Commentary (by Abdi Hassan) - Appoint only people of merit

Ref: http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=25&newsid=118667
Story by ABDI HASSAN
Publication Date: 3/10/2008

A CHEEKY CHORUS LACED with raw greed has emerged among an array of supporters from one side of the new coalition.

A couple of smart alecks have suddenly bestowed upon themselves the authority of appointing government ministers and rooting for specific individuals whom they have assigned certain top offices.

To a keen observer, this is a serious and obviously well-rehearsed lobbying for or against certain individuals.

The sad thing about this canvassing is that it reminds one of hunters and gatherers of yore whose sole driving factor was the kill. Even before Kenyans have mourned their beloved dead, before they even celebrate the ceasefire, the merchants of opportunism have crept out of the woodwork to claim the spoils!

While I have no quarrel with assignment of tasks, I am peeved by the shameless angling for positions in the new coalition even before the fundamental procedures, such as getting the Legislature’s nod are completed.

I doubt the quest for leadership by the human resources experts now distributing government jobs had anything to do with most Kenyans.

It is assumed that ordinary Kenyans are incapable of identifying (on the basis of merit) who is suitable to serve them in a ministerial capacity. It is a pity that despite being the determinants of who our political leaders are at the ballot box, we are helpless when it comes to proposing the capacities in which we wish to deploy them.

It really doesn’t matter to me who is appointed to what job. What really matters is that the persons the President assigns the various ministerial and Government tasks are worthy and capable.

“Worthy”, of course, means that anyone who, for example, has presided over mass murder and is an elected MP, unless he’s a citizen of Hades, doesn’t deserve a public office. And then ‘‘capable’’ because a mismatch of skills and abilities between a minister, technocrat or bureaucrat and the roles of his or her ministry is a slap in the face of the voter.

IN THAT REGARD, UNDUE PRESSURE must not be exerted on either the President or the Prime Minister with regard to who should take up which job.

Instead, those rooting for certain individuals, since they all sound erudite, should educate society on which ‘‘rules’’ should govern the award of government jobs, and how the ordinary man can determine how well a certain office has served the interests of the majority.

It is those who serve the good of the country most selflessly that deserve the title ‘‘leader’’, not those who are fronted by others to serve the interests of whoever put them in the limelight.

At another level, the game being played by those assigning posts is nothing but blackmail. By shouting so hard and repeatedly, they hope that Kenyans will follow their logic and demand that their preferred candidates for certain posts indeed get the jobs they have assigned them in the media. For whose interests are the lobbyists fighting?

The suggestions for certain positions we have seen so far are based on ethnic affiliations and perceived prestige associated with the jobs cited. Having just emerged from a dark tunnel of ethnic animosity, why do we want to awaken the very behemoth we ought to be slaying?

Until we stop trivialising the process of appointing government officers and make sober proposals backed by solid expectations of quality of service and not selfish cleavages, we shall never professionalise our affairs.

Moreover, we must not forget that it is the prerogative of the President to apportion tasks in accordance to the suitability of appointees.

However, the President must not neglect the question of portfolio balance in allocating the various responsibilities to the men and women presented to him for appointment to Government.

Mr Hassan is a nomadic equity programme officer working in Garissa.