the press. But at this point the information I have seems to rule out any possibility of foul play.
Even as we await the results of the post mortem carried out by the government pathologist on the late CID chief, Gatiba Karanja investigations by Kumekucha have unearthed some interesting information.
Gatiba was the first CID chief in Kenya to die while still in office and this has raised a lot of speculation and suspicion amongst many. Some Kumekucha writers have even suggested that the man was a threat to the powers that be. This suggestion is laughable when you consider the facts.
Gatiba Karanja was such a stooge and he was a mere figure-head in CID that he “virtually disappeared” while in office and very few people were even aware of who the CID chief was. This is in sharp contrast to some of his very high profile predecessors.
Part of the reason for this is President Kibaki’s management style where he deals directly with the police commissioner and has no time for his underlings like the CID chief. President Moi in sharp contrast always had a very close working relationship with his CID chief so much so that many times when he fired the police commissioner, the CID chief would always remain in office. It is highly unlikely that Gatiba met Kibaki in person more than once. His predecessor Joseph Kamau met Kibaki only twice and they never had a single telephone conversation during his entire time in office.
If there was anybody to be eliminated in connection to the post election violence troubles then it can only be people like Maj Gen Ali who still hold many of Kibaki’s dark secrets.
So what may have caused Gatiba’s sudden death? Investigations by this blogger reveal that the former CID chief has been dogged by poor health for a number of years now. One of his main ailments has been high blood pressure. Despite this problem, those close to him have revealed some very disturbing news. That Gatiba was using some sexual performance enhacing drugs like Viagra and others to help with erectile dysfunction problems that are usually common with men who reach his age. He was 56 years old. Using these kind of drugs when one has high blood pressure is usually extremely dangerous and can easily lead to a heart attack. To make matters worse the late Gatiba had two wives.
Interestingly the first reports on his death indicated that when he was woken up in the morning he failed to wake up. A heart attack in the night before could have been the cause of death in such a scenario. Strangely this initial report was later changed to state that he developed breathing problems in the morning and was then rushed to hospital.
It is important to remember that nothing conclusive can be stated at this point about his cause of death until we have the results of the post mortem which are expected to be released today. My sources on the ground have assured me that I will have the report as soon as it is released to the press. But at this point the information I have seems to rule out any possibility of foul play.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Kalonzo Musyoka’s Yes-No-No-Yes-stance on the draft constitution
As Kumekucha celebrates 5th brithday
On Saturday 8th May 2010, Kumekucha quietly celebrated its’ 5th birthday.
It was a day for quiet reflection but I got the time to do a post based on an intensive survey I have been doing over the last two weeks or so.
I never started this blog for any accolades or recognition. I was just very focused on the mission to help bring about change in my beloved Kenya. It was not important to me if any credit was ever going to be given to Kumekucha. I am happy to report that if I were to shut down this blog now, it will have helped accomplished much more than I ever thought it would. Kenya has changed forever and is also on the threshold of enormous changes. The job is almost done and it is not important how small or big a role Kumekucha played. What is terribly important is that change has come and more change is coming.
The best way to illustrate how these sudden people-driven changes have caught politicians with their pants down is to carefully consider two individuals and their stance on the new constitution. Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka has been dubbed the Yes-No-No-Yes man. Uhuru Kenyatta’s stance on the draft constitution is No, Yes, No, Yes. Very funny but also very true. The indecision in both is very selfish.
Mr Musyoka hates the fact that a victory for yes would result in PM Raila Odinga upstaging him politically. And so he had to attract attention to himself with his Yes but… stance. The motives are even more selfish for Uhuru Kenyatta. His electorate is itching to crucify anybody who dares oppose a new constitution but on the other hand is his vast family wealth mainly based on massive tracts of land grabbed by his late father Jomo Kenyatta. If the draft constitution were to be enacted, it will almost certainly mean that the family fortune will be wiped out literally overnight.
Kalonzo Musyoka is also shrewd enough to realize that the new political order brought about by a new constitution will mean that the highest political office he will ever hold will be that of Vice President. His dreams of being mtukufu rais will fade into the sunset with the old constitution. Fascinatingly and eeringly too, the old constitution seemed to have greatly favoured cowards for the presidency (read my book Dark secrets of the Kenyan presidency and you will be amazed) and that is why Jomo Kenyatta became president rather than General Dedan Kimathi and Daniel Moi rather than J.M. Kariuki or Tom Mboya. And Kibaki rather than Ken Matiba or Charles Rubia. And therefore chances were that Kalonzo Musyoka or Uhuru Kenyatta would have ended up as president rather than Raila Odinga or William Ruto. I have used those names just as examples and nobody should interpret it as my preference for any of those individuals to be president.
My point is that now with a new constitution, Kenya will have a truly new dawn where I see the new political faces being totally unrecognizable for those used to the old order of things.
It was a day for quiet reflection but I got the time to do a post based on an intensive survey I have been doing over the last two weeks or so.
I never started this blog for any accolades or recognition. I was just very focused on the mission to help bring about change in my beloved Kenya. It was not important to me if any credit was ever going to be given to Kumekucha. I am happy to report that if I were to shut down this blog now, it will have helped accomplished much more than I ever thought it would. Kenya has changed forever and is also on the threshold of enormous changes. The job is almost done and it is not important how small or big a role Kumekucha played. What is terribly important is that change has come and more change is coming.
The best way to illustrate how these sudden people-driven changes have caught politicians with their pants down is to carefully consider two individuals and their stance on the new constitution. Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka has been dubbed the Yes-No-No-Yes man. Uhuru Kenyatta’s stance on the draft constitution is No, Yes, No, Yes. Very funny but also very true. The indecision in both is very selfish.
Mr Musyoka hates the fact that a victory for yes would result in PM Raila Odinga upstaging him politically. And so he had to attract attention to himself with his Yes but… stance. The motives are even more selfish for Uhuru Kenyatta. His electorate is itching to crucify anybody who dares oppose a new constitution but on the other hand is his vast family wealth mainly based on massive tracts of land grabbed by his late father Jomo Kenyatta. If the draft constitution were to be enacted, it will almost certainly mean that the family fortune will be wiped out literally overnight.
Kalonzo Musyoka is also shrewd enough to realize that the new political order brought about by a new constitution will mean that the highest political office he will ever hold will be that of Vice President. His dreams of being mtukufu rais will fade into the sunset with the old constitution. Fascinatingly and eeringly too, the old constitution seemed to have greatly favoured cowards for the presidency (read my book Dark secrets of the Kenyan presidency and you will be amazed) and that is why Jomo Kenyatta became president rather than General Dedan Kimathi and Daniel Moi rather than J.M. Kariuki or Tom Mboya. And Kibaki rather than Ken Matiba or Charles Rubia. And therefore chances were that Kalonzo Musyoka or Uhuru Kenyatta would have ended up as president rather than Raila Odinga or William Ruto. I have used those names just as examples and nobody should interpret it as my preference for any of those individuals to be president.
My point is that now with a new constitution, Kenya will have a truly new dawn where I see the new political faces being totally unrecognizable for those used to the old order of things.
Grim Reaper: CID Boss Gatiba Karanja's Dead
Kenya has lost her top sleuth. CID boss Simon Gatiba Karanja reportedly died at Thika Nursing Home where he was rushed by family members. And what a great loss to the country for a man who headed such a sensitive position during the dark 2007/8 PEV period?
Already speculation galore of how a top policeman would just collapse and die like that. Spice it with the speculation that Gatiba and Iteere were to have a date with ICC's Ocampo later in the day and the mix becomes so lethal. While that is typical Kenyans' cynicism about such high profile deaths, one cannot fail to recall the mysterious death of former police commissioner Philip Kilonzo.
Kilonzo reigned during the late Ouko's murder investigation just like Karanja did over the PEV. Granted, he must have been privy to very sensitive information. The suspicion is even compounded more with Karanja's death coming hot in the heels of former AP deputy boss leaving the country for Germany fearing for his life.
For now Karanja's family needs all the comforting words with the hope that his death was a natural one. At 56, such sudden calamities are rare but who knows? Maybe a policeman's physical fitness exponentially deteriorates as he climbs the ladder in the force hence the ill health.
Already speculation galore of how a top policeman would just collapse and die like that. Spice it with the speculation that Gatiba and Iteere were to have a date with ICC's Ocampo later in the day and the mix becomes so lethal. While that is typical Kenyans' cynicism about such high profile deaths, one cannot fail to recall the mysterious death of former police commissioner Philip Kilonzo.
Kilonzo reigned during the late Ouko's murder investigation just like Karanja did over the PEV. Granted, he must have been privy to very sensitive information. The suspicion is even compounded more with Karanja's death coming hot in the heels of former AP deputy boss leaving the country for Germany fearing for his life.
For now Karanja's family needs all the comforting words with the hope that his death was a natural one. At 56, such sudden calamities are rare but who knows? Maybe a policeman's physical fitness exponentially deteriorates as he climbs the ladder in the force hence the ill health.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Kumekucha survey: How Kenyans will vote in the referendum
In the last referendum in 2005, Kumekucha was a very new blog and I must admit that I was pretty inexperienced. The result is that I predicted a win then for the yes camp after a very brief poll across only 3 provinces. That mistake still haunts me to this day.
And so this time I was taking no chances. When I started out, surveying Kenyans all over the country, the initial impression was that the vote was going to be pretty close, though still in favour of YES. Mainly because of the voter registration. It emerged that many of those in the “No” camp were much more passionate and had registered to vote in the referendum. Many of those loudly announcing that they would vote YES had not registered as voters and had no intention of doing so. I suspected that the churches were doing a good job getting their followers to register to defeat the Kadhi courts draft constitution.
However the situation quickly changed. The most stunning realization was just how much more aware the Kenyan voting public is today. They are pretty difficult to mislead. Folks I was absolutely amazed. Those politicians spreading falsehoods should realize that those old tricks are no longer viable with the vast majority of Kenyans.
I can now authoritatively report that the Yes vote will win by a massive landslide. The feeling amongst Kenyans is that the new constitution is much better than the current one because it empowers the ordinary mwananchi much more. Many Kenyans feel that although it is not perfect it is a good beginning in changing Kenya in the right direction. Prepare yourselves for a massive 75% YES vote when the vote is over and the results start coming in.
My heart goes out to the church in Kenya. They have some very legitimate concerns. The problem is that they did not have an effective strategy. The church found itself in the very unfamiliar territory of the new Kenya politics and did not even look for a consultant to advice them accordingly. The feeling was that the same old tricks used during the Moi era of calling press conferences would have the desired effect. It did not. Part of the reason is the massive loss of credibility in the church and its’ leaders after the post election troubles of early 2008 where the church divided Kenyans and helped fan the violence. In fact there is a section in the long KNHRC list of post election violence suspects that is headed “Men of God” and lists a number of ordained church ministers.
But all is not lost (and this is one of the things that I love most about the draft constitution). What the church has to do now is to prepare to oppose the clauses they do not like when the new constitution is enacted. I would advice that they put the abortion clause aside for the time being (besides in my view there is nothing wrong with this clause) and focus on the Kadhi courts. All they need is a million signatures to trigger the process of changing that and when it comes to the referendum they should easily be able to win that one. Although there will be the question of insensitivity against the rights of a minority group, in this case the muslims.
The mood in many parts of Kenya at the moment is the same one you get shortly before a general election when the president has dissolved parliament and called a general election and all that people are waiting for is the election date. Sadly there are many parts of the country where Kenyans feel deeply traumatized as they approach another ballot box situation after the last one caused so much death and suffering. In the last few days I have talked to many Kenyans who lost loved ones and others who described harrowing experiences that they still cannot wipe out of their minds. When you hear a small pop-like explosion inside a burning building, what does the sound mean? It usually means a human stomach exploding as a result of the heat from the flames. I am told it is a terrible haunting sound that can never really leave you.
There is no doubt on my mind that the troubles of 2008 are one of the main catalysts that has helped push for reforms before the next general elections. Had it not happen, it is unlikely that we would now be on the verge of a new constitution. So in a way all those poor Kenyans who died such terrible deaths did not die in vain.
This is a reminder that the price we have paid for this new constitution is way too high. So high that I will not hesitate to vote YES, YES.
Ocampo Jets Straight Into Eye of the Storm
Poor Prof Moreno-Ocampo is landing when the political heat is intensifying just like what generated the near-Armageddon whose mess he is coming to investigate.
But again just like Annan, Ocampo must be warned that Kenya needs no baby-siting. We are sovereign and independent. And who knows, this ICC monster will soon dissolve if Africa's academics and ruling elite have their way in petitioning the UN.
We can handle the bloodshed and don't need ex-UN envoys or non-practicing Argentinian lawyers. Kenya is not a failed state and will never be.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Draft Published: How'd Muge and Okullu Vote?
A country without history is one devoid of a soul. Publication of the draft constitution makes those not-so young Kenyans ask themselves very tough counterfactual (what if) questions. For starters, one is left raking his head which side of the draft divide Alexander Muge and Henry Okulu would support. Well, it is easy to guess but difficult to know.
