Muraya, Let it be clear that as we fight corruption, we are not the only corrupt. I am reading Capitalism 4.0 and Kaletsky argues that "politicians are corrupt, banks are greedy and voters are stupid". If you have followed the financial crisis in both US and Europe, you cannot believe the level of corruption. I am looking forward to see what TI reports. Although I support the idea that we should fight our own corruption war, it is absurd to be characterized as corrupt yet we see what is happening. We need to understand these new forms of corruption as they impact on us. The volatility of our shilling is a reaction to the financial crisis elsewhere. If we were to leave everything to the dictates of economics, our shilling will highly be valued. The continued currency manipulation by some countries will destabilize Africa. What you are seeing is a failure of Laissers-faire economics (Less Government more Private Sector) promoted by Reagan/Thatcher regimes and other economists such as Rand. Even Liberal Democrats like Clinton and Blair had to become centrist in order to be elected and shifted from Keynesian economics that had served the world for decades. We adopted this nonsensical economics and that is why Land in Kenya appreciates on a daily basis without any economic explanations. We then start blaming ourselves in Movoko County. Let us decide what ideology is good for us and stop being appendages of others. Sorry Blackberry is a nightmare for typing. Ndemo. Sent from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: "S.M. Muraya" <murigi.muraya@gmail.com> Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:04:25 To: <bitange@jambo.co.ke>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Korea - Dr Ndemo for Presidency! Can we say, development revolves around transparency? Should we not focus on more than revenue collection? It is harder to steal (citizen time / public funds) when everyone can see what you are or not doing? Revenue collections can increase even with improved citizen / customer / client relationship management. Who is to blame for the demolitions in Mavoko (Syokimau)? Some victims (citizens) say when they were building, the Mavoko County Council was aware and never told them anything. Is it not time for especially for local governments to request citizen e-mail addresses in various applications for services and approvals? Also, have often wondered how to report good behavior when in govt offices / parastatals. This will get good people promoted -- and we know good people are more likely themselves to hire / promote / contract other good people. On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 12:38 AM, <bitange@jambo.co.ke> wrote:
Jane, There are possibly reasons why Korea is doing better than its 1960s peers. Casual look on the road tells you that more than nine out of ten vehicles on the road are Korean. You either see the Hyundai or a Kia and sometimes a Samsung. There is practically no foreign car here even the Toyota which originally gave the technology to Korea. I am told that 100% of the home appliances are locally manufactured. This level of patriotism (royalty to local outputs) is not by accident. South Korea is sandwiched by two powerful economies, that is, Japan and China.
This is an export-orientated country, with a total trade volume exceeding 900 billion in 2010. This figure also makes them the 7th largest exporter and 10th largest importer in the world. Since 2003, South Korea has established its network of free trade agreements to boost trade and economic ties with other countries.
Currently, South Korea has 5 FTAs in effect, 3 FTAs which has concluded discussions, and 19 FTAs under negotiation and consideration. So far, the biggest FTA of South Korea is the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) signed in 2007. This free trade agreement plans to liberate 95 percent of the trade tariffs between the 2 countries. It is also US first free trade agreement with a major Asian economy and biggest deal since the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed with Japan in 1993. Even with these FTAs some Koreans oppose especially FTA with the US. At a neatly organized rally (looked like an AGM of some company) people are gathered to protest FTA with the US. They argue it will hurt their industry.
With a lack in natural resources, South Korea has a high dependence on import of capital goods, raw materials and industrial supplies. The country is also the 5th largest importer of oil in the world, with 3.074 million barrels imported per day.
This makes Korea a good case study for Kenya as we have almost a similar background. At the height of structural adjustment program (SAP), Kenya had practically developed local capacity to manufacture cars. Uhuru then manufactured by General Motors had attained more than 60% local content. The neighbouring countries had begun to import Uhuru from Kenya but we were more focused on exports to Europe than exploiting the regional market. The then Government which ironically introduced Nyayo car found it easier to import used cars from Japan. We had lost track of going through a learning curve and create local capacities. Similar tastes were developing in the textile industry that led to the shutdown of Rivertex. The change of policy from SAPs to liberalization gave rise to looting of public enterprises (Read Kenatco, KNTC, ICDC, Kisumu Molasses, Kenya National Assurance, AT&H etc.) Other countries notably Korea, Singapore and Australia turned to corporatization of state enterprises and they succeeded big. If there were to be any justice through TJRC, it is the repossession of these assets to enable us create a youth venture capital to help the youth set up enterprises. I am well aware that Kenya media knows who looted and the state of those assets.
