Monday, February 15, 2010

What a benevolent dictator of Kenya would do...

We've tried dictators, they didn't do it. We've tried democracy and so far its not delivered. So why not a benevolent dictator.
Definition - A dictator that has power because the people choose to allow him/her to; who must make wise use of power since the benevolent dictatorship system allows them to be peaceably removed from office.
I prefer the wikidictionary's defnition.
What should he (or she as it can happen) do on ascending to power in Kenya:-
Corruption -
  1. require all cabinet ministers, PSs, heads of parastatals and judges to publicly (via adverts in at least two national dailies) their wealth within a month of being in office
  2. make corruption (whether tkk or mega), a capital offence punishable with a death sentence
  3. give those who are implicated in past corruption, 6 months to payback what they gained corruptly or get taken to court and suffer 2 above
  4. create a special corruption court with lower threshold of evidence
Judiciary
  1. Create special courts to deal exclusively with all cases older than 2 years.
  2. target judiciary with reducing outstanding cases by 200,000 per year with sackings where necessary for failed targets
  3. reduce judiciary entitlement to time-off. In fact make it compulsory for courts to be open on all but public holidays
  4. and of course increase the number of judges
  5. make corruption, rape, paedophilia, drug dealing, homosexuality and armed robbery capital offences i.e. death sentence
  6. drink driving, speeding, drug taking, littering, robbery all become punishable with varying degrees of caning
Economy
  1. Create an independent central bank charged with monetary policy (rates, inflation) and banking supervision
  2. Create two universities via public-private sector initiatives. One exclusively for IT and another for agriculture
  3. Require all public road works projects to have significant managerial as well as general Kenyan headcount
  4. Reduce government holdings of parastatals to 25%
  5. Move government ministries from Nairobi to another town via referendum - to create room to turn Nairobi into a proper commercial city. 2ndly to reduce the detrimental economic concentration in Nairobi
  6. create an industrial corridor stretching Mtito Andei all the way to Limuru
  7. Coffee and tea would only be exported as value added products rather than raw materials
  8. All new buildings would have to include solar energy capability to power 50% of power installations in the building
  9. Close all but those local government councils that deliver profitably. For the rest, use constituency funding to deliver services
Others
  • To aid family planning now desperately needed, only couples will be allowed to have children and only 1 child at that. Any kids born out of wedlock, the parents would be punished (unless it was rape in which case, the family of the rapist would pay for the child until it was 18).
  • cutting a tree down would require a licence and two that the cutter to have al;ready planted another 5 that have been growing for 12 months
  • abolish the rvr venture agreement and instead have one that is completely performance-based. Alongside this, restrict heavy road haulage to a certain maximum weight


2 comments:

pesa tu said...

Very true on FAMILY PLANNING.Kenya needs to have had a policy in place at least 10 years ago.
95% of our current problems i.e. land,water,poverty are due to overpopulation.
Our politicians need to read FREAKONOMICS

Unknown said...

"A dictator that has power because the people choose to allow him/her to"

Contradictory: Is this really a dictator?

"Who *must* make wise use of power since the benevolent dictatorship system allows them to be peaceably removed from office."

Flawed: Who will measure the performance of a benevolent Dictator? What criteria? Can the dictator overrrule? If not is the "dicator" really a dictator?

There's one thing about power, you either have it or you dont. The concept of a Benevolent dictator exists but people do not understand it.

A benevolent dictator does have the power do do evil - however he/she chooses to use power in a manner that he/she believes is for the good of the people.

Life has unpredictable twists and turns and it is possible for a once benevolent dictator to turn (or be perceived) as a tyrant.

Remember, power currupts and humans by their very nature are susceptible to greed and corruption - irrespective of their good will and benevolence.

If we need benevolence then we should have faith in God (only He can be trusted).

Everything else must be grounded in solid institutions, checks and balances for all powerful offices and well established processes.

Yes, decision-making would be slower than in dictatorships - but the the progress would be steady, deliberate, well thought out and sure footed.

:-)