Only one thing is for sure, these two Anglican firebrands were very brave Kenyans who dared questioned baba na mama when it was treasonable voicing any letters of opposition to the ruling class. But voicing they did and loudly so. They stood their ground no matter the heat from cockerel party and its sycophantic youth wingers.
Granted, Kenya is making history by enacting a constitution in peace time. But how things have changed in the last 20 years from the time Mwai Kibaki was tear-gassed at All Saints Cathedral to Moi now deriding the exercise as academic. The present church has metamorphosed into many shades unlike years gobe by.
Make no mistake, every Kenyan has the right to vote YES or NO otherwise the referendum's democratic creed would be in tatters. The only prayer is that both sides go into the campaign with Kenya elevated above all their political leanings.
A really tall order but never the less mandatory if we are to become civilized citizens who can disagree without necessarily being disagreeable. Shall we?
Only one thing is for sure, these two Anglican firebrands were very brave Kenyans who dared questioned baba na mama when it was treasonable voicing any letters of opposition to the ruling class. But voicing they did and loudly so. They stood their ground no matter the heat from cockerel party and its sycophantic youth wingers.
Granted, Kenya is making history by enacting a constitution in peace time. But how things have changed in the last 20 years from the time Mwai Kibaki was tear-gassed at All Saints Cathedral to Moi now deriding the exercise as academic. The present church has metamorphosed into many shades unlike years gobe by.
Make no mistake, every Kenyan has the right to vote YES or NO otherwise the referendum's democratic creed would be in tatters. The only prayer is that both sides go into the campaign with Kenya elevated above all their political leanings.
A really tall order but never the less mandatory if we are to become civilized citizens who can disagree without necessarily being disagreeable. Shall we?
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Why We Reject the Proposed New Constitution
By Mwarang'ethe
In our considered opinion, what Kenya needs is a document that would establish a Free Enterprise/Market System, which we believe is the Key to Political and Economic Liberty/Prosperity. A Free Market System as we understand it is a governance system tailored to ensure that, those who honestly toil keep the fruits of their toil. The other option is a governance system whereby; we divorce the honest toil from the resultant fruits. This is what we call socialism. Very unfortunate, this draft constitution takes us to socialism route.
A governance system that enshrines the unjust claim of a few on the economic surplus of a nation produced by all through the monopolisation of land is not a Free Market System, but, socialism. A governance system that, legalises a conspiracy between a man decorating himself as a central banker and another calling himself Barclays or Equity to put some ink on a paper and thereby, demand from those who create wealth to part with 15% - 20 % of the wealth they create, in exchange for this useless paper which costs these conspirators cents to produce, is not a Free Markey System, but, socialism. When these two conspirators are not "loaning" Wanjiku their useless paper so as to rob her, the central banker issues another paper he calls a government bond. The conspirator calling himself Equity takes this bond and in return, he gives back the useless paper he originally got from the central banker. In this modern magic, these modern medicine men tell us, the mere mortars, that, this is open market operation. By this abracadabra, they create so called public domestic debt which must be paid with usury. So as to pay back the banker, Wanjiku’s little wealth that was spared by the first ngeta/robbery, must be robbed via taxation. To dare believe that, a document which enshrines such devilish principles of socialism and fascism will emancipate Wanjiku, is the most dangerous delusion we know of.
Firmly believing that the state should and must not be a dispenser of privileges, we propose that, the proposed constitution ought to have been guided by some key principles:
A Free Market System can only be based on acceptance and adherence to the principles of Natural Law and Natural Rights of mankind. In this way, the drafters of this constitution ought to have known and acknowledged that, the preservation of economic and political freedoms can only be founded on the firm belief in God and therefore, the existence of moral law. As Hamilton taught us, "Good and wise men, in all ages, have ... have supposed, that the deity, from the relations, we stand in, to himself and to each other, has constituted an eternal and immutable law, which is, indispensably, obligatory upon all mankind, prior to any human institution whatever."
It is for this reason on the vital land question, we beseeched the drafters of the proposed constitution to expressly state that, land is a God given birthright to all Kenyans. Thus, whenever this sacred right of man is violated, as this document does, we violate Divine and Natural Laws. We blatantly violate this sacred right of mankind because in our arrogance of little education we believe that, the basic principles that governed natural resources/land before the formation of the Kenyan state are dead. This can only be so, if one believes that, the sole objective of the formation of the Kenyan state was to take away this sacred right. On the contrary, the sole purpose of formation of Kenyan state should be the preservation of this sacred right. For those who may dispute this, all we shall ask is the location of the Creator’s land office which has issued right to land to some while denying others. Yes, we may say the colonial state which was formed by evil men, had this single objective in mind. But, was it not the objective of our independence to deny and reject this inequity? If not so, it shall be an admission that, we shed blood not to remove oppression, but, merely to install black oppressors. In simple words, the equal right to land for all that existed before the formation of the Kenyan state, is the appropriate standard to measure the proposed land tenure. On this score, we miserably fail.
We firmly hold the view that, a stable, just; equitable and peaceful nation cannot arise from foundations that negate the Natural Law and Natural Rights of mankind. In this sense, we find ourselves in agreement with Calvin Coolidge who said that, "Men do not make laws. They do but discover them. Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness. That state is most fortunate in its form of government which has the aptest instruments for the discovery of law."
Throughout mankind’s history, with a few exceptions, man has been ruled by the whims of few powerful evil men rather than by the law. Having a written constitution is no guarantee or a sufficient condition to the establishment the rule of law. We argue this because, the validity of our laws cannot merely rest on what law makers decide or the majority may decide is law. The validity of laws must be based or judged on their compatibility with common sense and their ability to safeguard the public interest. The proposed constitution does not meet these two requirements. As such, it cannot be the basis for the rule of law in Kenya required for establishment of Free Enterprise System.
A Free Market System requires virtue, honour, truthfulness, fairness, honesty and self reliance. As we find in the Bible, a false balance is an abomination to the Lord. But a JUST WEIGHT is His delight. You need not believe in the Bible to accept such teachings. Now, in a modern economy, money is the blood of the economy. This being the case, it is not an exaggeration to state that, the most important fundamental law in any nation is that which institutes money; for money governs the distribution of property, and thus affects in a thousand ways the relations of man to man. If wrongly instituted, it cannot be rightly governed by any subsequent laws; and the wrong distribution of property consequent upon it must corrupt society in all its branches.
If this is the case, what do we find in the proposed constitution? In s. 231, we find this: "The [CBK] shall not be under the direction or control of any person or authority in the exercise of its powers or in the performance of its functions." Translated, this means that, the CBK shall not be answerable to the Kenyan people. Therefore, we have surrendered the greatest power, i.e. MONEY as Esau surrendered his birthright. So, who shall it be answerable to then? A brief look at history will tell us.
In 1929, Montagu Norman, then the world’s most influential central banker as the governor of the Bank of England, precipitated the Wall Street stock market crush when he asked the governor of the New York FED, George Harrison to raise U.S. interest rate levels. Since Harrison complied, we witnessed one of the most dramatic financial and economic collapses in the U.S. history in the following months. In 1931, the New York FED governor demanded the German central bank, i.e. Reichsbank headed by Hans Luther to impose rigorous CREDIT AUSTERITY and tightening of the German capital markets so as to "stop foreign capital flight." What ensured was the collapse of the German banking and industry in the winter of 1931-32 in what was said to be the hardest winter in one hundred years. When the German government (any person or authority) headed by Bruning requested the Reichsbank to seek emergency stabilization credit from other central banks to contain the national banking crisis, it refused. Having destroyed German economic and social structure through the control of its central bank, the same forces turned around and supported Hitler.
When one appreciates the world history since 1971 when Nixon destroyed the Bretton Woods system, one cannot but fail to see the obvious. Since 1971, it has been the policy of the Anglo - American banking/financial elite (who are monopolists) to impose Versailles treaty like conditions on humanity. Let us recall that, the Versailles treaty reparation against Germany was meant to loot Germany and thereby, destroy its industrial and military power that comes with ability to manufacture. Therefore, we seek to warn Kenyans that, by making the central bank unanswerable to the Kenyan people, we have permanently and effectively ceded our monetary sovereignty to IMF, WB and other hostile nations. Having done this, we can forget ever modernising our nation for money creation shall be in the hands of private interests. As such, whenever money is created not in the broad public interest, but, to secure private interests, we have an unjust measure and a Free Market System cannot be run under such arrangements for there is no equal opportunity to all.
If you doubt what we are saying, sample this.
(a) For the Americans who control WB/IMF, so as to arrest current economic mess and help “stabilize” the broader financial system, the Fed had to invoke a seldom-used emergency lending authority under Section 13 (3) of the 1932 Federal Reserve Act (as amended by the Banking Act of 1935 and the FDIC Improvement Act of 1991), not used since the Great Depression, to provide short-term backup funding to select non-depository institutions through a number of temporary facilities.
(b) On our part, under the "guidance" of the WB/IMF, we inserted s.49 of the CBK Act inserted in 1996 which outlaws the ability of the CBK to extend credit to any public entity. In other words, if we want to build a latrine in Garissa, we must beg for money, but, when these people we beg from want to build theirs, they just print their papers which we call reserves and in return, we surrender Wanjiku’s coffee to them. What a nice f$$%% arrangements for people who call themselves educated to accept?
More so, as we noted sometimes back, under the monetary system proposed in this document, we will have established a monopolistic structure which allows a few connected thugs to corner all the money from the source (remember YK 1992?). Once they corner this money, they do not invest this money in the productive sectors of the economy. No, they buy governments debts, speculate in land and stocks. Since such money creation does not meet real value creation, it creates inflation. This inflation affects those on fixed wages and the poor most. Having messed their ability to earn for themselves, we turn around and create a welfare state to take care of these people. What a deception!
A limited government is only possible where the governance structure is framed in accordance with Natural Law and Natural Rights of man. A government framed with these laws and rights in mind, does not need to be a welfare state. This means that, only those with serious mental and physical disabilities ought and must be cared by the whole community. However, since the proposed constitution trashes Natural Law and Natural Rights of man, we shall be forced to create a welfare state to take care of those whose natural rights shall be violated. A welfare state is an unlimited government.
An unlimited government is a call for arbitrary government via taxation. Arbitrary taxation is not conducive to protection of our property because, such a government has arbitrary powers to decide how much of our property it will confiscate via taxation so as to provide the so called welfare. Since such a government must resort to borrowing, it ceases to be a government in the service of the citizens, but, a vessel or an agency for collecting debts via taxation from the struggling masses to pay the monopolists who have cornered money from the source and as well as land.
As such, by failing to secure absolutely the security of our property we shall have forfeited our economic liberty. Once you forfeit your economic liberty, you have also effectively forfeited your political liberty. Thus, all that shall remain is useless motions of voting every five years. Even worse, all welfare states will sooner than later end up as socialistic/communistic states. If you doubt, check what % the USA or the UK GDP is now in the hands of the government. Humanity is on the tarmacked road to serfdom.
A Free Market System can only work where property rights are protected. However, a clear definition of private property must be adhered to. Private property from the Natural Law perspective is that which man has produced with his sweat for it is written that, man shall eat bread from his sweat of his brow. It is when seen from this perspective, we agree with John Adams that, "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God . . . anarchy and tyranny commence. Property must be secure or liberty cannot exist.” As we have noted above, under the proposed taxation system, our property is not secure. To this extent, we shall not constitute a just government which shall impartially secure the right to every person’s property. This is an invitation to tyranny.
Free Market System requires a system of voluntary exchange of goods and services. Freedom is one of the God's greatest gifts to mankind and in the economic arena it should allow any person to make choices out of own self - interest. It allows voluntary setting of price. As Jefferson asked on his inaugural address, what is "necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.... "
We also read Adam Smith saying that, To prohibit a great people . . . from making all that they can of every part of their own produce, or from employing their [capital] and industry in the way that they judge most advantageous to themselves, is a manifest violation of the most sacred rights of mankind."
As we have noted previously, terrible mistakes were made on land issue after independence. The best way to rectify this mistake is to equalize the right to land and not through equalization of fortune as we find in Article 68 (1). The best way forward would have been the Singaporean model whereby, people compete to use public places. In such a system, the winner decides what price he is willing to pay for the privilege of using public space. Similarly, instead of arbitrarily limiting land sizes which has never worked and will never work, (what if the next parliament sets 5000 hectares as the limit or even refuses to set the limits?) we would have allowed those who hold land to voluntarily decide the price/rent they are willing to pay to keep them. If they are unwilling to pay open market price, through an auction, others willing to pay the price would acquire them while compensating the previous owners any improvements done on these lands.
Profit is the individual reward for honest work. It is this honest reward which enables individuals to risk their time, capital and other resources to create business so as to provide services to others. When you provide good and services to others, apart from paying you back the cost of production, they say thank you (profit). From many thank you, you create great wealth. In other words, and this is the CRUCIAL POINT, business is nothing but, a public service. Once you accumulate wealth through such honest toil, you are in a position to create more opportunities. More opportunities do further create greater levels of wealth and prosperity. The best way to ensure this profit motive is thriving is to protect honest toil from private taxation via monopolies/cartels and the unnecessary taxation which comes along with unnecessary welfare state.
