There is a positive aspect to even the murkiest of stories

Njoki Ndung’u

I have just finished reading Paul Arden’s thought-provoking book, Whatever You Think, Think Opposite, that dares us to turn conventional wisdom on its head. The curiously titled book is one of the motivation books that are now common in our bookshelves and aim at inculcating positivism in individual approach to life by working on the self attitude. Whatever You Think, Think Opposite’s central message is that daring to think in the reverse can result in incredibly positive difference.

In fact, the book’s mantra is that approaching an issue away from the obvious direction could shine pleasant light even on an otherwise gloomy subject; that many of the things generally regarded as bad in public are actually good news if only our minds were not so rigidly wired in one-way thought train. Those things we love to condemn could be celebratory stuff if we really reversed our thinking. Blunt to the point, it got me thinking. Could it really apply in questioning common wisdom?

If we applied it in our never-ending public controversies over, say, governance, would it provoke dramatically different opinion and therefore results? Take for example one of the headlines in the papers this week that revealed the Government is spending millions of shillings annually on flowers and tea. The immediate reaction from a sane mind is disgust and anger at the mindless wastefulness, especially in light of officialdom’s admission to being broke amid a gathering cash crunch cloud. It is easy to rush into condemning it as an incredibly clumsy and insensitive administration. That closes our ability to contemplate a different conclusion. But supposing we took time to think in the reverse?

Protecting Jobs

The flower-farming is big employment with around 50,000 workers directly engaged in the industry. Of these, nearly 75 per cent are women, many of them young single mothers. Although majority of the cut flowers are for export, a significant percentage ends up in local markets.

With the global recession wilting foreign demand for local flowers, the domestic market is assuming greater importance. Like with other consumables, the Government is a big client in the domestic flower market. Were it to therefore stop buying them, it is likely this would create a big gap in local sales. Eventually, the beautiful flowers will not leave the farms for want of buyers. The graver consequence will be lost jobs for workers creating a fertile ground for the flourishing of the evils of desperation.

The same thinking can be applied to consumption of tea. Although comparatively most of our tea goes into the export market, about five per cent of the total production is consumed in the domestic market. Insignificant as it may sound, the actual amount bears a significant weight in the pockets of local farmers who sell their products to tea factories.

There also are more companies packaging tea for the local market than for the export market. These, too, employ many Kenyans. Less domestic consumption would mean provoking redundancies and layoffs. It means lack of school fees for their children and poor quality of life.

Similarly, I think opposite of what Najib Balala thinks is an added attraction to our tourism industry. The Tourism Minister announced the slashing of tourist visa fees by 50 per cent. Children under 16 will be exempt from all visa fees. This market gaffe will for instance save a British family of four (with children under 16 years old) £90 (Sh10,545.65) per every trip to Kenya.

The minister may have made this decision to entice more foreigners. But the Government and its tourist-support sectors can ill-afford to forsake this particular income. This money actually supplements most of our missions abroad, sustaining the very image that we need to attract tourists. Trying to make Kenya attractive to a handful of foreigners by giving a discount – which incidentally is not reciprocal – will yield more grief to far more.

Every action or word from the Government must be preceded by a careful study. Wide analyses must be entered to gauge just what effect it will have to the ordinary mwananchi. Put simply, the guiding principle should be putting Kenyans first.

Last month, I was privileged to attend a thought provoking seminar KPMG organised. They hosted motivational guru Robin Sharma, of the Monk who sold his Ferrari fame. During a session on a panel of local leaders, I opined that Kenya is long-suffering from a clinical depression. Your average citizen displays all the associated classic symptoms such as negativity, low self-esteem, self-criticism, self loathing and self contempt. We are masters of self-flagellation. We spend a lot of our time complaining, scheming, celebrating our weaknesses, underplaying our strengths.

Media sales

The media need to give us a positive shot in the arm. Their obsession with negative headlines could do with dilution. Instead of a screaming headline stating 70,000 students have missed university places, why not lead with a story of how many have earned admission?

For a break, can we have a media menu that is lean on political wrangles and more on economic growth opportunities for Wanjiku? If only our reporters were bold enough to think in the reverse, there is a positive angle to even the seemingly murkiest story. Contrary to enduring faith, more good news will not adversely affect media sales.

The writer is an advocate of the High Court. [e-mail]