There is no need for us to be sorry about the past and keep on whining about the future. We must identify the opportunities that are glaring at us. It is not for nothing that God denied Middle East the land to grow food and gave them oil. We have a comparative advantage in certain areas that only after we exploit them that it becomes an opportunity. We must move from the past where opportunity meant a job opportunity to an environment where opportunity means you need to scratch your head and see a window where others have not seen one then exploit the chance. Africa and Middle East provides that window.
We also must be patient and willing to take collective sacrifices for us to succeed as a nation. You visit India and see that they do not import many vehicles too. In as much as the Mahindra is slow and ugly, Indian buys it. The Tata truck may not be great but Indians buy it. We have exported raw coffee far too long as we import instant coffee from our raw materials. Building a value added industry of our resources for the African market will make Kenya the largest economy in Africa. In two years’ time consumption in Africa will top $3 trillion. I have not even talked about AGOA which remains unexploited. Think.
Regards
Ndemo.
PS,
I bring back the debate of your for presidency! I strongly feel you have a lot to offer and wish Kenyans would vote beyond political rhetoric! What do you think should be done to promote such change in this country? Am impressed by the Korea's experience beyond words and feel thoroughly challenged. However, at times I think we do not want real change because we benefit from the chaotic system in our country.
Jane
From: kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of James Mbugua Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 5:35 PM To: info@amwik.org Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Korea
PS
That is enlightening stuff. Please also check out the last mile solutions. As I have always told you, I think government should build the fiber to the home with an allocation from the national budget the same way we allocate money for roads. Private sector can't do it and where they do, they will charge an arm and a leg to "recoup investments."
They key lesson to be learnt also from those observations is productivity per capita.
Kenyans are hard workers but we have inefficient production systems.
The amount a Chinese or Korean worker produces in an hour is probably what a Kenyan worker will take a day or two to produce.
We must think of ways of improving productivity.
Manual labourers must not be allowed to hold this economy hostage with their abysmal production levels and loud, unreasonable politics.
If you haven't guessed by now which manual labourers I speak of, think Atwoli and his tea pickers who won't allow mechanization at the farms and the dock workers who won't allow efforts to make the Port of Mombasa more efficient.
Economic development theories dictate that mechanization takes place to free up manual labourers to move into other economic sectors. We must look seriously at our level of productivity if we are to develop to Korea's level.
James Mbugua
On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 5:19 PM, <bitange@jambo.co.ke> wrote:
I arrived in Korea yesterday for a Global e-Government conference. ITU ranks Korea as number one in ICT diffusion. From the airport you see people walk through with an e-passport using biometrics. The New Incheon airport is 70 Kms west of Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea with some 11 million inhabitants. It is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world actually the world's fourth busiest airport by cargo traffic, and the world's eighth busiest airport in terms of international passengers in 2010.
Korea is about 99,000 sq Kms or one half of the Rift Valley Province of Kenya with a population of 50 million and a GDP of $1 trillion (Kenya's GDP is about $35 billion). In the 60's it was largely a donor recipient country with a GDP less than that of Kenya and more than 60% of its population below poverty. They have turned tables to be a member of the OECD and a donor country over a short period.
For many years it mostly depended on the USA as its largest trade partner but over a time they focused their energies on the Asian Markets. Its trade with China, USA and Japan in 2010 figures stands at %190, $98 and $90 billion respectively. They import a great deal of food and the reason why we should not lease our land but use it to improve on our economic growth. A Kg of meat here is $100 imported from Canada and Brazil.
I asked our Ambassador why we cannot sell our meat here. He says we do not meat their standards. This should not be a problem since we have broadband in most parts of the country that we can keep pace with the rest of the world in keeping the records especially those required by various standrds organization.
Back to Korea. ICTs are also deployed along the highways making it easier to go through the toll stations and collecting all the revenues. You can get data from government at every hour. You can for example know the number of children born in a day throughtout the country. There is CCTV practically everywhere. Crime is approaching zero.
There is an over supply of affordable public transport via the rail and bus system all clean and on time. If you choose to drive on your own, you are taxed at every new turn you make. The tax from the polluters who cannot use public transport is used to subsidize the energy efficient public tranportation.
Every child after high school has to go through the Military thus instilling the discipline required in this competitive world. Because of such discipline, they do everything very fast. We were literaly running behind our hosts to catch up with them. In the Newspapers there is a Bank executive who has committed suicide because he gave questionable loans to friends. He killed himself for shaming his family and that he may not have any friends.
My experience here confirms much of what we have been saying in this forum. The problem is how to inculcate such high levels of ethical standards as well as feeling of shame.
Regards
Ndemo.
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