[afro-nets] RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (6)

General afro-nets
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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (6)
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That the rich really don't care about the poor is very true. But what strikes me is just how true this is not just for North-South, but also within the South. In Kenya for instance we are ranked among the top 10 most unequal society in the world - a land of "10 millionaires and 10 million paupers" to quote from a famous politician. In the face of such glaring inequalities I have often asked myself what I can do as an individual to change the lot of the poor. It is after a lot of soul searching that I have come to acknowledge that the rich thrive primarily on the ignorance of the poor and as such will never really have the interests of the poor at heart. On the other hand the poor may also shoulder some blame for their condition primarily through vices of instant gratification. As a result, what is really needed (at least in my opinion) is simply a level playing field so that those who desire to change their prevailing circumstances are enabled to do so, and those who are poor as a result of moral choice are justly so. Africa's health problems are ultimately about poverty and not the science. Her economic empowerment coupled with her will to deal with her own problems is what it's all about at the end of the day.

With regards,

Karanja R.

--
Robert Muhia Karanja, PhD cand
Research Officer (Medical Parasitology & Entomology)
Centre for Biotechnology Research & Development
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Mbagathi Way
P.O. Box 54840
NAIROBI, 00200
Kenya
Tel: +254-020-3003115; 2722541/4 Ext 2246 (Office)
Fax: +254-020-2715105/2720030
Website: http://www.kemri.org
mailto:RKaranja@kemri.org

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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (7)
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Hello All,

Couldn't help but make a couple of comments. First, excellent writing by Peter Burgess, your analogy brings into stark reality the toll of ignorance and graft.

I agree also with George Kent, in that Kris seems like a broken record with accountability and transparency. These are noble things to strive for but in reality very difficult to bring into play. The reality is as the old adage says "He who has the gold makes the rules." It is unfortunate but very much true, and always has been that way.

I believe that we must strive to bring about change by doing what we are doing, talking to anyone that will listen. There are a multitude of organizations and independent news agencies out there, we need to start finding them and show them facts and figures and pictures of children dying to make them listen and pass it on. Don't take no for an answer, get arrested if you have to for yelling at them, whatever works. Obviously some organizations are a waste of time like WHO, and World Bank, etc. If they were going to help they would have done so 20 years ago. The old formulas are not going to bring about change. What can we do, really, to bring about a real change, and eradicate malaria? We know, or at least we should know, that there is a way of controlling this terrible disease. Let's go out there and take the money that would normally be squandered or wasted by cold hearted people who do not care, away from them by promising real results and yes transparency. If we don't then things will not change everyone.

Cheers
Craig

--
Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com

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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (8)
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Dear Colleagues

A couple of weeks back Kris Dev put in a plug for transparency and accountability and got a somewhat negative response ...

George Kent
"Kris, since you asked, I will tell you what I think, but you won't like it. I have noticed on this list that you keep proposing the same remedy, no matter what problem is raised. You sound like a doctor that has only one therapy to offer, regardless of the diagnosis of the problem. SNIP"

Craig Audiss
"I agree also with George Kent, in that Kris seems like a broken record with accountability and transparency. These are noble things to strive for but in reality very difficult to bring into play. The reality is as the old adage says "He who has the gold makes the rules." It is unfortunate but very much true, and always has been that way. SNIP"

George Kent and Craig Audiss have a point. Kris uses a "boilerplate" message to make a point about transparency and accountability and one possible way he advocates to impact the problem. But please do not dismiss Kris's contributions out of hand. Kris has probably made more practical contribution to the field of socio-economic progress than many.

He had a significant career in the Indian civil service ... in the state owned steel industry, and some years ago was appointed to run the organization's steel tube making factory in Mexico which was operating at big losses. Kris helped get the Mexico unit up to world-class ISO standards, and then marketed the products into the oil industry around the Gulf of Mexico ... to Texas and to Venezuela. In short order a failing factory became very successful.

Kris returned to India in around 2000, and has worked on a software application to make government offices paperless ... and about three years ago a pilot was successfully deployed in one of the local government departments in India. I love the idea that an Indian government office could go paperless ... successfully.

Kris is still pushing the envelope ... and I would not be surprised at all to see Kris doing a lot more that is both practical and valuable. Kris is not by any means "stuck in a rut" but is pushing forward into some areas that most of us would not dream of trying. Not all his ideas make sense, but stay tuned because Kris will probably implement something of huge value when the rest of us are just talking about it.

Sincerely

Peter Burgess
Transparency and Accountability Network
Tr-Ac-Net Inc.
212 772 7918
mailto:peterbnyc@gmail.com

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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (9)
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Peter,

Transparency and accountability is good, however it is only as good as the people who are in charge. I am somewhat cynical I guess, I sometimes think that by the time people reach a pinnacle of success they have an outlook that tends to look out for the big guy and themselves and everyones else be damned.

I certainly never meant to suggest that George Kent was not good at what he does and I'm sure he is probably much more organized than myself. I guess I have gone against the system on many occasions and have had very limited success.

Point Taken.

Cheers

Craig
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com

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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (10)
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Peter, I am glad you took this initiative to reopen this discussion. I am afraid that my blunt style may have offended Kris, and if it did, I am very sorry. Kris, if you are listening, this was my way of trying to prompt some deeper discussion on the issues. Please do come back.

Aloha, George
mailto:kent@hawaii.edu

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RFI: Fight against malaria - Media Effectiveness (11)
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Once bitten, twice shy! Thanks for your apology. Probably I deserve some treatment like what you gave me, to remind me of my one track mind!! I cannot think of anything else other than transparency and accountability, as the one size fit all solution for all our evils!! Thanks for putting up with me this long. My mind is blunt and fails to think of anything else. If you care, Peter can forward you what I sent him on what we are trying to do to introduce Tr-Ac in a country like India.

Take care and keep up your spirits.

Kris Dev
mailto:krisdev@gmail.com