Cholera outbreaks proof that we are living an economic lie

Governments often govern through the fib. That’s right — lying by governments is part of statecraft. But undemocratic and illiberal regimes lie the most. That’s because they lack transparency and suppress press and speech rights. If you muzzle the “eye of the people” — civil society — you can get away with murder. I mean this literally.

In 1984,  the 1949 dystopic novella by English author George Orwell, Big Brother rules the tyrannical state of Oceania through the cult of personality, official deception, and propaganda. Rule through the lie is often more brutally efficient than rule through the truth. North Korea is Exhibit A. Which brings me to Jubilee and the cholera outbreak in many parts of Kenya, including Nairobi. Let’s dig deeper.