RESTORE SANITY:
Congratulating Somali President-elect Abdullahi Mohamed 'Farmajo', George Gopal
hopes he will “help restore sanity to that failed state with a lot of
potential”. Somalis, he adds, have during the years of civil war forged
international networks with both good and bad intentions. “But Somalia has gems
of unexplored oil and other resources to help turn it into a prosperous
country.” He hopes President Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders will aid the
rebirth of the Somali nation for regional stability. His contact is
georgegop@yahoo.com.
WASTE OF TIME:
The construction of a wall along the Kenya-Somalia border to prevent
infiltration by Al-Shabaab would be “an exercise in futility”, George Gopal
remarks, saying that there are already many members of the terror group on the
Kenyan side today wreaking havoc in various places. George is not convinced the
government has the capacity to man a 600-km-long wall and keep out the
militants considering the challenges being experienced in maintaining
infrastructure such as roads and sewer systems. His email address is
georgegop@yahoo.com.
NSE LOGO. At 60 years, the Nairobi Securities Exchange
is marking a milestone in a long “transformational journey”, remarks George
Gopal, who is, however, not impressed with the decision to rebrand
and come up with a new logo. “The old one made more sense to me as it
uniquely portrayed the fluctuation of prices on the region’s largest bourse. As
a small-scale investor, I am disappointed because the new logo resembles that
of a transport company that I saw recently.” His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
Have a possible day, won’t you!
Musalia Mudavadi, Peter Kenneth, Martha Karua and James ole Kiyiapi, he pleads, should consider quitting the race and joining any of the top two. George’s contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
“For one, the sources of error in economic forecasts are many, and some lie outside the realm of economic analysis. Economic growth rates figures are also as easily manipulated, as they are interpreted differently.”
His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
Says he: “I think it’s the Kenyans themselves who are too obsessed with politics. The pollsters are just in business and what they do is to respond to the forces of demand to conduct political opinion polls. Even in the newspapers, it is the political headlines that sell more.”
MEDIA ENDORSEMENTS: For his part, George Gopal says it’s quite possible for the Kenyan media to endorse presidential candidates in the next General Election.
He adds: “Our papers have come of age and are capable of taking independent stands, especially after the televised presidential debates. The candidates will have been put to the test to spell out their policies and agenda for the country. The media definitely influence us, and we should trust their editorial judgment and endorsements and we will have the means to verify everything through them.”
His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
THEY ARE NOT JOKERS. While he agrees with George Gopal that
jokers should be weeded out before the televised presidential debates
coming soon, James Karani is not impressed with his suggestion on how this
should be done. “His idea is a joke in itself. He says that one must command 15
per cent in a national opinion poll to qualify. This is not tenable. In a field
of more than 10 candidates, if each candidate is rated fairly, none would
attain the 15 per cent. And opinion polls are not necessarily a
representation of reality.”
WEED OUT JOKERS. With the televised debates for presidential candidates soon becoming a reality, George Gopal hopes the jokers will be weeded out so that only those who have substance can take part to make this meaningful. In the end, he hopes, the list will be narrowed down to only three to engage in the final contest on live TV. “One must command at least 15 cent in a national opinion poll to qualify for that stage,” says George, whose contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
Have a solid day, won’t you!
ENTERPRISING COOKS: Claims that the fake mobile phones
switched off recently are being revived is worrying, indeed, but worse,
rather embarrassing to the authorities, says George Gopal, citing the
investment in resources and efforts. “But even as these enterprising crooks
have beaten the CCK at its own game, they need not be reprimanded. To
ensure water-tight systems, maybe the CCK and the mobile phone companies
should consider employing some of these top-notch crooks in downtown Nairobi
to secure their systems.” His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
SELFISH AND MYOPIC. The MPs’ passing of the “party-hopping
Bill that now allows them to sit pretty and defect in time before the next
General Election”, is not only selfish, but also myopic, says George Gopal. He
is not impressed by the argument that they should be allowed to switch parties
just because there is no democracy in political parties. “We are in a
multiparty democracy with the freedom to form new parties and the law was
actually meant to instil discipline,” argues George.
“We wish to take on our own candidates on the myriad of issues affecting our country, if only they could also debate,” adds George. “We must not let politicians get away with lies and empty rhetoric again.”
STATE SECURITY. The Police Force is not in any kind of quandary over the implementation of the new Constitution, as alleged by Wamahiu Muya, says George Gopal.
According to George, under the provisions of the new supreme law of the land, the police and other security organs will now be able to move more swiftly to quell ethnic violence, and fight terrorism and organised crime.
