while we in malaysia struggle to understand the meaning of independence as well as practicing it, others from the other side of the world are now happily surfing on the new wave of change, thanks to the recent event in America. although the wave of change looks promising as if the wave is still far from the shore, we must never forget that sooner or later, it will hit the shore. unless if the wave change its appearance into a tsunami, then we might witnessing something different. anyway, i found a ’surfer’ today who believe that the wave he is riding now, can and should be utilize by his nation in order to find the right shore to land on, name ‘The First World’ shore.
have a read here or you can click to this link to go directly to the source. happy reading.
If we will it, who can dare stop us from joining the First World?
Now that Barack Obama has successfully dreamt of being the president of USA, Kenya and Africa must also dream of joining the First World immediately.
Without a dream, no individual or country can develop. To develop, we must dare dream. Countries leap forward when they dream. They stagnate and die when they don’t.
Our freedom fighters dreamt of independence. For it, many were killed, detained and tortured. In 1963, however, they hoisted our national flag.
Then came one-party dictatorship. A second generation of freedom fighters dreamt of multiparty democracy. They too were persecuted, but eventually won.
Despite these successes, we are not yet free. We are too poor to be. To be truly free, we must dream of moving our nation from Third to First World. We must dream of eliminating
poverty for all.
The dream Kenya needs is not the dream of individuals becoming rich and famous or of MPs, ministers, the president or communities capturing the presidency. It is the collective dream of moving the nation from poverty to prosperity, stagnation to development and hell to heaven.
But can we succeed if we dream? Yes, we can — like Malaysia, Singapore, China and South Korea.
To succeed however, Kenyans must jump over certain hurdles. Although we have weakened it considerably, dictatorship is not dead, and no people can develop if they are oppressed by tyranny. To develop, we must be completely free.
To develop, our dream must come from within, not without. A dream dreamt for us like Vision 2030 will not take us to the First World because it comes to us dead and cold and sparks no fire and passion in us for action. To take us there, we must embrace the dream with the same passion we desired uhuru (freedom).
After uhuru, the mission and dream of our generation is to take Kenya to the First World where no one but ourselves can take us. Only we must remember to expect opposition and not approval, support or welcome from our friends who are already there.
But on the tumultuous way to the First World, we must hold hands. A country at war with itself cannot develop. To get to the First World, all our communities must reconcile, renounce and combat negative ethnicity everywhere.
By the way, thieves have never taken any country to the First World. Our visa to the First World is to punish corruption without mercy, not put thieves at the head of the match.
To reach the First World, Kenyans must free themselves from cynicism and believe they can develop. Without faith in themselves, Kenyans will perish just where they are.
Already our athletes have shown the way. Through their kind of effort, hard work and determination, Kenya can be a First World country. Before we set out, however, let us consider a few more things.
First, the path to the First World will not be easy. We shall need to make ultimate effort and sacrifice and enjoy no picnics along the way.
Two, we must have precise knowledge of who and where we are. We shall, otherwise, not comprehend just how far we lag behind others, and how badly poverty has compromised our survival.
Three, visionary leaders must lead us to the First World. We’re poor today because our leaders have limped. But who will remove bad leaders — our dream’s Achilles Heel — when voters are captives of their money and negative ethnicity?
To reach the First World, the right leaders must execute land reforms to feed everybody. If a few Kenyans continue to own unused land, Kenyans can forget the First World forever.
It pains me to think that our acceptance of poverty emanates from a sterile religious faith that God in His own good time will take us to the First World. This we must abandon because God has given us the power and freedom to match to the First World or die in our self-made poverty. God suffers no lazy people gladly, however religious.
To open the doors to the First World, we must master technology, industrialise and do everything else to meet this end. We cannot develop by keeping our bad ways of doing things. For our safari to the First World, we must have new leadership, new work ethics, new education and new discipline.
For sure, we have compelling reasons why we must join the First World. We have a right to its comforts. We must prove we are no lesser human beings. Depending on others for our survival is unacceptable.
Mr Wamwere is the author of ‘Towards Genocide In Kenya: The Curse Of Negative Ethnicity’ and chair of CCM party.
