News

On 11/10/2014, The East African magazine reported that Kenyan contractors are crying foul after most of them lost out to Chinese firms in tendering for the construction of 10,000 kilometers of roads across the country. This outcry comes in spite of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto promised earlier that Kenyan companies - including those run by youth, women and people living with disability - would be given priority in the tender awarding. That move was heavily criticized by Kenya - Kenya Federation of Master Builders (KFMB).

Comment

This outcry by the construction companies of Kenya is all too familiar throughout young developing countries or to be exact throughout capitalist countries at large. Local companies tend to be denied tenders be it construction or otherwise to the extent some are compelled to close down their offices and capitulate to the multi-national companies.

This condition is a consequence of the capitalist free-market notion that intrinsically leads to the liquidation of many developing countries' companies due to lack of competence and expertise to compete with foreign multinational companies thus they fail to secure big tenders of construction or others. Basically, the free-market policy is a sharp spear that kills and finishes developing countries companies.

Without mentioning the huge amounts of bribes issued by the multi companies to greedy democratic politicians. Bribes make politicians of the developing countries biased in favour of the foreign multinational companies against local companies rendering them jobless. This policy melts down the notion of the developing countries politicians claiming the slogan "patriotism first". This notion is a mere fallacy openly and basically, what matters a lot to them is how to safeguard personal interest and not patriotism. Patriotism is an empty box which is useless before personal interest.

Basically, companies under the yoke of capitalism democracy die a natural death owing to the corrupt thought of colonialism of free-market policy, rampart bribes issued to capitalist politicians who issue various tenders due to the criteria of personal interest.
What is needed to safeguard local companies of the developing companies is ideological change by removing capitalism and replace it with an alternative ideology which is Islam and not slogans of patriotism.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Masoud Msellem
Deputy Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa