It's done! 1 hour, 40 minutes and 28 seconds. It could have been worse since I was really pushing to finish around 1 hour 35 minutes. Loosing five minutes is like losing an entire kilometre. That's a long way. It's a huge loss.
So what happened?
Got up at 4:00 AM, couldn't sleep. So I went into the kitchen and got something to eat. Some left over sweet potato. The race wasn't for another 3 hours and 40 minutes, everything would be digested by then, so no worries. After eating, I lay down and actually slept. The alarm went off at 5:00 AM, but I was now groggy and sleepy and didn't want to wake up so I switched it off and went back to bed. Not a good idea, but still I had prepared everything the evening before so I didn't really need to get up. My bib was already attached to my running shirt. My shorts were ready. Gels and electrolyte drink ready. Timing chip already attached to shoe lace. I could be out of bed and out of the house in five minutes if I wanted to.
So I slept till about 5:30. I wanted to get to the race for 7:00 AM. didn't know what parking would be like since the warning on the event website said that we'd have to park in the side streets, which meant that I'd have to leave by 6:30 at the very latest. But if there was any trouble at all on the way, I should plan to leave earlier. What if I got a flat, god forbid!
I was a little nervous, training had gone very well but I think I may have pushed too much mileage the last week and not rested enough. I ran 56 K from Tuesday to Friday and only rested on Saturday. I was a bit tired, but the Saturday rest should be enough for a 1/2 marathon.
I got to the park before 7:00 AM and managed to meet Rob who was running the 10K. We chatted for a bit and then he went off to the start of the 10K. The 10K event was starting at 7:30 AM with the 1/2 marathon 10 minutes later.
I've never paced myself, don't even know what a 1:35 pace feels like, but fortunately, I caught sight of the 1:30 pace bunny. So, I decided that I'd stick to them for as long as I could, and if they pulled away, so be it. I was really close to the starting line. When the final whistle blew, it probably only took a few seconds to cross the mats and the race had begun. The 1:30 pace bunny took off and I followed obediently. The pace was fast, too fast for my style. I'm used to taking a long time to warm up to a race. In fact, in the 2004 Mississauga marathon, it took me 1:46 to get to the 21.1 K mark and 1:41 to run the second 21.1. This negative split is my M.O. And in this case, the first 5K were brutal and I was pushing hard. When we turned onto Morrison Street at about 7K, I'd lost sight of the bunny and decided to let it be. I was sure that 1:30 wasn't my target but quite pleased that the 1:40 pace bunny was still behind me. I was somewhere in between. Morrison Street is an uphill grind and my training helped tremendously. Some of the runners that had passed me in the last kilometre were slowly making their way up the hill and I was able to run past them comfortably. I could actually feel myself getting stronger as we went up. The sharp incline is about 1.25 K in length and you feel every step. But I knew that once we got to the top, the rest of the race was flat and downhill. I kept glancing back and could see some space opening up. Great, I thought. Not too shabby. Feeling strong, and we're almost half way. Near the top, we turned left, as though we were heading back and the road flattened out. I saw the 8K marker come up but I was fatigued and was now at cruising speed. I thought that my training could take me all the way, as long as we didn't have too many stressful climbs. From what I remember of the maps, it was all downhill from here. A smile started somewhere inside me and slowly found its way to my lips. Not too shabby, I thought again.
But I slowed down significantly. I'd left the 1:40 pace bunny before we got to the hill, but surprisingly at close to 10K, he caught up with me. This was bad, I thought. Only half way, and now looking like I'm going to slip way behind my time. The 1:40 bunny also looked like they were cruising at a fairly fast clip. I fell in behind the group, a couple of girls, and one guy, and decided to stay with them. 11K came and went and so did 12K. By this time I was alternating between fatigue and feeling fit. I'd carried three energy gels with me, one I'd consumed at about 5K and another past the 10K mark. The plan was to consume them every 5K; 5, 10 and 15. This is probably what was now working its way into my system. The nourishment. At each water stop, every 3K, I made sure I took a few sips of water. There wasn't a lot of water in the small cups and I managed a couple of mouthfuls, sometimes only one, at each stop. But I didn't need that much anyway.
One of the water stops, probably at 15K was absolutely disaster. The girls giving out water ran out of cups and were just giggling as runners came by. I stopped, so did one of the girls in our pace group. She went up to the table to get herself some water, I waited and asked for a cup. I finally got one and by the time we took off again, the pace bunny was about twenty metres out ahead. Not to worry, I thought, plenty of time to catch them, but it was a bit concerting since the pace bunny was moving fairly quickly. I'd totally underestimated what a 1:35 pace felt like, and was now having problems keeping up with 1:40. Metre by metre I fought my way up to the pace bunny. The girl who'd lagged behind at the water stop was also scrambling to catch up and she was also having problems. I caught up with her and passed her slowly, making my way up to the pace bunny who by now only had one guy running next to him, and a girl who looked like she was falling back. Indeed when I finally caught up with them, it felt like a relief. Moving up to get to them was some work indeed. In hindsight, I could have kept going, past them and perhaps broken that 1:40 mark, but I was content to stay where I was. Tucked in between the pace bunny and the guy next to him. Beside me, the only girl left was starting to fall back. She'd catch up with us and then fall back again. The water stop girl had since dropped back.
