Forget naysayers, majimbo is an idea whose time has come : By Prof. Anyang' Nyong'o

May I start by saluting Professor Anyang' Nyongo' for arguing his position very succintly and clearly why Majimbo (economic federalism) is an idea whose time has come for the Kenyan society that appeared on the opinion section of the Daily Nation that was published on Thursday, October,18, 2007 .
 
My support for those arguing for a federal system of governance for the Kenyan political society is anchored on the political mosaic that is Canada. I have been living in Canada for the last 8 years hence my preposition is based on personal experience.
 
Canada is one of the most democratic societies in the all world. The country is very peaceful and a mosaic that is made up of people from all cultures of the world. Apart from the aborigigal (native peoples) of Canada, the rest are immigrants who moved to Canada as a means of escaping a horriffic life experience such as ethnic conflict, political repression, population pressure, hunger or lack of economic opportunities to mention but a few.
 
Since most of the people who moved to Canada were in search of a better life for themselves, their children and the children of their children,the Canadian political elites during the confederation years, came together and selflessly  debated the system of government that would unite the different mosaic of cultures within the Canadian society.
 
These leaders were not driven by personal interests but by the common good, the national interest. They wanted a political system that would carter for the interest of everybody since different people moved to Canada for different reasons. The wanted a society that would be all inclusive.
 
It was in this context that Canada adopted a federal system of governance that is managed under three levels of government; namely: Federal, Provincial and Municipality.
 
To accommodate the interests of various communities, Canada is constitutionally a bilingual and multi-cultural society in which every ethnic culture is celebrated in all parts and geographical regions of the country. The culture of every community in Canada is encouraged, accepted and promoted by the three levels of government.
 
Federalism as is practised here in Canada does not impinge on the freedom of movement of individuals. Instead, Canadians of all walks of life, are free to move, work and own property in any region of the country.
 
To cushion those regions with limited resources, the federal government in consultation with provincial or regional governments has what is called "equalization policy" in place.
 
This policy is designed to create a level-playing field when it comes to re-distribution of the national cake. That is to say, allocation of resources by the federal government is guided by the individual needs of every region. It is a policy that assist in the development of regions without adequate resources.
 
For example,under the equalization policy, North Eastern Province of Kenya will be allocated more resources by the federal government than Nairobi Province.
 
Therefore, if through a federal system of government, Canada, which is a society of all ethnic groups of the world, can manage to be the land of opportunity for all, including Daniel arap Moi who has a big ranch in Calgary Canada, Kenyans should move with speed and adopt an all inclusive political system that will take resources directly to the community.
 
Gordon Teti
Winnipeg, Canada
E-mail:tetigordon at yahoo dot ca