More so, by refusing to reform land and money systems, we encourage speculation so as to capture unearned incomes. These unearned income/profits which come from speculation erode work ethics while corrupting the ethical foundations of the nation. In other words, we have put rent seeking instead of profit motive. The difference between these two is this. To capture rents, you need not do anything. However, to earn profits, you are forced to be use or service to fellow mankind. And, as Jesus said, he who must be the greatest must be a servant. It was for a reason, He never said the greatest shall be the rent seeker such as the money changers He chased from the Temple.
Another principle/spirit that ought to be enshrined in the proposed constitution is competition. Competition helps to bring about quality products and services for buyers to choose. This competition ensures that business people are forced to devise better ways of serving the public. However, when we create monopolies and cartels as we have done, the buyers/public are the losers because they have to pay a higher price or go without the product or service. Thus, we should have promoted competition by restructuring natural monopolies like land, money, telecommunications etc. Instead of doing this, we have entrenched the monopolies which is nothing but private taxation. More so, since this private taxation is affordable to large corporations, it is only a burden to the small business and thereby, put them out of business. And, when small businesses are crushed, the whole economy is crushed.
In our considered opinion, what Kenya needs is a document that would establish a Free Enterprise/Market System, which we believe is the Key to Political and Economic Liberty/Prosperity. A Free Market System as we understand it is a governance system tailored to ensure that, those who honestly toil keep the fruits of their toil. The other option is a governance system whereby; we divorce the honest toil from the resultant fruits. This is what we call socialism. Very unfortunate, this draft constitution takes us to socialism route.
A governance system that enshrines the unjust claim of a few on the economic surplus of a nation produced by all through the monopolisation of land is not a Free Market System, but, socialism. A governance system that, legalises a conspiracy between a man decorating himself as a central banker and another calling himself Barclays or Equity to put some ink on a paper and thereby, demand from those who create wealth to part with 15% - 20 % of the wealth they create, in exchange for this useless paper which costs these conspirators cents to produce, is not a Free Markey System, but, socialism. When these two conspirators are not "loaning" Wanjiku their useless paper so as to rob her, the central banker issues another paper he calls a government bond. The conspirator calling himself Equity takes this bond and in return, he gives back the useless paper he originally got from the central banker. In this modern magic, these modern medicine men tell us, the mere mortars, that, this is open market operation. By this abracadabra, they create so called public domestic debt which must be paid with usury. So as to pay back the banker, Wanjiku’s little wealth that was spared by the first ngeta/robbery, must be robbed via taxation. To dare believe that, a document which enshrines such devilish principles of socialism and fascism will emancipate Wanjiku, is the most dangerous delusion we know of.
Firmly believing that the state should and must not be a dispenser of privileges, we propose that, the proposed constitution ought to have been guided by some key principles:
Natural Rights of Man
A Free Market System can only be based on acceptance and adherence to the principles of Natural Law and Natural Rights of mankind. In this way, the drafters of this constitution ought to have known and acknowledged that, the preservation of economic and political freedoms can only be founded on the firm belief in God and therefore, the existence of moral law. As Hamilton taught us, "Good and wise men, in all ages, have ... have supposed, that the deity, from the relations, we stand in, to himself and to each other, has constituted an eternal and immutable law, which is, indispensably, obligatory upon all mankind, prior to any human institution whatever."
It is for this reason on the vital land question, we beseeched the drafters of the proposed constitution to expressly state that, land is a God given birthright to all Kenyans. Thus, whenever this sacred right of man is violated, as this document does, we violate Divine and Natural Laws. We blatantly violate this sacred right of mankind because in our arrogance of little education we believe that, the basic principles that governed natural resources/land before the formation of the Kenyan state are dead. This can only be so, if one believes that, the sole objective of the formation of the Kenyan state was to take away this sacred right. On the contrary, the sole purpose of formation of Kenyan state should be the preservation of this sacred right. For those who may dispute this, all we shall ask is the location of the Creator’s land office which has issued right to land to some while denying others. Yes, we may say the colonial state which was formed by evil men, had this single objective in mind. But, was it not the objective of our independence to deny and reject this inequity? If not so, it shall be an admission that, we shed blood not to remove oppression, but, merely to install black oppressors. In simple words, the equal right to land for all that existed before the formation of the Kenyan state, is the appropriate standard to measure the proposed land tenure. On this score, we miserably fail.
We firmly hold the view that, a stable, just; equitable and peaceful nation cannot arise from foundations that negate the Natural Law and Natural Rights of mankind. In this sense, we find ourselves in agreement with Calvin Coolidge who said that, "Men do not make laws. They do but discover them. Laws must be justified by something more than the will of the majority. They must rest on the eternal foundation of righteousness. That state is most fortunate in its form of government which has the aptest instruments for the discovery of law."
Rule of Law
Throughout mankind’s history, with a few exceptions, man has been ruled by the whims of few powerful evil men rather than by the law. Having a written constitution is no guarantee or a sufficient condition to the establishment the rule of law. We argue this because, the validity of our laws cannot merely rest on what law makers decide or the majority may decide is law. The validity of laws must be based or judged on their compatibility with common sense and their ability to safeguard the public interest. The proposed constitution does not meet these two requirements. As such, it cannot be the basis for the rule of law in Kenya required for establishment of Free Enterprise System.
Morality and Ethics
A Free Market System requires virtue, honour, truthfulness, fairness, honesty and self reliance. As we find in the Bible, a false balance is an abomination to the Lord. But a JUST WEIGHT is His delight. You need not believe in the Bible to accept such teachings. Now, in a modern economy, money is the blood of the economy. This being the case, it is not an exaggeration to state that, the most important fundamental law in any nation is that which institutes money; for money governs the distribution of property, and thus affects in a thousand ways the relations of man to man. If wrongly instituted, it cannot be rightly governed by any subsequent laws; and the wrong distribution of property consequent upon it must corrupt society in all its branches.
If this is the case, what do we find in the proposed constitution? In s. 231, we find this: "The [CBK] shall not be under the direction or control of any person or authority in the exercise of its powers or in the performance of its functions." Translated, this means that, the CBK shall not be answerable to the Kenyan people. Therefore, we have surrendered the greatest power, i.e. MONEY as Esau surrendered his birthright. So, who shall it be answerable to then? A brief look at history will tell us.
In 1929, Montagu Norman, then the world’s most influential central banker as the governor of the Bank of England, precipitated the Wall Street stock market crush when he asked the governor of the New York FED, George Harrison to raise U.S. interest rate levels. Since Harrison complied, we witnessed one of the most dramatic financial and economic collapses in the U.S. history in the following months. In 1931, the New York FED governor demanded the German central bank, i.e. Reichsbank headed by Hans Luther to impose rigorous CREDIT AUSTERITY and tightening of the German capital markets so as to "stop foreign capital flight." What ensured was the collapse of the German banking and industry in the winter of 1931-32 in what was said to be the hardest winter in one hundred years. When the German government (any person or authority) headed by Bruning requested the Reichsbank to seek emergency stabilization credit from other central banks to contain the national banking crisis, it refused. Having destroyed German economic and social structure through the control of its central bank, the same forces turned around and supported Hitler.
When one appreciates the world history since 1971 when Nixon destroyed the Bretton Woods system, one cannot but fail to see the obvious. Since 1971, it has been the policy of the Anglo - American banking/financial elite (who are monopolists) to impose Versailles treaty like conditions on humanity. Let us recall that, the Versailles treaty reparation against Germany was meant to loot Germany and thereby, destroy its industrial and military power that comes with ability to manufacture. Therefore, we seek to warn Kenyans that, by making the central bank unanswerable to the Kenyan people, we have permanently and effectively ceded our monetary sovereignty to IMF, WB and other hostile nations. Having done this, we can forget ever modernising our nation for money creation shall be in the hands of private interests. As such, whenever money is created not in the broad public interest, but, to secure private interests, we have an unjust measure and a Free Market System cannot be run under such arrangements for there is no equal opportunity to all.
If you doubt what we are saying, sample this.
(a) For the Americans who control WB/IMF, so as to arrest current economic mess and help “stabilize” the broader financial system, the Fed had to invoke a seldom-used emergency lending authority under Section 13 (3) of the 1932 Federal Reserve Act (as amended by the Banking Act of 1935 and the FDIC Improvement Act of 1991), not used since the Great Depression, to provide short-term backup funding to select non-depository institutions through a number of temporary facilities.
(b) On our part, under the "guidance" of the WB/IMF, we inserted s.49 of the CBK Act inserted in 1996 which outlaws the ability of the CBK to extend credit to any public entity. In other words, if we want to build a latrine in Garissa, we must beg for money, but, when these people we beg from want to build theirs, they just print their papers which we call reserves and in return, we surrender Wanjiku’s coffee to them. What a nice f$$%% arrangements for people who call themselves educated to accept?
More so, as we noted sometimes back, under the monetary system proposed in this document, we will have established a monopolistic structure which allows a few connected thugs to corner all the money from the source (remember YK 1992?). Once they corner this money, they do not invest this money in the productive sectors of the economy. No, they buy governments debts, speculate in land and stocks. Since such money creation does not meet real value creation, it creates inflation. This inflation affects those on fixed wages and the poor most. Having messed their ability to earn for themselves, we turn around and create a welfare state to take care of these people. What a deception!
Limited Government
A limited government is only possible where the governance structure is framed in accordance with Natural Law and Natural Rights of man. A government framed with these laws and rights in mind, does not need to be a welfare state. This means that, only those with serious mental and physical disabilities ought and must be cared by the whole community. However, since the proposed constitution trashes Natural Law and Natural Rights of man, we shall be forced to create a welfare state to take care of those whose natural rights shall be violated. A welfare state is an unlimited government.
An unlimited government is a call for arbitrary government via taxation. Arbitrary taxation is not conducive to protection of our property because, such a government has arbitrary powers to decide how much of our property it will confiscate via taxation so as to provide the so called welfare. Since such a government must resort to borrowing, it ceases to be a government in the service of the citizens, but, a vessel or an agency for collecting debts via taxation from the struggling masses to pay the monopolists who have cornered money from the source and as well as land.
As such, by failing to secure absolutely the security of our property we shall have forfeited our economic liberty. Once you forfeit your economic liberty, you have also effectively forfeited your political liberty. Thus, all that shall remain is useless motions of voting every five years. Even worse, all welfare states will sooner than later end up as socialistic/communistic states. If you doubt, check what % the USA or the UK GDP is now in the hands of the government. Humanity is on the tarmacked road to serfdom.
Property Rights
A Free Market System can only work where property rights are protected. However, a clear definition of private property must be adhered to. Private property from the Natural Law perspective is that which man has produced with his sweat for it is written that, man shall eat bread from his sweat of his brow. It is when seen from this perspective, we agree with John Adams that, "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God . . . anarchy and tyranny commence. Property must be secure or liberty cannot exist.” As we have noted above, under the proposed taxation system, our property is not secure. To this extent, we shall not constitute a just government which shall impartially secure the right to every person’s property. This is an invitation to tyranny.
Voluntary Exchange of Goods & Services
Free Market System requires a system of voluntary exchange of goods and services. Freedom is one of the God's greatest gifts to mankind and in the economic arena it should allow any person to make choices out of own self - interest. It allows voluntary setting of price. As Jefferson asked on his inaugural address, what is "necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.... "
We also read Adam Smith saying that, To prohibit a great people . . . from making all that they can of every part of their own produce, or from employing their [capital] and industry in the way that they judge most advantageous to themselves, is a manifest violation of the most sacred rights of mankind."
As we have noted previously, terrible mistakes were made on land issue after independence. The best way to rectify this mistake is to equalize the right to land and not through equalization of fortune as we find in Article 68 (1). The best way forward would have been the Singaporean model whereby, people compete to use public places. In such a system, the winner decides what price he is willing to pay for the privilege of using public space. Similarly, instead of arbitrarily limiting land sizes which has never worked and will never work, (what if the next parliament sets 5000 hectares as the limit or even refuses to set the limits?) we would have allowed those who hold land to voluntarily decide the price/rent they are willing to pay to keep them. If they are unwilling to pay open market price, through an auction, others willing to pay the price would acquire them while compensating the previous owners any improvements done on these lands.
Profit Motive
Profit is the individual reward for honest work. It is this honest reward which enables individuals to risk their time, capital and other resources to create business so as to provide services to others. When you provide good and services to others, apart from paying you back the cost of production, they say thank you (profit). From many thank you, you create great wealth. In other words, and this is the CRUCIAL POINT, business is nothing but, a public service. Once you accumulate wealth through such honest toil, you are in a position to create more opportunities. More opportunities do further create greater levels of wealth and prosperity. The best way to ensure this profit motive is thriving is to protect honest toil from private taxation via monopolies/cartels and the unnecessary taxation which comes along with unnecessary welfare state.
More so, by refusing to reform land and money systems, we encourage speculation so as to capture unearned incomes. These unearned income/profits which come from speculation erode work ethics while corrupting the ethical foundations of the nation. In other words, we have put rent seeking instead of profit motive. The difference between these two is this. To capture rents, you need not do anything. However, to earn profits, you are forced to be use or service to fellow mankind. And, as Jesus said, he who must be the greatest must be a servant. It was for a reason, He never said the greatest shall be the rent seeker such as the money changers He chased from the Temple.
