[kictanet] Korea - Dr Ndemo for Presidency!

Thu Nov 17 07:50:11 EAT 2011

Dr Ndemo

I must say you have a way of graphically putting things in perspective.

I'm sure you have read this book about Singapore which to a large extent
confirms your thoughts (Which I agree with entirely).

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/144409.From_Third_World_to_First_

Ali Hussein

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Subject: Re: [kictanet] Korea - Dr Ndemo for Presidency!

Alice,
It is more complicated than simply picking on the ideological choice.
Usually it is how the politics of any state interacts with the economy that
an ideology is born.  If you recall, in communism, the state controlled the
economy.  That is how we referred to that as planned economies, that is the
politicians decided what to do with state productive resources.  Communism
died 1989 and burried in Germany.

Capitalism however has been more dynamic.  Its originators thought that
there must be a separation between the economy and politics like we do in
Church and State.  Thus the development of the private sector.  In 1930
recession, Roosevelt slightly changed it by introducing welfare in cases
where the resources do not trickle to the bottom.  He feared there would a
revolt in favour of Communism since it promised equality.

In the 80's came Reagan and Thatcher who were basically anti-government and
started to deregulate arguing that the businessmen know better.  This was a
powerful movement and indeed most countries abandoned regulation even on the
financial markets.  New financial instruments emerged.  Instead of asset
backed securities we got leveraged securities (means that you take your
mortgage and use it as security to get more money).  This came down crashing
as evidenced by Lehman Brothers.  Obama stepped in and changed the history
of Capitalism by rescuing the failing banks.

We are now in a vacum and the practices that created the problem permiated
to our part of the world.  We need to maintain a strong regulatory regime
otherwise we get into serious problems.  We are still going to experience
problems since our currency is linked to the fragile Euro.  What you will
never be told by Europeans is that by embrasing Laissers Faire economics the
economic fundermentals were wrong.  The Greek people for example started to
retire at 50 with good pension.  One in three Greeks is a civil servant and
the few in Private sector have strong Unions.  Essentially they produced
nothing to back up their good life and they borrowed to maintain it.

As we stand today things are getting worse in Europe.  Rating agencies have
put France on Notice.  Italy if it falls, we shall all suffer.  China which
has lots of Money keeps on manipulating their currency but if consumption of
their goods fall especially in the US, they will suffer. 

Back to ideology.  The Chinese have a modified version of
Communism/capitalism.  Some thinkers ask if such a model is good.  If you go
by Maslaw's hierachy of needs, this model will not last.  You are going to
see people demand for some rights.  In Sweden they have a social democracy
where the state takes care of social services like education and health
care.  In this model you are heavily taxed up to 50% of your income.

So if Africa were to find a quick solution to fast tracking development, we
need to adopt one of the Newly Industrialized economies of Asia but we must
give up some rights.  Singapore and Korea had benevolent dictators.  If you
understand McGregor's theory of X and Y.  Africa falls in the X category for
some time.  We are attempting to both economic and political reforms at the
same time.  It has never happened anywhere except india and the reason why
India will take longer to be like China or Korea. 

You now understand that both the state and private sector have failed
capitalism.  Whatever that emerges Capitalism will never be the same again.
This why we need to chart our own way.  Be it social democracy or modified
capitalism.  The politico-economic direction must be understood by those who
vote because they provide the corrective mechanism.  That is why Kaletsky
stated "politicians are corrupt, banks are greedy, businessmen are
incompetent and voters are stupid".

We therefore need an ideology.  Imagine if God dropped $100 trillion in
Kenya.  Shall we become developed?  The answer is NO.  Sometimes back while
at the University we got a pay rise back dated to one year before.  I was
Chairman of Department then.  The University was deserted.  Most of my
colleagues went to drink and forgot to teach.  Most were suddenly generous
and others became arrogant.  This lasted only as long as the resource
lasted.  These were PhDs behaving this way.  What will happen with the
ordinary citizen.  I still ask my self: Can we leapfrog in Development?

Ndemo.

Sent from my BlackBerryR

-----Original Message-----
From: Alice Munyua <alice at apc.org>
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14 Nov 2011 21:42:08 
To: <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Korea - Dr Ndemo for Presidency!

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