Happy New Year

Another year is over – 2007. Wow, it went by really fast. It seems that time moves faster the older we get. I still remember reading the book “1984” by George Orwell and thinking that it was a long time in the future. The date has come and gone, and hopefully the Ministry of Truth is not on the horizon, though sometimes you have to wonder.

You are probably wondering where I am going with this train of thought. Well, my thoughts are in Africa as I read what is happening in Kenya. In December 2006, I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the annual conference of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM -http://www.aapam.org/ ) in Arusha, Tanzania. It was my first visit to sub-Sahara Africa and I learned much at the meeting and I especially enjoyed meeting the dedicated public servants from across Africa, including Kenya. IPAC has been active in Africa for over 15 years, helping governments develop their public service. We actually have a project in Kenya that is focussed on Human Resources and Results Based Management. I am not enough of an expert to pontificate on who is right or who is wrong in the current conflict in Kenya, but I do know that unless all the population is actively and positively engaged in building their society cleavages will occur. We have seen this in many countries around the world and throughout history – it is not only an African phenomena. Historically, think back to the French Revolution or the American Revolution. More recently, think about the fall of the communist system in Eastern Europe. I do not mean to equate the level of democracy in Kenya to these situations, but merely to make the link that a democracy cannot function effectively and endure if a large portion of its population is economically disenfranchised. It is only by assisting countries in building their civil society that we can ensure economic prosperity for citizens.

In Iowa today, the state is holding the first of the Presidential caucuses. It is an example of democracy at its grassroots. People are gathering in living rooms, gyms, etc to debate and to vote for their choice for the presidential nominee for their party. This small group of voters will have an inordinate impact of the US Presidential race. Guess we will have to wait to see what this all means and if one candidate emerges with the Big Mo’ to take them all the way to their convention.