Competition
Another principle/spirit that ought to be enshrined in the proposed constitution is competition. Competition helps to bring about quality products and services for buyers to choose. This competition ensures that business people are forced to devise better ways of serving the public. However, when we create monopolies and cartels as we have done, the buyers/public are the losers because they have to pay a higher price or go without the product or service. Thus, we should have promoted competition by restructuring natural monopolies like land, money, telecommunications etc. Instead of doing this, we have entrenched the monopolies which is nothing but private taxation. More so, since this private taxation is affordable to large corporations, it is only a burden to the small business and thereby, put them out of business. And, when small businesses are crushed, the whole economy is crushed.
Stiff-necked fools, you think you are cool
To deny me for simplicity.
Yes, you have gone for so long
With your love for vanity now.
Yes, you have got the wrong interpretation
Mixed up with vain imagination.
The lips of the righteous teach many,
But fools die for want of wisdom.
The rich man's wealth is in his city;
The righteous' wealth is in his Holy Place.
Destruction of the poor is in their poverty
But I don't wanna rule ya!
I don't wanna fool ya!
I don't wanna school ya:
Things you - you might never know about!
By the late Bob N. Marley.
To deny me for simplicity.
Yes, you have gone for so long
With your love for vanity now.
Yes, you have got the wrong interpretation
Mixed up with vain imagination.
The lips of the righteous teach many,
But fools die for want of wisdom.
The rich man's wealth is in his city;
The righteous' wealth is in his Holy Place.
Destruction of the poor is in their poverty
But I don't wanna rule ya!
I don't wanna fool ya!
I don't wanna school ya:
Things you - you might never know about!
By the late Bob N. Marley.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Shame the Devil, Let's All Vote Yes for Kenya
Russian Roulette: praying for holy shot.The daggers are out of their sheaths. The church are out in full swing planning POLITICAL NO rallies. This time round the MEN of clothe have vowed to lead by example unlike 2005.
And to politicians the year 2010 will be to 2012 what 2005 was to that dark year 2007. Make no mistake, 2005 the referendum changed Kenya's political landscape forever and was clearly the political rehearsal for 2007 bloodbath.
Kenyans must not make that mistake again with the 2010 referendum. Before voting YES or NO, we must all agree to vote only one way, YES, for Kenya. The referendum will come and go but Kenya remains generations. It is within our powers to stop the present polarization which will only succeed as the best spark for Kenya's sure self-destruction.
There is no worse dictatorship that uniformity of thought. Granted, the church and any other Kenyan has all the constitutional right to vote NO just as the GCG have resolved to support the draft constitution. Trying to convince the other party to give up would defeat the very rubric of democracy. The referendum question can only be answered in one of two ways.
Conducing civilized campaigns by either party is key to holding Kenya together. We must learn to agree without being disagreeable. Come on, it is 2010 and we can and must only fight armed with facts and not misinformation laced in propaganda whose only selfish objective is to achieve short-term goals.
There is no need foul-mouthed campaigns. No need for politicians to call others names. Equally the church must stand up to its byline as the bastion truth. Men of collar must not engage in propaganda and misinformation. True, religion is founded on dogma but the flock have brains of their own and must be allowed free conscience.
After all those voting NO in the referendum will still have to be governed by the very Constitution if the YES team wins. We must be ready to lead the orchestra by turning our backs to the crowd (read politicians). So vote yes or no in the forth-coming referendum but before that please vote only YES for Kenya for she is bigger than all of us singularly or collectively.
Kenya remains after the vote. So seize the opportunity, do your bit and shame the perennial scoundrels.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Coming "Dark Age" and the Africans Fate: Part II
By Mwarang'ethe
In the second part, we now examine our common future in the coming brave world. It is accepted that, when the Roman city grew to a million people, it could only be maintained by colonising everything in its path. Without its huge pool of slaves, intensive farming techniques, massive aqueduct building projects and more crucially, the Empire's army, Rome could not have supported its population. Therefore, it had to pillage the whole world to overcome the limitations of the solar power that was in use at that age. This called for looting in the Near East, Egypt and North Africa. Likewise, to secure the remaining energy reserves, unless the world comes up with other plans which we doubt, we are going to witness one of the worst looting spree ever witnessed in history. The bad news is that, Africans will fair very badly in this looting.
Facts speak for themselves. Lest some say we are engaged in conspiracy theories, we refer you to a report presented by USA's Energy Information Administration on 7th April, 2009. Here is the link: Just scroll to page 8. The graph tells us that, by 2030, from the conventional existing sources, the production will fall from 81mbp (when the graph was prepared, the daily consumption was 81mbp) to around 30mbp, a drop of 63% in 2 decades. The rest will come from "Unidentified Projects. This is euphemism for shortage or faith based. Today, America uses 20 mbp. The implications are obvious. Most experts say we have about 1 trillion barrels of conventional oil left. At present rate (Feb. 2010) of 86 mbp, it will be about 34 - 40 years and it is all gone.
However, the main story is not when oil will be gone. It is the price as we go forward. Before we reach 2030, oil would have become too expensive for weak and disorganised economies like ours. The problem is this. Today's global "free trade" is based on denial of resource scarcity. The standard economics theory (dogma) assumes that new technology and the price mechanism will ensure availability of resources on sufficient quantities. In this way of "reasoning," in a free market scarcities of resources will be reflected in rising prices, increased costs will spur research and development which will discover new resources or inventions. This way of seeing the world comes from the idea that, we humans have emancipated ourselves from natural constraints as expressed by both Marxism and Liberalism.
However, the above beliefs are delusions for we cannot emancipate ourselves from natural constraints. It also exaggerates the power of technology while neglecting the historical and political factors that generate conflict over natural resources. More importantly, these theories ignore that; market forces cannot repeal the laws of thermodynamics. Furthermore, it rests on the assumption that, institutions of law and property will remain intact while prices are rising. That assumption does not consider the real world history which shows that, people will not gamble with their lives based on the theory that, technical fix is around the corner. Long before this theory has a chance of being tested, market competition will be supplanted by war, conquest and or revolution. Since price mechanism is a creation of the state power, when urgent human needs run against rising scarcities, market competition is always suspended and or rigged in favour of the most POWERFUL.
This brings us to the ever expanding USA military bases which now total over 700 across the world. Even interesting, as we were preparing this essay, it was announced that, Japan is setting its FIRST military base in Africa, in Djibouti (Japan's First Foreign Military Base to Open in Djibouti Africa). This is all done to fight “terror.” But, first, note this. Between 1945 and 1990, the West had cold war. Anyone who rejected their exploitative ways was painted with a red brush and crushed. Between 1990 and 2001, to dismantle Yugoslavia which was decided in 1984, we heard about humanitarian interventions of Mr Clinton in the Balkans. Since 2001 - to date, they have "war on terror." If you count 1st and 2nd World Wars, which were wars for resources and colonies between imperial Britain and emerging German power, you have come to the conclusion that, the West has been at war for more than a century.
Now, if you listen to the propaganda (propaganda is not meant for the critical thinker, but, moral cowards who are given an excuse not to think), you will be told that, these militaries are there to fight communists, dictators and terrorists so as to bring peace, democracy, development. It is a LIE. The sole objective of these endless wars is to secure energy supplies by military means from Eurasia (Middle East, Balkans, Russia, Central Asia and in Africa (read AFRICOM). If you doubt, sample this. During the 1WW, while France was needlessly battling Germans, Britain moved a staggering 1.4 million soldiers to secure Middle East, and especially Mesopotamia (Iraq where they are back again). Which terrorists were they fighting then, when the Arabs were (Arabs were duped) on the Western's side against Ottoman Empire? They were securing oil and a century later, they are still at it.
This brings us to the real story. Let us first recall some history. The coming of the Europeans to Africa was motivated by search for new sources of resources/energy to compensate for the depletion of their existing stocks. Thus, we see that, imperial or colonial expansions are always designed to secure sources of resources/energy. It is to secure energy/resources we are now witnessing the second scramble for Africa with all the military might. The difference this time is that, the West is not alone for Asian nations are also in the play. In view of this, three questions are in order. Firstly, why must the West and Asian nations scramble for African resources? The second question is, will they succeed in this second round? And, what will be the consequences for us Africans?
As the global thirst for energy has increased, Africa has emerged as the site of the fiercest battle among major international companies and energy - hungry countries. For instance by 2015, Africa will be supplying USA about 25% of its energy needs. That’s why Walter Kansteiner in 2002 said, "African oil is of strategic national interest to us." Translated, we will fight and kill to keep it. Therefore, in the name of terror, Bush formed AFRICOM which that [con] man of change, Obama intends to keep. How can he not? In truth, it is a colonial army to safeguard energy supply lines. We also, know that, to safeguard Middle East oil, Carter, formed Central Command.
Meanwhile, as USA, EU intensifies their stranglehold on African resources, China has also elevated the importance of Africa in its geopolitical calculations as its reliance on African oil and minerals grow. Although lacking the might military machine like USA, it has deployed other cards while becoming a major supplier of arms to African nations while increasing tempo of military exercises and exchanges.
Essentially, policy decisions substantially flow from institutional structures. Since these remain stable, an examination of these structures can provide valuable insight into the “emerging norms” and the contemporary world. With this in mind, we just need note that, economic institutions, the transport system, communication systems, the location, design and operation of cities, towns are all derived from a common energy flow. Now, if you analyse the Western societies, one must come to the conclusion that, the social, economic, military and political institutions are designed to maximise the energy flow in consumption oriented societies. As a result of these institutional configurations, Americans alone consume energy resources that should be consumed by 22 billion people!
The problem with such stupid developmental model is that, if you cut energy flow to New York for just one week, it will be a scene of massive starvation worse than Somalia. To avoid this fate, America/West/Asia must at all cost ensure the flow of energy resources. The small problem is that, these resources are not enough for all for such wasteful lifestyles. Simple solution is to deny some people in some parts of the world their share. A number of ways are employed to deny us our share of God given resources:
(a) Keep the population growth down through whatever means necessary. If you think this is conspiracy theory, please read Henry Kissinger's National Security Memorandum 200 (NSM 200). In part, they said this:
(i) They deny the Africans the ability to use their own resources by ensuring they are governed by Western puppets who must keep them poor. African’s affluence would cause global shortage and price rises to the detriment of those with divine right to God given resources. If these puppets get out of line, they are demonised and removed using "opposition" "parties." If that is not possible, by military means. If you doubt, check with Shah of Iran or with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Frederic Wills of Guyana and PM Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka who organised the Colombo Declaration of 1976 which shook the Western interests.
(ii) They employ Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPS) via IMF and WB to keep raw materials cheap and availability of slave labour. This is why in 1975, in reaction to the attempts by 3rd world nations to regulate prices of their natural resources, the Fortune Magazine issue of August, 1975, said this. "If the material exporters succeed in this endeavour, the days of sustained improvement in living standards in the advanced industrial countries may well come to an end."
Therefore, it is not that, the Western elite hate poor Africans, rather, African's plight has little weight in comparison with more important values. If you want know these values, remember this statement from Bush, "We will not give up our way of life." Translated, it means, sustained improvement in living standards at the expense of rest of humanity.
Oh, yes, they will very easily. When the colonialists arrived in Africa, they curved the continent into a patchwork of colonies to systematise the extraction of resources. With independence in 1960's the emphasis shifted to Middle East and thereby, Africa lost some of its importance. However, as every barrel of oil has come to matter and the need to diversify from "terrorists" the ME, Africa has emerged as a potential source of critical materials such as bauxite, chromium, cobalt, copper, platinum, titanium and uranium, tropical forests, gold, diamond and of course the energy resources which are the primary target.
So, what makes Africa so attractive to predators? It is precisely what made it attractive back in 1885. Vast abundance of vital raw materials in a DEEPLY DIVIDED and POLITICALLY WEAK continent, which is REMARKABLY OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL EXPLOITATION. As a result of Africa's tortured history, it’s completely lacks defences against foreign resource exploitation that other regions have established. In other words, Africans have been enfeebled by colonization; the slave trade, economic exploitation, and post colonial power struggles (Kenya since 1990 where the opposition is funded and supported by foreigners without regard to Kenyan's vital interest) which has made it impossible to construct robust and fully functioning states.
More so, for lack of critical skills, Africa relies on foreign technology. And, since most African support their tribal leaders, which allows these leaders to be funny, the foreign companies find it easy to do business in Africa than in Middle East where governments have right supervision which restrict opportunities for profitable deal making. See "Uganda dismisses case seeking oil deals disclosure".
As these powers jostle to exploit Africa for their own benefits, they will be proclaiming their deep interest in African development insisting that. In this monkey language, we shall be told that, the exploitation of the African raw materials will contribute to the improvement of living conditions for the African masses. However, all one has to figure out is simple. Africa with high living standards (industrialised) will use these raw materials internally. To do so is to cause shortage and increase in prices in the world market.
Therefore, to keep these minerals cheap and available, Africans must be kept poor. In this sense, since poverty eradication must not be the outcome, the prospects for internal violence are very high. Under the current arrangements, the flow of illicit wealth to the few that are allowed to share the rents from these resources will envitably fuel resentment and in many cases open rebellions or violent attacks from those who will feel, and rightly so, excluded from any benefits that will flow from these deals.
