After listening to a week of stories on aid, development, and entrepreneurship, we emerged from Ted Global in Arusha to find one of the proponents of a new vision for development in Africa – outgoing British prime minister Tony Blair endorsing shady dealings that involve Saudi Arabia in the name of strategic relationships
The implications of this are that (accoring to the US & UK governments) is that corruption/economic transgressions in Saudi Arabia are ok, but not in Zimbabwe or (former aid darling) Uganda. But the effects of these are that no British high commissioner can come preach good good governance to Kenya, or any other African country.
Africans are not all corrupt, not are we without faults, but so are British and American and their agents. In the words of George Ayittey we will find African solutions to African problems and be wary of cheerleaders on governance.
banks i remember about a year or two ago when i was the kenyan blogger who was questioning the githongo tapes and edaward clays vomiting remark and kenyan blogger would not hear it when i talked of double standard but we can see it for ourselves calling africans corrupt when they are the most corrupt people enabling corruption on all continents just makes me sick ! The british fight against kibaki was about contracts they have lost not about their hate for corruption or care for poor kenyans shame on them and all those who support them odm included (british stooges)
corruption is a universal problem. It all depends on who is stealing who. For Africa, corruption steals from the innocent & unborn creating a generation of hopeless individuals and a cycle of poverty (if not perputuating a class society). What if Moi used Goldenburg money to invest in Health, Education, and infrascture? Aids would not be ravaging Kenya, Mugiki would not be there (Mugiki are children born during Nyayo era who never received education and cannot be assimilated in the workplace except agriculture), and there would be plenty of work. Corruption for Saudi’s steals leaves something for their Wanjiku. Africans are the only animals worse than Hyena’s, they can eat their own kind. Is mugambe not doing just that?
Joe: I don’t question what Githongo or Clay said: calling out corruption is the right thing to do – but engaging in corruption by anyone (Wolfwitz, English, Saudi or Kenyan) is wrong
I do not support corruption but there is a difference!
The Brit politicians are NOT stealing from their citizens but “bribed” to get more contracts for Brit firms.
Kenyan politicians are stealing FROM Kenyans! Anglo-fleecing was theft from Kenyans!
Yes, the Saudis stole from their citizens. They would have bought from another supplier if the Brits had no ponied up a bribe!
Kenyan politicians (Anglo-fleecing) were actively seeking bribes/paybacks…
So the bottomline is the Brit politicians bribed to get jobs… while Kenyan politicians RECEIVED bribes to give away jobs!
Its also useful to consider the context. The Brits et al are our donors/lenders and so will basically feel free to dictate to us about corruption, human rights and so forth as long as we are going cup in hand to them and are not of strategic importance to them.
And CT is right, BAE (with the Blair’s complicity) have continually bribed the Saudis to keep British jobs
Coldtusker, think about it: The Saudi’s are bribed to spend public money. Who is to say they weren’t then not too concerned with cost, therefore robbing taxpayers?
Also, this is exactly what happened with Mobitelea. Vodafone UK bribed these people with shares to get a bigger chunk of Safaricom than Government policy allowed. (Perversely, Mudavadi was the minister in charge at the time.. he.. he..)