As we came up to 19K, I felt relaxed enough to join in on the conversation between the pace bunny, whose name is Neil, and the guy next to him. Managed to wriggle myself in between them and while we were chatting, the guy who was with us started to pull up ahead. Neil, the pace bunny, I found out was running a short distance due to injury. I believe he mentioned that he's done a few marathons before, but concentrates mostly on 5K's, 10K's and half marathons. He was planning on doing the Toronto waterfront marathon in October, but due to injury, might wait till November and run in the Hamilton marathon. I didn't even know that Hamilton had a marathon. Looks like a good one for me since it gives me over a month to get ready for it. Should be more than enough time to build up the mileage and strength. So I'll probably register in a couple of weeks for that one. Should be fun to drive out to Hamilton and run in unfamiliar territory. Neil's stride was absolutely comfortable. Looked very easy and relaxed. The kind of gait that I would like to have. Didn't look like he was running hard at all. In fact, looked like he wasn't going too fast, but being beside him, I know that he was pushing it fairly consistently. Helps to have a watch so that you know exactly where you are. I plan on getting one soon. I've never trained or run with a watch. Too much pressure, but I guess, knowing how fast or slow you're going helps you pace yourself and gives you that mental edge.
At this point in the race, approaching 20K I had tons of energy, but I'd learned all the lessons I needed to learn for today. Wouldn't make much sense in sprinting and gaining an extra minute, if at all. Finishing comfortably was the goal at this point and we even started encouraging runners to keep going. Some people were really tired, and even though the finish line was so close, couldn't manage to overtake and sprint to the finish. Miraculously, one of the girls we'd dropped appeared about 100 metres from the finish and caught up to us. Neil turned around, encouraging her to push on and run past, but in the end, she managed to finish just behind us. We actually all stepped on the mats simultaneously. Neil reach over to shake my hand, and I said "thanks!" The girl, who I later found out is called Teresa, also came over, she seemed really pleased with the run, shook my hand and said "congratulations." I congratulated her as well.
Lessons learned.
Keep to my game plan. I'm not an early sprinter, and my body needs to get acclimatised to the road. That takes a while for me and I shouldn't panic as I see people dash past. I should aim at starting the race at about halfway.
Pacing's important. It's absolutely important to know where you are in the race, if you're ahead, it gives you a boost, confidence that you'll make your goal. If you're behind, then you can calculate how to get back into the game slowly, given the distance you still have to go. It was comforting knowing at 15K that we were on track, especially since I felt good and strong. I knew that I could sustain the pace. Not knowing where you are you might tend to overrun, or under-run. But a targeted pace will keep you sane. I should buy a watch.
Slow and steady and relaxed wins the race. I remember watching some people as they passed me and thought, my gosh, that looks very uncomfortable. Shoulders pulled back, arms dangling oddly in front, like a t-Rex. Legs kinda shuffling along, not striding. But they were moving better than I was. Even though they didn't look fast, they were passing me and moving ahead. I should work on my stride since I found out that increasing my stride length worked for me. I could relax more than with shorter strides. This means that I will have to spend more time stretching so that I can get better range of motion.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Heading to the Oakville half marathon
Two days left to the Oakville half marathon. I did some hard training over the weekend, ran 32k on Saturday followed by another 32k on Sunday. The weather on Saturday was chilly and I caught a cold, I thought it was a flu. Sneezing, headache, runny nose and so on. I was so sick I couldn't get up and run on Monday morning. The plan, easing into the Oakville half, was to run Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rest Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Well, with Monday blanking out, I ran on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday. The plan this time was to rest Friday and Saturday. But now, as I write this note, on Thursday evening, facing a rest day tomorrow, which is Friday, and Saturday, I feel that I only need one day of rest. Saturday should do it. After all, I'm used to packing 32k on Saturday, so this time I'd be packing 0k and then 21.1k on Sunday. Compared to the 64k I do on weekends, this is a walk in the park.
Am I addicted to running or what? Is this OK? Do I need to see a shrink or am I OK?
Well, with Monday blanking out, I ran on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday. The plan this time was to rest Friday and Saturday. But now, as I write this note, on Thursday evening, facing a rest day tomorrow, which is Friday, and Saturday, I feel that I only need one day of rest. Saturday should do it. After all, I'm used to packing 32k on Saturday, so this time I'd be packing 0k and then 21.1k on Sunday. Compared to the 64k I do on weekends, this is a walk in the park.