Adding to the prospective flames, the Western and Asian nations will protect their interests by providing arms and military training to the armed forces for their key suppliers. As a result, the rulers of these nations will rely on brute force and not compromise and inclusion in dealing with any group that will seek a reasonable share of revenue from these resources. From this, we can see endless succession of coups (Niger and Republic of Guinea coups come into mind) at the top and revolts, ethnic upheavals as well as gang war below. In this scheme of things, some will get menial jobs at oil fields and mines (most will be offshore where Wanjku cannot reach), but, most of the highly paid jobs will be reserved for foreigners or those well connected with the elites in power at any time.
When violence related to resources eventually breaks, as we know from history, it will be the civilian population that suffers. And, when at long last the oil, copper, gold etc is depleted, the powerful mining company will fold and move elsewhere, leaving behind massive unemployment, broken promises and large empty holes. As this will be happening, the “intellectuals” from Africa and abroad will gather in Oxford and Harvard to lament at how “tribalism and corruption” is the bane of Africa. On our part, we shall dutifully as cheerful robots accept this nonsense as “political analysis” of what is going on.
Therefore, let us double our efforts in doing what we do best, i.e. "political analysis" of tribal alliances to "capture power." When we get frustrated since nothing seems to work, let us take guns and machetes and thereby, with speed and purpose, kill and rape the equally suffering brothers and sisters from the "enemy tribe." And, when "we" get into power, let us do "expert analysis" led by our “political scientists” of which ministry is "superior" as prime news on our radio and TV stations.
Let us also, with the support of our underdevelopment partners launch "war on corruption" for it’s the "greatest" obstacle to the African development. With such "creative thinking," the world will be watching the fulfilment of the prophecy of 1933 about the Negro that, "When you control a man's thinking [using brainwash education] you do not have to worry about his actions."
In the second part, we now examine our common future in the coming brave world. It is accepted that, when the Roman city grew to a million people, it could only be maintained by colonising everything in its path. Without its huge pool of slaves, intensive farming techniques, massive aqueduct building projects and more crucially, the Empire's army, Rome could not have supported its population. Therefore, it had to pillage the whole world to overcome the limitations of the solar power that was in use at that age. This called for looting in the Near East, Egypt and North Africa. Likewise, to secure the remaining energy reserves, unless the world comes up with other plans which we doubt, we are going to witness one of the worst looting spree ever witnessed in history. The bad news is that, Africans will fair very badly in this looting.Facts speak for themselves. Lest some say we are engaged in conspiracy theories, we refer you to a report presented by USA's Energy Information Administration on 7th April, 2009. Here is the link: Just scroll to page 8. The graph tells us that, by 2030, from the conventional existing sources, the production will fall from 81mbp (when the graph was prepared, the daily consumption was 81mbp) to around 30mbp, a drop of 63% in 2 decades. The rest will come from "Unidentified Projects. This is euphemism for shortage or faith based. Today, America uses 20 mbp. The implications are obvious. Most experts say we have about 1 trillion barrels of conventional oil left. At present rate (Feb. 2010) of 86 mbp, it will be about 34 - 40 years and it is all gone.
However, the main story is not when oil will be gone. It is the price as we go forward. Before we reach 2030, oil would have become too expensive for weak and disorganised economies like ours. The problem is this. Today's global "free trade" is based on denial of resource scarcity. The standard economics theory (dogma) assumes that new technology and the price mechanism will ensure availability of resources on sufficient quantities. In this way of "reasoning," in a free market scarcities of resources will be reflected in rising prices, increased costs will spur research and development which will discover new resources or inventions. This way of seeing the world comes from the idea that, we humans have emancipated ourselves from natural constraints as expressed by both Marxism and Liberalism.
However, the above beliefs are delusions for we cannot emancipate ourselves from natural constraints. It also exaggerates the power of technology while neglecting the historical and political factors that generate conflict over natural resources. More importantly, these theories ignore that; market forces cannot repeal the laws of thermodynamics. Furthermore, it rests on the assumption that, institutions of law and property will remain intact while prices are rising. That assumption does not consider the real world history which shows that, people will not gamble with their lives based on the theory that, technical fix is around the corner. Long before this theory has a chance of being tested, market competition will be supplanted by war, conquest and or revolution. Since price mechanism is a creation of the state power, when urgent human needs run against rising scarcities, market competition is always suspended and or rigged in favour of the most POWERFUL.
This brings us to the ever expanding USA military bases which now total over 700 across the world. Even interesting, as we were preparing this essay, it was announced that, Japan is setting its FIRST military base in Africa, in Djibouti (Japan's First Foreign Military Base to Open in Djibouti Africa). This is all done to fight “terror.” But, first, note this. Between 1945 and 1990, the West had cold war. Anyone who rejected their exploitative ways was painted with a red brush and crushed. Between 1990 and 2001, to dismantle Yugoslavia which was decided in 1984, we heard about humanitarian interventions of Mr Clinton in the Balkans. Since 2001 - to date, they have "war on terror." If you count 1st and 2nd World Wars, which were wars for resources and colonies between imperial Britain and emerging German power, you have come to the conclusion that, the West has been at war for more than a century.
Now, if you listen to the propaganda (propaganda is not meant for the critical thinker, but, moral cowards who are given an excuse not to think), you will be told that, these militaries are there to fight communists, dictators and terrorists so as to bring peace, democracy, development. It is a LIE. The sole objective of these endless wars is to secure energy supplies by military means from Eurasia (Middle East, Balkans, Russia, Central Asia and in Africa (read AFRICOM). If you doubt, sample this. During the 1WW, while France was needlessly battling Germans, Britain moved a staggering 1.4 million soldiers to secure Middle East, and especially Mesopotamia (Iraq where they are back again). Which terrorists were they fighting then, when the Arabs were (Arabs were duped) on the Western's side against Ottoman Empire? They were securing oil and a century later, they are still at it.
This brings us to the real story. Let us first recall some history. The coming of the Europeans to Africa was motivated by search for new sources of resources/energy to compensate for the depletion of their existing stocks. Thus, we see that, imperial or colonial expansions are always designed to secure sources of resources/energy. It is to secure energy/resources we are now witnessing the second scramble for Africa with all the military might. The difference this time is that, the West is not alone for Asian nations are also in the play. In view of this, three questions are in order. Firstly, why must the West and Asian nations scramble for African resources? The second question is, will they succeed in this second round? And, what will be the consequences for us Africans?
Why the scramble for African Energy?
As the global thirst for energy has increased, Africa has emerged as the site of the fiercest battle among major international companies and energy - hungry countries. For instance by 2015, Africa will be supplying USA about 25% of its energy needs. That’s why Walter Kansteiner in 2002 said, "African oil is of strategic national interest to us." Translated, we will fight and kill to keep it. Therefore, in the name of terror, Bush formed AFRICOM which that [con] man of change, Obama intends to keep. How can he not? In truth, it is a colonial army to safeguard energy supply lines. We also, know that, to safeguard Middle East oil, Carter, formed Central Command.
Meanwhile, as USA, EU intensifies their stranglehold on African resources, China has also elevated the importance of Africa in its geopolitical calculations as its reliance on African oil and minerals grow. Although lacking the might military machine like USA, it has deployed other cards while becoming a major supplier of arms to African nations while increasing tempo of military exercises and exchanges.
Essentially, policy decisions substantially flow from institutional structures. Since these remain stable, an examination of these structures can provide valuable insight into the “emerging norms” and the contemporary world. With this in mind, we just need note that, economic institutions, the transport system, communication systems, the location, design and operation of cities, towns are all derived from a common energy flow. Now, if you analyse the Western societies, one must come to the conclusion that, the social, economic, military and political institutions are designed to maximise the energy flow in consumption oriented societies. As a result of these institutional configurations, Americans alone consume energy resources that should be consumed by 22 billion people!
The problem with such stupid developmental model is that, if you cut energy flow to New York for just one week, it will be a scene of massive starvation worse than Somalia. To avoid this fate, America/West/Asia must at all cost ensure the flow of energy resources. The small problem is that, these resources are not enough for all for such wasteful lifestyles. Simple solution is to deny some people in some parts of the world their share. A number of ways are employed to deny us our share of God given resources:
(a) Keep the population growth down through whatever means necessary. If you think this is conspiracy theory, please read Henry Kissinger's National Security Memorandum 200 (NSM 200). In part, they said this:
"The U.S. economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less-developed countries. That fact gives the U.S. enhanced interests in the political, economic and social stability of the supplying countries. Wherever a lessening of population can increase the prospects for such stability, population policy becomes relevant to resources, supplies and to the "economic interests of the United States."(b) If the population keeps on growing, keep it poor so as to depress its consumption capacity. To achieve this, they use a number of means:
(i) They deny the Africans the ability to use their own resources by ensuring they are governed by Western puppets who must keep them poor. African’s affluence would cause global shortage and price rises to the detriment of those with divine right to God given resources. If these puppets get out of line, they are demonised and removed using "opposition" "parties." If that is not possible, by military means. If you doubt, check with Shah of Iran or with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Frederic Wills of Guyana and PM Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka who organised the Colombo Declaration of 1976 which shook the Western interests.
(ii) They employ Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPS) via IMF and WB to keep raw materials cheap and availability of slave labour. This is why in 1975, in reaction to the attempts by 3rd world nations to regulate prices of their natural resources, the Fortune Magazine issue of August, 1975, said this. "If the material exporters succeed in this endeavour, the days of sustained improvement in living standards in the advanced industrial countries may well come to an end."
Therefore, it is not that, the Western elite hate poor Africans, rather, African's plight has little weight in comparison with more important values. If you want know these values, remember this statement from Bush, "We will not give up our way of life." Translated, it means, sustained improvement in living standards at the expense of rest of humanity.
Will they succeed in this second scramble for Africa?
Oh, yes, they will very easily. When the colonialists arrived in Africa, they curved the continent into a patchwork of colonies to systematise the extraction of resources. With independence in 1960's the emphasis shifted to Middle East and thereby, Africa lost some of its importance. However, as every barrel of oil has come to matter and the need to diversify from "terrorists" the ME, Africa has emerged as a potential source of critical materials such as bauxite, chromium, cobalt, copper, platinum, titanium and uranium, tropical forests, gold, diamond and of course the energy resources which are the primary target.
So, what makes Africa so attractive to predators? It is precisely what made it attractive back in 1885. Vast abundance of vital raw materials in a DEEPLY DIVIDED and POLITICALLY WEAK continent, which is REMARKABLY OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL EXPLOITATION. As a result of Africa's tortured history, it’s completely lacks defences against foreign resource exploitation that other regions have established. In other words, Africans have been enfeebled by colonization; the slave trade, economic exploitation, and post colonial power struggles (Kenya since 1990 where the opposition is funded and supported by foreigners without regard to Kenyan's vital interest) which has made it impossible to construct robust and fully functioning states.
More so, for lack of critical skills, Africa relies on foreign technology. And, since most African support their tribal leaders, which allows these leaders to be funny, the foreign companies find it easy to do business in Africa than in Middle East where governments have right supervision which restrict opportunities for profitable deal making. See "Uganda dismisses case seeking oil deals disclosure".
As these powers jostle to exploit Africa for their own benefits, they will be proclaiming their deep interest in African development insisting that. In this monkey language, we shall be told that, the exploitation of the African raw materials will contribute to the improvement of living conditions for the African masses. However, all one has to figure out is simple. Africa with high living standards (industrialised) will use these raw materials internally. To do so is to cause shortage and increase in prices in the world market.
Therefore, to keep these minerals cheap and available, Africans must be kept poor. In this sense, since poverty eradication must not be the outcome, the prospects for internal violence are very high. Under the current arrangements, the flow of illicit wealth to the few that are allowed to share the rents from these resources will envitably fuel resentment and in many cases open rebellions or violent attacks from those who will feel, and rightly so, excluded from any benefits that will flow from these deals.
Adding to the prospective flames, the Western and Asian nations will protect their interests by providing arms and military training to the armed forces for their key suppliers. As a result, the rulers of these nations will rely on brute force and not compromise and inclusion in dealing with any group that will seek a reasonable share of revenue from these resources. From this, we can see endless succession of coups (Niger and Republic of Guinea coups come into mind) at the top and revolts, ethnic upheavals as well as gang war below. In this scheme of things, some will get menial jobs at oil fields and mines (most will be offshore where Wanjku cannot reach), but, most of the highly paid jobs will be reserved for foreigners or those well connected with the elites in power at any time.
When violence related to resources eventually breaks, as we know from history, it will be the civilian population that suffers. And, when at long last the oil, copper, gold etc is depleted, the powerful mining company will fold and move elsewhere, leaving behind massive unemployment, broken promises and large empty holes. As this will be happening, the “intellectuals” from Africa and abroad will gather in Oxford and Harvard to lament at how “tribalism and corruption” is the bane of Africa. On our part, we shall dutifully as cheerful robots accept this nonsense as “political analysis” of what is going on.
