[kictanet] When Leaders follow the followers

[lordmwesh]

We are pathetic. If technocrats and thinktanks like ab, cd, ef, ...
etal get into politics and wear the politician's coat, it means we are
headed nowhere in a thousand years.

On 25/11/2011, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well said Dr. Ndemo, this is what leadership is all about, we must
> shout from the rooftops until tumekemea psycophancy anyway seems like
> a case of old wine in new skins, its going to be a long journey but we
> will get there.
>
> Best Regards
>
> On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 4:40 PM,  <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>> Listers,
>> I want to start by thanking Andrea Bohnstedt for her last Saturday article
>> titled, We need Politicians with Economic Policy, The Star on Saturday
>> 19th 2011.  It raised salient points but it came too early before I could
>> put my skills to test.  My first encounter with the current Presidential
>> candidates ended up to be thoroughly frustrating but a good lesson for all
>> of us to learn from.  Our only way out is to create political, social and
>> economic transformations through social media.  Here is my argument for
>> this proposition:
>>
>> Last week attended Dr. Hezron Nyangito’s funeral in Kisii and I had the
>> chance to test my “political ambition”.  I failed.  When time came for me
>> to speak, I was nervous but gathered myself to make a few remarks.  This
>> was my brief speech:  The family of Nyangito, our leaders Prime Minister,
>> Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, members of Parliament, My colleagues
>> PSs, Senior Civil Servants Ladies and Gentlemen.   It is my singular honor
>> to speak at the funeral of my great friend and former colleague both at
>> the University and the Civil Service as Permanent Secretaries.   Nyangito
>> was a gentleman but all through our interactions we argued mostly on how
>> to eradicate poverty in Kenya and more specifically here in Kisii.  Since
>> the rains are coming (it rains in Kisii every day at 2pm and by the time I
>> was speaking it was around 1 pm).  I can only promise to put in writing
>> what his thoughts were and how we can help the people he loved most moves
>> towards a prosperous future.
>>
>> I had just been given 2 minutes for my speech and that of my colleague,
>> Mary Ngari, PS Medical Services.  In Mary’s speech, she was to announce
>> that the Government will undertake to finish the construction of a health
>> center that Nyangito had started in his home area.  She never got to the
>> point of saying this since the crowd that numbered about 50,000 was
>> getting restless and wanted to hear from the politician.  Indeed I was
>> bothered that the crowd was not interested in the issues we were raising
>> as they would impact on their lives.
>>
>> The time came for politicians to speak and here I discovered that indeed
>> we are led by the electorate and any change we must make, it must be to
>> educate the electorate.  First every Presidential candidate arrived in
>> their own helicopters.  There were seven helicopters and a quick
>> observation most of the public were bare foot but they liked the
>> excitement of helicopters landing in their villages.  They cheered for
>> every one that landed and rushed towards the landing area just to announce
>> Ruto, Kenyatta, Raila etc.  Obviously all the politicians loved this and
>> being surrounded by people chanting their names.
>>
>> First to speak was Ruto and had this to say “Mbuya more abanto baito (How
>> are you our people), Mbuya Mono (Very fine with a big roar).  Nyangito was
>> a great man”.  The crowd went quiet and Ruto changed gear “munajua
>> tumekaribia kung’eng’ana (we are nearing political fight)” Here there were
>> bigger roaring cheers and ululations’.  I must add that Ruto had the
>> correct masterly of Swahili and impeccably dressed in what appeared to be
>> a Gucci suit (retails for about $4,000). Hon. Nyachae stood and as a
>> clever politician he did not bother with issues but focused on what
>> brought cheers, “sisi wa Kisii ni wanaume (us Kisii’s are men) never mind
>> the majority of the crowd were women.  His statement was met with even
>> greater roaring, ululations and whistling.
>>
>> Uhuru’s turn came and he had to read the President’s speech as the crowd
>> watched in heavy silence waiting to hear what could excite them.  Being a
>> smart politician he had to make his own remarks at the end at this is what
>> he said “hii si wakati wa siasa lakini tunakuja, nitarudi”(this not the
>> time for politics but I will come back) cheers more roars and ululations.
>> Then it came the turn of the Prime Minister, “I knew Nyangito ….”  He
>> seemed to have noted that the crowd was getting bored then as any clever
>> politician he switched gears “Nimetoka Israel na nilipitia Jerusalem kwa
>> Yesu” (I have just come from Israel and I passed through Jerusalem where
>> Jesus lived) the crowd responded with roars.  He could intermittently hold
>> his speech to allow for more ululations, “nikapitia Nazareth bahari Yesu
