THE other day, a friend from my own generation remarked: Look here: what we are seeing here as the emergence of mafisadi (a lootocracy) is just a tempest in a tea cup. Even bigger looting is on the way.
This is the nature of capitalism, which system this country now wallows He went on to tell me of the story of the post-Soviet Russia in which the top leaders, fresh from a socialist order had privatised for themselves and members of their families cream businesses and other lucrative former state owned companies.
And because capitalism is about primitive accumulation of wealth at the expense of the majority poor, what we are seeing here is just a tip in the ice-berg, he added. Ever since this chat with my good friend, I have been meditating what is happening here on the ground.
We are now in the heat of a huge battle of words and name-calling. No political statement or speech is complete without taking a swipe at mafisadi a lootocracy! But a hard look at the protagonists or crusaders against mafisadi reveals one remarkable thing: It is not the masses the underdogs of this country spearheading the battle against mafisadi.
It is the elite of the society; those in the haves bracket and some sections of the political leaders in the multi-party order. Again, a hard look at the crusade reveals one thing: it is a focused battle against perceived individuals believed to belong to a lootocracy; real or imaginary.
In other words, it is a battle between antagonists but of the same class of the haves! If one allows himself/herself more insight on the real objective of the battle against mafisadi is to ultimately take power; to kick out those mafisadi! In other words, to replace them since the crusaders consider themselves as a new set of clean
But are they? But what is most glaring in the antagonists battle against mafisadi is that none of them cares or addresses the real issue: the plight of the poor majority of this country and the escalating gap between the haves and have-nots.
None has come up to address the question: which is the chore question: is it the neo-liberal or capitalist system in place which is intrinsically barbaric or is it its off-springs the looters (mafisadi)?
In the words of the Arusha Declaration, hitherto a socialist blue-print of this countrys governing party, CCM, ubepari ni unyama capitalism is beastly it is a man-eat-man society. Capitalism is essentially a greedy system because it is the reign of handful filthily wealthy minority.
For us in this school of thought of the former blue-print of the ruling party, we are not surprised with what is going on: the reign of a lootocracy because it is an inherited outcome of a capitalist order or if you want to sugar-coat it, a free-market economy.
As a matter of fact, Kenyans living here in this country or watching from Nairobi, the current battle of words against mafisadi must be chuckling in amusement because they have lived with mafisadi in their whole lifetime as a nation because they have known nothing different other than capitalism from the word go.
And for visitors to Nairobi, it is not a secret on who owns the conspicuous skyscrapers and some prominent hotels. They are mafisadi (if you want to use the Tanzanian cliché) people who were formerly holders of public office or still in public office today! So to say these things is not to rationalise the evil of looting in a given country especially by people in public office.
It is to emphasise the fact that a lootocracy is just an offspring it is a mere branch of a tree. Serious people will certainly want to address the real issue: which is the social-economic disposition of the country especially towards the equitable distribution of the national wealth. Makwaia wa KUHENGA is a Senior Journalist & Author. E-mail: makwaia@bol.co.tz
Hebu tuiangalie hii na mustakabali wa Taifa letu! Ama kwa upande wangu nakatishwa tamaa na wanaoitwa mashujaa wa kupambana na ufisadi huku wakiwa mbele katika harakati za za kukuza pengo la walionacho na wasionacho
This is the nature of capitalism, which system this country now wallows He went on to tell me of the story of the post-Soviet Russia in which the top leaders, fresh from a socialist order had privatised for themselves and members of their families cream businesses and other lucrative former state owned companies.
And because capitalism is about primitive accumulation of wealth at the expense of the majority poor, what we are seeing here is just a tip in the ice-berg, he added. Ever since this chat with my good friend, I have been meditating what is happening here on the ground.
We are now in the heat of a huge battle of words and name-calling. No political statement or speech is complete without taking a swipe at mafisadi a lootocracy! But a hard look at the protagonists or crusaders against mafisadi reveals one remarkable thing: It is not the masses the underdogs of this country spearheading the battle against mafisadi.
It is the elite of the society; those in the haves bracket and some sections of the political leaders in the multi-party order. Again, a hard look at the crusade reveals one thing: it is a focused battle against perceived individuals believed to belong to a lootocracy; real or imaginary.
In other words, it is a battle between antagonists but of the same class of the haves! If one allows himself/herself more insight on the real objective of the battle against mafisadi is to ultimately take power; to kick out those mafisadi! In other words, to replace them since the crusaders consider themselves as a new set of clean
But are they? But what is most glaring in the antagonists battle against mafisadi is that none of them cares or addresses the real issue: the plight of the poor majority of this country and the escalating gap between the haves and have-nots.
None has come up to address the question: which is the chore question: is it the neo-liberal or capitalist system in place which is intrinsically barbaric or is it its off-springs the looters (mafisadi)?
In the words of the Arusha Declaration, hitherto a socialist blue-print of this countrys governing party, CCM, ubepari ni unyama capitalism is beastly it is a man-eat-man society. Capitalism is essentially a greedy system because it is the reign of handful filthily wealthy minority.
For us in this school of thought of the former blue-print of the ruling party, we are not surprised with what is going on: the reign of a lootocracy because it is an inherited outcome of a capitalist order or if you want to sugar-coat it, a free-market economy.
As a matter of fact, Kenyans living here in this country or watching from Nairobi, the current battle of words against mafisadi must be chuckling in amusement because they have lived with mafisadi in their whole lifetime as a nation because they have known nothing different other than capitalism from the word go.
And for visitors to Nairobi, it is not a secret on who owns the conspicuous skyscrapers and some prominent hotels. They are mafisadi (if you want to use the Tanzanian cliché) people who were formerly holders of public office or still in public office today! So to say these things is not to rationalise the evil of looting in a given country especially by people in public office.
It is to emphasise the fact that a lootocracy is just an offspring it is a mere branch of a tree. Serious people will certainly want to address the real issue: which is the social-economic disposition of the country especially towards the equitable distribution of the national wealth. Makwaia wa KUHENGA is a Senior Journalist & Author. E-mail: makwaia@bol.co.tz
Hebu tuiangalie hii na mustakabali wa Taifa letu! Ama kwa upande wangu nakatishwa tamaa na wanaoitwa mashujaa wa kupambana na ufisadi huku wakiwa mbele katika harakati za za kukuza pengo la walionacho na wasionacho