Therefore, let us double our efforts in doing what we do best, i.e. "political analysis" of tribal alliances to "capture power." When we get frustrated since nothing seems to work, let us take guns and machetes and thereby, with speed and purpose, kill and rape the equally suffering brothers and sisters from the "enemy tribe." And, when "we" get into power, let us do "expert analysis" led by our “political scientists” of which ministry is "superior" as prime news on our radio and TV stations.
Let us also, with the support of our underdevelopment partners launch "war on corruption" for it’s the "greatest" obstacle to the African development. With such "creative thinking," the world will be watching the fulfilment of the prophecy of 1933 about the Negro that, "When you control a man's thinking [using brainwash education] you do not have to worry about his actions."
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
UK Votes, Kenya Learns Lessons For 2012
For starters the church must call the state bluff by robustly and colourfully launching their NO campaign. They must not seek political will from a MORIBUND President or an INEFFECTIVE Prime Minister.The truth of the matter is Gordon Brown is not a political unknown. The 59 year old incumbent is an accomplished electoral candidate both as an individual and as a politician especially when compared to his other 2 competitors. Many are aware that prior to his 2 and a half year stint as the UK's prime minister,he was the country's finance minister or Chancellor of the Exchequer as they like to call it there.He was the longest serving exchequer and oversaw 10 years of high and stable economic growth in the UK economy that saw the tiny island feature in the top 5 of the world's richest countries
Sadly though the issues underpinning the UK elections to be held on 7th of May have nothing to do with experience or track record and the Prime Minister is not a favourite to win the hotly contested race for Number 10 Downing Street. When you look at the other 2 candidate's real achievements, what becomes clear is that the British voters are not interested in track record or experience but physical appearance,charisma and age. Fickle nature of the British voter or poor PR management for the incumbent Prime Minister or simply time for a change in the world's largest former colony?
Undoubtedly voting in Cameron to Number 10 will be a great gamble not to mention a return to conservative rule after more than 13 years out of power. According to the latest polls (oh no not POLLS again) the Conservative party leader does not face a hard battle against either Brown or Clegg, and Cameron's chances of winning the popular vote are extremely high.
I think he is going to win as i cannot see a situation where majority of the UK public will, if given the chance, favour a candidate they consider lacking in charisma and personality ala Tony Blair the immediate former prime minister. Whereas majority of the British public were/still are of the opinion that Mr.Cameron is "posh" and from priviledged background, he is younger,more eloquent than Brown, and is relying on his fellow countrymen to emulate the example of their cousin's across the Atlantic and vote in a "fresh" unknown outsider as they did with President Barack Hussein Obama currently the country's 45th President
Truth be told, neither the conservative nor the liberal democrat candidates have done any of the things Mr.Brown has accomplished in his political career and if there was any justice in the world, he would be re-elected as leader of the Labour party and prime minister. However, his Labour party is still popular with the voters, and past attempts to throw a leadership coup have in fact been in the hope that a different leader at the helm would convince the voters to stick with the party and return them to power for yet another 5 years.
Unfortunately, the reverse of everything i've mentioned so far is true for Kenya and what its going to be like in the next general elections! If only we would have the luxury of downplaying political candidate's track record and overlooking their previous experience-but more than half of them have none. The script for that play is already being written now even as we speak,and a repeat performance of 2007 is inevitable, with the exception of throwing in a new constitution into the mix. That plus the fact that no one in the entire breadth and length of the country in their right mind wants to see a repeat performance of the 2007 election shambles when we return to the ballot in 2012.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Vote Yes or No But No Toxic Politics Please
Caveat: Let the YES and NO camps sell their wares/ideas but leave Kenyans to vote with their conscience. No need to force any to buy into take.
The present political heat generated by both supporters and opponents of the draft constitution is unnecessary to say the least. First we must appreciate that the there would be no need of a referendum if all were in agreement. So we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable. That is what civilization is all about, learning to listen to opposing viewpoint without raising your voice nor rising in arms.
Even the church has all the constitutional right to oppose the draft. Sitting on their hands as YES campaigners traverse the country would be akin to supplying nails for their own spiritual coffin. Granted, dogma is the singular thread that sews the church together. Remove it and men of the collar are permanently rendered irrelevant. Forget the paradox that it’s the male clergy complaining loudest about reproductive health and abortion despite the fact that they have no clue what it means to host and nourish the unborn for nine good months.
Kenyans are a very resilient lot and we must not allow ourselves to be hyped and poisoned by our selfish politicians. Just look at their frequent change of stand on the same issues they claim to fight for. To them the only constant thing in their political lives is INCONSISTENCY.
Collectively we have survived numerous calamities as a nation and we must not allow the forth coming referendum to sow seeds of discord among us again. Not after the near-Armageddon that followed the bungled 2007 polls. Respect for ourselves and to one another is KEY. From there we must start learning as Kenyans to demand respect of our so-called leaders otherwise nobody will take us seriously.
And the consequences are dire. Even Museveni will expand his ego past Migingo and the Al Shabaab lay claim to annex North Eastern. What is more, US and UK will continue treating us like dirt by letting us scramble to sleep in the cold streets in search of their visas in our own country. Salt that grievous injury with our own politicians refusing to pay taxes and we have our backs against the wall.
So please vote YES or NO but remember to keep it civil for Kenya is bigger than anyone of us. To paraphrase someone's succinct summary from a previous let us avoid trying so hard to herd everyone Kenyan into the "YES/NO" grazing paddocks where there may not be enough political foliage as well as economic green pastures to sustain the 'voters' in the long run once the odious task of chewing regurgitated constitutional cud is no longer palatable.
Update
Kibaki's riot act to the cabinet must be seen in its right perspective as a CEO whipping his subordinates to order. Doing otherwise would be akin to lack of leadership and courting chaos. Now that he has made the draft a government project, those opposing have the option of quitting and pissing from out rather that from within. True, they can shout democracy and right to disagree. But order and harmony is irreplaceable in any organization. There are no two ways about it: you cannot have you cake and eat it.
The present political heat generated by both supporters and opponents of the draft constitution is unnecessary to say the least. First we must appreciate that the there would be no need of a referendum if all were in agreement. So we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable. That is what civilization is all about, learning to listen to opposing viewpoint without raising your voice nor rising in arms.
Even the church has all the constitutional right to oppose the draft. Sitting on their hands as YES campaigners traverse the country would be akin to supplying nails for their own spiritual coffin. Granted, dogma is the singular thread that sews the church together. Remove it and men of the collar are permanently rendered irrelevant. Forget the paradox that it’s the male clergy complaining loudest about reproductive health and abortion despite the fact that they have no clue what it means to host and nourish the unborn for nine good months.
Kenyans are a very resilient lot and we must not allow ourselves to be hyped and poisoned by our selfish politicians. Just look at their frequent change of stand on the same issues they claim to fight for. To them the only constant thing in their political lives is INCONSISTENCY.
Collectively we have survived numerous calamities as a nation and we must not allow the forth coming referendum to sow seeds of discord among us again. Not after the near-Armageddon that followed the bungled 2007 polls. Respect for ourselves and to one another is KEY. From there we must start learning as Kenyans to demand respect of our so-called leaders otherwise nobody will take us seriously.
And the consequences are dire. Even Museveni will expand his ego past Migingo and the Al Shabaab lay claim to annex North Eastern. What is more, US and UK will continue treating us like dirt by letting us scramble to sleep in the cold streets in search of their visas in our own country. Salt that grievous injury with our own politicians refusing to pay taxes and we have our backs against the wall.
So please vote YES or NO but remember to keep it civil for Kenya is bigger than anyone of us. To paraphrase someone's succinct summary from a previous let us avoid trying so hard to herd everyone Kenyan into the "YES/NO" grazing paddocks where there may not be enough political foliage as well as economic green pastures to sustain the 'voters' in the long run once the odious task of chewing regurgitated constitutional cud is no longer palatable.
Update
Kibaki's riot act to the cabinet must be seen in its right perspective as a CEO whipping his subordinates to order. Doing otherwise would be akin to lack of leadership and courting chaos. Now that he has made the draft a government project, those opposing have the option of quitting and pissing from out rather that from within. True, they can shout democracy and right to disagree. But order and harmony is irreplaceable in any organization. There are no two ways about it: you cannot have you cake and eat it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Meet The Real C.O.E
Will the REAL C.O.E please stand up?
It's now official-in order to solve the myriad problems bedeviling our political systems and man eat dog class of society, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has decided to go back to our traditional roots and rope in the role of council of elders (C.O.E) to reprise the coveted position these wise old men once occupied in counseling the collective psyche and schooling the national conscience of the whole nation albeit at that time segragated in remote partitioned villages located in far-flung corners of the pre-independent republic
In playing the "age-comes-with-wisdom" card, the siamese C.O.E is cleverly taping into the rich vein of inbred reverential fear for "wazee" deeply imbued and instilled from an early age in the sub-conscious psyche of every well brought up and polite mannered citizen of this land. But wait a minute, is the assumption that we went astray, tore the national fabric of our country simply because we lacked counsel of wise old men (not women since traditonally they only gave birth and cooked for men) an accurate diagnosis or rather simplistic point of view of what ails the 45 year old motherland?
Sanctioning the role of Council Of Elders in drawing attention to the rot swept under the carpet in Kenya is one thing but dusting the broom out of the closet and cleaning the mess in our own backyard is quite another thing altogether.
All in all, I for one am looking forward to a better Kenya from now onwards, due to the fact that we'll now have a lone voice of sagacious experience coming from the "wazee" and completely drowning out the cacophony of looney tune voices of our politicians. Think about it-why else would the "wahenga nena....." so many ancient proverbs in the past yet they are still all quoted thousands of years later?and still just as relevant as ever before, with never ending lessons full of new meaning applicable today?
It makes those "oldies" appear even more "golden" now than when they were in the prime of their youth. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this new C.O.E will not disappoint and is already in good company with the likes of the embattled TJRC Chairman Hosea Kiplagat who would already easily qualify to join its ranks with white flying colours should his boat not fail to sink in the truth commission
This COE will do a far better job than their siamese twin on the constitution side whose line up disappointingly did not even include a single "learned" fellow with gray hair as the pre-requisite stamp of approval for being culturally acceptable. No wonder they churned out such a doomed draft constitution.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
William Ruto Rapidly Running out of Options
William Ruto: Running scared?FACT: William Ruto was one of the main architects of the Naivasha input into the draft constitution as a key vocal and influential member of the parliamentary select committee on the constitution.
FACT: There was no question of Ruto not being happy because one cannot fail to be happy with something they were one of the main architects to.
FACT: The Naivasha changes made by Ruto and company were virtually all incorporated into the draft constitution by the Committee of Experts (COE).
So the question Kenyans must ask is a simple one. What made Ruto change his mind about his own work at Naivasha? In other words what is Ruto’s motivation in so suddenly changing his position?
Many analysts point to the section in the draft constitution on land. They say that Ruto is wary that when fully implemented that little section could easily wipe out his ill-gotten wealth virtually overnight. But if this is true the question that begs an answer is didn’t Ruto see this when the parliamentary select committee was drafting changes in Naivasha?
And so it is unlikely that it is just the section on land that is the motivation behind Ruto’s behaviour. There is something bigger.
Clues as to what may really be happening start to emerge when you consider Ruto’s actions behind the scenes after he was recently demoted from the high profile, high finances ministry of agriculture and relegated to the virtually invisible ministry of higher education. The man seems to be in some kind of panic. The kind that would make a man use air conditioning services in Nairobi at this time of the year even when the weather is relatively cool and comfortable without any artificial help from anywhere.
The truth is that the latest move has greatly unsettled him? More than he will ever want to admit to anybody. But why? He hasn’t been dropped from the cabinet has he? The man is still flying the coveted flag.
Some information that has recently been made available to this blogger suggests that some political deals have gone sour for dear old William and the only card he had to play was to beef up the “NO” camp for the upcoming referendum on the draft constitution. The deal that went sour had been crafted with some PNU insiders and the intention was to politically cripple Prime Minister Raila Odinga. However our dear friend who considers himself one of the smartest Kenyan legislators who has ever lived (you tell me what you think of this self-analysis) forgot the first rule in politics. This game is way too fluid and there is no such thing as a permanent friend or permanent enemy. No politician on earth can afford them.
In quickly becoming the most visible personality and indeed the de facto leader of the No-vote brigade, Ruto’s strategy was to bring back the PNU stalwarts to the negotiation table. What has now unsettled Ruto the most is the fact that his recent demotion to the ministry of higher education is clear-cut and conclusive proof that his recent allies have ganged up together with his sworn enemies and have already dealt him the first body blow. It should be perfectly clear to Ruto by now that the latest move was merely a warning jab. The knock out blow is coming for sure.
Mr Ruto has been left isolated and with very limited options. Remember that this is a politician who has always thrived on playing one side against the other to his huge advantage. Many do not realize that the reason why Ruto got such massive land allocations and access to cash very early in his political career was because he convinced Kanu insiders that he was capable of penetrating the then dreaded opposition. Playing exactly the same tactics Ruto approached PNU promising them Raila’s head. Now that the ground has shifted so significantly Ruto has been left in extremely unfamiliar territory.
