They say that if two of us are the same then one of us isn’t necessary. That’s especially true if one of us is a dunderhead. No one needs two dunderheads keeping each other company because they eviscerate the truism that two heads are better than one.
Nor is that how you engineer an intelligent society. You do so by cultivating a thinking citizenry, one that continually challenges one another to do better than the person next to you.
Dissent is clearly a hallmark of an intelligent society. But not dissent that’s dumb. That’s why I’ve found the public debate on whether Kenya can become a “Singapore” at times distressing. Refuseniks oppose the ambition only because it’s President William Ruto who’s authored it.
I’ve said it before and will do it again. No country in the history of humanity has ever become great without a visionary and determined elite. None. Elites must dare to dream. That’s why Americans went to the moon.
That’s why Steve Jobs and Apple invented the IPhone. They dreamt big. Very big. We’ve seen how China has risen in the last two decades. These things don’t just happen. They are deliberately planned and executed with a sharpshooter’s precision. Leaders must think and dream big and then sell those dreams to the nation. That’s why they are elected and entrusted with the destiny of nations. A nation without an ambitious elite is akin to a doomed plane flying minus a competent pilot.
Who can forget President John F. Kennedy’s evocative charge to the American people in his 1961 Inaugural Address when said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Think of Rev Martin Luther King Jr. and his 1963 “I Have a Dream Speech” in which he imagined an America free of racism with freedom and equality for all.
These are the lofty reaches of men and women who reject mediocrity and sub-humanity. That’s why lambasting President Ruto’s avowed ambition to make Kenya a “Singapore” is small-minded and mean-spirited. Kenyans from all walks of life should be celebrating and hollering in joy and exaltation. It’s the equivalent of telling our youth that hard and smart work will make them “A” students.
You must dream it before you can see it, and then be able to do it. Let’s not get it twisted. Those who are at the forefront attacking President Ruto have been in power for decades and did nothing. Let the man do his thing and then Kenyans can judge him in 2027. You had your chance, including disgraced ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and blew it. Some of the opponents hissing the loudest were blue-eyed boys under President Daniel arap Moi. We have no evidence of what they achieved in high office. Rather than oppose everything President Ruto is doing, or planning, I suggest they tell Kenyans their plans. Do they want to take us to Sudan or Somalia rather than Singapore?
Methinks that critics have grossly misunderstood President Ruto’s evocation of Singapore. He’s not talking about Singapore as a landmass, or even as a country. Rather, he’s speaking about Singapore as an idea, a journey, a destination in a developmental narrative. He could as well have chosen South Korea, or any other country that has moved from Third to First World in the last several decades. Many of these countries were in the same unenviable basket with Kenya not long ago.
However, they didn’t just sit there lamenting that First World status was beyond reach. They refused to be victims of small dreams. They rejected the notion that Asian, Black, and Brown peoples are doomed to live forever in the underdeveloped depths of the Third World.
Imagine how backward Kenya would be today if President Mwai Kibaki didn’t dream about making primary education free for all. Because of him, a huge potential and millions of doors of opportunity were swung open for the least among us. It’s those “least among us” who are now the backbone of our educated workforce.
I say this – leaders who have nothing to offer shouldn’t wait for nature to retire them. They should buy a one-way ticket to the village, or wherever their domiciliary is, and make way for those with better and fresh ideas to take the helm of this country. Taking Kenya to “Singapore” is one of those new and better ideas. Don’t pull us back. Push us forward.
Lastly, it’s a fact President Ruto has dreamt bigger for Kenya than any previous leader. Put emotions aside and look at the facts. It’s true the courts have tried to hem some of his bigger plans. I ask the judiciary to interpret the constitution and executive authority from a consequentialist lens in a democratic polity and allow meritorious government projects to proceed for the benefit of the people. Allow “Singapore” to happen.
Makau Mutua is SUNY Distinguished Professor and Margaret W. Wong Professor at Buffalo Law School, The State University of New York. He’s Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs to President William Ruto. On X: @makaumutua.