>> alizaliwa (I passed through Nazareth where Jesus was born) pause then
>> cheers, hata Galilee nilienda, pause na Bethlehem (even I went to Galilee
>> and Bethlehem).
>>
>> This is what the public wanted and the politician gave it.  In essence it
>> is the public that takes the lead and those we assume to be leaders
>> follow.  I did not want to make that conclusion too early.  After the
>> funeral there was a heavy jam.  Several University students accosted me.
>> Here I decided to put this new found theory in place.  I told them that
>> when I came in the morning, I flew into Kisumu and landed in the new
>> airport and not surprisingly they clubbed.  Here I concluded that if you
>> want to be a politician, you must begin to be irrelevant to issues that
>> affect the people.  If you really want to be popular, you must have a
>> helicopter since it gets you closer to the people.  The third variable
>> that will endear you to the people is MONEY.
>>
>> Among the Kisii culture there is a tendency to raise a bit of money at a
>> funeral mainly to assist those who may need transport and food as they go
>> back to their homes.  We simply call it erongori  (porridge).  At this
>> function former Minister for Planning Henry Obwocha was asked to request
>> for erongori.  Usually if you gave Ksh. 1,000, it will be considered too
>> much.  Before Obwocha could finish asking for this, there was a queue of
>> politicians.  Hon. XXX Ksh.100,0000 and the crowd cheered.  The cheers
>> stopped at Ksh. 20,000.  This really embarrassed people like me who could
>> only afford Ksh. 5,000. The more you gave the more they cheered.  Let us
>> revisit the University student experiment.  Since I was on experiment
>> mode, I decided to give them Ksh. 5,000 for what they called transport.
>> They were not amused as they pocketed my hard earned money.  They quickly
>> set their eyes on heavyweights who responded and of course were treated to
>> cheers.
>>
>> We have learnt three critical variables that make a successful Kenyan
>> politician.  First get yourself lots of money and buy a helicopter, then
>> avoid dealing with issues that might impact on the lives of the public and
>> finally buy your popularity.   This is very similar to Kaletsky’s views in
>> Capitalism 4.0.  It is consistent to Moi’s strategy whenever the public
>> mood was low.  He used to say “nitopoe” (I disclose) followed with an
>> unnecessary pause and here the crowds used to roar with cheers.  Moi never
>> really disclosed anything in his nitopoe syndrome.  Jacob Zuma in South
>> Africa results to a jig that tickled South Africans to the extent of
>> removing Thabo Mbeki, an accomplished thoughtful leader.  Zuma is getting
>> his own medicine from upcoming Malema.  Armed with Bob’s script he has
>> galvanized the public into believing that “killing the Boer” would
>> redistribute Black empowerment resources better.  Mobutu Sese Seko used to
>> get cheers for simply clearing his throat.
>>
>> The political pillar of our own vision 2030 requires that we inculcate
>> issue-based politics.  In crafting this vision we assumed it is the
>> politician we needed to change.  We were wrong.  We must now have
>> strategies to change the public.  They are the ones who have the power to
>> change things.  I must admit that there is no known community that has
>> ever leapfrogged social, economic and political development.  In my view
>> we should have focused on economic development first which has an impact
>> on social development.  Political development emanates from social
>> consciousness.  We should learn from the Arabs that political domination
>> has limits.  In Arab countries that focused on economic empowerment, the
>> impact of political change is or will be less painful than in those
>> countries that they want to see change in all the three aspects of
>> development.
>>
>> In the state where the electorate is unaware of their inadequacies with
>> respect to social, political and economic transformation, it is imperative
>> that rapid disruptive policies such urbanization be implemented.  In a
>> state of confusion perhaps we may change the society from peasant
>> mentality to a more productive society.  In Kenya technology should help
>> us.  We have a real chance through social media to start mass social
>> re-engineering with the aim of shortening the learning curve we often go
>> through in socio political transformation.  This cannot be done by
>> politicians since they have already subordinated themselves into the
>> followership mentality.  We shall then strengthen these networks to
>> creating a robust information platform that will enhance intra Africa
>> trade which will have a great impact on Africa’s economic progress and
>> sustainability.
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>>
>> Ndemo
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Barrack O. Otieno
> +254721325277
> +254-20-2498789
> Skype: barrack.otieno
>
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>


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