Politically the move to demote Ruto is smarter than most would realize. He was not dropped from the cabinet, meaning that he cannot complain nor organize those fake demonstrations claiming that his people have been targeted. Secondly it removes him from the political limelight and he is left with only the “No” campaign platform that is sounding increasingly tired and fatigued. So much so that Ruto, sensing defeat has shifted gears and is now campaigning for what appears to be a middle ground—namely a referendum that will allow voters to also vote on the contentious issues separately. This should allow him to at least claim partial victory even if the “Yes” side wins overwhelmingly which is what is going to happen by the look of things.
Still it is clear that Ruto’s political fortunes have changed very suddenly and very emphatically. In retrospect Ruto’s main strength in the past was his secret sneaky alliance with PNU and some of the president’s closest advisors. That is clearly history now.
Whatever happens the next couple of weeks should be fascinating as we watch the sneaky Kalenjin warrior wriggle in the spider’s web where he is already trapped. Granted he has gotten out of tighter corners than this before, but will he manage this time? Will he outwit Mwai “with the best political advice money can buy” Kibaki and Raila “experience” Odinga? And then Ocampo and the ICC after that?
P.S. What is wrong with Ruto? The man looks increasingly sickly and weak by the day. Is it the stress of his kind of politics or is it some incurable disease of sorts? Very confusing because the man has dramatically increased his security detail? What is he scared of? Has he been threatened by somebody? P.S. I am keenly aware that Citizen headline seekers always visit Kumekucha before deciding on their front page splash for the new week. I am watching very carefully to see what their front page story will be this coming week.
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Friday, April 23, 2010
The Coming "Dark Age" and the Africans Fate: Part 1
By Mwarang'ethe
To fully appreciate the core message of this piece and the next one to follow, we request the reader to start by reading the following articles:
(a) High global crude oil prices threaten to burn Kenya gains
(b) Foreign power firms reap Sh6.2bn
(c) Review cost of power, Daily Nation Editorial
(d) US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015
(e) Energy minister will hold summit to calm rising fears over peak oil Lord Hunt calls UK industrialists together to discuss government response to any early onset of decline in global oil production
In 1992, a Japanese by the name Takeshi Umehara warned that, "the total collapse of Marxism ... and the dramatic collapse of the Soviet Union are only the precursors to the collapse of Western liberalism, the main current of modernity. Far from being the alternative to Marxism and the reigning ideology at the end of history, liberalism will be the next domino to fall."
Few took notice of these prophetic words at that time of "end of history" as Fukuyama taught us. Now, we know that, were it not for the trillions of dollars of government’s aid in 2009, the global banking system would have already collapsed and the world would again be deep in the throes of another depression, where credit-driven demand sinks in an ocean of debt and settles on the bottom where it slowly drowns. But the collapse has not been averted, it has only been delayed. The trillions of dollars spent to postpone the day of reckoning were borrowed and soon the bill will be proffered and payment demanded for having done so. Despite the apparent resolve of those attending Davos and G8, there is no way out except complete systemic collapse. We are now at the end of the three hundred year system of economic slavery by credit and debt.
As if the monetary madness is not enough, we are now staring one of the greatest resource/energy crisis humanity has ever faced. When this crisis fully hits home, many will gnash their teeth because, it will destroy civilisation as we know it. More so, it is the disorganised nations like Kenya/Africans nations which will bear the greatest burden of the forthcoming energy crisis. Like many dismissed Umehara's warning, many will dismiss this article as just noise. However, if we get at least one person to reflect on the issues we raise, we will have done our part for the stakes have never been so high for us Africans. While at it, remember this, when Gandhi saw Indians celebrating their "independence," he told a friend. "I do not see what they are celebrating, for I see rivers of blood." The partition of India in 1948 and the blood that flowed vindicated his vision.
Now, we know that, almost all of us have been led to believe that, if only we remove this leader, if only we use aid well, if only we are less corrupt, if we have a new constitution, Kenyan will march on to become a rich nation by 2030. We deny all this as madness. We even go further and assert that, things will not get better, they will get worse. In other words, expect more corruption, crime, disorder and general decay and perhaps total state collapse. Is this not too pessimistic a view? Yes, we agree. However, if you understand the core message we are trying to communicate, you will appreciate why we are so pessimistic. However, more importantly, we hope, each one of us will play his/her part, so that we can steer this Titanic before it hits the rocks. This is crucial because our governments are not prepared for this crisis and therefore, we must prepare as individuals.
The best way to understand how a society functions and therefore, malfunctions is to understand the energy question. In other words, a well organised society is totally dependent on leaders appreciating the meaning of energy and how its distribution influences what a society becomes. However, our leadership has no clue about this issue. For this reason, we are and we shall pay a heavy price very soon. We start with a story of a nation of two prisons.
If you take a walk past Kahawa West in Nairobi, you will come across what they call Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. As you walk past this prison, you will notice the numerous security arrangements such as high walls, fences, armed prison guards, trained dogs, whistles and alarms among others. Needless to say, over 95% of the inmates of this prison are the poor Kenyans. Ignoring other interesting areas, let us now take a walk to the other side of the "green city in the sun." On this side of this city, you will find Karen, a gated community as Yankess calls them. In this area, you will see high walls, electronic security devices, armed guards, fierce dogs among other security gadgets similar to those at Kamiti. Thus, in Karen we meet the rich inmates' prison. In this self made prison, which is a mirror image of Kamiti, these inmates are running away from the dangers of the society they have deserted. Upon reflection, these two prisons tell us something. We have become a nation in which law is almost the only functioning social institution and prisons among the few remaining means of social control. The tragedy is that, this kind of social division and thereby, disorder will get worse. We explain below.
Let us start by saying this. Human survival or life is all about three things. These are, TRANSFORMING, EXCHANGING and DISCARDING energy. It follows that, our ability to survive is totally dependent on our ability to maintain a constant flow of energy. To enable our survival, our culture serves as an instrument for the withdrawal of energy from the larger environment. However, at this point, let us keep this in mind. It is impossible for us to create or destroy energy for the amount was fixed from the beginning to the end of time. In this sense, we work for a living, we buy stuff, and we throw away stuff or exchange them for other stuff. This is what the energy flow line and all economic life is all about.
Following from above observation, we can now see that, economic and political institutions just like a machine are energy transformers. Their sole objective is to facilitate the flow of energy through a society. It therefore, follows that, the way work in a society is allocated (ENERGY TRANSFORMATION), the way the energy is divided between people, groups, tribes, constituencies etc in a society (ENERGY EXCHANGE), and the way the wastes are disposed off at each stage of energy flow (ENERGY DISCARDING) determine the social, economic and political nature of disorders that surface in a given society. The way to understand this is to see that, a man in Muthaiga uses more energy (TRANSFORMS and EXCHANGES) than a man who lives in Dandora. But, the waste (ENERGY DISCARDING) from Muthaiga ends on the Dandora man's door and the associated disorders.
Here is something else to keep in mind. Although we cannot destroy energy, any time we transform energy - matter, we lose some of it. Losing does not mean destruction. It only means that some of that energy becomes disorganised, dissipated and therefore, unavailable for future use by man. Thus, what we call pollution (Dandora dump site), is nothing but disorganised energy that is unavailable to man. It follows that, the faster we use the available energy, the faster the dissipation and disorder that results. In other words, every time we use the available energy, it creates disorder somewhere in the surrounding environment. And, if you doubt, isn’t true that, the more waste you discard in Muthaiga, the more disorder the Dandora man experiences. However, with time, this disorder keeps on moving closer to the Muthaiga man as well.
This is the crux of the matter. As we use all cheaply available energy, we are forced to go for more expensive energy as society becomes more complex. Consequently, the more easily available energy is used first. That’s why we started with trees. We have finished then. Then, we moved to more difficult and heavily polluting coal. Thereafter, we moved to oil which can allow complex industrial society as we have today, but, is more expensive than coal. Nuclear is even more expensive and dangerous than oil. Of importance to note is this. As energy becomes more expensive to extract from the environment, the costs associated with all of the transforming, exchange and discarding processes along the energy flow line continues to rise. For instance, in 1950, it cost the energy equivalent of one barrel of oil to find 100 barrels of new oil. Now the same investment yields 5 barrels. Simply, as the first link shows, as oil becomes more expensive, prices rise for the producer and the consumer which leads to rising cost of living.
Note this one please. At the energy cost increase, at the same time, the accumulating disorder resulting from past energy flow adds additional economic, social and political costs, which further increases taxes/prices for all of us. If you doubt, count the cost of cleaning the Nairobi River and the cost we must pay one day, to clean Dandora or reclaiming Mau. If you doubt this, sample this: "Two Kenyan towns have received a total of Sh1.7 billion from the French Government to help them manage their waste.... Mr Mudavadi said his ministry had also tabled a proposal to the cabinet seeking permission to engage the private sector and other development partners in the relocation of the Dandora dumpsite."
In other words, it will take more money to pay for the complex technology needed to extract and process the remaining energy. This will be happening even as we need more money to manage all disorders which result from dissipation of energy in the past as well as today. In other words, inflation will spill faster and faster as we go forward. This is so because; energy is the basis for all economic activity. Thus, when costs go up at the source, they are passed to the consumer in terms of high prices as the cost of exchanging energy between institutions, people, groups, sectors rise. Do not forget that, the taxpayer is called upon to fund more cleaning of the disorders as well. If you doubt, check the NEMA's budget.
As the cost of energy rises, the wage earners get hit. Yes, wages may seem to rise, but, real purchasing power falls and will fail to keep up with the rising cost of living. The growing gap between wages and real purchasing power reflects the money that is diverted from labour bill to pay for the increased costs of maintaining energy flows in the society. (Foreign Power Firms Reap Sh6.2 bn ). How this works is very simple. As each institution tries to maintain its existing profit levels in a rising energy cost environment, they reduce the wage component. When those who earn wages are getting less purchasing power in this environment, it means one thing. They are unable to meet their energy needs, i.e. food, clothing, health care etc. In other words, energy flow through the human systems begin to slow down as more energy (money represents energy expended, but, our Babylonian system does not work this way), is diverted to the maintenance of economic institutions and machinery responsible for the energy flow itself.
This is another key point to note. Given the way the energy flow is set up, some individuals, groups and classes are located at the periphery of the transforming and exchanging process because of the way the system allocates jobs and distribution of income. Interestingly, as we see in Dandora, although these groups miss in transformation and exchange process, they get involved in the discarding process. You can also see this in the international context because Africa is the dumping site for toxics as we saw in Ivory Coast a few years ago. This puts Africans, whether rich or poor in the same class. Consequently, as the disorders mount, the poor class are the first to feel the pinch. This is so because; more and more of these poor guys are thrown off the energy flow line so as to compensate for the tightening economic conditions.
As more people are cast out of the energy flow line, the governments will step in and provide for their energy needs in terms of welfare and other benefits. Unfortunately, as energy price goes up which is aided by how faster we deplete the easy supplies (this is rampant under the global free trade regime which USA has forced on the world), the more people will lose jobs, or, in words of energy, will be cast off the line of energy flow. As this goes on, governments will get even larger to take care of the victims of tightening energy crisis. Do not forget that, many of these victims will turn to crime to get their share of energy. To combat this every increasing crime, the governments will enlarge security machinery and other associated costs like courts. Off course, to pay for these enlarged services, tax payers must pay more whether the payment is postponed via debts, it does not matter. As we pay more taxes, the more private enterprise will be collapsing under the weight of unbearable taxes.
Unfortunately, as the governments grow in size, as well as energy companies, they will end up using more energy (money) for their own maintenance, thereby, increasing tax burden while decreasing the energy flow for human consumption. For this, just watch the American military expenditure and how it is bankrupting once a wealthy nation. We shall come back to this later. This diversion of energy away from the people and towards maintenance of enlarged corporations and governments will proceed until the entire social mechanism crashes.
In other words, to "solve" the disorders occasioned by rapid energy dissipation, which is a result of how we have organised our societies, we will expect the usual response. In this sense, we will deploy more control or regulatory agencies like NEMA, more judges and better armed police. All this will lead to more centralization of power at the top. When these centralised bodies are unable to cope with the mounting social and economic disorders, they will go burst. When they do, we will create even bigger ones to contain the disorder (we see Obama giving Fed more powers). If you doubt, read history on how civilizations collapse. In the next piece, we will show why Africa will be a poverty and war ravaged continent as we enter the final game in hydrocarbons saga which brought us first and second world wars. This is because there is an intensifying scramble for African energy by both Asian and Western nations which will be fighting tooth and nail to capture the remaining oil on the African continent to maintain their high energy flow societies at the expense of Africans.
To fully appreciate the core message of this piece and the next one to follow, we request the reader to start by reading the following articles:
(a) High global crude oil prices threaten to burn Kenya gains
(b) Foreign power firms reap Sh6.2bn
(c) Review cost of power, Daily Nation Editorial
(d) US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015
(e) Energy minister will hold summit to calm rising fears over peak oil Lord Hunt calls UK industrialists together to discuss government response to any early onset of decline in global oil production
In 1992, a Japanese by the name Takeshi Umehara warned that, "the total collapse of Marxism ... and the dramatic collapse of the Soviet Union are only the precursors to the collapse of Western liberalism, the main current of modernity. Far from being the alternative to Marxism and the reigning ideology at the end of history, liberalism will be the next domino to fall."
