We need a carrot and stick approach to change

Kap KirwokLast week when I wrote about the tension between progressive and retrogressive forces in our country, a reader wrote back and, with a touch of cynicism, retorted: thank you for describing the situation so well, now tell us the solution. I can understand his frustration, and he is right: pundits like me, and other commentators in general, excel in description not prescription. At best, we are rich in experience, perhaps richer in theory but very poor in matters of practical application of thought. In any case, retrogressive forces have held sway in Kenya for so long that it seems to have spawned an entire industry: cynicism. There have simply been too many false dawns; too many dashed hopes, too many stillborn dreams that it is hard to believe genuine progressive forces will ever be victorious. Yesterday’s reformists have either given up the fight out of sheer exhaustion, or, as is the case with those who succeeded to ascend to power, succumbed to their base instincts. Some hop from reformist to non-reformist to pseudo reformist with the ease of a Kangaroo. And so I can understand the cynicism. There is a great thirst out there for real, step-by-step solutions to the problems of political mis-governance. My reader, with whom I had an extended e-mail exchange, wanted practical steps that will actually bring about lasting desirable change – in his words "a fair, just, united, prosperous and peaceful society with insignificant crime and corruption".If this sounds utopian, it is because it probably is. I was tempted to tell my reader to dream on. From the tone of his e-mail, I concluded he was a member of the ‘young and restless’ generation. At any rate I tried to explain that human societies, ours included, are quite complex - even chaotic and disorderly. There are simply too many moving parts; too many variables and multiple dimensions.My reader would have none of it. He argued that change only comes through one of two approaches: either a revolution or an evolution. He said the evolutionary approach had failed and it was now time for a revolution. He insisted that constitutional and institutional reforms – part of the so-called Agenda Four – will only be possible through a revolution in the manner of the people’s uprising that overthrew the government of Marc Ravalomanana in Madagascar. Promise on reformsWhile a revolution appears attractive for its quick results, its outcomes are by no means guaranteed. Even in the Madagascan case, it is not a certainty that Andry Rojoeilina, the new president, will carry through with the promised reforms. Ultimately, neither a revolution nor an evolution is the right prescription for Kenya. What is needed is a combination – a carrot and stick approach. Instead of a violent revolution, we need a rebellion every now and then.Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, said: "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical… It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government." Rebellions or serious protests are the stick with which to prod intransigent governments.If rebellions are the stick, what is the carrot? It starts with recognition that ours is mainly a mindset problem along two dimensions: ethnic (I can only fight for my tribe), and social status (I am wealthier and therefore more secure).Dominant images and messages in the public arena shape perceptions and reinforce particular mindsets. Whoever has the greatest share of the public mind has control over mindsets. To change mindsets, a mindshare strategy is needed. This is the carrot. The task of crafting and implementing a mindshare strategy is better left to a private council of elders comprising patriotic, non-partisan, and influential citizens from across ethnic lines. The role that the Kenya Private Sector Alliance is increasingly playing is a useful pointer, but the council I have in mind should be broader and strategic in both its membership and functions.Right now, brokers are trying to stitch together political alliances ahead of the 2012 elections based on cold ethnic electoral calculus. Politics being the art of the possible, all manner of permutations are possible. Rather than scheming in tribal or regional groupings, the proposed private council of elders would broker alliances that serve the national interest. Perhaps they can even deliberately identify, groom and support a candidate the way a corporate Board nurtures or recruits a Chief Executive Officer. The question still remains: How do we take practical steps to achieve our objectives? My reader is impatiently waiting for the answer. The writer works for an international development agency in the US — Strategybeyondprofit@gmail.com

We need a carrot and stick approach to change

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