Am I addicted to running or what? Is this OK? Do I need to see a shrink or am I OK?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tonyleeks - Corruption in Africa: Kenya
Continuing our exclusive Tonyleeks coverage of African corruption, this time we focus on Kenya. The golden child of Britain's colonial experiments in Africa, if you exclude South Africa, Kenya a diverse land with many different tribes has also suffered under the hands of its leaders.
Founding father
Kenya attained its independence from Britain in 1963 and a year later became a republic. The newly crowned Prime Minister and then President was none other than the man who'd been at the front of the political fight for freedom, Jomo Kenyatta. This is not to say that he was the most prominent agitator, but he was definitely the front line candidate when independence finally arrived, much like Nelson Mandela in South Africa. However, Kenyatta swiftly surrounded himself with his most trusted advisers, who happened to be close friends and relatives. Some members of his political party, KANU, who happened to be from different tribes were quickly marginalised and even imprisoned. In the 1950's the GDP per capita of Kenya was just under $1,000 which, at the time, was higher than South Korea's. By 1973, Kenya's GDP had just passed $1,000 and South Korea's was just under $3,000. Kenya had virtually stagnated and South Korea was growing. Why?
Moi
The problems in Kenya were started by Kenyatta, but it was Daniel Arap Moi who refined corruption to an art. Corruption in 80's Kenya was a fact of life. The administrators in government offices depended on hand-outs to perform jobs that they were paid to do. The policemen and women supplemented their wages with bribes. And, of course, the president himself, and his friends, awarded themselves with the most lucrative of contracts from donor countries. The World Bank at one time was Moi's bank, money coming in to the country, and into the Kenyan Central Bank was shuffled into his personal account.
Both Moi and Kenyatta snatched the best land in Kenya for themselves. But they were also careful to not keep their eggs in one basket and they invested heavily in the United States and Europe. It is said that Moi has buildings in Toronto of which he's a landlord. Like Zimbabwe's Mugabe, Moi and Kenyatta made sure that the assets were securely locked into family hands and when Kenyatta passed away, his wealth was safely transferred to his third wife, Mama Ngina, together with her children. Moi had done exactly the same, transferring assets and holdings to the names of his sons.
And so we come back to the same question, while all this is going on, what his happening to the common man? To the Kenyan on the street? Kenyatta should have known better. He was an academic and had studied in Britain (like Mugabe) and seen how the democratic process is an enabler for everyone. As an anthropologist he should have known that petty politics, the politics of feudalism doesn't work for the betterment of the entire society and that for a country to succeed, it must engage all of it's citizens. But his education didn't help, like Mugabe's, leads us to ask if there's something else at play here. It isn't the gullibility of the population, because they see it, or do they? The people, the Africans, they are unable to coalesce into a resistance unless things become unbearable. At that time, the wound is a festering boiling bulb with the puss ready to explode. Kenya almost reached that point in 1982. Zimbabwe obviously hasn't reached that point yet. Moi's case is particularly annoying since he obtained a country on a downward spiral, one that he could have stopped. Kenyatta received a country with infrastructure, a country with a small, but sizeable intellectual group. People who could have helped nourish the potential. Yet that didn't happen. And when Moi ascended to the throne, the roads continued to dilapidate, hospital services continued to decline, the birth rate in the country rose to be the highest in the world with a denser population of poor people. All the while, Moi was riding around in his state Mercedes and living in luxury. Amassing wealth in various countries and continuing on the legacy of oppression and economic decline.
Like Mugabe, Tonyleeks has learnt that Moi's election results were all rigged. Dead voters were resurrected from the grave to turn out en-mass to vote for Moi. Unlike his successor, Moi's rigging was plainly obvious. The running joke was "why bother? He's going to win anyway!"
There's absolutely no reason for any of the African countries, who won their independence in the early 60's to be so primitively backward. Unfortunately one cannot put such high hopes on the ruling class. When it came to the fight for independence, goals were clear, the agenda was set and everyone had the same vision. Once the country had been handed over, they stood around, staring blankly at each other, and wondering what to do with all this newly acquired wealth. And like pigs to the trough, they dove in and fed.
Founding father
Kenya attained its independence from Britain in 1963 and a year later became a republic. The newly crowned Prime Minister and then President was none other than the man who'd been at the front of the political fight for freedom, Jomo Kenyatta. This is not to say that he was the most prominent agitator, but he was definitely the front line candidate when independence finally arrived, much like Nelson Mandela in South Africa. However, Kenyatta swiftly surrounded himself with his most trusted advisers, who happened to be close friends and relatives. Some members of his political party, KANU, who happened to be from different tribes were quickly marginalised and even imprisoned. In the 1950's the GDP per capita of Kenya was just under $1,000 which, at the time, was higher than South Korea's. By 1973, Kenya's GDP had just passed $1,000 and South Korea's was just under $3,000. Kenya had virtually stagnated and South Korea was growing. Why?