Few took notice of these prophetic words at that time of "end of history" as Fukuyama taught us. Now, we know that, were it not for the trillions of dollars of government’s aid in 2009, the global banking system would have already collapsed and the world would again be deep in the throes of another depression, where credit-driven demand sinks in an ocean of debt and settles on the bottom where it slowly drowns. But the collapse has not been averted, it has only been delayed. The trillions of dollars spent to postpone the day of reckoning were borrowed and soon the bill will be proffered and payment demanded for having done so. Despite the apparent resolve of those attending Davos and G8, there is no way out except complete systemic collapse. We are now at the end of the three hundred year system of economic slavery by credit and debt.
As if the monetary madness is not enough, we are now staring one of the greatest resource/energy crisis humanity has ever faced. When this crisis fully hits home, many will gnash their teeth because, it will destroy civilisation as we know it. More so, it is the disorganised nations like Kenya/Africans nations which will bear the greatest burden of the forthcoming energy crisis. Like many dismissed Umehara's warning, many will dismiss this article as just noise. However, if we get at least one person to reflect on the issues we raise, we will have done our part for the stakes have never been so high for us Africans. While at it, remember this, when Gandhi saw Indians celebrating their "independence," he told a friend. "I do not see what they are celebrating, for I see rivers of blood." The partition of India in 1948 and the blood that flowed vindicated his vision.
Now, we know that, almost all of us have been led to believe that, if only we remove this leader, if only we use aid well, if only we are less corrupt, if we have a new constitution, Kenyan will march on to become a rich nation by 2030. We deny all this as madness. We even go further and assert that, things will not get better, they will get worse. In other words, expect more corruption, crime, disorder and general decay and perhaps total state collapse. Is this not too pessimistic a view? Yes, we agree. However, if you understand the core message we are trying to communicate, you will appreciate why we are so pessimistic. However, more importantly, we hope, each one of us will play his/her part, so that we can steer this Titanic before it hits the rocks. This is crucial because our governments are not prepared for this crisis and therefore, we must prepare as individuals.
The best way to understand how a society functions and therefore, malfunctions is to understand the energy question. In other words, a well organised society is totally dependent on leaders appreciating the meaning of energy and how its distribution influences what a society becomes. However, our leadership has no clue about this issue. For this reason, we are and we shall pay a heavy price very soon. We start with a story of a nation of two prisons.
A Nation of Two Prisons
If you take a walk past Kahawa West in Nairobi, you will come across what they call Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. As you walk past this prison, you will notice the numerous security arrangements such as high walls, fences, armed prison guards, trained dogs, whistles and alarms among others. Needless to say, over 95% of the inmates of this prison are the poor Kenyans. Ignoring other interesting areas, let us now take a walk to the other side of the "green city in the sun." On this side of this city, you will find Karen, a gated community as Yankess calls them. In this area, you will see high walls, electronic security devices, armed guards, fierce dogs among other security gadgets similar to those at Kamiti. Thus, in Karen we meet the rich inmates' prison. In this self made prison, which is a mirror image of Kamiti, these inmates are running away from the dangers of the society they have deserted. Upon reflection, these two prisons tell us something. We have become a nation in which law is almost the only functioning social institution and prisons among the few remaining means of social control. The tragedy is that, this kind of social division and thereby, disorder will get worse. We explain below.
Let us start by saying this. Human survival or life is all about three things. These are, TRANSFORMING, EXCHANGING and DISCARDING energy. It follows that, our ability to survive is totally dependent on our ability to maintain a constant flow of energy. To enable our survival, our culture serves as an instrument for the withdrawal of energy from the larger environment. However, at this point, let us keep this in mind. It is impossible for us to create or destroy energy for the amount was fixed from the beginning to the end of time. In this sense, we work for a living, we buy stuff, and we throw away stuff or exchange them for other stuff. This is what the energy flow line and all economic life is all about.
Following from above observation, we can now see that, economic and political institutions just like a machine are energy transformers. Their sole objective is to facilitate the flow of energy through a society. It therefore, follows that, the way work in a society is allocated (ENERGY TRANSFORMATION), the way the energy is divided between people, groups, tribes, constituencies etc in a society (ENERGY EXCHANGE), and the way the wastes are disposed off at each stage of energy flow (ENERGY DISCARDING) determine the social, economic and political nature of disorders that surface in a given society. The way to understand this is to see that, a man in Muthaiga uses more energy (TRANSFORMS and EXCHANGES) than a man who lives in Dandora. But, the waste (ENERGY DISCARDING) from Muthaiga ends on the Dandora man's door and the associated disorders.
Here is something else to keep in mind. Although we cannot destroy energy, any time we transform energy - matter, we lose some of it. Losing does not mean destruction. It only means that some of that energy becomes disorganised, dissipated and therefore, unavailable for future use by man. Thus, what we call pollution (Dandora dump site), is nothing but disorganised energy that is unavailable to man. It follows that, the faster we use the available energy, the faster the dissipation and disorder that results. In other words, every time we use the available energy, it creates disorder somewhere in the surrounding environment. And, if you doubt, isn’t true that, the more waste you discard in Muthaiga, the more disorder the Dandora man experiences. However, with time, this disorder keeps on moving closer to the Muthaiga man as well.
This is the crux of the matter. As we use all cheaply available energy, we are forced to go for more expensive energy as society becomes more complex. Consequently, the more easily available energy is used first. That’s why we started with trees. We have finished then. Then, we moved to more difficult and heavily polluting coal. Thereafter, we moved to oil which can allow complex industrial society as we have today, but, is more expensive than coal. Nuclear is even more expensive and dangerous than oil. Of importance to note is this. As energy becomes more expensive to extract from the environment, the costs associated with all of the transforming, exchange and discarding processes along the energy flow line continues to rise. For instance, in 1950, it cost the energy equivalent of one barrel of oil to find 100 barrels of new oil. Now the same investment yields 5 barrels. Simply, as the first link shows, as oil becomes more expensive, prices rise for the producer and the consumer which leads to rising cost of living.
Note this one please. At the energy cost increase, at the same time, the accumulating disorder resulting from past energy flow adds additional economic, social and political costs, which further increases taxes/prices for all of us. If you doubt, count the cost of cleaning the Nairobi River and the cost we must pay one day, to clean Dandora or reclaiming Mau. If you doubt this, sample this: "Two Kenyan towns have received a total of Sh1.7 billion from the French Government to help them manage their waste.... Mr Mudavadi said his ministry had also tabled a proposal to the cabinet seeking permission to engage the private sector and other development partners in the relocation of the Dandora dumpsite."
In other words, it will take more money to pay for the complex technology needed to extract and process the remaining energy. This will be happening even as we need more money to manage all disorders which result from dissipation of energy in the past as well as today. In other words, inflation will spill faster and faster as we go forward. This is so because; energy is the basis for all economic activity. Thus, when costs go up at the source, they are passed to the consumer in terms of high prices as the cost of exchanging energy between institutions, people, groups, sectors rise. Do not forget that, the taxpayer is called upon to fund more cleaning of the disorders as well. If you doubt, check the NEMA's budget.
As the cost of energy rises, the wage earners get hit. Yes, wages may seem to rise, but, real purchasing power falls and will fail to keep up with the rising cost of living. The growing gap between wages and real purchasing power reflects the money that is diverted from labour bill to pay for the increased costs of maintaining energy flows in the society. (Foreign Power Firms Reap Sh6.2 bn ). How this works is very simple. As each institution tries to maintain its existing profit levels in a rising energy cost environment, they reduce the wage component. When those who earn wages are getting less purchasing power in this environment, it means one thing. They are unable to meet their energy needs, i.e. food, clothing, health care etc. In other words, energy flow through the human systems begin to slow down as more energy (money represents energy expended, but, our Babylonian system does not work this way), is diverted to the maintenance of economic institutions and machinery responsible for the energy flow itself.
This is another key point to note. Given the way the energy flow is set up, some individuals, groups and classes are located at the periphery of the transforming and exchanging process because of the way the system allocates jobs and distribution of income. Interestingly, as we see in Dandora, although these groups miss in transformation and exchange process, they get involved in the discarding process. You can also see this in the international context because Africa is the dumping site for toxics as we saw in Ivory Coast a few years ago. This puts Africans, whether rich or poor in the same class. Consequently, as the disorders mount, the poor class are the first to feel the pinch. This is so because; more and more of these poor guys are thrown off the energy flow line so as to compensate for the tightening economic conditions.
As more people are cast out of the energy flow line, the governments will step in and provide for their energy needs in terms of welfare and other benefits. Unfortunately, as energy price goes up which is aided by how faster we deplete the easy supplies (this is rampant under the global free trade regime which USA has forced on the world), the more people will lose jobs, or, in words of energy, will be cast off the line of energy flow. As this goes on, governments will get even larger to take care of the victims of tightening energy crisis. Do not forget that, many of these victims will turn to crime to get their share of energy. To combat this every increasing crime, the governments will enlarge security machinery and other associated costs like courts. Off course, to pay for these enlarged services, tax payers must pay more whether the payment is postponed via debts, it does not matter. As we pay more taxes, the more private enterprise will be collapsing under the weight of unbearable taxes.
Unfortunately, as the governments grow in size, as well as energy companies, they will end up using more energy (money) for their own maintenance, thereby, increasing tax burden while decreasing the energy flow for human consumption. For this, just watch the American military expenditure and how it is bankrupting once a wealthy nation. We shall come back to this later. This diversion of energy away from the people and towards maintenance of enlarged corporations and governments will proceed until the entire social mechanism crashes.
In other words, to "solve" the disorders occasioned by rapid energy dissipation, which is a result of how we have organised our societies, we will expect the usual response. In this sense, we will deploy more control or regulatory agencies like NEMA, more judges and better armed police. All this will lead to more centralization of power at the top. When these centralised bodies are unable to cope with the mounting social and economic disorders, they will go burst. When they do, we will create even bigger ones to contain the disorder (we see Obama giving Fed more powers). If you doubt, read history on how civilizations collapse. In the next piece, we will show why Africa will be a poverty and war ravaged continent as we enter the final game in hydrocarbons saga which brought us first and second world wars. This is because there is an intensifying scramble for African energy by both Asian and Western nations which will be fighting tooth and nail to capture the remaining oil on the African continent to maintain their high energy flow societies at the expense of Africans.
Ruto Victim of Cruel Humour, Musical Chairs
Hon William Ruto is ragging and shaking with anger. Now Kenyans can understand what he meant with BETRAYER. But Bill is a strong man who knows better to contain his flaming anger in the lungs and not let it seep to the heart where it could be fatal.
The whole rider is now we can trust all our learning institutions and kids from kindergarten to university with two INCORRUPTIBLE ministers Prof Ongeri and indefatigable Ruto.
Update: Meanwhile Keter is already missing the flag. He has been freed to do what he knows best.
Arap Moi must be laughing so loud at his students political students' attempt to outdo him at his game of musical chairs of yore.
So who is fooling who here? It attempting to create and impression of motion in the Ruto-Koskei swap, we are have just witnessed no movement except Moi's old political modus operandi. So the political muscles must be flexed at our national expense.
And the so-called face of Kenya recycling continues. Who cares as more Kenyans continue to perish on our roads. You cannot fail to see through the political schemes of dangling the Transport Ministry portfolio to Matuga electorates while Kimunya holds brief.
The cheap philosophy of replacing like with like cheapens leadership and governance to some political liver juggling. But we cannot complain because we get the leaders we deserve.
Maybe reminding Ruto who the real power wielders are was a political reality check. Sacking him would have only succeeded in polarizing Kenyans more as we approach the referendum.
On a positive note Ruto can transfer his energy and enthusiasm, team with Prof Ongeri and reform the decaying education sector. That would be such a political coup for Bill as he partners with Uncle Sam for the national good.
You know what, him who wants to conduct the orchestra must turn his back to the crowd. Na bado.
The whole rider is now we can trust all our learning institutions and kids from kindergarten to university with two INCORRUPTIBLE ministers Prof Ongeri and indefatigable Ruto.
Update: Meanwhile Keter is already missing the flag. He has been freed to do what he knows best.
Arap Moi must be laughing so loud at his students political students' attempt to outdo him at his game of musical chairs of yore.
So who is fooling who here? It attempting to create and impression of motion in the Ruto-Koskei swap, we are have just witnessed no movement except Moi's old political modus operandi. So the political muscles must be flexed at our national expense.
And the so-called face of Kenya recycling continues. Who cares as more Kenyans continue to perish on our roads. You cannot fail to see through the political schemes of dangling the Transport Ministry portfolio to Matuga electorates while Kimunya holds brief.
The cheap philosophy of replacing like with like cheapens leadership and governance to some political liver juggling. But we cannot complain because we get the leaders we deserve.
Maybe reminding Ruto who the real power wielders are was a political reality check. Sacking him would have only succeeded in polarizing Kenyans more as we approach the referendum.
On a positive note Ruto can transfer his energy and enthusiasm, team with Prof Ongeri and reform the decaying education sector. That would be such a political coup for Bill as he partners with Uncle Sam for the national good.
You know what, him who wants to conduct the orchestra must turn his back to the crowd. Na bado.
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