Why Jubilee government needs to rethink approach to International relations

By Peter Nguli

NAIROBI, KENYA: Before I start the discussion on why Kenya should not severe links with international community, I would like to take you through worth of selected countries across the world.

Here are some current Gross Domestic Product (GDP)  figures of some of the countries. US GDP $15 Trilllion (25 per cent of global output) , China GDP $7 Trillion , Japan GDP $6 Trillion , Germany GDP $3.5 Trillion, and Kenya GDP $34 Billion.

No further comment about GDP.

Following latest events including snubbing of US Independence day by top government officials, the Jubilee government seems to be getting arrogant, extravagant and damaging our relations with the international community of nations.

Kenya has taken decades to build up these very good relations but the Jubilee government is destroying them daily while chest thumping like Robert Mugabe. 

It was recently reported in the media that Deputy President, William Ruto said that Obama's skipping of Kenya in his maiden tour of Africa can not give his administration sleepless nights. If that is true, then he shouldn't have bothered at all. This was followed by the government snubbing the US celebration of Independence Day at the US Embassy.

These two developments amount to arrogance of the highest order against our allies and friends whom we have had very good relations for decades and from whom our country has benefited immensely. 

Obama is the president of United States, not president of Kenya and he can choose which countries to visit.

By visiting Kenya which is tainted with ICC cases, Obama would have politically dug his own political grave back home in America. So Obama was simply saving his political skin back home in America even though he may hold Kenya so dearly in his heart.

United States is a superpower. Complaining about US is like a tick on a cow's tide in a tannery. Before the tick wakes up and realizes that there is no more blood, it is too late. 

It must be noted that during the campaign, the duo kept spewing dangerous sweeping statements that put a blatant picture depicting the whole West and Americans as colonialists and imperialists.

If you want to know what these statements and chest thumping mean, ask Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe whose government at one time had less than US dollars only less than 700 in the account.

Indeed, the mint that prints Zimbabwean currency in German had run out of paper because of sky-rocketing inflation. In 2008 in Zimbabwe, bread at that time cost Z$10 Million.

Zimbabwe inflation was so high that it hit 231 million per cent. All this because of the usual ignorant mantra that 'we are a sovereign state and we can do without the imperialists'. Even on a personal level, no one can depend on his own; we need each other for dependency. It is a symbiotic relationship for survival if you make it in this world. 

Now, president Uhuru Kenyatta has condemned the people's revolution supported by the army in Egypt and said that it is a coup and that he may severe our good relations with Egypt.

In contrast, the West, the Americans and other countries have not made any condemnation. Does President Uhuru watch television to see how much the people supported the army? First president Uhuru needs to understand Egyptian leadership and politics.

Let me explain: With no political resolution to the crisis, and the death toll from clashes associated with the unrest growing, the Egyptian military seized power in an apparent effort to avoid the country falling into chaos.

The military is the most powerful government entity, and many say it operates like a state within a state.

Military-owned businesses make up a significant proportion of Egypt's gross national product. So the military's intervention was the right thing to do. As many people say, Egyptian military is the best disciplined in the world.

The military is not controlling Egypt; instead it chose the Chief Justice to be the acting Head of State. The military just removed an Islamist president dictator for the good of the people of Egypt and it did so because millions and millions of people wanted it that way.

The military just followed what the people demanded for. Indeed, the military gave 48 hour notice openly on TV and with the international community watching. 

Egypt is a secular state and although its predominantly Muslim, it has over 14 million Christians plus pagans, atheists, Jews, Budhists etc.

The president had turned it into an Islamic state, just like Iran and indeed it was almost becoming like Somalia's Al Shabaab. Instead of Uhuru condemning the Egyptian military, he should be congratulating it.

For it was not a military coup, it was a people's revolution. Today, Egypt is not ruled by the military, the military only helped to instil order and create a path towards democracy through peaceful elections. For desperate measures call for desperate solutions. Uhuru Kenyatta must understand this. 

Some few things must be understood here too. Kenya is a sovereign state, yes, but we can not do on our own. Make no mistake, Kenya is a poor developing country and we need all these countries. We need each and every country for trade and partnership and to develop our country's economy through investment, tourism and perhaps even loans.

And most of you will loath with foam in their mouths when I say that as a poor developing country, we even need aid; think of all those millions dying of AIDS/HIV.

Yes, we need aid from these you call 'imperialists'. It doesn't matter the name you label them as long as our people get ARVs and aid for development projects like Free Primary Education fund for our children. 

Our president has been concentrating on East African countries in his first 100 days of his honeymoon. Nothing wrong with that. But imagine putting too much efforts in countries like Burundi whose GDP is less than the whole city of Nairobi? Why not Japan, China, USA, Europe, Brazil, India etc? Whenever we here that our president is abroad, the furthest he lands is Burundi and South Africa.

Do you mean our president can never go outside Africa? Kenya has been East Africa's economic powerhouse but it is now slowly loosing that position to the emerging Tanzania who have good relations with virtually all countries of the world including the West and Americans. 

Chest thumping and ignoring the West and Americans will only make us another Zimbabwe who carry about 10kgs of cash on a wheelbarrow to go for a breakfast shopping in a local kiosk in the morning.

Americans and the West have nothing to loose; these are very wealthy countries. It is we Kenyans who should be mindful of our citizens by co-operating with them so we have a booming tourism, trade, exports, imports etc that boost our living standards and economy. 

It is the high time our administration spiced up our relations with virtually all the countries of the world. Since our independence, we have had no quarrel with any particular country, except perhaps Somalia who we still help to stand on their feet politically. 

Do not bite the hand that feeds you. And do not throw stones if you live in a glass house.