Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
What Does Kenya Really Need
The problem facing the Kenyan democratic process is typical of most developing countries from an outsider's point of view. Democracy is a big topic to try and come around in one post but I think the basics of it still should prevail: direct or representative democracy is all about giving the people better representation and freedom. This are of course not enough to make a nation just run but are starting points.
I also believe that in order for democracy to be effective, there also needs to be a workable and efficient institutionalised government support structures. I am simply referring to a stable, independent local authority and a judiciary that can be said to be reasonably facilitative. What I am continuing to observe from more democratically established nations is that government support systems are in most cases free from political influence because they do not form part of any government side per se.
What we should aim to do in Kenya is create the notion that politics should just be played at the top of the pyramid such that a political transition only means change of the top, say 0.5% of the pyramid, while the other 99.5% of government support system and services remains fully functional. For instance I do not see the need for a new minister to suck or appoint anyone from their office just as a show of ascent to office because I do not serious understand how a ministry stuffer would need to be on the same page with the minister in ideology. Such are the simple issue that I think if addressed would propel some sense of stability in our government structure.
By separating other functional units of government from the policy-making unit of things, I tend to believe progress would be inevitable. If policy-makers do not accomplish anything for instance, we as citizens are able to see this because their decisions would be conspicuous enough not to pass our eyes and this would mean a change of the top team. I do mean for this to sound overly simplistic but an election in this case would be easily likened to the top politicians switching colours and not overturning the whole system and telling us that they are now going to build out country Kenya from down up. This is never possible. Bottom up abstraction systems only works in engineering projects or in countries that are coming from rubble like a Kenya in 1963 or Haiti in recent times.
Politicians must stop wanting to change how government works, they must strive to improve our institutions and move from there.
Another observation I have made is that we Kenyans tend to want to copy working systems and use working democracies as examples of what we should aim for. I do not see what would be wrong if we worked on what we have and build our own Kenya. A Kenya that applies to Kenyans and for goodness sake a Kenya that has accountable leaders implementing policy. We do not have to look as far as the United States of America to find a system to want to emulate, we could be the creative Kenyans we are and build our own. I am saying this because I believe we have what it takes. The Kenyan population is one that can work miracles and uphold a position of leadership in our side of Africa. The Kenyan population if given a chance can achieve greatness. And to quote Abraham Lincoln, with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.
I also believe that in order for democracy to be effective, there also needs to be a workable and efficient institutionalised government support structures. I am simply referring to a stable, independent local authority and a judiciary that can be said to be reasonably facilitative. What I am continuing to observe from more democratically established nations is that government support systems are in most cases free from political influence because they do not form part of any government side per se.
What we should aim to do in Kenya is create the notion that politics should just be played at the top of the pyramid such that a political transition only means change of the top, say 0.5% of the pyramid, while the other 99.5% of government support system and services remains fully functional. For instance I do not see the need for a new minister to suck or appoint anyone from their office just as a show of ascent to office because I do not serious understand how a ministry stuffer would need to be on the same page with the minister in ideology. Such are the simple issue that I think if addressed would propel some sense of stability in our government structure.
By separating other functional units of government from the policy-making unit of things, I tend to believe progress would be inevitable. If policy-makers do not accomplish anything for instance, we as citizens are able to see this because their decisions would be conspicuous enough not to pass our eyes and this would mean a change of the top team. I do mean for this to sound overly simplistic but an election in this case would be easily likened to the top politicians switching colours and not overturning the whole system and telling us that they are now going to build out country Kenya from down up. This is never possible. Bottom up abstraction systems only works in engineering projects or in countries that are coming from rubble like a Kenya in 1963 or Haiti in recent times.
Politicians must stop wanting to change how government works, they must strive to improve our institutions and move from there.
Another observation I have made is that we Kenyans tend to want to copy working systems and use working democracies as examples of what we should aim for. I do not see what would be wrong if we worked on what we have and build our own Kenya. A Kenya that applies to Kenyans and for goodness sake a Kenya that has accountable leaders implementing policy. We do not have to look as far as the United States of America to find a system to want to emulate, we could be the creative Kenyans we are and build our own. I am saying this because I believe we have what it takes. The Kenyan population is one that can work miracles and uphold a position of leadership in our side of Africa. The Kenyan population if given a chance can achieve greatness. And to quote Abraham Lincoln, with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)