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<div>Well said Bwana Ndemo,</div><div><br></div><div>If others can learn from us and advance their cause then we can too, Africa CAN.</div><div><br></div><div>I believe alot in the champion approach which is that if one country gets it right, the others would follow and i may be wrong but am strongly convinced that Kenya has the mantle in our time to shoot off and stand tall for all other African countries to follow. I pray Kenya does not disappoint destiny. </div><div><br></div><div>Eric here</div><div><br></div><br><div><div>On 10 Oct 2008, at 21:10, <a href="mailto:bitange@jambo.co.ke">bitange@jambo.co.ke</a> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Dear Eric,</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks for your comments.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The current Malaysian Prime Minister was among</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">the delegation in 1972 that came to Kenya and other African countries to</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">learn the magic of growing an economy at rate of 7%.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They were shocked to</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">visit cities in Africa that had no shanties.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They grabbled with the issue</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">of poverty, disease and ignorance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The poverty level here is at 3% and</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">every Malaysian has a house.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their ICT corridor is 70Km long and 30 Km</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">wide.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are now working on a biotechnology corridor which shall be</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">even bigger than the ICT one.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">In meetings to chart the way forward on these projects, the attendance is</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">greater than 95%.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Contrast this with our Africa.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We call meetings to</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">discuss policy and you hadly see anybody but when it comes to criticism</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">everybody has something to say.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>More often in the negative.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A good</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">example is the policy proposals that I have made here.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Peterson is</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">already criticizing and saying the Government should ... strike a balance.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Should we be asking where our problems are?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We are simply too</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">argumentative and have fallen flat on our bellies when it comes to</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">responsibility.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">We do not need to reinvent the wheel, we simply have to learn what the</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) did.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They allowed the MNCs but</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">ensured that components were manufactured locally.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The backward and</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">forward linkages enabled them to develop sufficient confidence to go it</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">alone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The assembly of Motor Vehicle industry in Kenya had attained 60%</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">local content before it slid.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In 1985 we attempted to make a local car,</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Nyayo.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Incidentally, that is the same year the Malaysians started their</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Proton.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The initial production both in Malaysia and Kenya were so</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">expensive that we ridiculed our Nyayo car to oblivion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Malaysians on the</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">other hand knew they had a learning curve to go through in order cut the</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">cost.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Today we import the Protons to Kenya.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our technicians from General</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Motors helped India with the Tata and Mahindra but we still have not quite</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">gotten it correct.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I have always wondered whether God made us perpetual</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">pessimists?</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Had we trusted ourselves even by a tinge, we could very easily be</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">competing with Japanese or better.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The situation is not getting any</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">better since it is common to see 40 year old men living with their</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">parents.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Are we really creating independent minded Kenyans who can change</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">this country or Africa for that matter?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>These are the people who make</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">comments on subjects they have no idea in.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Eric I worry a lot for our continent.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Per harps I shouldn't.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Regards</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Ndemo.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">----------------------------------------------<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">This message has been scanned for viruses and</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">believed to be clean.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">---------------------------------------------</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">"easy access to the world"<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </blockquote></div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>Eric M.K Osiakwan</div><div>ICT Integrator</div><div>Internet Research</div><div>www.internetresearch.com.gh</div><div><a href="mailto:emko@internetresearch.com.gh">emko@internetresearch.com.gh</a></div><div>42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North</div><div>Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 2031</div><div>Fax: +233.21.258811</div><div>Cell: +233.24.4386792</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span> </div><br></body></html>