Commentary (by Okech Kendo) - China has proved it’s not a friend to count on

Ref: http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982201&cid=4

Published on February 21, 2008, 12:00 am

By Okech Kendo

Outsiders — only in the literal sense since the world is now a global village — got embedded in the Kenya tragedy after ballots became bullets.

In the face of causeless and atavistic bloodletting, irresponsible display of State might, misplaced aggression, retrogressive exhibition of prejudice and agile protesters, only irresponsible outsiders would have cheered, while proclaiming non-interference.

China is one such prisoner of indifference. China is a ‘development partner’ no country should count on to take a position on the side of reason.

By taking such an unconscionable diplomatic position in the face of murders, displacement, vandalism of the economy, entrenchment of ethnic animosity and tribalisation of the political crisis, China has proved it is not a true friend of Kenya.

China has promised to continue with business as usual, building roads and toilets, when the lives of the users of such facilities are in danger.

It is like the hyena of folklore that found two brothers fighting each other to the death. While proclaiming non-interference, the hyena promised it would, however, feed the warriors as they fought over nothing.

The first statement to come out of the People’s Republic of China, when this crisis started eight weeks ago, was that "Western democracy is unsuitable for Africa".

In the Chinese The People Daily, Western powers were blamed for imposing colonial rule and Western style electoral democracy in Africa. But the crisis has nothing to do with Eastern or Western democracy. It is about abuse of the best of the worst systems of governance. It is about greed, prejudice and impunity. It is about disdain and moronistic obstinacy.

If the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) had worked as independently as the Constitution expects, there would have been no dispute. But ECK was embedded and beholden to vested interests. When the greedy mess up what is otherwise the best-known form of governance, that cannot be blamed on democracy.

Philosopher William Ralph Inge knew this decades ago, when he said: "Democracy is a form of government which may be rationally defended, not as being good, but as being the less bad than any other."

Indian sage Jawaharlal Nehru puts it differently: " Democracy is good. I say this because other forms are worse." Democracy puts administration in the hands of the majority, and not the few with the aid of gullible State agents. Millions of Kenyans went to vote, but a few in the ECK and their accomplices conspired to undermine the wishes of the electorate.

China needs a better way of explaining its indifference and background information on the events than alienate the people it seeks to help.

Would not interfere in ‘internal affairs’

The second statement from China on the crisis came from its local ambassador, Mr Zhang Ming, last week. The envoy alleged, indifferently, that China would not interfere in Kenya’s ‘internal affairs’. Like the murder of 1,000 people, displacement of 500,000 people, vandalism of the economy, disruption of education and public service are small matters.

They would rather supply arms at the wrong time, than mind what importers do with guns. What China treats as a domestic matter has also disrupted the economy of Southern Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and others who depend on the Indian Ocean for imports and exports, through Kenya.

Some of the imports and exports may have something to do with China.

Ming put it naively, innocently, if not indifferently: "My country has a non-interference foreign policy, which means we do not interfere with foreign countries’ activities."

Ming could have added, for detail, even if they are killing one another for nothing.

But at the same time, Ming is concerned about the derailment of road construction projects, as a result of post- election violence.

China is preoccupied with businesses in Sudan, while the Khartoum junta is accused of presiding over genocide in Darfur. For China, the lives of millions of Sudanese are not important as long it allows Beijing to hunt for energy and minerals across Africa.

There is nothing Western or Eastern about democracy. It is the best of the worst forms of government. All democracy takes to work is leadership with the integrity to accept the will of the majority, and the majority to accommodate the minority. It is about tolerance and accommodation.

—The writer is (kendo@eastandard.net) the Standard Managing Editor, Quality and Production