“The police and the intelligence will become more proactive to avert crimes,” he concludes. His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
It would have been better if the law had been amended to have the parties that held those seats nominate interim MPs.
Have a sensible day, won’t you!
“Today, most of the footbridges have become abodes for street families and goons. Before thinking of putting up new ones, we should improve the ones we have and educate the public to use them, and finally slap heavy penalties on those who prefer to cross the road.” His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com.
According to George, there are many other areas in which these 80 or so politicians could exercise their leadership abilities. He is convinced that it would not be beneath them to step back and serve in the many county assemblies that will be set up after the next elections. His contact is georgegop@yahoo.com
Those behind the “ugly lion sculptures” scattered all over
Nairobi, ostensibly to raise awareness about the endangered animal species,
have got it all wrong, says George Gopal. “It’s a classic example of putting
the cart before the horse. The organisers could have created awareness about
conservation of the natural habitat to protect not only the lions but also
other wild animals. ”
Have a natural day, won’t you!
Have a natural day, won’t you!
The proposal that the Kenya National Examinations Council
should post all previous national examination results on its web site so that
prospective employers can verify them by entering the candidate’s identity card
number is a good idea, but it may not be practical, says George Gopal. Since
not all the students will have acquired IDs by the time they sit the KCSE exam,
it may be an exercise in futility.”
While he finds the new public toilets in Nairobi’s city
centre a pretty good idea, George Gopal does not like the unilateral manner in
which such decisions are made. “City planners could do a better job by
involving residents to get their real preferences. The one on Aga Khan Walk,
for example, appears too archaic and out of place. It doesn’t quite fit into
the modern setting of skyscrapers.” He says some remind him of Fort Jesus, that
coastal monument built by the Portuguese in 1593.
The acute shortage of teachers of History, Kiswahili, and
Religious Studies is a paradox, remarks George Gopal, adding that only a few
years ago, high schools were teeming with arts teachers. He asks: “Is this is
the price the country has to pay for poor planning by our institutions of
higher learning or are students shunning arts subjects in pursuit of the
sciences and business studies, with hopes of better employment prospects?”Have
an artistic day, won’t you!
Says he: “There was talk about replacing the numerous roundabouts with flyovers. However, the same roundabouts are now being revamped.
I wonder why they should be repaired if they will soon be replaced with flyovers. Or are the flyovers a long term idea?”
Have a well-planned day, won’t you!
The special VIP lanes Nairobi Metropolitan Development
minister Mutula Kilonzo intends to create may not be such a bad thing after
all, says George Gopal. He adds: “I want to believe they will also be open for
emergency use, especially by ambulances, police, the fire brigade and even
commuter buses. In big cities such as Lagos, special lanes do exist, and help
to ease traffic jams. It’s better to have them than to be shoved off the road
to give way to VIPs.”
“Since writing is one area that requires a lot of ingenuity and logical thinking, mathematicians or physicists will most certainly find it fascinating playing around with words and semantics, just as they have been taught to work around proofs, theorems and figures.
And because writing can be so addictive and dynamic, they virtually end up abandoning their world of maths and physics to venture into writing.”
Mash Bus Company took it a step further, declaring, ‘We Lead the Leader’. And the newest kid on the block, Modern Coast, has unleashed the slogan, ‘The Ultimate Leader’.
He poses: “So, who is the real leader in this tussle on the road?”
Have a leading day, won’t you
Have a fitting day, won’t you!
Have a rewarding day, won’t you!
Why build footbridges at strategic places in Nairobi’s city
centre as suggested by Benson Karuri, when the majority of pedestrians will not
use them? poses George Gopal. He doesn’t think building footbridges is the
solution. “It seems Nairobians are always in a hurry and prefer shortcuts
oblivious of the looming danger from motorists.”
The significance of Finance minister Amos Kimunya’s laudable
move to boost environmental conservation by imposing a hefty 120 per cent
excise duty on polythene bags and banning the flimsy ones altogether was
somewhat diminished by failure to offer an alternative, says George Gopal. The
minister, he adds, should have popularised eco-friendly packaging materials.
“He failed to offer incentives to promote the use of paper, sisal, cotton
twine, jute bags and even the water hyacinth as packaging materials.”
There is nothing hilarious about a police officer
frantically controlling traffic at a roundabout says George Gopal. “They are
there to avert the danger posed by motorists, who in a mad rush, jump the
lights.” George says that if all the road users were disciplined, then what
Kariithi eloquently described as “this wasteful duplication of efforts” would
never occur, in the first place. “Must we always be policed around to obey even
plain rules for our own safety, such as stopping when the traffic lights are
red?” he asks.