Moi
The problems in Kenya were started by Kenyatta, but it was Daniel Arap Moi who refined corruption to an art. Corruption in 80's Kenya was a fact of life. The administrators in government offices depended on hand-outs to perform jobs that they were paid to do. The policemen and women supplemented their wages with bribes. And, of course, the president himself, and his friends, awarded themselves with the most lucrative of contracts from donor countries. The World Bank at one time was Moi's bank, money coming in to the country, and into the Kenyan Central Bank was shuffled into his personal account.
Both Moi and Kenyatta snatched the best land in Kenya for themselves. But they were also careful to not keep their eggs in one basket and they invested heavily in the United States and Europe. It is said that Moi has buildings in Toronto of which he's a landlord. Like Zimbabwe's Mugabe, Moi and Kenyatta made sure that the assets were securely locked into family hands and when Kenyatta passed away, his wealth was safely transferred to his third wife, Mama Ngina, together with her children. Moi had done exactly the same, transferring assets and holdings to the names of his sons.
And so we come back to the same question, while all this is going on, what his happening to the common man? To the Kenyan on the street? Kenyatta should have known better. He was an academic and had studied in Britain (like Mugabe) and seen how the democratic process is an enabler for everyone. As an anthropologist he should have known that petty politics, the politics of feudalism doesn't work for the betterment of the entire society and that for a country to succeed, it must engage all of it's citizens. But his education didn't help, like Mugabe's, leads us to ask if there's something else at play here. It isn't the gullibility of the population, because they see it, or do they? The people, the Africans, they are unable to coalesce into a resistance unless things become unbearable. At that time, the wound is a festering boiling bulb with the puss ready to explode. Kenya almost reached that point in 1982. Zimbabwe obviously hasn't reached that point yet. Moi's case is particularly annoying since he obtained a country on a downward spiral, one that he could have stopped. Kenyatta received a country with infrastructure, a country with a small, but sizeable intellectual group. People who could have helped nourish the potential. Yet that didn't happen. And when Moi ascended to the throne, the roads continued to dilapidate, hospital services continued to decline, the birth rate in the country rose to be the highest in the world with a denser population of poor people. All the while, Moi was riding around in his state Mercedes and living in luxury. Amassing wealth in various countries and continuing on the legacy of oppression and economic decline.
Like Mugabe, Tonyleeks has learnt that Moi's election results were all rigged. Dead voters were resurrected from the grave to turn out en-mass to vote for Moi. Unlike his successor, Moi's rigging was plainly obvious. The running joke was "why bother? He's going to win anyway!"
There's absolutely no reason for any of the African countries, who won their independence in the early 60's to be so primitively backward. Unfortunately one cannot put such high hopes on the ruling class. When it came to the fight for independence, goals were clear, the agenda was set and everyone had the same vision. Once the country had been handed over, they stood around, staring blankly at each other, and wondering what to do with all this newly acquired wealth. And like pigs to the trough, they dove in and fed.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tonyleeks - Corruption in Africa: Uganda
In this second article of a series on corruption in Africa, we discuss the case of Uganda's Idi Amin. The facts of Idi Amin's rule are mixed with fiction and fantasy. Much of what is talked about is exaggerated even though there is some truth to the atrocities he committed.
Idi Amin was a soldier in Uganda's army, having no more than a fourth grade education, he was intellectually challenged as a politician or a bureaucrat. He however managed to ascend to the rank of commander in chief of the Ugandan military with the assistance of the president, Milton Obote. It was from Obote that Amin took over power in a coup d'etat in 1971. The two were initially friends but fell out later.
It isn't known how many people were killed during Amin's rule. The numbers range from 80,000 at the low end to about 300,000. Idi Amin was indiscriminate in his killing. He killed political leaders, members of his own government, clergy, the chancellor of the university. Urged by his friend Moammar Gadhaffi, he expelled about 80,000 Asians from Uganda in the 70's as well. Many of them had only 72 hours to pack whatever little belongings they could pack and leave the country. Many of them had British passports and so ended up in Britain.
Insanity.
Idi Amin is an anomaly, mostly because he doesn't epitomise the intellectual African crook. Like Zimbabwe's Mugabe for instance. This is a solder who in his eight year reign did things that can only be described as absurd and which lead one to wonder where the people of sound mind were. It's like being led by an idiot and following the idiot's orders. He was the self styled, self declared leader who had the title "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular." Now, one wonders, standing around, his ministers and other officials, on hearing this, if any one of them raised an eyebrow. He wasn't a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) and he didn't acquire any Distinguished Service Order (DSO). This is a man who titled himself the last king of Scotland. Who allegedly sent the queen of England a telex with the message: "Dear Liz, if you want to know a real man, come to Kampala." There are also rumours that he dismembered one of his wives and that he was a cannibal. He was a polygamist and it's rumoured that he killed the boyfriends of one of his wives in order to marry her. Idi is said to have fathered close to 40 children and even when he was in exile in Saudi Arabia, he was still marrying and fathering more children.
Is it then the African condition that we should take our leaders, good and bad, follow them without questioning their sanity. Here's a clear case of someone who should not even have had control of the army. In civilised society, where expansion of territory is now complete, and armies are there for defence, a military general needs skills both as a competent soldier as well as diplomacy. While Idi was a competent soldier, it is clear that he was closer to being an animal than a human being.
Idi Amin was eventually overthrown. He spent a little time in the protection of his friend Gadhaffi and then under the hospitality of the Saudi Arabian government in Jeddah. At some time in the late 80's he tried to return to Uganda, but was repelled from Zaire. It's hard to imagine that he had supporters in Uganda, given all the news.
It's not clear if Idi Amin amassed any wealth for himself. His personality suggests that he surrounded himself with people of similar characteristics. He wasn't an intellectual and he would not have known how to plan for the long term. It's amazing that at one point, he was elected as the head of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The fact that he had diplomatic ties with African countries isn't difficult to understand given the continent's appetite for despotism. However, only Libya was open as an asylum at his time of need. Relations with Tanzania had broken down to war and Kenya had a permanent army at the Kenya-Uganda border.
Lessons learned.
The Ugandan economy suffered greatly during Idi's reign. After he expelled the Asians from the country, the industries that they ran fell into mismanagement and eventually collapsed. The Ugandan shilling lost all it's value and Kampala fell into disrepair. Many of Idi's top officials also escaped for fear of their lives. Some went into neighbouring Kenya and others ended up in Britain. Control of the army gave Idi strength. An army is trained not to think, but to follow orders. Many of the soldiers in the U.S. or British army do the same. They are commanded to go to war and they follow orders. In much the same case, Uganda's army was commanded to follow Idi's orders. Where they failed was in turning their might on their own people. The police force of a country keep law and order. An army is supposed to look for external threats. In Africa, there are very few cases where an army general transitions into a successful president. It almost never happens. The qualifications simply aren't there. Can you blame the African people for not reacting to the oppression? Perhaps the common person, too far away from where the decisions are being made, cannot do anything. However, the cluster of authority, those close to Amin, those who carried out his orders, in fact supported and advised him must be blamed. Amin didn't act alone. He was supported in his insanity,
Idi Amin was a soldier in Uganda's army, having no more than a fourth grade education, he was intellectually challenged as a politician or a bureaucrat. He however managed to ascend to the rank of commander in chief of the Ugandan military with the assistance of the president, Milton Obote. It was from Obote that Amin took over power in a coup d'etat in 1971. The two were initially friends but fell out later.
It isn't known how many people were killed during Amin's rule. The numbers range from 80,000 at the low end to about 300,000. Idi Amin was indiscriminate in his killing. He killed political leaders, members of his own government, clergy, the chancellor of the university. Urged by his friend Moammar Gadhaffi, he expelled about 80,000 Asians from Uganda in the 70's as well. Many of them had only 72 hours to pack whatever little belongings they could pack and leave the country. Many of them had British passports and so ended up in Britain.
Insanity.
Idi Amin is an anomaly, mostly because he doesn't epitomise the intellectual African crook. Like Zimbabwe's Mugabe for instance. This is a solder who in his eight year reign did things that can only be described as absurd and which lead one to wonder where the people of sound mind were. It's like being led by an idiot and following the idiot's orders. He was the self styled, self declared leader who had the title "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular." Now, one wonders, standing around, his ministers and other officials, on hearing this, if any one of them raised an eyebrow. He wasn't a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) and he didn't acquire any Distinguished Service Order (DSO). This is a man who titled himself the last king of Scotland. Who allegedly sent the queen of England a telex with the message: "Dear Liz, if you want to know a real man, come to Kampala." There are also rumours that he dismembered one of his wives and that he was a cannibal. He was a polygamist and it's rumoured that he killed the boyfriends of one of his wives in order to marry her. Idi is said to have fathered close to 40 children and even when he was in exile in Saudi Arabia, he was still marrying and fathering more children.
Is it then the African condition that we should take our leaders, good and bad, follow them without questioning their sanity. Here's a clear case of someone who should not even have had control of the army. In civilised society, where expansion of territory is now complete, and armies are there for defence, a military general needs skills both as a competent soldier as well as diplomacy. While Idi was a competent soldier, it is clear that he was closer to being an animal than a human being.
Idi Amin was eventually overthrown. He spent a little time in the protection of his friend Gadhaffi and then under the hospitality of the Saudi Arabian government in Jeddah. At some time in the late 80's he tried to return to Uganda, but was repelled from Zaire. It's hard to imagine that he had supporters in Uganda, given all the news.
It's not clear if Idi Amin amassed any wealth for himself. His personality suggests that he surrounded himself with people of similar characteristics. He wasn't an intellectual and he would not have known how to plan for the long term. It's amazing that at one point, he was elected as the head of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The fact that he had diplomatic ties with African countries isn't difficult to understand given the continent's appetite for despotism. However, only Libya was open as an asylum at his time of need. Relations with Tanzania had broken down to war and Kenya had a permanent army at the Kenya-Uganda border.
Lessons learned.
The Ugandan economy suffered greatly during Idi's reign. After he expelled the Asians from the country, the industries that they ran fell into mismanagement and eventually collapsed. The Ugandan shilling lost all it's value and Kampala fell into disrepair. Many of Idi's top officials also escaped for fear of their lives. Some went into neighbouring Kenya and others ended up in Britain. Control of the army gave Idi strength. An army is trained not to think, but to follow orders. Many of the soldiers in the U.S. or British army do the same. They are commanded to go to war and they follow orders. In much the same case, Uganda's army was commanded to follow Idi's orders. Where they failed was in turning their might on their own people. The police force of a country keep law and order. An army is supposed to look for external threats. In Africa, there are very few cases where an army general transitions into a successful president. It almost never happens. The qualifications simply aren't there. Can you blame the African people for not reacting to the oppression? Perhaps the common person, too far away from where the decisions are being made, cannot do anything. However, the cluster of authority, those close to Amin, those who carried out his orders, in fact supported and advised him must be blamed. Amin didn't act alone. He was supported in his insanity,
Friday, September 09, 2011
Tonyleeks - Corruption in Africa: Zimbabwe
This is a Tonyleeks special on corruption. We'll be exposing current leaders who have abused their authority with flagrant flamboyant spending, misuse of public assets and a complete disregard for the rule of law. Tonyleeks will describe in annoying detail the things that you perhaps know, but were afraid to ask.
Zimbabwe.
A lot has been said about corruption in Africa and right here, a Tonyleeks exclusive special, we're about to reveal some of the things you may not know. We speculate, we often joke about, we continually ramble on and broach the subject, never delving into it, the cause and effect of corruption in Africa and while we continue to talk about it, never actually doing anything to stop it, it continues to erode the continent.
Zimbabwe. I remember when Zimbabwe got its independence from Britain, the colonial masters. It was in 1980 and I was old enough to have political sensibilities, even though I was still in high school. A then very young Robert Mugabe took over a country that was brimming with potential. A country that had been built no less on the backs of the African majority to the benefit of the European minority. Much like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and most of the African nations. Mugabe was young and bright and exhibited many of the qualities of tomorrow's African elite. The leader of leaders. He was the one that was going to show the independent nations of Africa how an African country should be run.
Headquarters in Harare, he began to systematically tear down the country. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely and Mugabe wasn't above that rule. When campaigning for independence, Mugabe was the man of the people. In a few short years, he became the man of himself and his family.
Giving land to his friends and family, many of who couldn't farm, introducing corrupt land distribution (also known as land reform) policies that made sure that productive white people were forcibly removed from their land started the country in a downward spiral.
It's not difficult to imagine that sooner or later, he'd have to start borrowing money from the international community. That sooner or later, Zimbabwe would join a host of other African nations that cannot feed themselves. A beautiful country of just over 13 million people, who many refer to as the heart of Africa, with beautiful rain forests, and voluminous waterfalls a hard working population that historically built the city of Great Zimbabwe, to be reduced by a handful of neocolonialists to starvation and third world destitution is tragic. More than tragic, this is senseless and shows that the selfish agenda of despotic African leaders is more to blame than the history of colonialism.
Without a doubt, Mugabe has pocketed millions, if not billions, of donor aid money. He's enjoyed a privileged lifestyle while his people have become increasingly destitute. He owns a number of homes, many of them overseas. Enjoys privileges exceeding those of the wealthy in developed countries mostly supported on the labour of the people he promised freedom from oppression. Many of his country men and women are no better today than they were during colonial times. Many of them are far worse off. Of course, independence has worked in favour of Mugabe and his close friends.
Tonyleeks has also learned that Mugabe's wealth is not entirely contained in Zimbabwean assets. He also holds title deeds in Europe and North America. In fact, it's arguable that most of his assets are outside Africa. The question as to how those assets were funded is shrouded in creative accounting the likes of which some of the larger consulting companies are used to. Mobutu Sese Seko, Kamuzu Banda, Jomo Kenyatta, Arap Moi, Idi Amin, Patrice Lumumba, Jerry Rawlings, Ghadaffi and a list too long to mention have intimate partnerships with the Pricewaterhouses, the KPMG's, Delloite and Touche's and Dunwoody's of this world. In order to squirrel away large sums of money it's inevitable to associate with unsavoury types who understand the financial world and are versed in the science of laundering to make illicit activities appear somewhat legal. Al Capone, known mostly for the gangster violence in prohibitionist Chicago was finally captured due to an error in Federal tax calculation. Al apparently wasn't paying attention to his income tax returns, and quite rightly so, since it would have been very difficult to submit exorbitant income statements and escape an audit from the Internal Revenue Service of the United States government.
But Mugabe doesn't require creative actuaries or, for that matter, actuaries or accountants. The money that he has obtained is a salary, base pay, for services rendered to the people of Zimbabwe, most of it accounted for through government expenses since he doesn't have to pay for his meals, his transportation, his accommodations since these are all charged to the people he serves. And this makes sense. You wouldn't expect to send an envoy to represent you without providing them with transportation, meals and shelter. Likewise, Mugabe's stand is that he has this huge responsibility of leadership, chosen by the people, and so they are paying for his leadership.
And so while the cost of running Zimbabwe is high, and the results are clearly not visible, the question that remains to be answered is whether or not the formula that Mugabe is using is an equitable one. Is his governance fair? Is he elevating the status of the common man, woman, child and creating an environment that fosters the betterment of everyone?
So far the results do not show this. Of late, Tonyleeks has uncovered reports of abuse leading to death of Zimbabweans who are against government politics. Dissent is frowned upon in modern Zimbabwe. Once upon a time, the common person could raise his or her voice and the sound of that criticism would be welcome. Mugabe, the greatest critic, was able to win his argument with the British and kick them out of Zimbabwe. But now that the voices of dissent have turned on to his government, those voices are no longer welcome. Sadly, a number of reports from the field indicate that heightened poverty leaves the citizens with no choice. Especially in cases where land is an issue. Peasants chased off their land that Mugabe wants to allocate to his cronies often find themselves on the wrong side of the law. In such cases, having no voice, no visibility to the International community, their disappearance isn't even noticed.
Mugabe is the first African president of Zimbabwe. He ascended to presidency on independence and as of this writing, 2011, he is still the leader of the country. He was born on the 21st of February in 1924 which would make him 87 today. Like many dictators, he does not see an end to his presidency and his failing health is becoming much more prominent on national television. He is not the same man who took over power at the age of 55. Definitely, 32 years of ruling isn't the issue. There have been monarchs and other leaders who have ruled as long, but showing no progress, in fact, leading a country to ruination requires fortitude and presence of mind to step down. Stepping down isn't in the interest of Mugabe and Mugabe does only what's best for Mugabe. He's shown time and time again that he only pays lip service to the people he supposedly represents. Making the tough decisions isn't something that he's likely to do right now.
Mugabe is therefore a prime example of an incompetent African leader. He will go down in the annals of history as the man who principally destroyed Zimbabwe who took a country full of hope and destroyed its productivity, much like Idi Amin of Uganda and Arap Moi of Kenya. A sad example of why the western, primarily European, world looks to Africa, shakes their collective heads, and sighs at the inability of Africans to govern themselves. In the latter part of 2000, a movie about a land conflict was created, Mugabe and the White African (http://www.mugabeandthewhiteafrican.com/). A story of one White Zimbabweans struggle to keep land that he had purchased from the government. There isn't a happy ending in that story, however, it is typical of the struggle that many Zimbabweans face in trying to succeed against insurmountable odds. Left to Mugabe and his cronies, the country will be destitute within a decade.
And like the motto of the movie, if good men do nothing, evil will prevail.
Zimbabwe.
A lot has been said about corruption in Africa and right here, a Tonyleeks exclusive special, we're about to reveal some of the things you may not know. We speculate, we often joke about, we continually ramble on and broach the subject, never delving into it, the cause and effect of corruption in Africa and while we continue to talk about it, never actually doing anything to stop it, it continues to erode the continent.
Zimbabwe. I remember when Zimbabwe got its independence from Britain, the colonial masters. It was in 1980 and I was old enough to have political sensibilities, even though I was still in high school. A then very young Robert Mugabe took over a country that was brimming with potential. A country that had been built no less on the backs of the African majority to the benefit of the European minority. Much like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and most of the African nations. Mugabe was young and bright and exhibited many of the qualities of tomorrow's African elite. The leader of leaders. He was the one that was going to show the independent nations of Africa how an African country should be run.
Headquarters in Harare, he began to systematically tear down the country. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely and Mugabe wasn't above that rule. When campaigning for independence, Mugabe was the man of the people. In a few short years, he became the man of himself and his family.
Giving land to his friends and family, many of who couldn't farm, introducing corrupt land distribution (also known as land reform) policies that made sure that productive white people were forcibly removed from their land started the country in a downward spiral.
It's not difficult to imagine that sooner or later, he'd have to start borrowing money from the international community. That sooner or later, Zimbabwe would join a host of other African nations that cannot feed themselves. A beautiful country of just over 13 million people, who many refer to as the heart of Africa, with beautiful rain forests, and voluminous waterfalls a hard working population that historically built the city of Great Zimbabwe, to be reduced by a handful of neocolonialists to starvation and third world destitution is tragic. More than tragic, this is senseless and shows that the selfish agenda of despotic African leaders is more to blame than the history of colonialism.
Without a doubt, Mugabe has pocketed millions, if not billions, of donor aid money. He's enjoyed a privileged lifestyle while his people have become increasingly destitute. He owns a number of homes, many of them overseas. Enjoys privileges exceeding those of the wealthy in developed countries mostly supported on the labour of the people he promised freedom from oppression. Many of his country men and women are no better today than they were during colonial times. Many of them are far worse off. Of course, independence has worked in favour of Mugabe and his close friends.
Tonyleeks has also learned that Mugabe's wealth is not entirely contained in Zimbabwean assets. He also holds title deeds in Europe and North America. In fact, it's arguable that most of his assets are outside Africa. The question as to how those assets were funded is shrouded in creative accounting the likes of which some of the larger consulting companies are used to. Mobutu Sese Seko, Kamuzu Banda, Jomo Kenyatta, Arap Moi, Idi Amin, Patrice Lumumba, Jerry Rawlings, Ghadaffi and a list too long to mention have intimate partnerships with the Pricewaterhouses, the KPMG's, Delloite and Touche's and Dunwoody's of this world. In order to squirrel away large sums of money it's inevitable to associate with unsavoury types who understand the financial world and are versed in the science of laundering to make illicit activities appear somewhat legal. Al Capone, known mostly for the gangster violence in prohibitionist Chicago was finally captured due to an error in Federal tax calculation. Al apparently wasn't paying attention to his income tax returns, and quite rightly so, since it would have been very difficult to submit exorbitant income statements and escape an audit from the Internal Revenue Service of the United States government.
But Mugabe doesn't require creative actuaries or, for that matter, actuaries or accountants. The money that he has obtained is a salary, base pay, for services rendered to the people of Zimbabwe, most of it accounted for through government expenses since he doesn't have to pay for his meals, his transportation, his accommodations since these are all charged to the people he serves. And this makes sense. You wouldn't expect to send an envoy to represent you without providing them with transportation, meals and shelter. Likewise, Mugabe's stand is that he has this huge responsibility of leadership, chosen by the people, and so they are paying for his leadership.
And so while the cost of running Zimbabwe is high, and the results are clearly not visible, the question that remains to be answered is whether or not the formula that Mugabe is using is an equitable one. Is his governance fair? Is he elevating the status of the common man, woman, child and creating an environment that fosters the betterment of everyone?
So far the results do not show this. Of late, Tonyleeks has uncovered reports of abuse leading to death of Zimbabweans who are against government politics. Dissent is frowned upon in modern Zimbabwe. Once upon a time, the common person could raise his or her voice and the sound of that criticism would be welcome. Mugabe, the greatest critic, was able to win his argument with the British and kick them out of Zimbabwe. But now that the voices of dissent have turned on to his government, those voices are no longer welcome. Sadly, a number of reports from the field indicate that heightened poverty leaves the citizens with no choice. Especially in cases where land is an issue. Peasants chased off their land that Mugabe wants to allocate to his cronies often find themselves on the wrong side of the law. In such cases, having no voice, no visibility to the International community, their disappearance isn't even noticed.
Mugabe is the first African president of Zimbabwe. He ascended to presidency on independence and as of this writing, 2011, he is still the leader of the country. He was born on the 21st of February in 1924 which would make him 87 today. Like many dictators, he does not see an end to his presidency and his failing health is becoming much more prominent on national television. He is not the same man who took over power at the age of 55. Definitely, 32 years of ruling isn't the issue. There have been monarchs and other leaders who have ruled as long, but showing no progress, in fact, leading a country to ruination requires fortitude and presence of mind to step down. Stepping down isn't in the interest of Mugabe and Mugabe does only what's best for Mugabe. He's shown time and time again that he only pays lip service to the people he supposedly represents. Making the tough decisions isn't something that he's likely to do right now.
Mugabe is therefore a prime example of an incompetent African leader. He will go down in the annals of history as the man who principally destroyed Zimbabwe who took a country full of hope and destroyed its productivity, much like Idi Amin of Uganda and Arap Moi of Kenya. A sad example of why the western, primarily European, world looks to Africa, shakes their collective heads, and sighs at the inability of Africans to govern themselves. In the latter part of 2000, a movie about a land conflict was created, Mugabe and the White African (http://www.mugabeandthewhiteafrican.com/). A story of one White Zimbabweans struggle to keep land that he had purchased from the government. There isn't a happy ending in that story, however, it is typical of the struggle that many Zimbabweans face in trying to succeed against insurmountable odds. Left to Mugabe and his cronies, the country will be destitute within a decade.
And like the motto of the movie, if good men do nothing, evil will prevail.
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