Forcing people to do certain things, even if they are as
important as voting in national elections, smacks of dictatorship, which we do
not need, remarks Njuhigu wa Mbugua. Unlike George Gopal, who believes that
voting should be made mandatory, Njuhigu says: “Voter education is the key to
having huge turnouts. But why should Kenyans bother to turn out and vote for
the same old crop of corrupt, under-achieving politicians, most of whom we only
see during the election year?”
George Gopal’s proposal that voting be made compulsory has
left a bitter taste in Joachim Omondi’s mouth just because he would very likely
be liable for a penalty and for no fault of his own. He says that in 2004, he
was mugged and his voter’s card for Lugari constituency lost. Since then, and
after several visits to the Electoral Commission headquarters in Anniversary
Towers, Nairobi, he has failed to get a replacement. He adds: “It’s for this
reason that I totally disagree with Gopal’s view.” His email is boolaki@yahoo.com.
Have a solid day, won’t you!
The suggestion by Mohandas to introduce passenger trains as
a substitute to the congestion-prone Thika Road is a good idea, says George
Gopal, but it will only work if the trains are fast, efficient and reliable.
George remembers being a student at Kenyatta University some years ago when
there was such a train, and it took one and a half hours to get from KU to
Nairobi Railway Station.
Even as there is fear of loss of some 80,000 plantation jobs, there is also great potential of creating up to 100,000 jobs or more, with time, including other forward and backward linkages resulting from such machines.
Of course, the immediate and obvious opportunities will benefit the dealers, service people, mechanics, machine operators, loaders and sales people.
GEORGE GOPAL,
Nairobi.
The Nairobi City Council is no doubt doing a splendid job
revamping and sprucing up the city centre, but they are also messing up some
well-known street names, says George Gopal. "At the junction of Muindi
Mbingu and Mokhtar Dadah streets, for instance, there is a signpost proclaiming
Moktar Dadar and Morktar Dadah street! Just incase
whoever wrote it wasn’t too sure, Mokhtar Ould Dadah was the first President of
the Republic of Mauritania."
The launching of the all-important Parliament website is
long overdue says George Gopal who believes such an enterprise should not be
held to ransom because some 40 errant MPs have not submitted their CVs. George
suggests that Bunge should just publish whatever is available. Says he with a
hint a of sarcasm: "After all, we have seen that even some of the MPs in
the august House with impressive CVs still perform far below par."
Have a proactive day, won't you!
There is a historical explanation to John Musembi’s query as
to why you mostly find Kamba people trading in second hand tyres in most towns,
says George Gopal. "This trade can be traced back to the times of people
like Chief Kivoi of Kitui, who were well known for long distance trade in
assorted goods across the towns. During such long and weary treks, shoes made
out of old tyres came in handy, hence the tyre trade that many still carry out
today."
Faulting the latest Steadman Group's opinion poll on the
Kenyan presidency, George Gopal says: "A good opinion poll should be
unbiased and comprehensive enough as to give interviewees a fair sample to
choose from. How reliable then is this poll, especially having omitted other
likely presidential contenders such as former Vice-President Musalia
Mudavadi?"
Several months after the National Dress was launched with
colour and pomp at a ceremony presided over by none other than Vice-President
Moody Awori, not much has been heard about it? says George Gopal. "What
impact has it made so far in the market, especially given the ceremony when it
was unveiled? Where can someone get the attire, and at what price?" asks
George, whose address is georgegop@yahoo.com
George Gopal, who has just returned to the capital city
after living in the slower coastal resort town of Mombasa for a while, remarks:
"The streets of Nairobi are more risky and many Nairobians have a mix of
arrogance and lack of courtesy. And, just like life in the jungle, the rule of
survival of the fittest seems to take centre stage."
Wonders never cease, remarks George Gopal of Mombasa, on the
Government's announcement of impending electricity price increases for
consumers. He poses: "Has the water level in our power generating dams
gone down overnight to warrant such a hasty adjustment of power tariffs! Why
don't those concerned regularly monitor the water levels and anticipate any
adjustments early enough?"
Have a stable day, won't you!
Here is a timely poser from George Gopal, writing from
Mombasa. Says he: "If it is scientifically correct that clocks don’t
really measure time, but instead, only measure durations between events as much
as a measuring tape measures distance between places, what then is time and how
precisely is it measured?"
From Mombasa, an observant George Gopal has noticed that
along the Nairobi-Mombasa road, particularly on the sections between Sultan Hamud
and Emali, a number of the recently built culverts are already clogged up with
water and silt, and this is before the road is opened to motorists. How sure
are we that the contractor is doing the right thing? he queries.
Have a non-political day, won't you!
